Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loofa (Luffa cylindrica) sponge: Review of development of the biomatrix as a tool for biotechnological applications

The review discusses the development of loofa sponge (Luffa cylindrica) as a biotechnological tool and the diversity of applications in which it has been successfully used since it was first reported as a matrix for the immobilization of microbiological cells in 1993. The fibro‐vascular reticulated structure, made up of an open network of random lattices of small cross‐sections coupled with very high porosity (79–93%), having very low density (0.02–0.04 g/cm3), and high specific pore volume (21–29 cm3/g), has the characteristics of a carrier/scaffold well‐suited for cell immobilization. This has been confirmed through the immobilization of cells of diverse types, including filamentous and microalgae, fungi, bacteria, yeasts, higher plants, and human and rat hepatocytes. The cells immobilized in loofa sponge have performed well and better than free suspended cells and those immobilized in conventionally used natural and synthetic polymeric materials for the production of ethanol, organic acids, enzymes, and secondary metabolites. The loofa‐immobilized cell systems have been efficiently used for the treatment of wastewaters containing toxic metals, dyes, and chlorinated compounds, and the technology has been used to develop biofilms for the remediation of domestic and industrial wastewaters rich in inorganic and organic matter. In addition, three‐dimensional loofa sponge scaffolds for hepatocyte culture have been suggested to have the potential for development into a bioartificial liver device. Loofa sponge is a cost‐effective, eco‐friendly, and easy to handle matrix that has been used successfully as a biotechnological tool in a variety of systems, purposes, and applications. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:573–600, 2013
Self-referential schemas and attentional bias predict severity and naturalistic course of depression symptoms

ABSTRACT Attentional bias and self-referential schemas have been observed in numerous cross-sectional studies of depressed adults and are theorised to maintain negative mood. However, few longitudinal studies have examined whether maladaptive cognition predicts the course of depressive symptoms. Fifty-seven adults with elevated depression symptoms were assessed for negative attentional bias using a dot-probe task with eye-tracking and self-referential schemas using a self-referent encoding task. Participants subsequently completed five weekly depression symptom assessments. Participants with more negative self-referential schemas had higher baseline depression symptoms (r = .55). However, participants who spent more time attending to negative words showed greater symptom worsening over time (r = .42). The findings for negative self-referential schemas replicate past research, while the findings for negative attention bias represent the first evidence showing that attentional biases predict naturalistic symptom course. This work suggests that negative attention biases maintain depression symptoms and represent an important treatment target for neurocognitive therapeutics.
Combined action of the type IV secretion effector proteins BepC and BepF promotes invasome formation of Bartonella henselae on endothelial and epithelial cells

Bartonella henselae (Bhe) can invade human endothelial cells (ECs) by two distinguishable entry routes: either individually by endocytosis or as large bacterial aggregates by invasome‐mediated internalization. Only the latter process is dependent on a functional VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system (T4SS) and the thereby translocated Bep effector proteins. Here, we introduce HeLa cells as a new cell system suitable to study invasome formation. We describe a novel route to trigger invasome formation by the combined action of the effectors BepC and BepF. Co‐infections of either HUVEC or HeLa cells with the Bep‐deficient ΔbepA‐G mutant expressing either BepC or BepF restores invasome formation. Likewise, ectopic expression of a combination of BepC and BepF in HeLa cells enables invasome‐mediated uptake of the Bhe ΔbepA‐G mutant strain. Further, eGFP–BepC and eGFP–BepF fusion proteins localize to the cell membrane and, upon invasome formation, to the invasome. Furthermore, the combined action of BepC and BepF inhibits endocytic uptake of inert microspheres. Finally, we show that BepC and BepF‐triggered invasome formation differs from BepG‐triggered invasome formation in its requirement for cofilin1, while the Rac1/Scar1/WAVE/Arp2/3 and Cdc42/WASP/Arp2/3 signalling pathways are required in both cases.
Partial replication of two rumination-related candidate gene studies

ABSTRACT Two recent papers associated candidate genes with brooding rumination, a possible cognitive endophenotype for depression, in children ages 8–14 years. Stone et al. reported that BDNF val66met polymorphism predicted brooding in adolescence. Woody et al. reported that children carrying at least one copy of a CRHR1 TAT haplotype reported less brooding than their peers in the presence of maternal depression. We attempted to replicate and extend these findings in a sample of twins aged 12–16 years. We analyzed the BDNF val66met (rs6265) polymorphism and two (rs242924 and rs7209436) out of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that Woody et al. used to create a CRHR1 haplotype. We controlled for maternal history of depression and clustering within families. Unlike Stone et al., we found higher brooding among BDNF Met carriers. This main effect was qualified by an interaction with pubertal status, with the effect driven by more physically mature participants. Similar to Woody et al., we found an interaction between CRHR1 SNPs and maternal depression, with the homozygous minor genotype acting as a protective factor against brooding in the presence of maternal depression. Findings provide partial support for the influence of candidate genes in two environmentally sensitive systems on brooding.
Specific emotions as mediators of the effect of intergroup contact on prejudice: findings across multiple participant and target groups

