Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Lymphocyte Populations in Patients With Dobrava or Puumala orthohantavirus Infection

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), caused by Dobrava (DOBV) and Puumala (PUUV) orthohantaviruses, is an endemic disease in Slovenia. DOBV is mainly responsible for a more severe disease, whereas PUUV usually causes a milder form. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine whether any differences in lymphocyte population in patients infected with these two viruses exist. Mononuclear cells from peripheral blood (PBMCs) were isolated from DOBV or PUUV infected patients and different lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed with flow cytometry. Decreased concentrations of lymphocyte subpopulation were observed in DOBV and in PUUV infected patients compared with a healthy control, which was especially evident in DOBV infected patients. The lower values of T cells are likely due to the extravasation of the activated cells from the circulation to the infected tissue. Higher percentage of NK cells were detected in DOBV infected patients in comparison to PUUV infected patients, which could be associated with a more severe HFRS caused by DOBV. PUUV infected patients had a significantly higher concentration of activated T cell subsets, expressing markers CD25, CD69, and HLA-DR in comparison to DOBV infected patients. Higher activation of T cell subsets in PUUV infected patients could be a contributor to a milder HFRS. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the relation between the protective and the harmful role of activated lymphocytes subsets in HFRS pathogenesis.
Differences in Tetracycline Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Microbial Community Structure During Aerobic Composting and Anaerobic Digestion

Antibiotics are widely added to swine forage and are the main reason for the environmental accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in swine manure-dwelling microorganisms. Aerobic composting (AC) and anaerobic digestion (AD) are efficient methods for converting swine manure to bio-fertilizer while degrading residual antibiotics. However, the influence of these methods on ARG accumulation and the difference in their efficiency have rarely been investigated. In this study, we explored the variations in four tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) and their associated ARGs and in microbial communities after AC and AD treatment. After full-scale manure AC and AD, the four TCs were removed effectively. AD had a higher TC removal efficiency than AC and a slower rate of TC-associated ARG accumulation. In addition, the community structure was more stable in the AC and AD manures than in untreated manure, and the relationship among microbial species also evolved into competition from mutualism after both AC and AD treatment. It was also speculated that the genera Acholeplasma and Arthrobacter were the possible hosts of tetO, tetW, and tetQ; the shift in the prokaryotic community composition and the alleviation of selective pressure by TC degradation led to decreased relative abundance of ARGs in AD- and AC-treated manure.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transcription Factors in Cardiovascular Pathology

Transcription factors as multifaceted modulators of gene expression that play a central role in cell proliferation, differentiation, lineage commitment, and disease progression. They interact among themselves and create complex spatiotemporal gene regulatory networks that modulate hematopoiesis, cardiogenesis, and conditional differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into cells of cardiovascular lineage. Additionally, bone marrow-derived stem cells potentially contribute to the cardiovascular cell population and have shown potential as a therapeutic approach to treat cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are currently debatable. This review focuses on some key transcription factors and associated epigenetic modifications that modulate the maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and cardiac progenitor cells. In addition to this, we aim to summarize different potential clinical therapeutic approaches in cardiac regeneration therapy and recent discoveries in stem cell-based transplantation.
Coreceptors and TCR Signaling – the Strong and the Weak of It

