Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the global mean ocean mass budget over 2005–2020

Abstract. We investigate the performances of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellite gravimetry missions in assessing the ocean mass budget at the global scale over 2005–2020. For that purpose, we focus on the last years of the record (2015–2020) when GRACE and GRACE Follow-On faced instrumental problems. We compare the global mean ocean mass estimates from GRACE and GRACE Follow-On to the sum of its contributions from Greenland, Antarctica, land glaciers, terrestrial water storage and atmospheric water content estimated with independent observations. Significant residuals are observed in the global mean ocean mass budget at interannual timescales. Our analyses suggest that the terrestrial water storage variations based on global hydrological models likely contribute in large part to the misclosure of the global mean ocean mass budget at interannual timescales. We also compare the GRACE-based global mean ocean mass with the altimetry-based global mean sea level corrected for the Argo-based thermosteric contribution (an equivalent of global mean ocean mass). After correcting for the wet troposphere drift of the radiometer on board the Jason-3 altimeter satellite, we find that mass budget misclosure is reduced but still significant. However, replacing the Argo-based thermosteric component by the Ocean Reanalysis System 5 (ORAS5) or from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) top of the atmosphere observations significantly reduces the residuals of the mass budget over the 2015–2020 time span. We conclude that the two most likely sources of error in the global mean ocean mass budget are the thermosteric component based on Argo and the terrestrial water storage contribution based on global hydrological models. The GRACE and GRACE Follow-On data are unlikely to be responsible on their own for the non-closure of the global mean ocean mass budget.
Distinct encoding and post-encoding representational formats contribute to episodic sequence memory formation

In episodic encoding, an unfolding experience is rapidly transformed into a memory representation that binds separate episodic elements into a memory form to be later recollected. However, it is unclear how brain activity changes over time to accommodate the encoding of incoming information. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of the representational format that contributed to memory formation of sequential episodes. We combined Representational Similarity Analysis and multivariate decoding approaches on EEG data to compare whether “category-level” or “item-level” representations supported memory formation during the online encoding of a picture triplet sequence and offline, in the period that immediately followed encoding. The findings revealed a gradual integration of category-level representation during the online encoding of the picture sequence and a rapid item-based neural reactivation of the encoded sequence at the episodic offset. However, we found that only memory reinstatement at episodic offset was associated with successful memory retrieval from long term memory. These results suggest that post-encoding memory reinstatement is crucial for the rapid formation of unique memory for episodes that unfold over time. Overall, the study sheds light on the dynamics of representational format changes that take place during the formation of episodic memories.
Does phasic dopamine release cause policy updates?

Phasic dopamine activity is believed to both encode reward-prediction errors (RPEs) and to cause the adaptations that these errors engender. If so, a rat working for optogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons will repeatedly update its policy and/or action values, thus iteratively increasing its work rate. Here, we challenge this view by demonstrating stable, non-maximal work rates in the face of repeated optogenetic stimulation of midbrain dopamine neurons. Furthermore, we show that rats learn to discriminate between world states distinguished only by their history of dopamine activation. Comparison of these results to reinforcement learning simulations suggests that the induced dopamine transients acted more as rewards than RPEs. However, pursuit of dopaminergic stimulation drifted upwards over a time scale of days and weeks, despite its stability within trials. To reconcile the results with prior findings, we consider multiple roles for dopamine signaling.
CITED2 is a conserved regulator of the uterine–placental interface

Establishment of the hemochorial uterine-placental interface requires exodus of trophoblast cells from the placenta and their transformative actions on the uterus, which represent processes critical for a successful pregnancy, but are poorly understood. We examined the involvement of CBP/p300-interacting transactivator with glutamic acid/aspartic acid-rich carboxyl terminal domain 2 (CITED2) in rat and human trophoblast cell development. The rat and human exhibit deep hemochorial placentation. CITED2 was distinctively expressed in the junctional zone and invasive trophoblast cells of the rat. Homozygous Cited2 gene deletion resulted in placental and fetal growth restriction. Small Cited2 null placentas were characterized by disruptions in the junctional zone, delays in intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion, and compromised plasticity. In the human placentation site, CITED2 was uniquely expressed in the extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell column and importantly contributed to development of the EVT cell lineage. We conclude that CITED2 is a conserved regulator of deep hemochorial placentation. Significance Statement The process of establishing the uterine-placental interface is a poorly understood tissue re-engineering event that involves genetically foreign trophoblast cells breaching the immunologically secure uterus. When optimal, mother and fetus thrive, whereas failures represent the root cause of life-threatening diseases of pregnancy. CBP/p300-interacting transactivator with glutamic acid/aspartic acid-rich carboxyl terminal domain 2 (CITED2) is a transcriptional co-regulator with a conspicuous presence in trophoblast cell lineages infiltrating the uterine parenchyma. CITED2 helps coordinate the differentiation of rat and human trophoblast cells into invasive/extravillous trophoblast cells capable of transforming the uterus. These actions ensure requisite placental development and adaptations to physiological stressors. CITED2 exemplifies a conserved regulator of transcriptional events essential for establishing the uterine-placental interface.
Doublecortin and JIP3 are neural-specific counteracting regulators of dynein-mediated retrograde trafficking

