Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
l-Arginine Induces White Adipose Tissue Browning—A New Pharmaceutical Alternative to Cold

The beneficial effects of l-arginine supplementation in obesity and type II diabetes involve white adipose tissue (WAT) reduction and increased substrate oxidation. We aimed to test the potential of l-arginine to induce WAT browning. Therefore, the molecular basis of browning was investigated in retroperitoneal WAT (rpWAT) of rats exposed to cold or treated with 2.25% l-arginine for 1, 3, and 7 days. Compared to untreated control, levels of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase protein expression and NO signaling increased in both cold-exposed and l-arginine-treated groups. These increases coincided with the appearance of multilocular adipocytes and increased expression levels of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), thermogenic and beige adipocyte-specific genes (Cidea, Cd137, and Tmem26), mitochondriogenesis markers (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ coactivator-1α, mitochondrial DNA copy number), nuclear respiratory factor 1, PPARα and their respective downstream lipid oxidation enzymes after l-arginine treatment. Such browning phenotype in the l-arginine-treated group was concordant with end-course decreases in leptinaemia, rpWAT mass, and body weight. In conclusion, l-arginine mimics cold-mediated increases in NO signaling in rpWAT and induces molecular and structural fingerprints of rpWAT browning. The results endorse l-arginine as a pharmaceutical alternative to cold exposure, which could be of great interest in obesity and associated metabolic diseases.
A null allele in the wdfy-3 selective autophagy gene of C. elegans .

The C. elegans WDFY-3 protein is important for cargo selection during selective autophagy and for regulating axon termination. The C-terminal region of WDFY-3 contains BEACH, WD repeats, and FYVE-like domains, all of which are required for selective autophagy. WDFY-3 also contains a large N-terminal region that is relatively uncharacterized. Currently, wdfy-3(ok912) is the only mutant allele that has been characterized for this gene. This allele features a small deletion that is predicted to disrupt the C-terminal region of the protein. Here, we used CRISPR Cas9 to produce a new wdfy-3(cue30) allele that is a near complete deletion of the coding region. We report that, unlike the existing wdfy-3(ok912) allele, this new wdfy-3(cue30) null allele causes a weak overextension phenotype in the PLM axon. Like the existing wdfy-3(ok912) allele, the new wdfy-3(cue30) null allele can suppress PLM axon termination defects caused by an fsn-1 null allele. Creating and characterizing new wdfy-3 alleles will increase our understanding of this gene and could help elucidate more of the gene’s conserved functions.
Influência de retardante vegetal e densidades de plantas sobre o crescimento, acamamento e produtividade da soja - DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v30i3.3547

Soybean is the main agricultural product worldwide, meriting investments in technology with aims of increasing production as well as reducing adverse crop factors. Thus, this work had as objective to evaluate the effect of growth retardant - in different sowing densities - on growth, production components, yield and lodging in soybean crops. The experiment was developed at the Coopavel Technological Center, Cascavel – Parana State, Brazil. The experimental design was arranged in completely randomized blocks with four replications, in a factorial experiment (6x2), with treatments obtained through the combination of six levels of retardant and two sowing densities. Evaluations were undertaken every 14 days, starting 21 days after emergence (DAE) until bloom. At this time, stem diameter and plant height were measured. Three collections were made (35, 70 and 100 DAE), in order to calculate dry mass in the different plant parts and leaf area. At harvest, the production components and lodging index were evaluated. The growth retardant and plant density influenced the height and stem diameter of the plants. However, the retardant did not affect dry mass, leaf area, production components, yield and lodging index, but density did affect dry mass.
Association between Smoking and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Tooth Brushing among Adolescents in China

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between smoking, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) consumption and tooth brushing among adolescents in China. A valid sample of 6084 middle school students from the Zhejiang province was included. Participants were questioned about smoking status, SSB consumption, tooth brushing, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Among the participants, smoking prevalence was 1.9% and nearly half of the students consumed SSBs. The demographic factors associated with smoking were gender, place of residence, and parental level of education. There are co-variations between smoking status, SSB consumption, and tooth brushing. Logistic regression showed that smoking adolescents were more likely to brush their teeth less than once per day (OR = 1.74, p < 0.05), consume soft drinks once or more per day (OR = 2.18, p < 0.01) and have a higher score on the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (OR = 1.05, p < 0.05) after adjusting for demographic factors. The findings provide compelling evidence for governments and related stakeholders to intervene in the lifestyle of adolescents. Future studies are needed to understand the interaction effects of such behaviors, and should help to inform appropriate interventions.
Metabolome Features of COPD: A Scoping Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex heterogeneous disease state with multiple phenotypic presentations that include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Although COPD is a lung disease, it has systemic manifestations that are associated with a dysregulated metabolome in extrapulmonary compartments (e.g., blood and urine). In this scoping review of the COPD metabolomics literature, we identified 37 publications with a primary metabolomics investigation of COPD phenotypes in human subjects through Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. These studies consistently identified a dysregulation of the TCA cycle, carnitines, sphingolipids, and branched-chain amino acids. Many of the COPD metabolome pathways are confounded by age and sex. The effects of COPD in young versus old and male versus female need further focused investigations. There are also few studies of the metabolome’s association with COPD progression, and it is unclear whether the markers of disease and disease severity are also important predictors of disease progression.
The Mesenchymal Niche in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are clonal disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, resulting in cytopenias and a risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia. In addition to mutations affecting hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), numerous studies have highlighted the role of the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME) in the development of MDSs. The mesenchymal niche represents a key component of the BMME. In this review, we discuss the role of the mesenchymal niche in the pathophysiology of MDS and provide an overview of currently available in vitro and in vivo models that can be used to study the effects of the mesenchymal niche on HSCs.
Morphological Dependence of Breast Cancer Cell Responses to Doxorubicin on Micropatterned Surfaces