The T-cell coreceptors CD4 and CD8 have well-characterized and essential roles in thymic development, but how they contribute to immune responses in the periphery is unclear. Coreceptors strengthen T-cell responses by many orders of magnitude – beyond a million-fold according to some estimates – but the mechanisms underlying these effects are still debated. T-cell receptor (TCR) triggering is initiated by the binding of the TCR to peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules on the surfaces of other cells. CD4 and CD8 are the only T-cell proteins that bind to the same pMHC ligand as the TCR, and can directly associate with the TCR-phosphorylating kinase Lck. At least three mechanisms have been proposed to explain how coreceptors so profoundly amplify TCR signaling: (1) the Lck recruitment model and (2) the pseudodimer model, both invoked to explain receptor triggering per se, and (3) two-step coreceptor recruitment to partially triggered TCRs leading to signal amplification. More recently it has been suggested that, in addition to initiating or augmenting TCR signaling, coreceptors effect antigen discrimination. But how can any of this be reconciled with TCR signaling occurring in the absence of CD4 or CD8, and with their interactions with pMHC being among the weakest specific protein-protein interactions ever described? Here, we review each theory of coreceptor function in light of the latest structural, biochemical, and functional data. We conclude that the oldest ideas are probably still the best, i.e., that their weak binding to MHC proteins and efficient association with Lck allow coreceptors to amplify weak incipient triggering of the TCR, without comprising TCR specificity.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Risk Factors Unique to Perimenopausal Women

Many investigations have found common occurrences of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in women, and clinical experience has shown that BPPV can develop due to increased hormonal fluctuations, especially during menopause. Therefore, knowledge about neurochemicals and their involvement with BPPV is imperative for the management of neurological issues in women. This review will discuss appropriate gender-based considerations of BPPV based on experimental and clinical evidence. The studies describe 2 lines of evidence regarding the association of perimenopause in women and the development of BPPV: (1) experimental evidence: the existence of estrogen receptors in the inner ear, otoconial malformations in osteopenic/osteoporotic rats, changes in otoconin 90 caused by hormone replacement therapy, and impaired calcium absorption following estrogen deprivation corrected by estrogen replacement therapy and (2) clinical evidence: epidemiological aspects, osteoporosis and estrogen deficiency. Future studies are necessary to validate the effects of hormonal replacement therapy and phytoestrogen in women with recurrent BPPV.
The Scientific Impact Derived From the Disciplinary Profiles

The disciplinary profiles of the mean citation rates across 22 research areas were analyzed for 107 countries/territories that published at least 3,000 papers that exceeded the entrance thresholds for the Essential Science Indicators (ESI; Clarivate Analytics) during the period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2019. The matrix of pairwise differences between any two profiles was analyzed with a non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm, which recovered a two-dimensional geometric space describing these differences. These two dimensions, Dim1 and Dim2, described 5,671 pairwise differences between countries' disciplinary profiles with a sufficient accuracy (stress = 0.098). A significant correlation (r = 0.81, N = 107, p < 0.0001) was found between Dim1 and the Indicator of a Nation's Scientific Impact (INSI), which was computed as a composite of the average and the top citation rates. The scientific impact ranking of countries derived from the pairwise differences between disciplinary profiles seems to be more accurate and realistic compared with more traditional citation indices.
The effect of habitat destruction pattern on species persistence : a cellular model

A simple, but spatially explicit, model of competition between two hypothetical species is presented. The two species exist as metapopulations, where habitat patches are characterised by local extinctions and colonizations. One species is a superior competitor and the other a superior disperser. The model determines the proportion of habitat patches that can be destroyed before the species become extinct, confirming the results of deterministic models. It further shows that the pattern of habitat destruction affects the minimum amount of habitat required to avoid extinction. If intensity of habitat loss occurs along a gradient, rather than at random, species persist until a much greater overall habitat loss has occurred. This is also the result if habitat is lost in blocks or in lines. The implication of this result for conservation policy is discussed.
Qualifications of Rice Growth Indicators Optimized at Different Growth Stages Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Digital Imagery

