Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taxonomic Observations within Stellaria (Caryophyllaceae): Insights from Ecology, Geography, Morphology, and Phylogeny Suggest Widespread Parallelism in Starworts and Erode Previous Infrageneric Classifications

Abstract Recent phylogenetic analysis circumscribes the bounds of a core genus of Stellaria comprising five major extant clades and around 112 species. Some finer scale phylogenetic relationships emerging from that study are interpreted here. The Larbreae and Petiolares clades are the main foci, as they comprise the bulk of Stellaria diversity. In particular, I address the implications of our phylogenetic work on some widespread and morphologically complex lineages of starworts, including the Stellaria borealis, Stellaria cuspidata, Stellaria longipes, and Stellaria media groups, and also briefly discuss other subclades within the Larbreae and Petiolares clades. Based on phylogenetic evidence, Stellaria sitchana is here recognized as a distinct species from Stellaria borealis rather than as Stellaria borealis subsp. sitchana, and this lineage is furthermore reported from the southern hemisphere for the first time. Other newly discovered lineages that require revised nomenclatural concepts pending future work also are briefly treated. Overall, a picture of widespread evolutionary parallelism emerges within Stellaria, and this parallelism is largely responsible for the non-monophyletic nature of most previous subdivisions of the genus.
Is photoshop with Qualitative Image Analysis a valid technique for measuring hair morphology? A test using wires of known dimensions

Abstract. Three image analysis methods were compared to assess the most effective way to accurately measure the length and width of a series of wires, which represent mammalian hair. Five different wires of known length and width were mounted with straight wires (Layout A) or curvy wires (Layout B) each with different angles or curvature. Prepared cards were scanned on a flatbed scanner at maximum resolution (1200 dpi), and analysed using Qualitative Image Analysis 64 software (QIA-64). Method 1 utilized the default automatic thresholding algorithm to measure all generated features. Method 2 used manual selection of features. Method 3 also used manual feature selection, but used the Johannsen thresholding algorithm instead of automatic thresholding. QIA-64 could accurately measure the length of straight wires when features were selected manually (Methods 2 and 3), but could not accurately determine the length of curved wires. With respect to width measurements, the Inscribed Radius procedure measured width more accurately than Mean Fibre Width. QIA-64 has the potential for use in research but requires further refinement and validation before it can replace manual measurement of length and width using a microscope.
Relationship of Inflammatory Cytokines From M1-Type Microglia/Macrophages at the Injured Site and Lumbar Enlargement With Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury in the CCL21 Knockout (plt) Mouse

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes loss of normal sensation and often leads to debilitating neuropathic pain (NeP). Chronic NeP develops at or below the SCI lesion in as many as 80% of patients with SCI and may be induced by modulators of neuronal excitability released from activated microglia and macrophages. In the inflammatory response after SCI, different microglia/macrophage populations that are classically activated (M1 phenotype) or alternatively activated (M2 phenotype) have become of great interest. Chemokines have also recently attracted attention in neuron-microglia communication. CCL21 is a chemokine that activates microglia in the central nervous system (CNS) and is expressed only in neurons with an insult or mechanical injury. In this study using an SCI model in mutant (plt) mice with deficient CCL21 expression, we assessed post-SCI NeP and expression of microglia/macrophages and inflammatory cytokines at the injured site and lumbar enlargement. SCI-induced hypersensitivities to mechanical and thermal stimulation were relieved in plt mice compared with those in wild-type (C57BL/6) mice, although there was no difference in motor function. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analysis showed that the phenotype of microglia/macrophages was M1 type-dominant in both types of mice at the lesion site and lumbar enlargement. A decrease of M1-type microglia/macrophages was seen in plt mice compared with wild-type, while the number of M2-type microglia/macrophages did not differ between these mice. In immunoblot analysis, expression of M1-induced cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ)] was decreased in plt mice, while that of M2-induced cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4, IL-10) did not differ in the two types of mice. The results of this study indicate that suppression of expression of inflammatory cytokines by decreasing the number of M1-type microglia/macrophages at the injured site and lumbar enlargement is associated with provision of an environment for reduction of NeP. These findings may be useful for the design of new therapies to alleviate NeP after SCI.
Infectious hepatitis: A 3-year retrospective study at a tertiary care hospital in India

