Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leaf phenology as one important driver of seasonal changes in isoprene emissions in central Amazonia

Abstract. Isoprene fluxes vary seasonally with changes in environmental factors (e.g., solar radiation and temperature) and biological factors (e.g., leaf phenology). However, our understanding of the seasonal patterns of isoprene fluxes and the associated mechanistic controls is still limited, especially in Amazonian evergreen forests. In this paper, we aim to connect intensive, field-based measurements of canopy isoprene flux over a central Amazonian evergreen forest site with meteorological observations and with tower-mounted camera leaf phenology to improve our understanding of patterns and causes of isoprene flux seasonality. Our results demonstrate that the highest isoprene emissions are observed during the dry and dry-to-wet transition seasons, whereas the lowest emissions were found during the wet-to-dry transition season. Our results also indicate that light and temperature cannot totally explain isoprene flux seasonality. Instead, the camera-derived leaf area index (LAI) of recently mature leaf age class (e.g., leaf ages of 3–5 months) exhibits the highest correlation with observed isoprene flux seasonality ( R2=0.59 , p ). Attempting to better represent leaf phenology in the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN 2.1), we improved the leaf age algorithm by utilizing results from the camera-derived leaf phenology that provided LAI categorized into three different leaf ages. The model results show that the observations of age-dependent isoprene emission capacity, in conjunction with camera-derived leaf age demography, significantly improved simulations in terms of seasonal variations in isoprene fluxes ( R2=0.52 , p ). This study highlights the importance of accounting for differences in isoprene emission capacity across canopy leaf age classes and identifying forest adaptive mechanisms that underlie seasonal variation in isoprene emissions in Amazonia.
Sensitivity of native and alien freshwater bivalve species in Europe to climate-related environmental factors

While native freshwater bivalve species are declining, several alien bivalve species have become invasive, thereby impacting ecosystem functioning and services. These biodiversity changes can be attributed to deteriorated water quality, hydro-morphological alterations, and the overarching effect of global change. Therefore, a systematic assessment of the sensitivity of freshwater bivalve species nowadays occurring in European inland waters to environmental factors is urgent. The present study reviewed 493 relevant papers, resulting in 8405 data entries on presence – absence of bivalve species in relation to environmental factors that are affected by global change (i.e., water temperature, water depth, oxygen availability, and ﬂ ow velocity). From these worldwide ﬁ eld data, minimum and maximum values measured in their habitat and water bodies were selected. In addition, data on laboratory-derived tolerance ranges were col-lected. Subsequently, novel species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were derived for each environmental factor using ﬁ eld-based occurrence data and laboratory-derived tolerance ranges, respectively. Species sensitivity distributions for maximum habitat temperature signi ﬁ cantly differed between native and alien species. The latter occurred in habitats with higher maximum water temperatures than native species. The increase in water temperatures by global warming will affect a higher percentage of native species than alien species. The ranking of species based on their sensitivity for various environmental factors shows that vulnerable and endangered species have a higher overall sensitivity and are likely to be more affected by climate change. Invasive alien species were found to have a lower overall sensitivity and are thus less affected by climate change further aiding to their invasive nature. The available SSDs allow the ranking of freshwater bivalve species sensitivity to environmental stressors, the prediction of their potential occurrence in freshwater habitats, and the evaluation of management measures to optimize their biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Thymosin alpha 1 treatment for patients with sepsis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by host immune response to infection. In this regard, modifying host immune response may help to eliminate systemic infection and restore organ function. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1), acting as an immune modulator, exerts great biological influence in activating and restoring the dysregulated immune response for patients with sepsis. Areas covered: In this review, we summarize the clinical studies of Tα1 treatment alone and in combination with anti-inflammatory for patients with sepsis or septic shock. Clinical studies were collected from available English and Chinese databases. Expert opinion: In previous studies, single or combined treatment with Tα1 reduced the mortality rate of sepsis, improved the expression of HLA-DR on monocyte, and diminished the incidence of secondary infection. Based on the existing studies, Tα1 seems to be a promising alternative adjuvant therapy for sepsis. However, sepsis is a remarkably heterogeneous clinical syndrome, so much so that it is impossible to generalize the clinical results to all septic patients. Also, the present studies on Tα1 treatment are not able to focus on the immunosuppressive individuals. We believe that selecting septic patients with immunosuppression will be more likely to reveal the efficacy of Tα1 in future trials.
PDK4 Deficiency Suppresses Hepatic Glucagon Signaling by Decreasing cAMP Levels

