Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to support adults with anorexia nervosa and autism: Qualitative study of clinical pathway case series

Introduction Previous research has explored the overlapping presentation between autism and eating disorders (ED). This study aims to summarize the clinical challenges associated with co-occurring autism and anorexia nervosa (AN) based on clinicians' case notes and minutes from case discussions, to understand how to better support people with the comorbidity. Method Thematic analysis was conducted on de-identified notes on 20 cases with AN and autistic characteristics and minutes from case discussions. Themes relevant to clinical challenges in supporting those with the comorbidity were identified, and a thematic map was produced to visually represent the results. Results The key challenges faced by clinicians when treating patients with AN and autism included: communication difficulties, maintaining boundaries, autism screening, presence of other comorbidities, sensory difficulties, atypical presentation of eating difficulties, cognitive rigidity, and emotional difficulties. Adaptations to resolve some of these difficulties included exposure-based food experiments, keeping a record of patients' self-reported communication preferences, individual-level modification of communication style, and providing tools for patients to identify emotions. Conclusions and implications Further exploration to establish the effectiveness of the adaptations is warranted. Furthermore, tools for differentiating between ED, autism and other comorbidities are needed to help clinicians clarify the cause of a presenting symptom, and help them to best support and maintain boundaries with patients.
Comparisons of constitutive resistances to soybean cyst nematode between PI 88788- and Peking-type sources of resistance in soybean by transcriptomic and metabolomic profilings

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a serious damaging disease in soybean worldwide. Peking- and PI 88788-type sources of resistance are two most important germplasm used in breeding resistant soybean cultivars against this disease. However, until now, no comparisons of constitutive resistances to soybean cyst nematode between these two types of sources had been conducted, probably due to the influences of different backgrounds. In this study, we used pooled-sample analysis strategy to minimize the influence of different backgrounds and directly compared the molecular mechanisms underlying constitutive resistance to soybean cyst nematode between these two types of sources via transcriptomic and metabolomic profilings. Six resistant soybean accessions that have identical haplotypes as Peking at Rgh1 and Rhg4 loci were pooled to represent Peking-type sources. The PI88788-type and control pools were also constructed in a same way. Through transcriptomic and metabolomics anaylses, differentially expressed genes and metabolites were identified. The molecular pathways involved in the metabolism of toxic metabolites were predicted to play important roles in conferring soybean cyst nematode resistance to soybean. Functions of two resistant candidate genes were confirmed by hairy roots transformation methods in soybean. Our studies can be helpful for soybean scientists to further learn about the molecular mechanism of resistance to soybean cyst nematode in soybean.
The mechanism of body–mind integration in the formation of destination attachment: A comparison of first-time and repeat tourists

By constructing a person-body–mind-place framework of destination attachment, this study explores the physical and mental formation mechanism of destination attachment and examines its dynamics between first-time and repeat tourists. The present study found that multisensory impressions can, directly and indirectly, affect destination attachment through emotional and cognitive psychological mediation. There are differences between first-time tourists and repeat tourists in terms of this mediation path. As the frequency of travel increases, the influence of multisensory impressions gradually increases. The formation of destination attachment is dominated by emotion for first-time tourists, whereas it is dominated by cognition for repeat tourists. Based on these findings, theoretical and practical implications are presented.
Predictive nomogram for coronary heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective This study aimed to identify risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), build a clinical prediction model, and draw a nomogram. Study design and methods Coronary angiography was performed for 1,808 diabetic patients who were recruited at the department of cardiology in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2020 to June 2022. After applying exclusion criteria, 560 patients were finally enrolled in this study and randomly divided into training cohorts (n = 392) and validation cohorts (n = 168). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) is used to filter features in the training dataset. Finally, we use logical regression to establish a prediction model for the selected features and draw a nomogram. Results The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the prediction model were evaluated using the c-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration chart, and decision curve. The effects of gender, diabetes duration, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, lipoprotein (a), homocysteine, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), nerve conduction velocity, and carotid plaque merit further study. The C-index was 0.803 (0.759–0.847) in the training cohort and 0.775 (0.705–0.845) in the validation cohort. In the ROC curve, the Area Under Curve (AUC) of the training set is 0.802, and the AUC of the validation set is 0.753. The calibration curve showed no overfitting of the model. The decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated that the nomogram is effective in clinical practice. Conclusion Based on clinical information, we established a prediction model for CHD in patients with T2DM.
Purification and characterization of cold-adapted and salt-tolerant dextranase from Cellulosimicrobium sp. THN1 and its potential application for treatment of dental plaque

