Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between weight status and cognition in children: A mediation analysis of physical fitness components

ABSTRACT Cross-sectional study aimed to analyse differences in cognitive performance across fitness components categories (cardiorespiratory fitness [CRF], speed-agility and muscular fitness [MF]) and weight status in children, and to determine whether physical fitness mediates the association between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive performance. Fitness components and BMI were measured using standard procedures in 630 children aged 5-to-7 years from the provinces of Cuenca and Ciudad Real, Spain. BADyG was used to assess cognitive performance. We used ANCOVA models to test mean differences in cognition scores by BMI and fitness categories. Hayes’s PROCESS macro was used for mediation analyses. Children with normal weight scored better in spatial factor and general intelligence than their overweight/obese peers (p < 0.05), but differences were attenuated when controlling for CRF (p > 0.05). Children with better results in CRF and speed-agility scored better in all cognitive dimensions even after controlling for BMI (p < 0.05). Similarly, children with high MF obtained better scores in verbal factor (p < 0.05). All fitness components acted as mediators of the relationship between BMI and general intelligence (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the crucial role of fitness in minimising the negative effect of excess weight on children’s cognition. Abbreviations: BMI: Body mass index; CRF: Cardiorespiratory fitness; MF: Muscular fitness; BADyG E1: Battery of general and differential aptitudes; SES: Socioeconomic status; SD: Standard deviation; IE: Indirect effect
Suppression of Melatonin 2-Hydroxylase Increases Melatonin Production Leading to the Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance against Cadmium, Senescence, Salt, and Tunicamycin in Rice Plants

Melatonin 2-hydroxylase (M2H) catalyzes the conversion of melatonin into 2-hydroxymelatonin (2OHM), which is present in plants at a higher concentration than melatonin. Although M2H has been cloned, the in vivo function of its product is unknown. Here, we generated stable T2 homozygous transgenic rice plants in which expression of endogenous M2H was suppressed (RNAi lines). However, we failed to generate M2H overexpression transgenic rice due to failure of somatic embryogenesis. The M2H transcript level showed a diurnal rhythm with a peak at night concomitantly with the peak concentration of 2OHM. RNAi rice showed a reduced M2H mRNA level and 2OHM and melatonin concentrations. The unexpected decrease in the melatonin concentration was caused by redirection of melatonin into cyclic 3-hydroxymelatonin via a detour catabolic pathway. Thus, the decrease in the melatonin concentration in M2H RNAi rice led to slowed seedling growth and delayed germination. By contrast, the transient increase in the melatonin concentration was of greater magnitude in the M2H RNAi than the wild-type rice upon cadmium treatment due to possible suppression of melatonin degradation. Due to its higher concentration of melatonin, the M2H RNAi rice displayed tolerance to senescence, salt, and tunicamycin stresses. Therefore, the increase in the melatonin concentration caused by suppression of melatonin degradation or by overexpression of melatonin biosynthetic genes enhances stress tolerance in rice.
Typology of parent-child ties within families: Associations with psychological well-being.

Middle-aged adults often have relationships with multiple family members (e.g., children and parents). The constellation of parent-child relationships within families may have implications for individuals' psychological well-being. This study created typologies of parent-child ties by combining multiple dimensions of relationships and examined the extent to which middle-aged adults showed variability across typologies of parent-child ties within multigenerational families. Using 2,252 parent-child ties across three generations from 633 middle-aged adults, this study identified typologies of parent-child ties based on 5 indicators (i.e., contact, downward and upward support, and positive and negative relationship qualities), and examined the associations of specific typologies of parent-child ties as well as within-family variability in typologies with middle-aged adults' psychological well-being. This study found 7 types of parent-child ties as distinct combinations of contact, support exchanges, and relationship quality. Within-family variability in these types was associated with more depressive symptoms, and having types characterized by conflicted ties was associated with more depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction. Middle-aged adults seem to be happiest when they are able to maintain homogeneous, harmonious patterns of relationships with their parents and grown children. Findings were discussed with regard to factors that also may predict greater variability in family relationship patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Genome‐wide SNP data reveal improved evidence for Antarctic glacial refugia and dispersal of terrestrial invertebrates