In fasting or diabetes, gluconeogenic genes are transcriptionally activated by glucagon stimulation of the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA)–CREB signaling pathway. Previous work showed pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibition in skeletal muscle increases pyruvate oxidation, which limits the availability of gluconeogenic substrates in the liver. However, this study found upregulation of hepatic PDK4 promoted glucagon-mediated expression of gluconeogenic genes, whereas knockdown or inhibition of hepatic PDK4 caused the opposite effect on gluconeogenic gene expression and decreased hepatic glucose production. Mechanistically, PDK4 deficiency decreased ATP levels, thus increasing phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK), which increased p-AMPK–sensitive phosphorylation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 4B (p-PDE4B). This reduced cAMP levels and consequently p-CREB. Metabolic flux analysis showed that the reduction in ATP was a consequence of a diminished rate of fatty acid oxidation (FAO). However, overexpression of PDK4 increased FAO and increased ATP levels, which decreased p-AMPK and p-PDE4B and allowed greater accumulation of cAMP and p-CREB. The latter were abrogated by the FAO inhibitor etomoxir, suggesting a critical role for PDK4 in FAO stimulation and the regulation of cAMP levels. This finding strengthens the possibility of PDK4 as a target against diabetes.
Developmental Exposure to Atrazine Impairs Spatial Memory and Downregulates the Hippocampal D1 Dopamine Receptor and cAMP-Dependent Signaling Pathway in Rats

Atrazine (ATR) is a widely used herbicide that has been implicated as a neurotoxicant. Recent experimental evidence has implicated that ATR exposure also appears to have adverse effects on the hippocampus, which is a critical region for learning and memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ATR toxicity on the hippocampus of developing rats. Postnatal day (PND) 28 male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats received ATR by oral gavage at 10 or 100 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) for 30 consecutive days and were sacrificed at PND 90. Behavioral test results indicated that spatial learning and memory were affected by ATR treatment. Electron microscopy analysis showed that the ultrastructures of the hippocampus were altered in the ATR-treated groups, as compared to the control group. Additionally, ATR treatment impacted dopamine and D1 dopamine receptor (D1DR) contents through different mechanisms. Reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of factors involved in the cAMP-dependent signaling pathway were also detected. These results indicate that the developmental exposure of rats to ATR can damage the hippocampus and spatial memory, which might be related to the downregulation of expression levels of the D1DR and its downstream signaling pathway.
Predictors of Depressive Relapse in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment.

BACKGROUND Despite high prevalence rates among women of mood disorders and of infertility, there is a paucity of systematic data to inform the treatment of women at risk for psychiatric morbidity in the context of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The objective was to delineate predictors of depressive relapse in women with histories of mood disorders during ART, including the role of psychotropic medication continuation. METHODS This was a prospective observational study of women undergoing ART with past diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar depression. For 6-months, follow-up included assessments of mood, perceived stress, and partner support. A subsample participated in biomarker collection. Depressive relapse was confirmed using Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. RESULTS N = 38 were evaluable. Participants with MDD (N = 25) experienced a depressive relapse rate of 44.0%. Relapse rates among antidepressant maintainers (N = 15; relapse rate = 40.0%) and antidepressant discontinuers (N = 10; relapse rate = 50.0%) were not significantly different. Among participants with bipolar disorder (N = 13), the overall relapse rate was 30.8%. Among psychotropic medication maintainers (N = 10), 40.0% relapsed, and among discontinuers (N = 3), none relapsed. Scores on the Perceived Stress Scale correlated with relapse risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.26, p = 0.0065). C-reactive protein was associated with relapse (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.43-2.55, p < 0.0001); blood cortisol and interleukin-6 were not. CONCLUSIONS Risk of depressive relapse among women undergoing ART is considerable. Medication continuation does not adequately confer relapse prevention. Stress and inflammation appear to contribute to risk of relapse. Additional strategies to mitigate depressive relapse in at-risk women undergoing ART are needed.
Rtt105 functions as a chaperone for replication protein A to preserve genome stability

Generation of single‐stranded DNA (ssDNA) is required for the template strand formation during DNA replication. Replication Protein A (RPA) is an ssDNA‐binding protein essential for protecting ssDNA at replication forks in eukaryotic cells. While significant progress has been made in characterizing the role of the RPA–ssDNA complex, how RPA is loaded at replication forks remains poorly explored. Here, we show that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein regulator of Ty1 transposition 105 (Rtt105) binds RPA and helps load it at replication forks. Cells lacking Rtt105 exhibit a dramatic reduction in RPA loading at replication forks, compromised DNA synthesis under replication stress, and increased genome instability. Mechanistically, we show that Rtt105 mediates the RPA–importin interaction and also promotes RPA binding to ssDNA directly in vitro, but is not present in the final RPA–ssDNA complex. Single‐molecule studies reveal that Rtt105 affects the binding mode of RPA to ssDNA. These results support a model in which Rtt105 functions as an RPA chaperone that escorts RPA to the nucleus and facilitates its loading onto ssDNA at replication forks.
Hyperphalangy in a new sinemydid turtle from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota

Hyperphalangy is a rare condition in extant aquatic turtles, and mainly limited to soft-shelled turtles. Here we report a new freshwater turtle, Jeholochelys lingyuanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of western Liaoning, China. This new turtle is characterized by a hyperphalangy condition with one additional phalanx in pedal digit V, rather than the primitive condition (phalangeal formula: 2-3-3-3-3) of crown turtles. J. lingyuanensis is recovered with other coexisting turtles in the family Sinemydidae in the phylogenetic analysis. This discovery further confirms that hyperphalangy occurred multiple times in the early evolutionary history of the crown turtles. Hyperphalangy is possibly a homoplasy in Jeholochelys and the soft-shelled turtles to adapt to the aquatic environments.
Deep Learning-Based CSI Feedback Approach for Time-Varying Massive MIMO Channels

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems rely on channel state information (CSI) feedback to perform precoding and achieve performance gain in frequency division duplex networks. However, the huge number of antennas poses a challenge to the conventional CSI feedback reduction methods and leads to excessive feedback overhead. In this letter, we develop a real-time CSI feedback architecture, called CsiNet-long short-term memory (LSTM), by extending a novel deep learning (DL)-based CSI sensing and recovery network. CsiNet-LSTM considerably enhances recovery quality and improves tradeoff between compression ratio (CR) and complexity by directly learning spatial structures combined with time correlation from training samples of time-varying massive MIMO channels. Simulation results demonstrate that CsiNet-LSTM outperforms existing compressive sensing-based and DL-based methods and is remarkably robust to CR reduction.
Fitness landscape analysis of a class of NP-hard problems

A number of fitness landscape properties of randomly generated instances of a class of NP-hard combinatorial optimisation problems are empirically studied in this research. We believe that the studied properties give insight into the structure of the problem landscape and can be representative of the problem difficulty, in particular with respect to local search algorithms. The properties include: types of search position, number of local and global optima and plateaux, quality of optima and plateaux, basin size and its correlation with fitness, time to local optima, cost of finding the global solution, and the quality of optima obtained with a fixed budget search. Our work focuses on studying how these properties vary with different values of problem parameters. We also compare these properties across different landscapes that were induced by different neighbourhood operators or different penalty functions of the following problems: the number partitioning problem, the binary knapsack problem, and the quadratic binary knapsack problem. Unlike existing studies of these problems, we study instances generated at random from various distributions. We found a general trend where in all the three problems, some of their landscape features were found to vary between the different distributions. We captured this variation by a single, easy to calculate, parameter and we showed that it has a potentially useful application in guiding the choice of the neighbourhood operator of local search heuristics.
Extracellular volume by cardiac magnetic resonance is associated with biomarkers of inflammation in hypertensive heart disease

Objectives: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) provides a unique approach to the characterization of hypertensive heart disease (HHD), enabling the measurement of left ventricular mass and expansion of extracellular volume (ECV). Combining plasma biomarkers with CMR could provide potential insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms in ventricular remodelling. Methods: In this study, we estimated correlations between plasma biomarkers and CMR parameters of HHD. Patients with a history of hypertension with or without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and healthy volunteers (17 hypertensive non-LVH, 13 hypertensive LVH and 11 controls) underwent CMR on a Siemens 1.5T Avanto. T1 mapping was performed before (native T1) and serially after injection of 0.15 mmol/kg gadolinium-DTPA. Mean ECV and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were determined. Blood samples were obtained and analysed using the Olink CVDI 92-plex biomarker panel. Results: Individual groups were compared on the basis of 91 plasma biomarkers using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). ECV and LVMI were correlated with the 91 distinct plasma biomarkers via orthogonal projection to latent structures by partial least square (OPLS) analysis. A two-dimensional PLS-DA explained 49% of the differences between the three groups. OPLS analysis showed that four plasma biomarkers were significantly correlated to both ECV and LVMI, eight were significantly correlated with LVMI only and 11 were significantly correlated to ECV only. Conclusion: ECV and LVMI correlate differentially in plasma biomarker patterns. Top predictors of ECV consisted of well established biomarkers of systemic inflammation and metabolic function.
Propofol administration by endoscopists versus anesthesiologists in gastrointestinal endoscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of patient safety outcomes.