The cold-adapted and/or salt-tolerant enzymes from marine microorganisms were confirmed to be meritorious tools to enhance the efficiency of biocatalysis in industrial biotechnology. We purified and characterized a dextranase CeDex from the marine bacterium Cellulosimicrobium sp. THN1. CeDex acted in alkaline pHs (7.5–8.5) and a broad temperature range (10–50°C) with sufficient pH stability and thermostability. Remarkably, CeDex retained approximately 40% of its maximal activities at 4°C and increased its activity to 150% in 4 M NaCl, displaying prominently cold adaptation and salt tolerance. Moreover, CeDex was greatly stimulated by Mg2+, Na+, Ba2+, Ca2+ and Sr2+, and sugarcane juice always contains K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+, so CeDex will be suitable for removing dextran in the sugar industry. The main hydrolysate of CeDex was isomaltotriose, accompanied by isomaltotetraose, long-chain IOMs, and a small amount of isomaltose. The amino acid sequence of CeDex was identified from the THN1 genomic sequence by Nano LC–MS/MS and classified into the GH49 family. Notably, CeDex could prevent the formation of Streptococcus mutans biofilm and disassemble existing biofilms at 10 U/ml concentration and would have great potential to defeat biofilm-related dental caries.
Type I interferon receptor (IFNAR2) deficiency reveals Zika virus cytopathicity in human macrophages and microglia

Macrophages are key target cells of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, implicated as a viral reservoir seeding sanctuary sites such as the central nervous system and testes. This rests on the apparent ability of macrophages to sustain ZIKV replication without experiencing cytopathic effects. ZIKV infection of macrophages triggers an innate immune response involving type I interferons (IFN-I), key antiviral cytokines that play a complex role in ZIKV pathogenesis in animal models. To investigate the functional role of the IFN-I response we generated human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived macrophages from a patient with complete deficiency of IFNAR2, the high affinity IFN-I receptor subunit. Accompanying the profound defect of IFN-I signalling in IFNAR2 deficient iPS-macrophages we observed significantly enhanced ZIKV replication and cell death, revealing the inherent cytopathicity of ZIKV towards macrophages. These observations were recapitulated by genetic and pharmacological ablation of IFN-I signalling in control iPS-macrophages and extended to a model of iPS-microglia. Thus, the capacity of macrophages to support noncytolytic ZIKV replication depends on an equilibrium set by IFN-I, suggesting that innate antiviral responses might counterintuitively promote ZIKV persistence via the maintenance of tissue viral reservoirs relevant to pathogenesis.
Inelastic x-ray scattering from valence electrons near absorption edges of FeTe and TiSe2

We study resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) peaks corresponding to low-energy particle-hole excited states of metallic FeTe and semimetallic TiSe2 for photon incident energy tuned near the L3 absorption edge of Fe and Ti, respectively. We show that the cross-section amplitudes are well described within a renormalization-group theory where the effect of the core electrons is captured by effective dielectric functions expressed in terms of the the atomic scattering parameters f1 of Fe and Ti. This method can be used to extract the dynamical structure factor from experimental RIXS spectra in metallic systems.
Genome-wide identification of the KNOTTED HOMEOBOX gene family and their involvement in stalk development in flowering Chinese cabbage