Cell morphology has been widely investigated for its influence on the functions of normal cells. However, the influence of cell morphology on cancer cell resistance to anti-cancer drugs remains unclear. In this study, micropatterned surfaces were prepared and used to control the spreading area and elongation of human breast cancer cell line. The influences of cell adhesion area and elongation on resistance to doxorubicin were investigated. The percentage of apoptotic breast cancer cells decreased with cell spreading area, while did not change with cell elongation. Large breast cancer cells had higher resistance to doxorubicin, better assembled actin filaments, higher DNA synthesis activity and higher expression of P-glycoprotein than small breast cancer cells. The results suggested that the morphology of breast cancer cells could affect their resistance to doxorubicin. The influence was correlated with cytoskeletal organization, DNA synthesis activity and P-glycoprotein expression.
Changes of Subjective Symptoms and Tear Film Biomarkers following Femto-LASIK

Femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (Femto-LASIK) represents a common treatment modality in refractive surgery and shows excellent results in terms of safety, efficacy, predictability, and long-term stability. However, patients may be affected by dry eye symptoms. The aim of this study was to identify a potential association between subjective dry eye symptoms, objective dry eye markers, and possible changes in the tear film, which could be a target for future therapy development. Therefore, clinical (dry eye) examinations (OSDI, Schirmer test, lissamine green and fluorescein staining, BUT, visual acuity) were carried out before LASIK as well as 5 and 90 days post-OP. The dry eye marker MMP-9, cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8), and pain markers (NGF, CGRP) were quantified in tear samples with immunoassays. In addition, correlation analyses were performed. Clinical examinations revealed an upregulated OSDI score 5 days post-OP and an increased lissamine green staining score 90 days post-OP. Downregulated CGRP levels were noted 5 days post-OP, while other protein markers were not significantly altered after Femto-LASIK. Hence, Femto-LASIK surgery induced subjective symptoms like that of dry eye which could objectively rather be classified as Femto-LASIK-related discomfort. In the future, this could possibly be better detected and treated using pain markers such as CGRP.
Faith, Fear, and Facts: A COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy Intervention for Black Church Congregations