The accurate estimation of the key growth indicators of rice is conducive to rice production, and the rapid monitoring of these indicators can be achieved through remote sensing using the commercial RGB cameras of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, the method of using UAV RGB images lacks an optimized model to achieve accurate qualifications of rice growth indicators. In this study, we established a correlation between the multi-stage vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from UAV imagery and the leaf dry biomass, leaf area index, and leaf total nitrogen for each growth stage of rice. Then, we used the optimal VI (OVI) method and object-oriented segmentation (OS) method to remove the noncanopy area of the image to improve the estimation accuracy. We selected the OVI and the models with the best correlation for each growth stage to establish a simple estimation model database. The results showed that the OVI and OS methods to remove the noncanopy area can improve the correlation between the key growth indicators and VI of rice. At the tillering stage and early jointing stage, the correlations between leaf dry biomass (LDB) and the Green Leaf Index (GLI) and Red Green Ratio Index (RGRI) were 0.829 and 0.881, respectively; at the early jointing stage and late jointing stage, the coefficient of determination (R2) between the Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Modified Green Red Vegetation Index (MGRVI) was 0.803 and 0.875, respectively; at the early stage and the filling stage, the correlations between the leaf total nitrogen (LTN) and UAV vegetation index and the Excess Red Vegetation Index (ExR) were 0.861 and 0.931, respectively. By using the simple estimation model database established using the UAV-based VI and the measured indicators at different growth stages, the rice growth indicators can be estimated for each stage. The proposed estimation model database for monitoring rice at the different growth stages is helpful for improving the estimation accuracy of the key rice growth indicators and accurately managing rice production.
Evaluation of Seminal Plasma Creatine Kinase and its ISO-Enzymes of Primary Infertile Males in Erbil City

Central line or percutaneous long line is an intravascular catheter that terminates at, or close to the heart, or in one of the great vessels and which is used for infusion, parenteral nutrition, withdrawal of blood, or hemodynamic monitoring. A rare complication of removal of central line is fracture catheter. Method: We report a female preterm infant (34+5) week’s gestational age with duodenal Artesia, polyhydramnios, where central venous catheter was inserted in the left cubital vein on the second day of life. Result: A silastic catheter rupture occurred during removal and was incidentally found to have a distal fragmented piece of central venous catheter on simple chest X-Ray films, at a time when the length of the catheter was checked correctly when removed. A chest roentgenogram confirmed the suspected diagnosis. The fragment of catheter was successfully removed via cardiac catheterization technique. Conclusion: The most important step in identifying such a complication after removal of the catheter is to confirm the length of the catheter that was inserted to be able to measure it after removal. Fragmented CVC should be removed using cardiac catheterization.
Population Structure and Survival of Palila

Annual survival, age, and sex ratios of the endangered Palila (Loxioides bailleui) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, were determined from multiple captures and resightings of 984 individuals during 1987-1993. The proportion of Second Year (SY) Palila in the population was relatively constant among years, whereas the proportion of Hatching Year (HY) birds ranged from 3.1 to 22.6% over three years. Sex ratios of nestling and SY Palila did not differ from unity, but the sex ratio of HY and ASY Palila was male-biased. Mean proportion of adult males was 63. ± 1.8 SE, and males outnumbered females in all six years of the study. Mean annual survival of HY Palila (0.36 ± 0.08) was lower than that of After Hatching Year (AHY) birds (0.63 ± 0.05), but annual survival of AHY males (0.65 ± 0.07) did not differ from that of AHY females (0.62 ± 0.06). Survival was negatively correlated with annual changes in the availability of green mamane (Sophora chrysophylla) pods, the primary food of Palila. The skewed adult sex ratio may result from greater emigration or mortality of HY females, or from greater mortality of breeding females due to increased exposure to predation
The role of heterochromatin protein 1A(HP1a) in the repression of telomeric retroelements in the drosophila female germline

