Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Pharmacological Approaches to the Treatment of Depression

Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders. Monoamine-based antidepressants were the first drugs developed to treat major depressive disorder. More recently, ketamine and other analogues were introduced as fast-acting antidepressants. Unfortunately, currently available therapeutics are inadequate; lack of efficacy, adverse effects, and risks leave patients with limited treatment options. Efforts are now focused on understanding the etiology of depression and identifying novel targets for pharmacological treatment. In this review, we discuss promising novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Targeting receptors including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, G-protein-coupled receptor 39, metabotropic glutamate receptors, galanin and opioid receptors has potential antidepressant effects. Compounds targeting biological processes: inflammation, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, and gut microbiota have also shown therapeutic potential. Additionally, natural products including plants, herbs, and fatty acids improved depressive symptoms and behaviors. In this review, a brief history of clinically available antidepressants will be provided, with a primary focus on novel pharmaceutical approaches with promising antidepressant effects in preclinical and clinical studies.
Mechanical and Imaging Properties of a Clinical-Grade Kidney Phantom Based on Polydimethylsiloxane and Elastomer

Medical imaging phantoms are considered critical in mimicking the properties of human tissue for calibration, training, surgical planning, and simulation purposes. Hence, the stability and accuracy of the imaging phantom play a significant role in diagnostic imaging. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of hydrogen silicone (HS) and water (H2O) on the compression strength, radiation attenuation properties, and computed tomography (CT) number of the blended Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) samples, and to verify the best material to simulate kidney tissue. Four samples with different compositions were studied, including samples S1, S2, S3, and S4, which consisted of PDMS 100%, HS/PDMS 20:80, H2O/PDMS 20:80, and HS/H2O/PDMS 20:40:40, respectively. The stability of the samples was assessed using compression testing, and the attenuation properties of sample S2 were evaluated. The effective atomic number of S2 showed a similar pattern to the human kidney tissue at 1.50 × 10−1 to 1 MeV. With the use of a 120 kVp X-ray beam, the CT number quantified for S2, as well measured 40 HU, and had the highest contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) value. Therefore, the S2 sample formulation exhibited the potential to mimic the human kidney, as it has a similar dynamic and is higher in terms of stability as a medical phantom.
Flood Generation Mechanisms and Potential Drivers of Flood in Wabi-Shebele River Basin, Ethiopia

Flood is a natural process generated by the interaction of various driving factors. Flood peak flows, flood frequency at different return periods, and potential driving forces are analyzed in this study. The peak flow of six gauging stations, with a catchment area ranging from 169 - 124,108 km 2 and sufficient observed streamflow data, was selected to develop threshold (3 rd quartile) magnitude and frequency (POTF) that occurred over ten years of records. Sixteen Potential climatic, watershed and human driving factors of floods in the study area were identified and analyzed with GIS, Pearson’s correlation, and Principal Correlation Analysis (PCA) to select the most influential factors. Eight of them (MAR, DA, BE, VS, sand, forest AGR, PD) are identified as the most significant variables in the flood formation of the basin. Moreover, mean annual rainfall (MAR), drainage area (DA), and lack of forest cover are explored as the principal driving factors for flood peak discharge in Wabi-Shebele River Basin. Fi-nally, the study resulted in regression equations that helped plan and design different infrastructure works in the basin as ungauged catchment empirical equations to compute Q MPF , Q 5 , Q 10 , Q 50 , and Q 100 using influential climate, watershed, and human driving factors. The results of these empirical equations are also statistically accepted with a high significance correlation (R 2 > 0.9).
Comparison of adaptive support ventilation and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: A randomized clinical trial

Background: Suitable mechanical ventilation strategies can reduce the incidence and severity of ventilator-associated lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this study, the effects of adaptive support ventilation (ASV) and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) on respiratory parameters and arterial blood gases (ABGs) parameters were compared in ARDS patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four patients were randomly divided into two groups of ASV and SIMV. Patients were followed up for 3 days, and respiratory parameters including rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), spontaneous breathing rate (SBR), minute volume, and peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) as the primary outcomes and ABG parameters including PaO2, FiO2, PaCO2, HCO3, and PaO2/FiO2 ratio as the secondary outcomes were measured. Results: PIP in patients in the SIMV group on the 1st day (P = 0.013), 2nd day (P = 0.001), and 3rd day (P = 0.004) was statistically significantly more compared to those in patients in the ASV group. RSBI, SBR, and minute volume between the ASV and SIMV groups during the 3 days were not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05). The mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, PaO2, and PH between both groups were similar (P > 0.05). At the end of the 2nd and 3rd days, the level of FiO2 and PaCO2 in ASV was significantly lower than those in ASV group. HCO3 in each of the 3 days in the ASV group was statistically significantly lower than that in the SIMV group (P < 0.050). PaO2/FiO2 ratio in patients in the ASV group in the 3 days was statistically significantly higher than that in the SIMV group (P < 0.050). Conclusion: By reducing PIP and improving oxygenation and ABG parameters, ASV mode may be a safe and feasible mode during mechanical ventilation in patients with ARDS.
RNA-Based Strategies for Cell Reprogramming toward Pluripotency