Antarctica is isolated, surrounded by the Southern Ocean and has experienced extreme environmental conditions for millions of years, including during recent Pleistocene glacial maxima. How Antarctic terrestrial species might have survived these glaciations has been a topic of intense interest, yet many questions remain unanswered, particularly for Antarctica's invertebrate fauna. We examine whether genetic data from a widespread group of terrestrial invertebrates, springtails (Collembola, Isotomidae) of the genus Cryptopygus, show evidence for long‐term survival in glacial refugia along the Antarctic Peninsula. We use genome‐wide SNP analyses (via genotyping‐by‐sequencing, GBS) and mitochondrial data to examine population diversity and differentiation across more than 20 sites spanning >950 km on the Peninsula, and from islands both close to the Peninsula and up to ~1,900 km away. Population structure analysis indicates the presence of strong local clusters of diversity, and we infer that patterns represent a complex interplay of isolation in local refugia coupled with occasional successful long‐distance dispersal events. We identified wind and degree days as significant environmental drivers of genetic diversity, with windier and warmer sites hosting higher diversity. Thus, we infer that refugial areas along the Antarctic Peninsula have allowed populations of indigenous springtails to survive in situ throughout glacial periods. Despite the difficulties of dispersal in cold, desiccating conditions, Cryptopygus springtails on the Peninsula appear to have achieved multiple long‐distance colonization events, most likely through wind‐related dispersal events.
Peripheral arterial disease: Scoping review of patient‐centred outcomes

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) impairs patients’ quality of life (QOL), walking and ulcer healing, increasing patient pain, costs, and risks of amputation or mortality. A literature appraisal described PAD treatment capacity to improve validated patient‐centred outcomes in controlled clinical studies. The PUBMED database was searched from 1 January 1970 to 21 June 2018, for original and derivative controlled clinical trial references addressing MeSH terms for ‘ischemia’ AND ‘leg ulcer’. Non‐ischemic ulcer treatment references were excluded. Frequencies of improved (P < .05) outcomes were reported. Eighty‐eight studies on 4153 patients were summarized. Walking, pain or QOL improved mainly for interventions administered before PAD became severe. Amputation incidence, pain and ulcer healing were more frequently reported in those with severe PAD. Independent of PAD severity, patients experienced more likely improved walking, QOL, or pain reduction in response to structured walking interventions or those increasing calf muscle activity. Those with more severe PAD were more likely to report amputation reduction, mainly in response to invasive interventions. Those with PAD experienced more consistently improved patient‐centred outcomes if they received multidisciplinary PAD management with supervised walking or calf muscle activity, with more likely amputation risk reduced for those with more severe PAD.
Third Trimester Umbilical Artery Doppler in Low-Risk Pregnancies and its Correlation to Estimated Fetal Weight and Birthweight

Abstract Purpose This study investigated the correlation between the umbilical artery (UA) pulsatility index (PI) and the estimated fetal weight percentile and birthweight (BW) percentile, respectively. Materials and Methods We included low-risk pregnancies, in which UA Doppler investigations after 28 weeks were performed. Cases were allocated according to BW percentiles: small for gestational age (SGA) with BW < 10th percentile; appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) with BW > 90th percentile. We analyzed differences in the mean UA-PI and UA-PI z-score for gestational age according to the three groups. Linear regression was performed to evaluate any relationship between Doppler indices and BW percentiles. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent association of UA-PI with LGA babies. In a second step, we considered data on estimated fetal weight (EFW) percentiles and performed the same analysis. Results We analyzed 14 554 pregnancies from 2004 to 2015. The mean UA-PI and mean UA-PI z-scores in the LGA group were lower than in the AGA and SGA groups (p < 0.001). UA-PI and UA-PI z-scores were linearly related to birthweight percentiles (p < 0.001) and to EFW percentiles (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that low UA-PI was independently associated with neonatal LGA (p < 0.001). Conclusion The higher the EFW and BW percentiles, the lower the UA-PI. However, reference ranges for UA Doppler are only based on gestation weeks. Further studies are needed to clarify whether customized reference ranges based on EFW percentiles are more appropriate for the evaluation of fetal wellbeing in the third trimester.
Computed tomographic features for differentiating benign from malignant liver lesions in dogs

Thus far, there are few computed tomography (CT) characteristics that can distinguish benign and malignant etiologies. The criteria are complex, subjective, and difficult to use in clinical applications due to the high level of experience needed. This study aimed to identify practical CT variables and their clinical relevance for broadly classifying histopathological diagnoses as benign or malignant. In this prospective study, all dogs with liver nodules or masses that underwent CT examination and subsequent histopathological diagnosis were included. Signalments, CT findings and histopathological diagnoses were recorded. Seventy liver nodules or masses in 57 dogs were diagnosed, comprising 18 benign and 52 malignant lesions. Twenty-three qualitative and quantitative CT variables were evaluated using univariate and stepwise multivariate analyses, respectively. Two variables, namely, the postcontrast enhancement pattern of the lesion in the delayed phase (heterogeneous; odds ratio (OR): 14.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82–262.03, P=0.0429) and the maximal transverse diameter of the lesion (>4.5 cm; OR: 33.3, 95% CI: 2.29–484.18, P=0.0006), were significantly related to the differentiation of benign from malignant liver lesions, with an area under the curve of 0.8910, representing an accuracy of 88.6%. These findings indicate that features from triple-phase CT can provide information for distinguishing pathological varieties of focal liver lesions and for clinical decision making. Evaluations of the maximal transverse diameter and postcontrast enhancement pattern of the lesion included simple CT features for predicting liver malignancy with high accuracy in clinical settings.
BATON: Batch One-Hop Personalized PageRanks with Efficiency and Accuracy

