Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Small RNA, SaaS, Promotes Salmonella Pathogenicity by Regulating Invasion, Intracellular Growth, and Virulence Factors

Salmonella is a zoonotic pathogen with high virulence worldwide, and sRNAs have recently been discovered to play important roles. We explored the biological characteristics of the sRNA SaaS and developed two cell infection models and a mouse infection model. ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is a common foodborne pathogen that infects both humans and animals. The S. Enteritidis virulence regulation network remains largely incomplete, and knowledge regarding the specific virulence phenotype of small RNAs (sRNAs) is limited. Here, we investigated the role of a previously identified sRNA, Salmonella adhesive-associated sRNA (SaaS), in the virulence phenotype of S. Enteritidis by constructing mutant (ΔsaaS) and complemented (ΔsaaS/psaaS) strains. SaaS did not affect S. Enteritidis; it was activated in the simulated intestinal environment (SIE), regulating the expression of virulence target genes. We discovered that it directly binds ssaV mRNA. Caco-2 and RAW 264.7 cell assays revealed that SaaS promoted S. Enteritidis invasion and damage to epithelial cells while suppressing macrophage overgrowth and destruction. Furthermore, a BALB/c mouse model demonstrated that the deletion of SaaS significantly reduced mortality and attenuated the deterioration of pathophysiology, bacterial dissemination into systemic circulation, and systemic inflammation. Our findings indicate that SaaS is required for S. Enteritidis virulence and further highlight its biological role in bacterial pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE Salmonella is a zoonotic pathogen with high virulence worldwide, and sRNAs have recently been discovered to play important roles. We explored the biological characteristics of the sRNA SaaS and developed two cell infection models and a mouse infection model. SaaS is an SIE-responsive sRNA that regulates the expression of virulence-targeted genes. Additionally, it differentially mediates invasion and intracellular growth for survival and infection of the epithelium and macrophages. We further found that SaaS enhanced bacterial virulence by promoting lethality, colonization, and inflammatory response. These findings provide a better understanding of the critical role of sRNA in bacterial virulence.
Tirzepatide for Weight Loss: Can Medical Therapy “Outweigh” Bariatric Surgery?

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has been increasing progressively over the past few decades and is predicted to continue to rise in coming years. Unfortunately, this epidemic is also affecting increasing rates of children and adolescents, posing a serious global health concern. Increased adiposity is associated with various comorbidities and increased mortality risk. Conversely, weight loss and chronic weight management are associated with improvements in overall morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of obesity is multifactorial with complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. The foundation of most weight loss plans is lifestyle modification including dietary change and exercise. However, lifestyle modification alone is often insufficient to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss due to physiological mechanisms that limit weight reduction and promote weight regain. Therefore, research has focused on adjunctive pharmacotherapy to enable patients to achieve greater weight loss and improved chronic weight maintenance compared to lifestyle modification alone. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are incretin hormone analogs that have proven effective for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as obesity and overweight. Tirzepatide is a novel “twincretin” that functions as a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and GLP-1 RA. Tirzepatide was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the management of type 2 diabetes. Similar to previously approved GLP-1RAs, weight loss is a common side effect of tirzepatide which prompted research focused on its use as a primary weight loss therapy. Although this drug has not yet been approved as an antiobesity medication, there are several phase 3 clinical trials that have demonstrated superior weight loss efficacy compared with previously approved medications. This review article will discuss the discovery and mechanism of tirzepatide, as well as the completed and ongoing trials that may lead to its approval as an adjunctive pharmacotherapy for weight loss.
Embedded Distress: Social Integration, Gender, and Adolescent Depression

Abstract:In adolescence, teens manage close friendships while simultaneously evaluating their social position in the larger peer context. Conceptualizing distinct local and global network structures clarifies how social integration relates to mental wellbeing. Examining local cohesion and global embeddedness in the context of key factors related to mental health, such as gender and friends' depression, can further distinguish when the structure and content of social integration relate to higher and lower depressive levels. Analyses using survey data from PROSPER (n = 27,091, grades 9–12) indicate global embeddedness is generally protective, but for girls, greater global embeddedness when friends are more depressive is associated with increased depressive symptoms. For girls, greater local cohesion reduces associations between more depressive friends and increased depressive levels, while for boys, both local cohesion and friends' depression are largely irrelevant. Results indicate the importance of considering both local and global network integration in tandem with gender and friends' depression to understand how social integration relates to mental health.
Efficient analysis of printed loops using complex images and a coordinate transformation on curved segments