Cell therapy approaches to treat a wide range of pathologies have greatly benefited from cell reprogramming techniques that allow the conversion of a somatic cell into a pluripotent cell. Many technological developments have been made since the initial major discovery of this biological process. Recently reprogramming methods based on the use of RNA have emerged and seem very promising. Thus, in this review we will focus on presenting the interest of such methods for cell reprogramming but also how these RNA-based strategies can be extended to eventually lead to medical applications to improve healthspan and longevity.
2014 Update of the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps

SUMMARY: The U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps are revised every six years, corresponding with the update cycle of the International Building Code. These maps cover the conterminous U.S. and will be updated in 2014 using the best-available science that is obtained from colleagues at regional and topical workshops, which are convened in 2012-2013. Maps for Alaska and Hawaii will be updated shortly following this update. Alternative seismic hazard models discussed at the workshops will be implemented in a logic tree framework and will be used to develop the seismic hazard maps and associated products. In this paper we describe the plan to update the hazard maps, the issues raised in workshops up to March 2012, and topics that will be discussed at future workshops. An advisory panel will guide the development of the hazard maps and ensure that the maps are acceptable to a broad segment of the science and engineering communities. These updated maps will then be considered by endusers for inclusion in building codes, risk models, and public policy documents.
Modulation of microglial activation by antidepressants

Background: Recent studies have suggested that microglial activation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of depression. In fact, neuroinflammation is associated with a phenotypic change of microglia, consisting of morphological differences, increased release of cytokines and oxidative stress products, which may contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. Antidepressants, including selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, have been shown to act on the immune and oxidative stress mechanisms commonly found to be disrupted in depression. Thus, the inhibition of microglial activation may be one of the mechanisms through which they exert an antidepressant action. Aim: This is the first review summarising in vitro and ex vivo studies investigating the effects of different classes of antidepressants on microglia activation, by examining cellular changes and/or via measuring the production of immune and/or oxidative stress signalling molecules, in microglia models of neuroinflammation with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or cytokines. A total of 23 studies were identified, 18 using LPS stimulation and 5 using cytokines stimulation. Results: Overall, the studies show that antidepressants, such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants prevented microglial activation, including reduced microglial reactivity and decreased immune and oxidative stress products, in both models. However, specific antidepressants, such as bupropion and agomelatine did not prevent interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-induced microglial activation; and for other antidepressants, including phenelzine, venlafaxine and sertraline, the results of different studies were inconsistent. Conclusions: Overall, results summarised in this review support the hypothesis that the action of at least certain classes of antidepressants may involve regulation of microglial activation, especially when in presence of increased levels of inflammation.
Improved Perceptron of Subsurface Chlorophyll Maxima by a Deep Neural Network: A Case Study with BGC-Argo Float Data in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Subsurface chlorophyll maxima (SCMs), commonly occurring beneath the surface mixed layer in coastal seas and open oceans, account for main changes in depth-integrated primary production and hence significantly contribute to the global carbon cycle. To fill the gap of previous methods (in situ measurement, remote sensing, and the extrapolating function based on surface-ocean data) for obtaining SCM characteristics (intensity, depth, and thickness), we developed an improved deep neural network (IDNN) model using a Gaussian radial basis activation function to retrieve the vertical profile of chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a) and associated SCM characteristics from surface-ocean data. The annually averaged SCM depth was further incorporated into the bias term and the Gaussian activation function to improve the estimation accuracy of the IDNN model. Based on the Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) data acquired for three regions in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, vertical Chl a profiles produced by our improved DNN model using sea surface Chl a and sea surface temperature (SST) were in good agreement with the observations, especially in regions with low surface Chl a. Compared to other neural-network-based models with one hidden layer and a sigmoid activation function, the IDNN model retrieved vertical Chl a profiles well in more eutrophic subpolar regions. Furthermore, the application of the IDNN model to infer vertical Chl a profiles from remote-sensing information was validated in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Longitudinal Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Gut Microbial-Derived Metabolites Related to Formula Feeding and Milk Sensitization Development in Infancy