Gibberellin and cytokinin synergistically regulate the stalk development in flowering Chinese cabbage. KNOX proteins were reported to function as important regulators of the shoot apex to promote meristem activity by synchronously inducing CTK and suppressing GA biosynthesis, while their regulatory mechanism in the bolting and flowering is unknown. In this study, 9 BcKNOX genes were identified and mapped unevenly on 6 out of 10 flowering Chinese cabbage chromosomes. The BcKNOXs were divided into three subfamilies on the basis of sequences and gene structure. The proteins contain four conserved domains except for BcKNATM. Three BcKNOX TFs (BcKNOX1, BcKNOX3, and BcKNOX5) displayed high transcription levels on tested tissues at various stages. The major part of BcKNOX genes showed preferential expression patterns in response to low-temperature, zeatin (ZT), and GA3 treatment, indicating that they were involved in bud differentiation and bolting. BcKNOX1 and BcKNOX5 showed high correlation level with gibberellins synthetase, and CTK metabolic genes. BcKONX1 also showed high correlation coefficients within BcRGA1 and BcRGL1 which are negative regulators of GA signaling. In addition, BcKNOX1 interacted with BcRGA1 and BcRGL1, as confirmed by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and biomolecular fluorescence complementation assay (BiFC). This analysis has provided useful foundation for the future functional roles’ analysis of flowering Chinese cabbage KNOX genes
A story of resilience: Arctic diatom Chaetoceros gelidus exhibited high physiological plasticity to changing CO2 and light levels

Arctic phytoplankton are experiencing multifaceted stresses due to climate warming, ocean acidification, retreating sea ice, and associated changes in light availability, and that may have large ecological consequences. Multiple stressor studies on Arctic phytoplankton, particularly on the bloom-forming species, may help understand their fitness in response to future climate change, however, such studies are scarce. In the present study, a laboratory experiment was conducted on the bloom-forming Arctic diatom Chaetoceros gelidus (earlier C. socialis) under variable CO2 (240 and 900 µatm) and light (50 and 100 µmol photons m-2 s-1) levels. The growth response was documented using the pre-acclimatized culture at 2°C in a closed batch system over 12 days until the dissolved inorganic nitrogen was depleted. Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC and PON), pigments, cell density, and the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) were measured on day 4 (D4), 6 (D6), 10 (D10), and 12 (D12). The overall growth response suggested that C. gelidus maintained a steady-state carboxylation rate with subsequent conversion to macromolecules as reflected in the per-cell POC contents under variable CO2 and light levels. A substantial amount of POC buildup at the low CO2 level (comparable to the high CO2 treatment) indicated the possibility of existing carbon dioxide concentration mechanisms (CCMs) that needs further investigation. Pigment signatures revealed a high level of adaptability to variable irradiance in this species without any major CO2 effect. PON contents per cell increased initially but decreased irrespective of CO2 levels when nitrogen was limited (D6 onward) possibly to recycle intracellular nitrogen resources resulting in enhanced C: N ratios. On D12 the decreased dissolved organic nitrogen levels could be attributed to consumption under nitrogen starvation. Such physiological plasticity could make C. gelidus “ecologically resilient” in the future Arctic.
A graph-based approach for simultaneous semantic and instance segmentation of plant 3D point clouds

Accurate simultaneous semantic and instance segmentation of a plant 3D point cloud is critical for automatic plant phenotyping. Classically, each organ of the plant is detected based on the local geometry of the point cloud, but the consistency of the global structure of the plant is rarely assessed. We propose a two-level, graph-based approach for the automatic, fast and accurate segmentation of a plant into each of its organs with structural guarantees. We compute local geometric and spectral features on a neighbourhood graph of the points to distinguish between linear organs (main stem, branches, petioles) and two-dimensional ones (leaf blades) and even 3-dimensional ones (apices). Then a quotient graph connecting each detected macroscopic organ to its neighbors is used both to refine the labelling of the organs and to check the overall consistency of the segmentation. A refinement loop allows to correct segmentation defects. The method is assessed on both synthetic and real 3D point-cloud data sets of Chenopodium album (wild spinach) and Solanum lycopersicum (tomato plant).
GPER limits adverse changes to Ca2+ signalling and arrhythmogenic activity in ovariectomised guinea pig cardiomyocytes