Wire loops printed on grounded dielectric substrates are analyzed using a moment method where the integrations for evaluating impedance matrix elements are reduced from three dimensional (3-D) to one-dimensional (1-D) through the use of a series approximation to the eigenmode spectral functions and a coordinate transformation. Prony's method is used in evaluating the series coefficients of complex image terms and results are shown to be accurate and significantly faster to compute.
The pre-main-sequence evolution of intermediate-mass stars

We calculate numerically the structure and evolution of pre-main-sequence stars with masses from 1 to 6 M ○. These stars are assumed to originate from protostars accreting within molecular clouds. For masses from 2 to 4 M ○. , the stellar luminosity first increases markedly during a protracted epoch of nonhomologous contraction and thermal relaxation. Deuterium burns in a subsurface shell throughout this period. More massive objects are thermally relaxed from the start; they contract homologously, with fully radiative interiors. Stars with masses greater then 8 M ○. have no pre-main-sequence phase, since they are already burning hydrogen by the time protostellar accretion has ended
Methods for Business Analysis and Forecasting: Text and Cases

TEXT. Regression. Inference in Regression. Attributes as Explanatory Variables. Nonlinear Relationships. Regression and Time Series. Lagged Variables. Regression Miscellanea. More on Inference in Regression. Autoregressive Models. The Classification Problem. More on Classification. Models of Systems. CASES. Appendices. Selected References. Index.
Capture of Irregular Satellites during Planetary Encounters

More than 90 irregular moons of the Jovian planets have recently been discovered. These moons are an enigmatic part of the solar system inventory. Their origin, which is intimately linked with the origin of the planets themselves, has yet to be adequately explained. Here we investigate the possibility that the irregular moons were captured from the circumsolar planetesimal disk by three-body gravitational reactions. These reactions may have been a frequent occurrence during the time when the outer planets migrated within the planetesimal disk. We propose a new model for the origin of irregular satellites in which these objects are captured from the planetesimal disk during encounters between the outer planets themselves in the model for outer planet migration advocated by Tsiganis and collaborators. Through a series of numerical simulations we show that nearby planetesimals can be deflected into planet-bound orbits during close encounters between planets, and that the overall efficiency of this capture process is large enough to produce populations of observed irregular satellites at Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The orbits of captured objects are broadly similar to those of known distant satellites. Jupiter, which typically does not have close encounters with other planets in the model of Tsiganis and coworkers, must have acquired its irregular satellites by a different mechanism. Alternatively, the migration model should be modified to accommodate Jupiter's encounters. Moreover, we find that the original size-frequency distribution of the irregular moons must have significantly evolved by collisions to produce their present populations. Our new model may also provide a plausible explanation for the origin of Neptune's large moon Triton.
Age‐associated adipose tissue inflammation promotes monocyte chemotaxis and enhances atherosclerosis

Although aging enhances atherosclerosis, we do not know if this occurs via alterations in circulating immune cells, lipid metabolism, vasculature, or adipose tissue. Here, we examined whether aging exerts a direct pro‐atherogenic effect on adipose tissue in mice. After demonstrating that aging augmented the inflammatory profile of visceral but not subcutaneous adipose tissue, we transplanted visceral fat from young or aged mice onto the right carotid artery of Ldlr−/− recipients. Aged fat transplants not only increased atherosclerotic plaque size with increased macrophage numbers in the adjacent carotid artery, but also in distal vascular territories, indicating that aging of the adipose tissue enhances atherosclerosis via secreted factors. By depleting macrophages from the visceral fat, we identified that adipose tissue macrophages are major contributors of the secreted factors. To identify these inflammatory factors, we found that aged fat transplants secreted increased levels of the inflammatory mediators TNFα, CXCL2, and CCL2, which synergized to promote monocyte chemotaxis. Importantly, the combined blockade of these inflammatory mediators impeded the ability of aged fat transplants to enhance atherosclerosis. In conclusion, our study reveals that aging enhances atherosclerosis via increased inflammation of visceral fat. Our study suggests that future therapies targeting the visceral fat may reduce atherosclerosis disease burden in the expanding older population.
PolyEffNetV1: A CNN based colorectal polyp detection in colonoscopy images