Early exposure to formula milk increases the likelihood of cow’s milk sensitization and food allergies in the later childhood. However, the underlying mechanisms are multifactorial and unclear. Fifty-five children from a follow-up birth cohort study were grouped into exclusive breastfeeding (EBF, n = 33) and formula feeding (EFF, n = 22) in the first six months of life. Urinary metabolites were longitudinally assessed and analyzed at 6 months, 1, and 2 years of age using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Integrated analysis of metabolic profiling associated with formula feeding and milk sensitization related to IgE reactions was also investigated. Twenty-two metabolites were significantly obtained in the EFF set at age 0.5, whereas nine metabolites were predominantly obtained in the milk sensitization set at age 1. A subsequent analysis of metabolic change from 6 months to age 1 identified eight metabolites, including 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, glutarate, lysine, N-phenylacetylglycine, N,N-dimethylglycine, 3-indoxysulfate, 2-oxoglutaric acid, and pantothenate associated with formula feeding and milk sensitization with same trend variation. Among them, 3-indoxysulfate, N-phenylacetylglycine, and N,N-dimethylglycine were gut microbial-derived without IgE association. By contrast, 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, glutarate, and lysine were IgE related associated with formula feeding contributing to milk sensitization (p < 0.05). Longitudinal urinary metabolomic analysis provides molecular insight into the mechanism of formula feeding associated with milk sensitization. Gut microbial-derived metabolites associated with formula feeding and IgE associated metabolites related to branched-chain amino acid metabolism play roles in developing sensitization and allergic symptoms in response to formula feeding.
Insight on Photocatalytic and Photoinduced Antimicrobial Properties of ZnO Thin Films Deposited by HiPIMS through Thermal Oxidation

Zinc oxide thin films have been developed through thermal oxidation of Zinc thin films grown by high impulse power magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). The influence of various sputtering power on thin film structural, morphological, photocatalytic, and antimicrobial properties was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the crystalline phase of ZnO thin films consists of a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Increasing the sputtering power will lead to intrinsic stress on thin films that promote whisker formation. In this study, whiskers were successfully developed on the thin films without precursors/catalysts and not thermally treated over the Zn melting point. This finding showed that the film phase structure and morphology are significantly affected by sputtering power. It was found that ZnO thin films exhibit high photocatalytic performance under UV irradiation (89.91%) of methylene blue after 300 min of irradiation. The antimicrobial activity on ZnO thin films showed significant inhibition activity (p < 0.05) against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans. However, the whisker formation on ZnO thin films is not accessible to enhance photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity. This study demonstrates that the HiPIMS method through the thermal oxidation process can promote a good performance of ZnO thin films as photocatalyst and antimicrobial agents.
Understanding Pastoralists’ Preferences for Goat Traits: Application of All-Levels and End-Point Choice Experiments

Pastoralists are generally known for carefully selecting and maintaining their livestock. In this study, we examine the preferences of pastoralists for goat traits. We employ discrete choice experiments of all levels and endpoints to investigate the relative weights that pastoralists in southern Ethiopia attach to the different traits of does and bucks. Based on data generated from 600 pastoral households, we estimated willingness to pay, trait preference heterogeneity, and attribute nonattendance using different specifications of the mixed logit model. Empirical analysis showed that the all-level design explains the choice strategies of the respondents better than the end-point design. Pastoralists are most interested in tolerance to heat/drought, white coat color, and tolerance to disease both for does and bucks with slightly different orders. The consistency of the relative preferences for the different traits shows that pastoralists are well aware of the different attributes of their animals and have a clear hierarchy of the attributes in choosing the next generation of bucks and does. Our findings imply that breeds with clear advantages in disease resistance and heat tolerance over local breeds might help pastoralists improve their livelihoods.
Nap: Persistent Memory Indexes for NUMA Architectures