Personalized PageRank (PPR) is a classic measure of the relevance among different nodes in a graph, and has been applied in numerous systems, such as Twitter's Who-To-Follow and Pinterest's Related Pins. Existing work on PPR has mainly focused on three general types of queries, namely, single-pair PPR, single-source PPR, and all-pair PPR. However, we observe that there are applications that rely on a new query type (referred to as <italic>batch one-hop PPR</italic>), which takes as input a set <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>S</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq1-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> of source nodes and, for each node <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$s \in S$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>s</mml:mi><mml:mo>∈</mml:mo><mml:mi>S</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq2-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> and each of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$s$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq3-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>'s neighbor <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$v$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>v</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq4-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, asks for the PPR value of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$v$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>v</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq5-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> with respect to <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$s$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="luo-ieq6-2912606.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>. None of the existing PPR algorithms is able to efficiently process batch one-hop queries, due to the inherent differences between batch one-hop PPR and the three general query types. To address the limitations of existing algorithms, this paper presents <italic>Baton</italic>, an algorithm for batch one-hop PPR that offers both strong theoretical guarantees and practical efficiency. Baton leverages the characteristics of one-hop PPR to avoid unnecessary computation, and it incorporates advanced mechanisms to improve the cost-effectiveness of PPR derivations. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets show that Baton is up to three orders of magnitude faster than the state of the art, while offering the same accuracy.
PDZ Domain-Containing Protein NHERF-2 Is a Novel Target of Human Papillomavirus 16 (HPV-16) and HPV-18

This study links HPV-16 and HPV-18 E6 oncoproteins to the modulation of cellular proliferation. The PDZ domain-containing protein NHERF-2 is a tumor suppressor that has been shown to regulate endothelial proliferation; here, we demonstrate that NHERF-2 is targeted by HPV E6 for proteasome-mediated degradation. Interestingly, this indirectly affects p27, cyclin D1, and CDK4 protein levels and, consequently, affects cell proliferation. Hence, this study provides information that will improve our understanding of the molecular basis for HPV E6 function, and it also highlights the importance of the PDZ domain-containing protein NHERF-2 and its tumor-suppressive role in regulating cell proliferation. ABSTRACT Cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 oncoproteins have a class I PDZ-binding motif (PBM) on their C termini, which play critical roles that are related to the HPV life cycle and HPV-induced malignancies. E6 oncoproteins use these PBMs to interact with, to target for proteasome-mediated degradation, a plethora of cellular substrates that contain PDZ domains and that are involved in the regulation of various cellular pathways. In this study, we show that both HPV-16 and HPV-18 E6 oncoproteins can interact with Na+/H+ exchange regulatory factor 2 (NHERF-2), a PDZ domain-containing protein, which among other cellular functions also behaves as a tumor suppressor regulating endothelial proliferation. The interaction between the E6 oncoproteins and NHERF-2 is PBM dependent and results in proteasome-mediated degradation of NHERF-2. We further confirmed this effect in cells derived from HPV-16- and HPV-18-positive cervical tumors, where we show that NHERF-2 protein turnover is increased in the presence of E6. Finally, our data indicate that E6-mediated NHERF-2 degradation results in p27 downregulation and cyclin D1 upregulation, leading to accelerated cellular proliferation. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate that E6 oncoproteins can stimulate cell proliferation by indirectly regulating p27 through targeting a PDZ domain-containing protein. IMPORTANCE This study links HPV-16 and HPV-18 E6 oncoproteins to the modulation of cellular proliferation. The PDZ domain-containing protein NHERF-2 is a tumor suppressor that has been shown to regulate endothelial proliferation; here, we demonstrate that NHERF-2 is targeted by HPV E6 for proteasome-mediated degradation. Interestingly, this indirectly affects p27, cyclin D1, and CDK4 protein levels and, consequently, affects cell proliferation. Hence, this study provides information that will improve our understanding of the molecular basis for HPV E6 function, and it also highlights the importance of the PDZ domain-containing protein NHERF-2 and its tumor-suppressive role in regulating cell proliferation.
A Comparative Characterization of the Mitochondrial Genomes of Paramoeba aparasomata and Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis (Amoebozoa, Paramoebidae)