Transposable elements can cause deleterious mutations to the genome and thus organisms evolved a robust mechanism to control transposition events. The Drosophila germline has a specialized small RNA silencing pathway called Piwi interacting RNA pathway (piRNA pathway) for silencing transposable elements (TEs)(Aravin et al. 2007). Heterochomatin Protein 1a (HP1a) is an important component necessary for heterochromatin maintenance. It has been shown that HP1a interacts with Piwi, a central member of the piRNA pathway for TE silencing function in somatic cells (Brower-Toland et al. 2007; Pal-Bhadra et al. 2004). I wanted to study the specific role of HP1a in Drosophila germline using RNAi and clonal analysis, to investigate if HP1a also has a piRNA related function in the germline. Knockdown of HP1a in the female germline cells led to de-repression of telomeric TEs, HeT-A, TART and TAHRE, while there was a minimal effect on other TEs. By contrast, upon HP1a loss in the gonadal somatic cells, expression levels of the telomeric TEs remained unaffected, indicating that HP1a exclusively functions in germline for suppression of telomeric TEs. Deep sequencing analysis of small RNA library from HP1a knockdown ovaries showed severe reduction in piRNAs mapping to the telomeric TEs, without any significant decrease in overall transposons mapping piRNA levels, corroborating the TE de-repression pattern. I also observed a reduction in piRNA originating from piRNA clusters having HetA copies (Brennecke et al. 2007). HP1a absence led to a significant reduction of heterochromatic signature; trimethylation at 9 lysine of Histone H3 at telomeric reteroelements. ChIP-seq for HP1a occupancy on the germline chromatin showed enrichment at the transposon loci at pericentromeric and telomeric heterochromatin region; where major piRNA clusters are located. HP1a is known to be required for telomere capping in Drosophila. Telomere maintenance in fruitfly is based on controlled transposition of the telomeric TEs, HeTA, TART and TAHRE. In the germline the piRNA pathway has been suggested to be required for telomere replication (Savitsky et al. 2002; Savitsky et al. 2006). I wanted to ask if HP1a was working in the piRNA pathway to regulate telomeric TEs in the ovaries.
Multivariate Geographic Variation of Mating Call in Populations of the Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla)

Three major calls characteristic of Hyla regilla are described and categorized as diphasic, monophasic, and possibly, territorial. Tape recordings of 295 calls from 37 geographically isolated populations ranging from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Las Lagunas, Baja California, and from sea level to 7,000 ft elevation, were made. The midpoints of dominant frequencies of the first and second diphase, the first and second diphase durations, interphase duration, total duration, call repetition rate, and water temperature were analyzed. Multivariate statistics (discriminant functions) were used in the analysis. Discrimination tests of 13 gravid female Hyla regilla established the high degree (11 of 13, 85%, P < 0.01) of female response to calls of Hyla regilla rather than to those of Hyla californiae. High correlations between call duration and repetition rates and water temperature were found (P < 0.01); the relationships may be curvilinear. Dominant frequencies were highly correlated with each other (+ 0.82) but showed low although significant correlations with time-dependent characters. The dominant frequency of the first diphase and the snout-vent length of the animal were negatively correlated (r = -0.81; P < 0.01). Vectors of the dominant frequency characters were relatively shorter than other vectors and consistently linear with population dispersion patterns, indicating these characters to be more significantly different between populations than are other characters.
Regeneration in Quercus lobata Savannas, Santa Lucia Mountains, California

Geographic distribution and vegetational affinities of Quercus lobata communities in the Santa Lucia Mountains of central coastal California are discussed. In eight localities representing different physiographic types of oak savanna, size-class distributions and successional trends were studied. Few Q. lo-bata seedlings or sapling were found. Some higher-elevation savannas are being invaded by Pinus coulteri, P. ponderosa, Quercus chrysolepis and Q. wislizenii. Low fire frequency may be part of the cause of this conversion of deciduous oak savanna to pine and sclerophyll forest. Detailed observations on Q. lobata regeneration were made at one ungrazed locality. Despite heavy predation on acorns, Q. lobata seedlings do start in this area, but under present deerand rodent-browsing conditions seedlings do not become saplings.
Indirect Shoot Regeneration in Anthurium andreanum 'Clisto' from Leaf Explant