Background: Blacks are dying from the novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) at disproportionate rates and tend to have more COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy than Whites. These disparities may be attributable to health knowledge and government/medical mistrust stemming from negative experiences with the medical system historically and presently (e.g., the Tuskegee Experiment, provider maltreatment). Method: The present study assessed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the effectiveness of a 1.5 h, dialogue-based, web intervention hosted by an academic–community partnership team. The webinar included approximately 220 male and female, English speaking, Black churchgoers in the western U.S. The webinar focused on the psychology of fear and facts about the vaccine development. Results: The sample was mostly females who had higher vaccine hesitancy than men. A third of participants feared hospitalization if they contracted COVID-19. Many participants reported that learning facts about COVID-19 was most impactful. Statistical analyses indicated an increased willingness to get vaccinated after the webinar in comparison to before (t(25) = −3.08, p = 0.005). Conclusion: The findings suggest that virtual webinars may be effective at reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black churchgoers and may be applicable in addressing other health behaviors.
Induced spawning and larval rearing of spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, at the Marine Biology Station, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Wild spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus (n = 400, 60–100 g), were captured and grown out in cages during one year (February 2001 to February 2002). When the mature stage was detected by cannula samples, females (n = 9) were induced to spawn with a total dose of 1600 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) per kilogram of body weight, given in two injections (56% and 44% of the total dose). Males received only one injection of 200 IU HCG kg–1 body weight, at the time of the second female injection. The sex ratio (female:male) was 1:2. Mean female body weight was 604.9 ± 98.8 g (36.4 ± 2.1 cm). Egg release occurred 9–12 hours after the second injection (latent period), at a temperature of 26.3–28.2oC, salinity of 30–32‰, and oxygen concentration of 5.5–6.6 g L–1. The fertilization rate was 90% of buoyant eggs, with a mean egg diameter of 0.857 ± 0.044 mm. Hatching occurred 15 hours after spawning (h.a.s.) at 26.3–28.2oC. Larvae started feeding 65 h.a. s. and the postflexion stage was observed 27 days after spawning (d.a.s.). The critical period was observed 3–5 d.a. s. , as in other lutjanid species. At 26 d.a. s. , the growth rate was 0.243 mm d–1 and the survival rate was 1.5%. The growth rate of the fingerlings (171 d.a.s.) was 0.2 g d–1, with a mean body weight of 33.36 ± 9.13 g. Naturally spawned larvae grew until 30 d.a. s. , when massive mortality occurred. Se capturaron y engordaron especimenes silvestres de pargo manchado (n = 400, 60–100 g), Lutjanus guttatus, en jaulas flotantes por un ano (de febrero 2001 a febrero 2002). El estado de madurez de las hembras fue registrado mediante muestras de canula y, cuando se detecto la madurez, las hembras fueron inducidas a desovar con gonadotropina corionica humana (GCH) en una dosis total de 1600 UI de GCH kg–1 de peso corporal. Las hembras (n = 9) recibieron dos inyecciones (56% y 44% de la dosis total) y los machos fueron inyectados con una dosis de 200 UI de GCH kg–1 de peso corporal, simultaneamente con la segunda inyeccion de las hembras. La relacion de sexos (hembra:macho) fue de 1:2. Los promedios de peso y talla de las hembras fueron de 604.9 ± 98.8 g y 36.4 ± 2.1 cm, respectivamente. El desove ocurrio entre 9 y 12 horas despues de la segunda inyeccion (periodo de latencia) a 30–32‰ de salinidad, 26.3–28.2oC y 5.5–6.6 g L–1 de oxigeno. El porcentaje de fertilizacion fue de 90% de los huevos flotantes, cuyos diametros eran de 0.857 ± 0.044 mm. Las larvas eclosionaron 15 horas despues del desove (hdd) a 26.3–28.2oC . Despues de 65 hdd, las larvas empiezan a alimentarse, y 27 dias despues del desove (ddd) se observo el estado de postflexion. El periodo critico se detecto, al igual que en otros lutjanidos, entre 3 y 5 ddd. La tasa de crecimiento a los 26 ddd fue de 0.243 mm d–1, y la supervivencia de 1.5%. El crecimiento de los juveniles (171 ddd), con un peso medio de 33.36 ± 9.13 g, fue de 0.2 g d–1. En larvas obtenidas con desove espontaneo, el periodo critico ocurre a los 30 ddd, cuando se presenta una mortalidad masiva.
Development of Novel Blown Shrink Films from Poly(Lactide)/Poly(Butylene-Adipate-co-Terephthalate) Blends for Sustainable Food Packaging Applications

Heat-shrinkable films, largely made of polyolefins and widely employed in the packaging sector as collation or barrier films, due to their short service life, are held responsible for high environmental impact. One possible strategy for reduction in their carbon footprint can be the use of biodegradable polymers. Thus, this work aimed to develop novel, heat-shrinkable, fully biodegradable films for green packaging applications and to analyze their functional performance. Films were obtained from blends of amorphous polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) at different mass ratios and compatibilized with a chain extender. They were produced by means of a lab-scale film blowing extrusion apparatus and characterized in terms of physical–mechanical properties and shrinkability. The influence of the processing parameters during the extrusion blowing process on the films’ behavior was investigated, highlighting the effects of blend composition and stretching drawing conditions. Shrinkage tests demonstrated that the produced films have shrinkability values in the typical range of mono-oriented films (ca. 60–80% in machine direction and ca. 10–20% in transverse direction). Moreover, the shrinkage in machine direction increases both with the mass flow rate, the take-up ratio to blow-up ratio and the bubble cooling of the film blowing process, and with the PLA content into the blend. In particular, films at higher PLA content also exhibit higher transparency and stiffness.
A Scoping Review of Psychological Sense of Community among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is an important construct for health and well-being outcomes for community-dwelling older adults. Drawing on the Ecological Theory of Aging and the Age-Friendly Cities (AFC) framework, this scoping review explored how PSOC has been used in research with community-dwelling older adults. This study examined antecedents, correlates, and outcomes of PSOC, with a focus on relevance to theory and practice. Databases were searched between 1986 and 2021 for peer-reviewed journal articles. Searches identified 582 unique articles, and 28 were included in the final sample. Three primary themes emerged in the synthesis: relevance to the AFC framework, PSOC as a predictor of health and well-being outcomes, and the role of PSOC in relocation. Findings from this review show that PSOC serves as a mechanism that links the social and physical AFC environments with health and well-being outcomes. This review also presents mechanisms for how features of the environment relate to PSOC. These findings demonstrate the role of PSOC as a resource to improve person–environment fit. Results from this review can be used to guide future research and inform theory, policy, and practice.
Chromosomal Translocations Detection in Cancer Cells Using Chromosomal Conformation Capture Data