Context: Acute viral hepatitis (AVH) is predominantly caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV), the prevalence of which varies in different geographical regions. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HAV and HEV infections in patients with AVH, the rate of HAV-HEV co-infection and the prevalence of HEV infection among pregnant women with hepatitis. Settings and Design: It was a retrospective observational study conducted over 3 years from January 2015 to December 2017, after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee. Subjects and Methods: A total of 675 serum samples were collected from patients with a clinical diagnosis of AVH, between January 2015 and December 2017. The study population included outdoor and hospitalised patients between 3 and 70 years of age who presented with signs and symptoms of hepatitis. The presence of IgM anti-HAV and IgM anti-HEV antibodies in serum were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of HAV, HEV and HAV-HEV co-infection was found to be 6.96%, 9.63% and 2.07%, respectively. Among males, this was 7.3%, 8.8% and 2.6%, respectively and in females 6.7%, 10.2% and 1.7%, respectively. However, these differences in the prevalence rates were of no statistical significance. The prevalence of HEV infection in pregnant women with hepatitis was 9.4%. HAV and HEV infections showed a seasonal trend with predominance during summer and rainy seasons (May to September). Conclusions: A higher seroprevalence of HEV as compared to HAV together with a co-infection rate of 2.07% mandates screening for HEV in all suspected cases of acute hepatitis, particularly pregnant women in whom the outcomes of HEV infection are poor. Health and civic authorities should make necessary efforts to counter epidemic or outbreak situations, thus reducing morbidity, mortality and economic burden.
Psychosocial aspects and personality dimensions among a sample of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, a burden to society through total direct costs, reduced social functioning, and quality of life impairment. Aim The aim of the study was to determine the associated psychosocial risk factors and personality traits in a sample of IBS patients. Participants and methods A total of 100 patients of IBS were recruited from the Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinics Departments at Al Zahraa University Hospital during the period from January 2018 to August 2018 and 100 apparently healthy participants as the control group (aged 18–45 years) were subjected to clinical psychiatric assessment, Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire, Stressor life events questionnaire, and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I. Results The total number of cases was 100 [25 (25%) men and 75 (75%) women] with a mean age of 34.18±6.4 years; there was statistical significance regarding age, sex, marital status, and high significance in family history of IBS, education, employment; 51% had long duration of illness of more than 5 years. High neuroticism score was detected in 63% of the patients versus (VS) 20% of the control group and 52% of the patients had low extroversion VS 16% in the control group. There was high statistical significance in family, economic, social, emotional, health, and personal stressors. Moreover, 66% of the patients had psychiatric comorbidity, high statistical significance with generalized anxiety disorder and hypochondriasis, and statistical significance with somatization, dysthymic disorder, mixed anxiety depression, and panic disorder. Conclusion In this study, we found that IBS was associated with significant psychological distress and psychiatric comorbidities as psychosocial factors, so good assessment and early recognition will permit early intervention to improve outcome of the IBS and quality of life.
Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as an Early Diagnostic Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Snake Bite

Background: Snakebite envenomation is a major public health problem in the developing world, and the effects of viper envenomation on renal tissues leading to acute kidney injury (AKI) are well known. However, the usefulness of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a biomarker to detect AKI in viper envenomation cases were not studied much. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to find out plasma NGAL levels and assess its usefulness among the hospitalized Viperidae group of snakebite victims in predicting acute kidney injury. Materials and Methods: The plasma NGAL level was estimated within 6–8 h of all the 184 cases of viper bites along with other laboratory parameters. Results: It was elevated much before the elevation of serum creatinine levels, irrespective of the age, gender, and bite to hospital time. The sensitivity and specificity was 99.37 and 96.15, respectively. Elevated plasma NGAL levels in viper bite helped not only to detect AKI early but also assisted to plan for appropriate intervention. Conclusion: It is suggested to include estimation of plasma NGAL in the point of care testing, especially in emergency settings handling snakebite cases. However, more studies are recommended to find out its serial levels in snakebite cases following different kinds of snake envenomation with different clinical and laboratory manifestations in different age groups and gender belonging to different population so as to arrive at valid conclusions.
Can N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Hypofunction in Schizophrenia Be Localized to an Individual Cell Type?

Hypofunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDARs), whether caused by endogenous factors like auto-antibodies or mutations, or by pharmacological or genetic manipulations, produces a wide variety of deficits which overlap with—but do not precisely match—the symptom spectrum of schizophrenia. In order to understand how NMDAR hypofunction leads to different components of the syndrome, it is necessary to take into account which neuronal subtypes are particularly affected by it in terms of detrimental functional alterations. We provide a comprehensive overview detailing findings in rodent models with cell type–specific knockout of NMDARs. Regarding inhibitory cortical cells, an emerging model suggests that NMDAR hypofunction in parvalbumin (PV) positive interneurons is a potential risk factor for this disease. PV interneurons display a selective vulnerability resulting from a combination of genetic, cellular, and environmental factors that produce pathological multi-level positive feedback loops. Central to this are two antioxidant mechanisms—NMDAR activity and perineuronal nets—which are themselves impaired by oxidative stress, amplifying disinhibition. However, NMDAR hypofunction in excitatory pyramidal cells also produces a range of schizophrenia-related deficits, in particular maladaptive learning and memory recall. Furthermore, NMDAR blockade in the thalamus disturbs thalamocortical communication, and NMDAR ablation in dopaminergic neurons may provoke over-generalization in associative learning, which could relate to the positive symptom domain. Therefore, NMDAR hypofunction can produce schizophrenia-related effects through an action on various different circuits and cell types.
Can I Influence You? Development of a Scale to Measure Perceived Persuasiveness and Two Studies Showing the Use of the Scale

In this paper, we develop and validate a scale to measure the perceived persuasiveness of messages to be used in digital behavior interventions. A literature review is conducted to inspire the initial scale items. The scale is developed using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the data from a study with 249 ratings of healthy eating messages. The construct validity of the scale is established using ratings of 573 email security messages. Using the data from the two studies, we also show the usefulness of the scale by analyzing the perceived persuasiveness of different message types on the developed scale factors in both the healthy eating and email security domains. The results of our studies also show that the persuasiveness of message types is domain dependent and that when studying the persuasiveness of message types, the finer-grained argumentation schemes need to be considered and not just Cialdini's principles.
A New Species and a New Record of Stegnogramma (Thelypteridaceae; Polypodiales) from Southern Vietnam

Abstract We describe a new species of Stegnogramma (Thelypteridaceae; Polypodiales) as Stegnogramma australis. Morphologically, it is most similar to S. griffithii, sharing the character of pinnate fronds with ternate terminal pinnae. However, S. australis can be distinguished from S. griffithii by having more free pinna pairs, shorter distal stipe hairs, and fewer included veinlets in the laminar areoles. A description, photographs of key characters, and the known distribution of the new species are presented. We also infer genome size and reproductive mode of the new species using flow cytometry. In addition, the occurrence of S. aspidioides in Vietnam is confirmed and a key to all known species of Stegnogramma in Vietnam is given.
Characterisation of virulence genes associated with pathogenicity in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Purpose: This study was undertaken to characterise the virulence factors in clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and analyse their association with various infections caused and also to determine the association between virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance profile. Materials and Methods: A total number of 370 clinically significant, non-duplicate isolates of K. pneumoniae isolated from both hospitalised patients and patients attending clinics were included in this study. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out for the detection of various virulence genes such as mucoviscosity-associated gene A (magA), gene associated with allantoin metabolism (allS), Klebsiella ferric iron uptake(Kfu), capsule-associated gene A (K2A), regulator of mucoid phenotype A (rmpA), enterobactin (entB), yersiniabactin (YbtS), aerobactin, Fimbrial adhesin (FimH) and uridine-diphosphate galacturonate 4-epimerase (uge). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and PCR-based detection of beta-lactamase-encoding genes such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, AmpCs and carbapenemases were performed. Univariate analysis was done to find the association between virulence genes and mortality. Results: The siderophore, entB, was present in most (90.5%) of the isolates. Of the 370 isolates, 345 carried multiple virulence genes; 15 harboured single virulence genes and 10 did not harbour any of the studied virulence genes. The most common combination of occurrence was entB and FimH. A mortality rate of 12.75% (38/298) was observed among hospitalised patients. None of the virulence genes had any significant association with mortality. Conclusion: Pathogenic K. pneumoniae can harbour single to multiple virulence genes. Invasive infection with even a single virulence gene-harbouring K. pneumoniae can lead to poor outcomes. Both multidrug-resistant (MDR) and non-MDR K. pneumoniae can harbour a variety of virulence genes. None of the virulence genes have a significant association with mortality.
Molecular Detection and Genetic Characterization of Novel RNA Viruses in Wild and Synanthropic Rodents and Shrews in Kenya