ABSTRACT Emotions are increasingly being recognised as important aspects of prejudice and intergroup behaviour. Specifically, emotional mediators play a key role in the process by which intergroup contact reduces prejudice towards outgroups. However, which particular emotions are most important for prejudice reduction, as well as the consistency and generality of emotion–prejudice relations across different in-group–out-group relations, remain uncertain. To address these issues, in Study 1 we examined six distinct positive and negative emotions as mediators of the contact–prejudice relations using representative samples of U.S. White, Black, and Asian American respondents (N = 639). Admiration and anger (but not other emotions) were significant mediators of the effects of previous contact on prejudice, consistently across different perceiver and target ethnic groups. Study 2 examined the same relations with student participants and gay men as the out-group. Admiration and disgust mediated the effect of past contact on attitude. The findings confirm that not only negative emotions (anger or disgust, based on the specific types of threat perceived to be posed by an out-group), but also positive, status- and esteem-related emotions (admiration) mediate effects of contact on prejudice, robustly across several different respondent and target groups.
Enhanced conflict-driven cognitive control by emotional arousal, not by valence

ABSTRACT Emotion is widely agreed to have two dimensions, valence and arousal. Few studies have explored the effect of emotion on conflict adaptation by considering both of these, which could have dissociate influence. The present study aimed to fill the gap as to whether emotional valence and arousal would exert dissociable influence on conflict adaptation. In the experiments, we included positive, neutral, and negative conditions, with comparable arousal between positive and negative conditions. Both positive and negative conditions have higher arousal than neutral ones. In Experiment 1, by using a two-colour-word Flanker task, we found that conflict adaptation was enhanced in both positive and negative contexts compared to a neutral context. Furthermore, this effect still existed when controlling stimulus–response repetitions in Experiment 2, which used a four-colour-word Flanker task. The findings suggest emotional arousal enhances conflict adaptation, regardless of emotional valence. Thus, future studies should consider emotional arousal when studying the effect of emotion on conflict adaptation. Moreover, the unique role of the emotional context in conflict-driven cognitive control is emphasised.
Quality of Communication in Interpreted Versus Noninterpreted PICU Family Meetings*

Objectives:To describe the quality of physician-family communication during interpreted and noninterpreted family meetings in the PICU. Design:Prospective, exploratory, descriptive observational study of noninterpreted English family meetings and interpreted Spanish family meetings in the pediatric intensive care setting. Setting:A single, university-based, tertiary children’s hospital. Subjects:Participants in PICU family meetings, including medical staff, family members, ancillary staff, and interpreters. Interventions:Thirty family meetings (21 English and nine Spanish) were audio-recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed using the qualitative method of directed content analysis. Measurements and Main Results:Quality of communication was analyzed in three ways: 1) presence of elements of shared decision-making, 2) balance between physician and family speech, and 3) complexity of physician speech. Of the 11 elements of shared decision-making, only four occurred in more than half of English meetings, and only three occurred in more than half of Spanish meetings. Physicians spoke for a mean of 20.7 minutes, while families spoke for 9.3 minutes during English meetings. During Spanish meetings, physicians spoke for a mean of 14.9 minutes versus just 3.7 minutes of family speech. Physician speech complexity received a mean grade level score of 8.2 in English meetings compared to 7.2 in Spanish meetings. Conclusions:The quality of physician-family communication during PICU family meetings is poor overall. Interpreted meetings had poorer communication quality as evidenced by fewer elements of shared decision-making and greater imbalance between physician and family speech. However, physician speech may be less complex during interpreted meetings. Our data suggest that physicians can improve communication in both interpreted and noninterpreted family meetings by increasing the use of elements of shared decision-making, improving the balance between physician and family speech, and decreasing the complexity of physician speech.
Associating LIPS and SWOLLEN: delayed attentional disengagement following words in sex contexts