Presence of polyps is the root cause of colorectal cancer, hence identification of such polyps at an early stage can help in advance treatments to avoid complications to the patient. Since there are variations in the size and shape of polyps, the task of detecting them in colonoscopy images becomes challenging. Hence our work is to leverage an algorithm for segmentation and classification of the polyp of colonoscopy images using Deep learning algorithms. In this work, we propose PolypEffNetV1, a U-Net to segment the different pathologies present in the colonoscopy frame and EfficientNetB5 to classify the detected pathologies. The colonoscopy images for the segmentation process are taken from the open-source dataset KVASIR, it consists of 1000 images with “ground truth” labeling. For classification, combination of KVASIR and CVC datasets are incorporated, which consists of 1612 images with 1696 polyp regions and 760 non-polyp inflamed regions. The proposed PolypEffNetV1 produced testing accuracy of 97.1%, Jaccard index of 0.84, dice coefficient of 0.91, and F1-score of 0.89. Subsequently, for classification to evidence whether the segmented region is polyp or non-polyp inflammation, the developed classifier produced validation accuracy of 99%, specificity of 98%, and sensitivity of 99%. Hence the proposed system could be used by gastroenterologists to identify the presence of polyp in the colonoscopy images/videos which will in turn increase healthcare quality. These developed models can be either deployed on the edge of the device to enable real-time aidance or can be integrated with existing software-application for offline review and treatment planning.
The formation of toroidal bubbles upon the collapse of transient cavities

A spectacular feature of transient cavity collapse in the neighbourhood of a rigid boundary is the formation of a high-speed liquid jet that threads the bubble and ultimately impacts upon the side of the bubble nearest to the boundary. The bubble then evolves into some toroidal form, the flow domain being doubly connected. In this work, the motion of the toroidal bubble is computed by connecting the jet tip to the side of the bubble upon which it impacts. This connection is via a cut introduced into the flow domain and across which the potential is discontinuous, the value of this discontinuity being equal to the circulation in the flow. A boundary integral algorithm is developed to account for this geometry and some example computations are presented. Consideration of the pressure field in the fluid has implications for possible damage mechanisms to structures due to nearby cavity collapse.
On the combinatorics of normal ordering bosonic operators and deformations of it

Recently some combinatorial aspects for the normal ordering of powers of arbitrary monomials of boson operators were discussed. In particular, it was shown that the resulting formulae lead to generalizations of the usual Bell and Stirling numbers. In this paper these considerations are generalized to the q-deformed case. In particular, it is shown that the simplest example of this generalization leads to q-deformed Lah numbers. The connection between (generalized) Stirling and Bell numbers and matrix elements of the above-mentioned operators with respect to the usual Fock space basis and coherent states is discussed.
Sero-prevalence and associated factors of sexually transmitted infections among youth-friendly services Attendees

Background Worldwide, more than one million peoples acquire sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The burden of STIs and the youth awareness level on the transmission of STIs is under investigated in Sidama Regional State. Objective To determine the seroprevalence of STIs such as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence, and syphilis and to determine associated factors among youth-friendly services Attendees at selected health facilities in Hawassa city, Ethiopia. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 randomly selected youth attending youth-friendly services at selected health facilities from May to August 2021. To collect the background characteristics of participants an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Blood samples were collected, processed, and tested using Advanced Quality One Step rapid colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay for detection of antibodies for syphilis and hepatitis C virus infection, and hepatitis B virus surface antigen. For the diagnosis of syphilis Rapid Plasma Reagin was also used. HIV1/2 STAT PAK, HIV1/2/O ABON and HIV1/2 SD Bioline were used for testing antibodies for HIV infection. Data entry and analysis were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. A crude and adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to identify associated factors. Results The overall seroprevalence of STIs was 11.5% (48/422), with a 95% CI: (8.7−14.9). Out of the 48 positive results, the proportions of HBsAg, Anti-HCV, HIV, and syphilis were 56.3% (27/48), 27.1% (13/48), 10.4% (5/48), and 6.3% (3/48) respectively. Out of 416 participants, 17.1% responded that it is safe to have sex without using a condom. The Odds of developing STI among female participants, participants who did not identify alcohol intake as a risk factor for STIs, and those who engaged in transactional sex were (AOR = 2.989: 95% CI: 1.27, 7.02), and (AOR = 2.393, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.81) and practice of transactional sex (AOR = 5.527, 95% CI: 1.62, 18.75). Conclusions STIs are common among youth-friendly services Attendee in Hawassa city The overall STI was significantly associated with sex (females), not able to identify alcohol intake as a risk factor, and practice of transactional sex. High number of (n = 289, 69.5%) participants think that the use of condoms is not effective in preventing STIs and they engage in sexual activity without using condoms.
Probing the bioactive compounds of Kigelia africana as novel inhibitors of TNF-α converting enzyme using HPLC/GCMS analysis, FTIR and molecular modelling