Complex chromosomal rearrangements such as translocations play a critical role in oncogenesis. Translocation detection is vital to decipher their biological role in activating cancer-associated mechanisms. High-throughput chromosomal conformations capture (Hi-C) data have shown promising progress in unveiling the genome variations in a disease condition. Until now, multiple structural data (Hi-C)-based methods are available that can detect translocations in cancer genomes. However, the consistency and specificity of Hi-C-based translocation results still need to be validated with conventional methods. This study used Hi-C data of cancerous cell lines, namely lung cancer (A549), Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (K562), and Acute Monocytic Leukemia (THP-1), to detect the translocations. The results were cross-validated through whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and paired-read analysis. Moreover, PCR amplification validated the presence of translocated reads in different chromosomes. By integrating different data types, we showed that the results of Hi-C data are as reliable as WGS and can be utilized as an assistive method for detecting translocations in the diseased genome. Our findings support the utility of Hi-C technology to detect the translocations and study their effects on the three-dimensional architecture of the genome in cancer condition.
twin the Fetal Growth Studies.

BACKGROUND: Systematic evaluation and estimation of growth trajectories in twins require ultrasound measurements across gestation that are performed in controlled clinical settings. Currently, there are few such data for contemporary populations. There is also controversy about whether twin fetal growth should be evaluated with the use of the same benchmarks as singleton growth. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to deﬁne the trajectory of fetal growth in dichorionic twins empirically using longitudinal 2-dimensional ultrasonography and to compare the fetal growth trajectories for dichorionic twins with those based on a growth standard that was developed by our group for singletons. twin-singleton to correspond to the distribution of maternal race in twins. For those ultrasound measurements in which there were signiﬁcant global tests for differences between twins and singletons, we tested for week-speciﬁc differences using Wald tests that were computed at each gestational age. In a separate analysis, we evaluated the degree of reclassiﬁcation in small for gestational age, which was deﬁned as < 10th percentile that would be introduced if fetal growth estimation for twins was based on an unweighted singleton standard. on a
International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research

The effects of Vitamin C supplementation on performance and haematological indices of broiler birds were investigated. A total of one hundred and twenty (120) day-old chicks were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments of thirty birds each. The treatments consisted of four levels of dietary Vitamins C supplement (0, 150, 250 and 350 mg/kg of basal diets). Each treatment has three replicates (ten broilers per replicate). There were no significant (p>0.05) differences among treatments in initial body weight and average daily feed intake while significant (p<0.05) differences existed among treatments in final body weight, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. In haematological indices there were no significant (P> 0.05) differences among treatments in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volume while significant (P< 0.05) differences existed among treatments in packed cell volume, haemaglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, and red blood cell count. In conclusion T3 was recommended because the highest average daily weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio were recorded. Also, the values of packed cell volume, haemaglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volume in T3 were significantly higher than that of control.
Metaheuristic Bio-Inspired Algorithms for Prognostics: Application to on-Board Electromechanical Actuators

Metaheuristic bio inspired algorithms are a wide class of optimization algorithms, which recently saw a significant growth due to its effectiveness for the solution of complex problems. In this preliminary work, we assess the performance of two of these algorithms - Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) - for the prognostic analysis of an electro-mechanical flight control actuator, powered by a Brushless DC (BLDC) trapezoidal motor. We focus on the first step of the prognostic process, consisting in an early Fault Detection and Identification (FDI); our model-based strategy consists in using an optimization algorithm to approximate the output of the physical system with a computationally light Monitor Model.
Cistos de Echinococcus vogeli em fígado de paca (Cuniculus paca) originária do Estado do Acre, Brasil

Four of the patients with polycystic hydatid disease observed by us reported that they were aware ofthe presence of liver disease in the pacas hunted for food. The viscera of these animals were usually given to domestic dogs. All ofour 7 patients reported contact with dogs that had previously ingested viscera of pacas. Examination of the liver considered to be diseased by one of the patients and removed from a paca killed in the same region (State of Acre, Brazil) from which the human cases originated showed the presence of hydatid cysts. The characteristics of the rostellar hooks of the protoscolex indicated that this was the larval form of Echinococcus vogeli. These observations confirm the participation of pacas in the biological cycle of E. vogeli and the pathway through which man may become an alternative intermediate host of this echinococcus.