The majority of emerging and reemerging zoonotic viral pathogens are RNA viruses. Pathogen discovery programs of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in wildlife have implicated rodents and shrews as hosts of diverse human pathogens, such as hantaviruses, arenaviruses, paramyxoviruses, etc. Despite these threats, little is known about the diversity of viruses circulating among rodents and shrews in Kenya, meaning the risk of infectious disease outbreak from these small mammals could be oblivious. This study reports the first surveillance toward understanding the diversity of RNA viruses carried by rodents and shrews in areas of high-potential contact with humans in Kenya through molecular detection. A total of 617 samples comprising fecal, urine, and tissues from 138 rodents and 5 shrews were screened for eight different families of viruses using RT-PCR assays. The results highlight the presence of diverse astroviruses, paramyxoviruses, hepeviruses, and arenavirus, circulating in both wild and synanthropic Kenyan rodents and shrews. Most of the viruses detected in this study are novel strains and some belong to the families that contain important human viral pathogens. Notably, a novel arenavirus was detected in Grammomys macmillani, a rodent species newly identified to harbor arenavirus, and it potentially represent a novel arenavirus species. Our findings demonstrate the need for continued pathogen surveillance among these small mammals as well as among the vulnerable and exposed livestock and humans. This would help in development and implementation of effective preventive and control strategies on EIDs in countries with rich wildlife biodiversity like Kenya.
The Behavioral Biology of Teams: Multidisciplinary Contributions to Social Dynamics in Isolated, Confined, and Extreme Environments

Teams in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments face many risks to behavioral health, social dynamics, and team performance. Complex long-duration ICE operational settings such as spaceflight and military deployments are largely closed systems with tightly coupled components, often operating as autonomous microsocieties within isolated ecosystems. As such, all components of the system are presumed to interact and can positively or negatively influence team dynamics through direct or indirect pathways. However, modern team science frameworks rarely consider inputs to the team system from outside the social and behavioral sciences and rarely incorporate biological factors despite the brain and associated neurobiological systems as the nexus of input from the environment and necessary substrate for emergent team dynamics and performance. Here, we provide a high-level overview of several key neurobiological systems relevant to social dynamics. We then describe several key components of ICE systems that can interact with and on neurobiological systems as individual-level inputs influencing social dynamics over the team life cycle—specifically food and nutrition, exercise and physical activity, sleep/wake/work rhythms, and habitat design and layout. Finally, we identify opportunities and strategic considerations for multidisciplinary research and development. Our overarching goal is to encourage multidisciplinary expansion of team science through (1) prospective horizontal integration of variables outside the current bounds of team science as significant inputs to closed ICE team systems and (2) bidirectional vertical integration of biology as the necessary inputs and mediators of individual and team behavioral health and performance. Prospective efforts to account for the behavioral biology of teams in ICE settings through an integrated organizational neuroscience approach will enable the field of team science to better understand and support teams who work, live, serve, and explore in extreme environments.
An Integrative Approach to Clinical Decision-Making for Treating Patients With Binge-Eating Disorder

Transtheoretical integrative decision-making models help clinicians to use patient factors that are known to predict outcomes in order to inform individualized treatment. Patient factors with a strong evidence base include: functional impairment, social support and interpersonal functioning, complexity and comorbidity, coping style, level of resistance, and level of subjective distress. Among those with binge-eating disorder (BED), patient factors have not been extensively characterized relative to norms or other clinical samples. We used an integrative decision-making model of these six patient factor domains related to patient outcomes to characterize a sample of 424 adults seeking treatment for BED. Data were from medical charts, a demographics questionnaire, and validated psychometric scales. We then compared these data to published data from normative and other eating disorder (ED) samples. Results showed that the average patient with BED: (1) was significantly more functionally impaired compared to non-clinical norms but somewhat less impaired than other patients with ED, (2) demonstrated clinically significant problems in social support and interpersonal functioning, (3) presented with complex comorbid pathology and high levels of chronicity, (4) used a more internalizing coping style compared to the norm and other ED samples, (5) had low levels of resistance to interventions, and (6) experienced a moderately high level of subjective distress indicating good motivation for treatment. Corresponding recommendations to these findings are that the average patient with BED should be provided higher intensity treatment that is longer in duration, interpersonally focused, directive in nature, and emphasizing self-reflection and insight. Despite the nomothetic nature of the findings, clinicians are encouraged to assess these patient domains when developing an ideographic case conceptualization and to tailor precision treatment to the individual patient with BED.