Background: The increased risk of post-menopausal women developing abnormalities of heart function emphasises the requirement to understand the effect of declining oestrogen levels on cardiac electrophysiology and structure, and investigate possible therapeutic targets, namely the G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor 1 (GPER). Methods: Female guinea pigs underwent sham or ovariectomy (OVx) surgeries. Cardiomyocytes were isolated 150-days post-operatively. Membrane structure was assessed using di-8-ANEPPs staining and scanning ion conductance microscopy. Imunnohistochemistry (IHC) determined the localisation of oestrogen receptors. The effect of GPER activation on excitation-contraction coupling mechanisms were assessed using electrophysiological and fluorescence techniques. Downstream signalling proteins were investigated by western blot. Results: IHC staining confirmed the presence of nuclear oestrogen receptors and GPER, the latter prominently localised to the peri-nuclear region and having a clear striated pattern elsewhere in the cells. Following OVx, GPER expression increased and its activation reduced Ca2+ transient amplitude (by 40%) and sarcomere shortening (by 32%). In these cells, GPER activation reduced abnormal spontaneous Ca2+ activity, shortened action potential duration and limited drug-induced early after-depolarisation formation. Conclusion: In an animal species with comparable steroidogenesis and cardiac physiology to humans, we show the expression and localisation of all three oestrogen receptors in cardiac myocytes. We found that following oestrogen withdrawal, GPER expression increased and its activation limited arrhythmogenic behaviours in this low oestrogen state, indicating a potential cardioprotective role of this receptor in post-menopausal women.
STATE-DEPENDENT ORBITAL MODULATION OF X-RAYS IN CYG X-3

We analyze all of the available RXTE observations of Cyg X-3 in order to investigate the connection between the central X-ray source and its surrounding environment. The hardness–intensity diagram of Cyg X-3 displays a “shoe” shape rather than the Q-type shape commonly seen in other black hole X-ray binary, and exhibits no apparent hysteresis effect. During the γ-ray outbursts, no existing data are located in the hard and intermediate states, which suggest the absence of a significant population of non-thermal electrons when the source is in these states. For the first time, we present the orbital modulation of the X-ray light curve (LC) of all five states. The different energy band LCs are in phase with each other in all five states, and the modulation amplitude of both soft and hard X-ray LCs monotonously increases with decreasing hardness from hard to soft non-thermal states. We confirm that the modulation depth decreases with increasing energy in the hard, intermediate, and very high states, as originally reported by Zdziarski et al. However, in the soft non-thermal state, the hard X-ray modulation strength significantly increases and is even larger than the soft X-ray one. Our results rule out both wind absorption and jet origins of the hard X-ray LC modulation in the soft non-thermal state, and challenge our understanding of the states of Cyg X-3.
Establishment and psychometric characteristics of emotional words list for suicidal risk assessment in speech emotion recognition