Marine amebae of the genus Paramoeba (Amoebozoa, Dactylopodida) normally contain a eukaryotic endosymbiont known as Perkinsela‐like organism (PLO). This is one of the characters to distinguish the genera Neoparamoeba and Paramoeba from other Dactylopodida. It is known that the PLO may be lost, but PLO‐free strains of paramoebians were never available for molecular studies. Recently, we have described the first species of the genus Paramoeba which has no parasome—Paramoeba aparasomata. In this study, we present a mitochondrial genome of this species, compare it with that of Neoparamoeba pemaquidensis, and analyze the evolutionary dynamics of gene sequences and gene order rearrangements between these species. The mitochondrial genome of P. aparasomata is 46,254 bp long and contains a set of 31 protein‐coding genes, 19 tRNAs, two rRNA genes, and 7 open reading frames. Our results suggest that these two mitochondrial genomes within the genus Paramoeba have rather similar organization and gene order, base composition, codon usage, the composition and structure of noncoding, and overlapping regions.
Associations between focus constructions and levels of exhaustivity: An experimental investigation of Chinese

How various types of focus differ with respect to exhaustivity has been a topic of enduring interest in language studies. However, most of the theoretical work explicating such associations has done so cross-linguistically, and little research has been done on how people process and respond to them during language comprehension. This study therefore investigates the associations between the concept of exhaustivity and three focus types in Chinese (wh, cleft, and only foci) using a trichotomous-response design in two experiments: a forced-choice judgment and a self-paced reading experiment, both with adult native speakers. Its results show that, whether engaged in conscious decision-making or an implicit comprehension process, the participants distinguished only-focus and cleft-focus from wh-focus clearly, and also that there are specific differences between only-focus and cleft-focus in conscious decision-making. This implies that, in terms of the relationship between exhaustivity and the focus types under investigation, cleft-focus and only-focus behave very similarly during language comprehension despite the existence of some fine distinctions between them. In other words, the potential linguistic levels that exhaustivity encodes in Chinese cleft-focus render it more similar to only-focus than to wh-focus. These results are broadly in line with the semantic account that distinguishes cleft from only-focus, i.e., that cleft encodes exhaustivity in not-at-issue presupposition and only-focus encodes exhaustivity in at-issue assertion, while both express semantically encoded exhaustivity, triggering robust language-processing patterns that differ from patterns of wh-focus in Chinese.
Aerobic and Anaerobic Biodegradation of 1,2-Dibromoethane by a Microbial Consortium under Simulated Groundwater Conditions

This study was conducted to explore the potential for 1,2-Dibromoethane (EDB) biodegradation by an acclimated microbial consortium under simulated dynamic groundwater conditions. The enriched EDB-degrading consortium consisted of anaerobic bacteria Desulfovibrio, facultative anaerobe Chromobacterium, and other potential EDB degraders. The results showed that the biodegradation efficiency of EDB was more than 61% at 15 °C, and the EDB biodegradation can be best described by the apparent pseudo-first-order kinetics. EDB biodegradation occurred at a relatively broad range of initial dissolved oxygen (DO) from 1.2 to 5.1 mg/L, indicating that the microbial consortium had a strong ability to adapt. The addition of 40 mg/L of rhamnolipid and 0.3 mM of sodium lactate increased the biodegradation. A two-phase biodegradation scheme was proposed for the EDB biodegradation in this study: an aerobic biodegradation to carbon dioxide and an anaerobic biodegradation via a two-electron transfer pathway of dihaloelimination. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reported EDB biodegradation by an acclimated consortium under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, a dynamic DO condition often encountered during enhanced biodegradation of EDB in the field.
Role of Dimerized C16orf74 in Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer: A Novel Therapeutic Target

Over the past 30 years, the therapeutic outcome for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained stagnant due to the lack of effective treatments. We performed a genome-wide analysis to identify novel therapeutic targets for PDAC. Our analysis showed that Homo sapiens chromosome 16 open reading frame 74 (C16orf74) was upregulated in most patients with PDAC and associated with poor prognosis. Previously, we demonstrated that C16orf74 interacts with the catalytic subunit alpha of protein phosphatase 3 and plays an important role in PDAC invasion. However, the pathophysiologic function of C16orf74 is still unclear. In this study, through the analysis of C16orf74 interaction, we demonstrate a new strategy to inhibit the growth and invasion of PDAC. C16orf74 exists in the homodimer form under the cell membrane and binds integrin αVβ3 and is also involved in invasion by activating Rho family (Rac1) and MMP2. Considering that this dimeric form was found to be involved in the function of C16orf74, we designed an 11R-DB (dimer block) cell-permeable dominant-negative peptide that inhibits the dimer form of C16orf74. 11R-DB suppressed invasion and proliferation of PDAC cell lines by inhibiting phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR and also by inactivation of MMP2. 11R-DB also showed antitumor effects in an orthotopic xenograft model and peritoneal metastasis model. Thus, this study demonstrates that dimerized C16orf74, present in the cell membrane, is involved in pancreatic cancer invasion and proliferation. In addition, the C16orf74 dimer block cell-permeable peptide (11R-DB) has a potent therapeutic effect on PDAC in vitro and in vivo.