Mutations in the microtubule (MT)-binding protein doublecortin (DCX) or in the MT- based molecular motor dynein result in lissencephaly. However, a functional link between DCX and dynein has not been defined. Here, we demonstrate that DCX negatively regulates dynein-mediated retrograde transport by reducing dynein’s association with MTs and by disrupting the composition of the dynein motor complex. Previous work showed an increased binding of the adaptor protein C-Jun-amino-terminal kinase-interacting protein 3 (JIP3) to dynein in the absence of DCX. Using purified components, we demonstrate that JIP3 forms an active motor complex with dynein and its cofactor dynactin with two dyneins per complex. DCX competes with the binding of the second dynein, resulting in a velocity reduction of the complex. We conclude that DCX negatively regulates dynein-mediated retrograde transport through two critical interactions by regulating dynein binding to MTs and by regulating the association of JIP3 to the dynein motor complex.
Multisite Performance Evaluation of the cobas 5800 System and Comparison to the cobas 6800/8800 Systems for Quantitative Measurement of HBV, HCV, and HIV-1 Viral Load

These are the first published data that demonstrate equivalent performance of the new cobas 5800 system compared with cobas 6800. This fulfills an unmet need for low- to mid-throughout laboratories seeking to optimize efficiency of their viral molecular testing. ABSTRACT The cobas 5800 System (“cobas 5800”) is a new low- to mid-throughput PCR-based nucleic acid testing system which performs both qualitative and quantitative testing, including viral load (VL) determination. cobas 5800 shares numerous design elements and technical characteristics with the existing cobas 6800/8800 Systems. We compared HBV, HCV, and HIV-1 VL results from cobas 5800 in three different laboratories to those from the same specimens tested on a cobas 6800 system. We also assessed cobas 5800 assay reproducibility by repetitive testing of specimens with VL close to values used as thresholds for patient management or classification. The correlation between VL measurements generated using cobas 5800 versus 6800 was extremely high, with r2 correlation coefficients between 0.990 and 0.999 for the three targets at the different sites. The slope of the Deming regression line ranged from 0.994 (HBV, site 3) to 1.025 (HIV-1, site 1). The standard deviation values ranged from 0.04 to 0.19 log10 IU/mL for HBV, 0.06 to 0.33 log10 IU/mL for HCV, and 0.05 to 0.34 log10 copies/mL for HIV-1. In general, variability was higher at lower VL. Between 98.6% and 100% of results fell within the allowable total difference zone that defines expected variability on the existing 6800/8800 system. This multisite comparison study demonstrates equivalent performance of the new cobas 5800 system compared with cobas 6800. This establishes cobas 5800 as a new option for low- to mid-throughout laboratories seeking to optimize efficiency of their viral molecular testing. IMPORTANCE These are the first published data that demonstrate equivalent performance of the new cobas 5800 system compared with cobas 6800. This fulfills an unmet need for low- to mid-throughout laboratories seeking to optimize efficiency of their viral molecular testing.
Fgf9-Nolz-1-Wnt2 Signaling Axis Regulates Morphogenesis of the Lung