We present Nap, a black-box approach that converts concurrent persistent memory (PM) indexes into non-uniform memory access (NUMA)-aware counterparts. Based on the observation that real-world workloads always feature skewed access patterns, Nap introduces a NUMA-aware layer (NAL) on the top of existing concurrent PM indexes, and steers accesses to hot items to this layer. The NAL maintains (1) per-node partial views in PM for serving insert/update/delete operations with failure atomicity and (2) a global view in DRAM for serving lookup operations. The NAL eliminates remote PM accesses to hot items without inducing extra local PM accesses. Moreover, to handle dynamic workloads, Nap adopts a fast NAL switch mechanism. We convert five state-of-the-art PM indexes using Nap. Evaluation on a four-node machine with Optane DC Persistent Memory shows that Nap can improve the throughput by up to 2.3× and 1.56× under write-intensive and read-intensive workloads, respectively.
Determination of Discharge Coefficient for both Semicircular and Triangular Labyrinth Weirs

A Labyrinth weir is a type of nonlinear weir folded in plan-view, with the ability to pass a large flow at low heads due to an increase in the effective length of the weir crest for a given channel width. The discharge coefficients (Cd) were experimentally determined for both semicircular and triangular labyrinth weirs of varying sidewall angles (α) under free-flow conditions using eight physical models. Dimensional analyses are conducted using the Buckingham π theorem to find the dependent and non-dependent variables. A nonlinear empirical equation was developed using (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 22) software. The findings show that the discharge coefficient decreases with the increase of headwater to (Ht/P) for both types of labyrinth weir with different plan forms. It is found that the efficiency of the semicircular and triangular labyrinth is higher than linear weir for (Ht/P ≤ 0.45) and decreases with increasing the value of (Ht/P) due to interference of flow between the layers in downstream. The obtained results revealed that the discharge coefficient (Cd) values obtained empirically using multivariable power regression and 5th degree polynomial equations considerably agree with the experimental data, for both of the semicircular and triangular labyrinth weirs. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient R2was (0.9951) and (0.9637) using 5th degree polynomial equation, and their values were (0.9643) and (0.9274) using multivariable power regression equation for both semicircular and triangular labyrinth weir models, respectively. The results in the present study compared quite well with the predicted results of the proposed equations obtained by other investigators.
Human Endothelial Progenitor Cells Protect the Kidney against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Mice

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, no effective therapeutic intervention has been established for ischemic AKI. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have major roles in the maintenance of vascular integrity and the repair of endothelial damage; they also serve as therapeutic agents in various kidney diseases. Thus, we examined whether EPCs have a renoprotective effect in an IRI mouse model. Mice were assigned to sham, EPC, IRI-only, and EPC-treated IRI groups. EPCs originating from human peripheral blood were cultured. The EPCs were administered 5 min before reperfusion, and all mice were killed 72 h after IRI. Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and tissue injury were significantly increased in IRI mice; EPCs significantly improved the manifestations of IRI. Apoptotic cell death and oxidative stress were significantly reduced in EPC-treated IRI mice. Administration of EPCs decreased the expression levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, p-NF-κB, and p-p38. Furthermore, the expression levels of F4/80, ICAM-1, RORγt, and IL-17RA were significantly reduced in EPC-treated IRI mice. Finally, the levels of EMT-associated factors (TGF-β, α-SMA, Snail, and Twist) were significantly reduced in EPC-treated IRI mice. This study shows that inflammasome-mediated inflammation accompanied by immune modulation and fibrosis is a potential target of EPCs as a treatment for IRI-induced AKI and the prevention of progression to CKD.
Influence of Immune Parameters after Enterococcus faecium AL41 Administration and Salmonella Infection in Chickens

Immune response of day-old chicks infected with Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 and preventive administration of Enterococcus faecium AL41 were studied using hematology and flow cytometry of immunocompetent cells in blood, cecum, bursa and spleen for 11 days, and included 220 animals divided into four groups (n = 55). E. faecium AL41 was administered for 7 days to EF and EFSE groups and on day 4 SE and EFSE groups were infected with Salmonella Enteritidis. Values of monocytes at 4 dpi significantly increased in EFSE and lymphocytes at 7 dpi in EF groups. Blood CD3, CD4, CD8 and IgM lymphocytes improved in EF and EFSE groups and IgA in EF group at 4 dpi. Phagocytic activity of probiotic groups was improved in both samples. Cecal IEL and LPL lymphocytes showed at 7 dpi stimulation of CD3, CD4 and CD8 subpopulations in probiotic groups, especially in EFSE group, IgA IEL and IgA with IgM LPL in EF groups. Bursa Fabricii at 7 dpi presented overstimulation of IgG subpopulation in SE group, spleen CD3 and CD8 in EF and EFSE groups. E. faecium AL41 revealed the protective effect and positive influence on the local and systemic immune response in Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 infected chickens.