Anthurium is commercially produced as cut flowers and potted plants and known for its colorful spathes. It is traditionally propagated by stem cutting and suckers, so micropropagation is an alternative production method. In this experiment we carried out shoot regeneration in Anthurium andreanum ‘Clisto’. The leaf explant was used and after sterilization, they cultured on two different media (half-strength MS and Nitsch’s media) which supplemented with different compositions of 2,4-D (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mg/L) and BA (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg/L). After three months callus size and percentage of explant that produced callus were measured and callus transferred to MS media with different concen trations of BA (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mg/L). After 6 months, number of shoot, shoot length and leaf number was recorded. The highest callus proliferation was obtained in Nitsch’ media supplemented with 0.25 mg/L 2,4-D and 0.25 or 0.5 mg/L BA. The callus was creamy color and compact. The highest shoot regeneration was observed in media with 0.75 mg/L BA. We cloud achieved 31 shoot per callus segment in the best treatment. Rooting was easily performed in peat: perlite (1:2) pots and they well acclimated and transferred to greenhouse and 99% plants were survived.
MYI Floes Identification Based on the Texture and Shape Feature from Dual-Polarized Sentinel-1 Imagery

The Northwest Passage (NWP) in the Arctic is usually covered with hazardous multi-year ice (MYI) and seasonal first-year ice (FYI) in winter, with possible thin ice and open-water areas during transition seasons. Ice classification is important for both marine navigation and climate change studies. Satellite-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems have shown advantages of retrieving this information. Operational ice mapping relies on visual analysis of SAR images along with ancillary data. However, these maps estimate ice types and concentrations within large-size polygons of a few tens or hundreds of kilometers, which are subjectively identified and selected by analysts. This study aims at developing an automated algorithm to identify individual MYI floes from SAR images then classify the rest of the image as FYI and other ice types. The algorithm identifies the MYI floes using extended-maximum operator, morphological image processing, and a few geometrical features. Classifying the rest of the image uses texture and neural network model. The input data is a set of Sentinel-1 A/B Extended Wide (EW) mode images, acquired between September and March 2016–2019. Although the overall accuracy (for all type classification) from the new method scored 93.26%, the accuracy from using the texture classifier only was 75.81%. The kappa coefficient from the former was higher than the latter by 0.25. Compared with the operational ice charts from the Canadian Ice Service, ice type maps from the new method show better distribution of MYI at the fine scale of individual floes. Comparison against MYI concentration from two automated algorithms that use a combination of coarse-resolution passive and active microwave data also confirms the advantage of resolving MYI floes from the fine-resolution SAR.
Effect of Exogenous Melatonin on Plasma Corticosterone,Lucocorticoid Receptor mRNA and Change of Autoreceptors in Neonatal Rats with Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage

Objective To observe the changes of plasma corticosterone(CS)and melatonin receptor 1(MR1)mRNA and glucocorticoid receptor(GR)in adrenal glands of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD)treated with exogenous melatonin.Methods Postnatal 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:melatonin treated group,model group,sham operated group,normal control group.Rats in melatonin treated group were given exogenous melatonin 10 mg/kg by intra-peritoneal injection,while model and sham operated group with alcohol carrier(0.05 g/L)10 mg/kg,normal control group without intervention.Adrenal glands were obtained at different time points(2,4,8,12,24,48 h)after HIBD,semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)analysis was used to measure the expression of MR1 and GR mRNA and Radioimmunoassay(RIA)for plasma corticosterone levels.Results The levels of MR1 and GR mRNA decreased at 2 h after HIBD,while plasma corticosterone raised significantly at the same time and peaked at HIBD 4 h in model group(Pa0.05),paralleling with the stress level.No obvious change of plasma corticosterone or MR1 was found after exogenous melatonin intervention in melatonin treated group(Pa0.05),and GR mRNA rebounded to the normal at HIBD 24 h.Conclusions GR in the glands may take part in the patho-physiological process of HIBD for the stress reaction.The exogenous melatonin may lower the endogenous corticosterone through the regulatory function of autorecepors,then up-regulate the GR mRNA,in order to lighten the excessive stress damage of HIBD.