Abstract Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Converting Enzyme (TACE) mediates inflammatory disorder and contributes to the pathophysiology of a variety of illnesses, such as chronic inflammation and cancer. This study identified metabolites in solvent extracts of Kigelia africana as putative TACE inhibitors due to the plant’s known anti-inflammatory properties. HPLC-MS/GCMS analysis was used to characterize tentative phytochemicals from K. africana. The identified metabolites (n = 123) were docked with TACE to reveal the lead compounds. Binding free energy, ADMET prediction, molecular dynamics simulation at 100 ns, and DFT calculation were further conducted. The results revealed that K. africana contains sterol, phenols, alkaloids, terpenes and flavonoids. The FTIR shows that the extracts had peaks that correspond to the presence of different functional groups. The quantum polarized ligand docking (QPLD) analysis identified compound (n = 3) with binding affinity higher than standard compound IK-682. The hits also had modest ADMET profiles, interacted with essential residues within TACE binding pockets, and formed stable complexes with the protein. The 100 ns MD simulation shows that the compounds formed fairly stable interactions and complex with the protein as evidenced through RMSF, RMSD and MM-GBA results. The HOMO/LUMO, global descriptive molecular electrostatic potential Fukui function aid in the identification of the compounds’ atomic sites prone to electrophilic/neutrophilic attacks, and non-covalent interactions. This study suggests that K. africana’s bioactive compounds are capable of mitigating inflammation by inhibiting TACE. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Comparative analyses of copy number variations between swamp buffaloes and river buffaloes.

As an important source of genomic variation, copy number variation (CNV) contributes to environmental adaptation in worldwide buffaloes. Despite this importance, CNV divergence between swamp buffaloes and river buffaloes has not been studied previously. Here, we report 21 152 CNV regions (CNVRs) in 141 buffaloes of 20 breeds detected through multiple CNV calling strategies. Only 248 CNVRs were shared between river buffalo and swamp buffalo, reflecting great variation of CNVRs between the two subspecies. Population structure analysis based on CNVs successfully separated the two buffalo subspecies. We further assessed CNV divergence by calculating FST for genome-wide CNVs. Totally, we identified 110 significantly divergent CNV segments and 44 putatively selected genes between river buffaloes and swamp buffaloes. In particular, LALBA, a key gene controlling milk production in cattle, presented a highly differentiated CNV in the promoter region, which makes it a strong functional candidate gene for differences between swamp buffaloes and river buffaloes in traits related to milk production. Our study provides useful information of CNVs in buffaloes, which may help explain the genetic differences between the two subspecies.
Variability of Skill of Long-Range Forecasts and Implications for their Use and Value

Abstract The widely held belief that monthly and seasonal predictions, while containing some information, are not skillful enough to be of economic benefit, is reexamined through an extended example of winter seasonal temperature skill as it relates to the natural gas industry. A case is made that forecasts of mean conditions for periods as long as a season can be made with appreciable reliability for certain parameters, places, seasons, and situations, thereby making them potentially beneficial to certain users. Several opportunities to improve the reliability of these forecasts over the next several years are described in the context of operational systems currently used to make predictions for the United States. Finally, the levels and types of research necessary to realize the potential benefits to users of skillful long-range forecasts are outlined. It is argued that it makes little sense, from a scientific or societal point of view, to neglect research on prediction of intraseasonal to interannual t.
Mental health and wellbeing of further and higher education students returning to face-to-face learning after Covid-19 restrictions

Aim This study aimed to examine the mental health and wellbeing of further and higher education students and the associating factors after returning to face-to-face (in-person) learning after Covid-19 restrictions. Methods A cross-sectional study informed by student consultations was conducted using a survey design. Mental health and wellbeing were assessed using self-report items on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were conducted on data collected between December 2021 and June 2022. Results N = 1160 students participated; 69.6% between 16 and 25 years, 67.9% studying in the UK, 66.5% studying away from home, 60.2% identified as she/her, 59.8% studying at the undergraduate degree level, 42.5% belonging to non-White ethnic backgrounds, 29.6% identifying as having additional needs and 22.8% as sexual minority. Moderate anxiety (M = 13.67, SD = 9.92) and depression (M = 17.04, SD = 11.56) scores were mainly reported. Wellbeing scores (M = 20.31, SD = 3.93) were lower than the estimate for the pre-pandemic general population. Gender expression, sexuality, age, ethnicity, having additional needs, and level and location of study was associated with mental health or wellbeing. Individual coping styles, levels of self-efficacy and physical activity were also associated with mental health or wellbeing. Conclusions Many students returning to further and higher education after Covid-19 restrictions experienced reduced mental health and wellbeing, and some students were at greater risk. Providing student-centred interventions focusing on self-efficacy, coping styles and physical activity may help improve the mental health and wellbeing of students.