ABSTRACT With a series of three studies, using an adapted dot-probe paradigm, we investigated the elicitation of spontaneous affective meaning. Although it is well established that humans show delays in disengaging their attention from conventional affective stimuli, it is unknown whether contextually acquired affective meaning similarly impacts attention. We examined attentional disengagement following pairs of neutral or slightly ambiguous words that in combination could evoke sex, violence or neutral associations. Study 1 demonstrated slower disengagement following words that conveyed sex or violence associations compared to words that conveyed neutral associations. This pattern was only present for participants who were aware of sex or violence associations. Study 2 replicated these results in a large sample, but only for sex associations. Study 3 replicated the effect while instructing participants explicitly to expect sex and violence associations. Finally, two control studies countered reasonable alternative explanations for our findings. Together, these studies show that contextually driven affective associations can arise quickly with the potential to influence attentional processes. These findings are consistent with theoretical models of emotion and language that highlight the importance of context in the generation of affective meaning.
Separation and nanoencapsulation of antitumor polypeptide from Spirulina platensis

Spirulina platensis is a multicellular edible blue‐green alga with abundant proteins (∼60%). No report is available on the antitumor polypeptides from the whole proteins of S. platensis. In this study, for the first time, an antitumor polypeptide Y2 from trypsin digest of S. platensis proteins was obtained by using freeze‐thawing plus ultrasonication extraction, hydrolysis with four enzymes (trypsin, alcalase, papain, and pepsin), and gel filtration chromatography. The results showed that the degree of hydrolysis can be ordered as: trypsin (38.5%) > alcalase (31.2%) > papain (27.8%) > pepsin (7.1%). For MCF‐7 and HepG2 cells, at 250 µg/mL, the maximum inhibitory rate of Y2 was 97%, while standard drug 5‐FU was 55 and 97%, respectively. Furthermore, the nanoencapsulation of Y2 with chitosan (CS) was also investigated. After nanoencapsulation, the maximum encapsulation efficiency and polypeptides contents are 49 and 15%, respectively; and the antitumor activity is basically not lost. These data demonstrated the potential of nanopolypeptides (Y2‐CS) in food and pharmaceutical applications. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:1230–1238, 2013
Successful emotion regulation requires both conviction and skill: beliefs about the controllability of emotions, reappraisal, and regulation success

ABSTRACT To succeed in self-regulation, people need to believe that it is possible to change behaviour and they also need to use effective means to enable such a change. We propose that this also applies to emotion regulation. In two studies, we found that people were most successful in emotion regulation, the more they believed emotions can be controlled and the more they used an effective emotion regulation strategy – namely, cognitive reappraisal. Cognitive reappraisal moderated the link between beliefs about the controllability of emotion and success in emotion regulation, when reappraisal was measured as a trait (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2). Such moderation was found when examining the regulation of disgust elicited by emotion-inducing films (Study 1), and the regulation of anger elicited by real political events (Study 2). We discuss the implications of our findings for research and practice in emotion regulation.
The thermolysin‐like metalloproteinase and virulence factor LasB from pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces anoikis of human vascular cells

Disruption of cell/ECM interactions resulting from uncontrolled pericellular proteolysis leads to detachment‐induced cell apoptosis (anoikis), contributing to the morbid evolution of inflammatory vascular diseases. During cardiovascular infections, bacterial proteinases might induce vascular cells to enter a similar pathway. We focused on LasB, the predominant metalloproteinase secreted by the haematotropic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While the exosecretome of the LasB‐deficient pseudomonal strain PAO1lasBΔ had limited impact on human vascular cell adherence and viability, secretomes from the LasB‐expressing reference strain, PAO1, or clinical isolates from patients with cardiac infection all induced anoikis, as did purified LasB. Immunofluorescence and/or immunoblotting analysis of heart valve myofibroblast cultures or whole tissue revealed an extensive, LasB‐dependent degradation of ECM‐associated fibronectin and vitronectin, that preceded cell de‐adherence, whereas type I collagen showed limited degradation. Moreover, LasB produced a rapid endoproteolysis of the cell‐associated urokinase receptor/uPAR, leaving a truncated receptor that is unable to support cell adherence and survival via interactions with vitronectin and integrins. Conversely, major myofibroblast integrins showed no or only minor alterations. Thus, among P. aeruginosa‐secreted metalloproteinases, LasB can induce vascular cell anoikis through simultaneous proteolysis of ECM components and cell receptors, suggesting the uPAR‐vitronectin axis as a major target in this process.
Context learning for threat detection