Background Emotional disturbance is an important risk factor of suicidal behaviors. To ensure speech emotion recognition (SER), a novel technique to evaluate emotional characteristics of speech, precision in labeling emotional words is a prerequisite. Currently, a list of suicide-related emotional word is absent. The aims of this study were to establish an Emotional Words List for Suicidal Risk Assessment (EWLSRA) and test the reliability and validity of the list in a suicide-related SER task. Methods Suicide-related emotion words were nominated and discussed by 10 suicide prevention professionals. Sixty-five tape-recordings of calls to a large psychological support hotline in China were selected to test psychometric characteristics of the EWLSRA. Results The results shows that the EWLSRA consists of 11 emotion words which were highly associated with suicide risk scores and suicide attempts. Results of exploratory factor analysis support one-factor model of this list. The Fleiss’ Kappa value of 0.42 indicated good inter-rater reliability of the list. In terms of criteria validities, indices of despair (Spearman ρ = 0.54, P < 0.001), sadness (ρ = 0.37, P = 0.006), helplessness (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.001), and numbness (ρ = 0.35, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with suicidal risk scores. The index of the emotional word of numbness in callers with suicide attempt during the 12-month follow-up was significantly higher than that in callers without suicide attempt during the follow-up (P = 0.049). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the EWLSRA has adequate psychometric performance in identifying suicide-related emotional words of recording of hotline callers to a national wide suicide prevention line. This list can be useful for SER in future studies on suicide prevention.
Sea surface carbonate dynamics at reefs of Bolinao, Philippines: Seasonal variation and fish mariculture-induced forcing

Coral reefs are vulnerable to global ocean acidification (OA) and local human activities will continue to exacerbate coastal OA. In Bolinao, Philippines, intense unregulated fish mariculture has resulted in regional eutrophication. In order to examine the coastal acidification associated with this activity and the impact on nearby coral reefs, water quality and carbonate chemistry parameters were measured at three reef sites, a mariculture site and an offshore, minimally impacted control site during both the wet and dry season. Additionally, benthic community composition was characterized at reef sites, and both autonomous carbonate chemistry sampling and high-frequency pH measurements were used to characterize fine-scale (diel) temporal variability. Water quality was found to be poorer at all reefs during the wet season, when there was stronger outflow of waters from the mariculture area. Carbonate chemistry parameters differed significantly across the reef flat and between seasons, with more acidic conditions occurring during the dry season and increased primary production suppressing further acidification during the wet season. Significant relationships of both total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) with salinity across all stations may imply outflow of acidified water originating from the mariculture area where pH values as low as 7.78 were measured. This apparent mariculture-induced coastal acidification was likely due to organic matter respiration as sustained mariculture will continue to deliver organic matter. While TA-DIC vector diagrams indicate greater contribution of net primary production, net calcification potential in the nearest reef to mariculture area may already be diminished. The two farther reefs, characterized by higher coral cover, indicates healthier ecosystem functioning. Here we show that unregulated fish mariculture activities can lead to localized acidification and impact reef health. As these conditions at times approximate those projected to occur globally due to OA, our results may provide insight into reef persistence potential worldwide. These results also underscore the importance of coastal acidification and indicate that actions taken to mitigate OA on coral reefs should address not only global CO2 emissions but also local perturbations, in this case fish mariculture-induced eutrophication.
HELIOSEISMOLOGY AND ASTEROSEISMOLOGY: LOOKING FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVES IN ACOUSTIC OSCILLATIONS

Current helioseismology observations allow the determination of the frequencies and surface velocity amplitudes of solar acoustic modes with exceptionally high precision. In some cases, the frequency accuracy is better than one part in a million. We show that there is a distinct possibility that quadrupole acoustic modes of low order could be excited by gravitational waves (GWs), if the GWs have a strain amplitude in the range 10−20h−20 with h−20 ∼ 1 or h−20 ∼ 103, as predicted by several types of GW sources, such as galactic ultracompact binaries or extreme mass ratio inspirals and coalescence of black holes. If the damping rate at low order is 10−3ηN μHz, with ηN ∼ 10−3–1, as inferred from the theory of stellar pulsations, then GW radiation will lead to a maximum rms surface velocity amplitude of quadrupole modes of the order of 10−9–10−3 cm s−1, on the verge of what is currently detectable via helioseismology. The frequency and sensitivity range probed by helioseismological acoustic modes overlap with, and complement, the capabilities of eLISA for the brightest resolved ultracompact galactic binaries.