BACKGROUND With a growing demand for endoscopic services, the role of anesthesiologists in endoscopy units must be reassessed. The aim of this study was to compare patient outcomes in non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol (NAAP) versus anesthesiologist-administered propofol (AAP) during routine endoscopy. METHODS We systematically searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL and the grey literature for studies comparing NAAP and AAP. Primary outcomes included endoscopy- and sedation-related complications. Secondary outcomes included measures of endoscopy quality and of patient and endoscopist satisfaction. We reported treatment effects using random-effects models. RESULTS Of 602 articles identified, 5 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies included only patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of I or II. Non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol did not result in increased rates of airway intervention (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29 to 3.95; 3443 patients) or hypotension (OR 1.47, 95% CI 0.40 to 5.41; 17 978 patients) but did result in higher rates of bradycardia (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.65 to 8.17; 17 978 patients). Nonanesthesiologists administered lower propofol dosages than anesthesiologists (mean difference -61.79, 95% CI -114.46 to -9.12; 3443 patients), and their patients more commonly experienced awareness with recall (OR 19.99, 95% CI 7.88 to 50.76; 2090 patients). However, NAAP neither compromised patient willingness to repeat the procedure (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.83; 2367 patients) nor lengthened total procedure time (mean difference -0.08, 95% CI -3.51 to 3.34; 2367 patients). CONCLUSION Endoscopists may safely administer propofol without compromising procedural quality in patients classified as ASA I or II undergoing routine endoscopy. The results of this meta-analysis are limited by a lack of available high-quality studies. Further, large-scale studies are needed for definitive conclusions.
Use of Canonical Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (CanSNPs) to characterize Bacillus anthracis outbreak strains in Zambia between 1990 and 2014

Anthrax caused by Bacillus anthracis is an old and neglected zoonosis that continues to raise concerns in Southern Africa. In this study, twenty (20) slides with suspected isolates of B. anthracis from anthrax cases between 1990 and 2014 and two (2) from that of a vaccine strain were analysed using MLVA with 15 VNTRs and CanSNPs test. The results from the CanSNPs indicate that all anthrax outbreaks in Zambia between 1990 and 2014 were caused by the lineage A.Br. 005/006 of the clade A. This indicates a common ancestral origin of the B. anthracis circulating in the country. This data has described several environmental, wildlife, livestock and human cases that occurred in a 24 year period, from the major areas where anthrax is endemic. The molecular characterization of isolates from anthrax outbreaks in Zambia has revealed a genetic structure in agreement with previous studies from neighbouring countries. Further studies are needed to elucidate how to better manage anthrax outbreaks and define the risk maps of Zambia.
The Effects of Primary Care–Based Parenting Interventions on Parenting and Child Behavioral Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Behavioral parenting interventions can enhance positive parenting practice, which is crucial in preventing maltreatment and promoting child well-being. Primary care has been increasingly recognized as an underutilized platform to widely disseminate evidence-based parenting interventions, given parents’ ongoing access to primary care without stigma and the perceptions toward health-care providers as a trustworthy source of information about positive parenting. This study sought to explore the effects of primary care–based parenting interventions on parenting practice and child behavioral outcomes while examining the types of and the theories of change underlying these interventions. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline. Randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies of interventions targeting caregivers of children aged between 1 and 17 were included in the review. Information sources included electronic databases, relevant government and private organizational websites, and expert consultations. The final sample included 17 studies focusing on 10 interventions. Positive results were found in knowledge gain, locus of control, monitoring, parent–child interactions, and negative discipline. Child behavior outcomes were inconsistent as most studies reported nonsignificant changes while one study reported significant intervention effects on various externalizing behaviors. A limited number of studies described the process of adapting, installing, and implementing the interventions in primary care. Future studies should examine the types, dosages, and delivery formats that are most suitable and sustainable in the context of primary care to maximize its utility in promoting child well-being while preventing maltreatment through integrated behavioral parenting interventions.
Self-compassion induction enhances recovery from social stressors: Comparing adults with social anxiety disorder and healthy controls

ABSTRACT Background and objectives: This study evaluates the process and consequence of inducing self-compassion during recovery from social performance stressors. Though interest in self-compassion as an intervention target is growing, extant findings suggest that initially cultivating self-compassion can be challenging for those with high self-criticism and anxiety, common features of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Design: Quasi-experimental design. Methods: The current study evaluates the feasibility, content, and outcomes of a brief written self-compassion induction administered after consecutive laboratory social stressors, among adults with SAD (n = 21) relative to healthy controls (HC; n = 35). Results: Findings demonstrate the feasibility of employing a written self-compassion induction among adults with (and without) SAD, reveal group differences in written responses to the induction, and suggest that the SAD group benefitted more from the induction than the HC group, based on greater reductions in state anxiety and greater increases in self-compassion during stressor recovery. Greater use of negative affect words within written responses to the self-compassion induction, but not during general writing, predicted lower subsequent state anxiety across groups, by a medium effect size. Conclusions: Collectively, the findings support the feasibility and utility of cultivating self-compassion among adults with SAD.