ABSTRACT It is hypothesised that threatening stimuli are detected better due to their salience or physical properties. However, these stimuli are typically embedded in a rich context, motivating the question whether threat detection is facilitated via learning of contexts in which threat stimuli appear. To address this question, we presented threatening face targets in new or old spatial configurations consisting of schematic faces and found that detection of threatening targets was faster in old configurations. This indicates that individuals are able to learn regularities within visual contexts and use this contextual information to guide detection of threatening targets. Next, we presented threatening and non-threatening face targets embedded in new or old spatial configurations. Detection of threatening targets was facilitated in old configurations, and this effect was reversed for non-threatening targets. Present findings show that detection of threatening targets is driven not only by stimulus properties as theorised traditionally but also by learning of contexts in which threatening stimuli appear. Further, results show that context learning for threatening targets obstructs context learning for non-threatening targets. Overall, in addition to typically emphasised bottom-up factors, our findings highlight the importance of top-down factors such as context and learning in detection of salient, threatening stimuli.
People look at the object they fear: oculomotor capture by stimuli that signal threat

ABSTRACT It is known that people covertly attend to threatening stimuli even when it is not beneficial for the task. In the current study we examined whether overt selection is affected by the presence of an object that signals threat. We demonstrate that stimuli that signal the possibility of receiving an electric shock capture the eyes more often than stimuli signalling no shock. Capture occurred even though the threat-signalling stimulus was neither physically salient nor task relevant at any point during the experiment. Crucially, even though fixating the threat-related stimulus made it more likely to receive a shock, results indicate that participants could not help but doing it. Our findings indicate that the presence of a stimulus merely signalling the possibility of receiving a shock is prioritised in selection, and exogenously captures the eyes even when this ultimately results in the execution of the threat (i.e. receiving a shock). Oculomotor capture was particularly pronounced for the fastest saccades which is consistent with the idea that threat influences visual selection at an early stage of processing, when selection is mainly involuntarily.
Effects of dysphoria and induced negative mood on the processes underlying hindsight bias

ABSTRACT Hindsight bias is the tendency to overestimate one’s prior knowledge of facts or events once the actual facts or events are known. Several theoretical frameworks suggest that affective states might influence hindsight bias. Nondysphoric participants (n = 123, BDI ≤ 13) in negative or neutral mood, and dysphoric participants (n = 19, BDI > 13) generated and recalled answers to difficult knowledge questions. All groups showed hindsight bias, that is, their recalled estimates were closer to the correct answer when this answer was shown at recall. Multinomial modelling revealed, however, that under dysphoria and induced negative mood different processes contributed to hindsight bias. Dysphoria, but not induced negative mood, was associated with a stronger reconstruction bias, compared with neutral mood. A recollection bias appeared in neutral, but neither in induced negative nor dysphoric mood. These findings highlight differences between the cognitive consequences of dysphoria and induced negative mood.
Selective attention to emotional prosody in social anxiety: a dichotic listening study

ABSTRACT The majority of evidence on social anxiety (SA)-linked attentional biases to threat comes from research using facial expressions. Emotions are, however, communicated through other channels, such as voice. Despite its importance in the interpretation of social cues, emotional prosody processing in SA has been barely explored. This study investigated whether SA is associated with enhanced processing of task-irrelevant angry prosody. Fifty-three participants with high and low SA performed a dichotic listening task in which pairs of male/female voices were presented, one to each ear, with either the same or different prosody (neutral or angry). Participants were instructed to focus on either the left or right ear and to identify the speaker’s gender in the attended side. Our main results show that, once attended, task-irrelevant angry prosody elicits greater interference than does neutral prosody. Surprisingly, high socially anxious participants were less prone to distraction from attended-angry (compared to attended-neutral) prosody than were low socially anxious individuals. These findings emphasise the importance of examining SA-related biases across modalities.
Investigating the effect of peptide agonists on the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells using design of experiments

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are attractive for use in cartilage tissue engineering. Cells are often seeded in a structural scaffold containing growth factors. Peptide mimics of full‐length growth factors are a promising alternative because they are less expensive and easier to manufacture. We investigated four short peptides for their effect on the chondrogenesis of human MSCs. The peptides were originally designed to mimic bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2), transforming growth factor‐beta 1 (TGF‐β1), and insulin, all of which have been shown to affect MSC chondrogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated that the peptides elicited bioactivity in other cell types, but the peptides have not been investigated for their effect on chondrogenesis in human MSCs. In a preliminary investigation, peptides were added to a pellet culture of human MSCs and assayed for their effect on glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production. These experiments determined peptide concentrations used in a full‐factorial experiment to investigate any interactions. The experiment revealed the BMP peptide as a robust stimulant for GAG production. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:1550–1557, 2013