Morphological development of the lung requires complex signal crosstalk between the mesenchymal and epithelial progenitors. Elucidating the genetic cascades underlying the signal crosstalk is essential to understanding the morphogenesis of the lung. Here, we have identified Nolz-1/Znf503 as a mesenchymal lineage-specific transcriptional regulator that plays a key role in lung morphogenesis. The null mutation of Nolz-1 resulted in a severe hypoplasia phenotype, including decreased proliferation of mesenchymal cells, aberrant differentiation of epithelial cells, and defective growth of epithelial branches. The deletion of Nolz-1 also downregulated the expressions of Wnt2, Lef1, Fgf10, Gli3 and Bmp4. Mechanistically, we found that Nolz-1 regulated lung morphogenesis primarily through Wnt2 signaling. Loss of function and overexpression studies demonstrated that Nolz-1 transcriptionally activated Wnt2 and downstream β-catenin signaling to control mesenchymal cell proliferation and epithelial branching. The Nolz-1-Wnt2 axis was also supported by evidence that exogenous Wnt2 could causally rescue defective proliferation and epithelial branching in Nolz-1 knockout lungs. Finally, we have identified Fgf9 as an upstream regulator of Nolz-1. Collectively, Fgf9-Nolz-1-Wnt2 signaling represents a novel signaling axis in the control of lung morphogenesis. These findings are also relevant to lung tumorigenesis in which a pathological function of Nolz-1 is involved.
Can a short math video enhance the brain’s mathematical networks?

Many teaching websites, such as the Khan Academy, propose vivid videos illustrating a mathematical concept. Using fMRI, we asked whether watching such a video suffices to rapidly change the brain networks for mathematical knowledge. We capitalized on the finding that, when judging the truth of short spoken statements, distinct semantic regions activate depending on whether the statements bear on mathematical knowledge or on other domains of semantic knowledge. Here, participants answered such questions before and after watching a lively five-minute video which taught them the rudiments of a new domain. During the video, a distinct math-responsive network, comprising anterior intraparietal and inferior temporal nodes, showed inter-subject synchrony when viewing mathematics course rather than control courses in biology or law. However, this experience led to minimal subsequent changes in the activity of those domain-specific areas when answering questions on the same topics a few minutes later. All taught facts, whether mathematical or not, led to domain-general repetition enhancement, particularly prominent in the cuneus, posterior cingulate and posterior parietal cortices. We conclude that short videos do not suffice to induce a meaningful lasting change in the brain’s math-responsive network, but merely engage domain-general regions possibly involved in episodic short-term memory. Significance Statement Teaching mathematical concepts is difficult. To facilitate the comprehension and appeal of mathematics, several teaching websites provide vivid videos illustrating math concepts. Here, however, we show that merely watching such videos fails to improve the brain networks for mathematics. During the video itself, these networks are transiently engaged – but a few minutes later, when we ask questions about the taught concepts, performance is only minimally improved, and the participants engage generic regions thought to be involved in short-memory and language, rather than the targeted math-responsive regions. Brief video watching is therefore insufficient as a pedagogical device, probably because it misses ingredients such as teacher-pupil interactions, explicit teaching, active engagement, retrieval practice, repetition, and sleep.
Epigenetic Changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Alters the Aromatic Profile in Alcoholic Fermentation

The manuscript investigates and reports for the first time utilizing a non-GMO approach to alter the fermentation process of Pinot Noir wines. We have experimentally demonstrated that certain dietary compounds possess histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibiting activity and can alter the wine characteristics by potentially altering yeast gene transcription, which was resulted from epigenetic effects. ABSTRACT Epigenetic changes in genomics provide phenotypic modification without DNA sequence alteration. This study shows that benzoic acid, a common food additive and known histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), has an epigenetic effect on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Benzoic acid stimulated formation of epigenetic histone marks H3K4Me2, H3K27Me2, H3K18ac, and H3Ser10p in S. cerevisiae and altered their phenotypic behavior, resulting in increased production of phenylethyl alcohol and ester compounds during alcoholic fermentation using wine as a representative model system. Our study demonstrates the HDACi activity of certain dietary compounds such as sodium butyrate, curcumin and anacardic acid, suggests the potential use of these dietary compounds in altering S. cerevisiae phenotypes without altering host-cell DNA. This study highlights the potential to use common dietary compounds to exploit epigenetic modifications for various fermentation and biotechnology applications as an alternative to genetic modification. These findings indicate that benzoic acid and other food additives may have potential epigenetic effects on human gut microbiota, in which several yeast species are involved. IMPORTANCE The manuscript investigates and reports for the first time utilizing a non-GMO approach to alter the fermentation process of Pinot Noir wines. We have experimentally demonstrated that certain dietary compounds possess histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibiting activity and can alter the wine characteristics by potentially altering yeast gene transcription, which was resulted from epigenetic effects. We have previously proposed the term “nutrifermentics” to represent this newly proposed field of research that provides insights on the effect of certain dietary compounds on microbial strains and their potential application in fermentation. This technological approach is a novel way to manipulate microorganisms for innovative food and beverage production with quality attributes catering for consumer’s needs. Using a multidisciplinary approach with an emphasis on food fermentation and biotechnology, this study will be substantially useful and of broad interest to food microbiologists and biotechnologists who seek for innovative concepts with real-world application potential.
Pattern Of Some Inflammatory Mediators Among Adult Patients With Bronchial Asthma On Corticosteroids Attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria

Background Bronchial asthma in adults is typified by lingering allergic inflammation associated with elevation in the levels of certain acute phase reactants and indicators of mast cell activation. This study investigated the effect of corticosteroid treatment on the levels of C reactive protein (CRP), serum baseline tryptase (sBT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) among asthmatics. Method Forty five adult patients with bronchial asthma on treatment with inhaled corticosteroids were enrolled. Forty five blood donors were used as control. Serum levels of CRP, sBT, ESR and GM-CSF were measured using sandwich ELISA. Result The GM-CSF, CRP, ESR and sBT were significantly elevated among asthmatics on treatment compared to normal healthy control. Significant difference in the level of GM-CSF, ESR and CRP was observed between asthmatics with mild and moderate disease severity. Conclusion Treatment with inhaled corticosteroids doesn’t restore the levels of GM-CSF, CRP, sBT and ESR to normalcy among asthmatics.
Multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films deposited on SrRuO3 buffer layer by rf sputtering

SrRuO3 (SRO) acts as an effective buffer layer for growth of multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films deposited on Pt∕TiO2∕SiO2∕Si substrates by radio frequency sputtering. Phase identification by using x-ray diffraction and texture studies by using atomic force microscopy show that the SRO buffer layer promotes crystallization and formation of the perovskite phase at lowered temperature. It significantly reduces the leakage current of multiferroic BFO films, giving rise to a much improved square ferroelectric hysteresis loop, in contrast to the poor loop for BFO on bare Pt∕TiO2∕SiO2∕Si substrate. A much enlarged remnant polarization (2Pr) of 144μC∕cm2 and a coercive field (Ec) of 386kV∕cm were obtained with the BFO thin film deposited on SRO∕Pt∕TiO2∕SiO2∕Si at 600°C. The BFO thin film with SRO buffer layer also shows a large nonvolatile polarization (ΔP=Psw−Pnsw) of 122μC∕cm2 at 20μs, which promises excellent performance for random access memories. Further interestingly, it exhibits little polarization fatig.
Exercise training remodels inguinal white adipose tissue through adaptations in innervation, vascularization, and the extracellular matrix

Inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) is essential for the beneficial effects of exercise training on metabolic health. Extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, innervation, and vascularization are all important regulators of iWAT function, yet whether exercise training improves these structural components of iWAT is unknown. Using biochemical, imaging, and multi-omics analyses we find that 11-days of wheel running in male mice causes profound iWAT remodeling including decreased ECM deposition and increased vascularization and innervation. We identify adipose stem cells as the main contributors to training-induced ECM remodeling, determine that training causes a shift from hypertrophic to insulin-sensitive adipocyte subpopulations, show that the PRDM16 transcriptional complex is necessary for iWAT remodeling and beiging, and discover neuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1) as a link between PRDM16 and neuritogenesis. Exercise training leads to remarkable adaptations to iWAT structure and cell-type composition that can confer beneficial changes in tissue metabolism. Graphical Abstract
Ancient DNA reveals interstadials as a driver of the common vole population dynamics during the last glacial period

Aim The common vole is a temperate rodent widespread across Europe. It was also one of the most abundant small mammal species throughout the Late Pleistocene. Phylogeographic studies of its extant populations suggested the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 26.5–19 ka ago) as one of the main drivers of the species’ population dynamics. However, analyses based solely on extant genetic diversity may not recover the full complexity of past population history. The main aim of this study was to investigate the evolutionary history and identify the main drivers of the common vole population dynamics during the Late Pleistocene. Location Europe Taxon Common vole (Microtus arvalis) Methods We generated a dataset comprising 4.2 kb-long fragment of mitochondrial DNA from 148 ancient and 51 modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of specimens that were not directly dated. Results We estimate the time to the most recent common ancestor of all Last Glacial and extant common vole lineages to 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, earlier than previous estimates. We find multiple lineage turnovers in Europe in the period of high climate variability at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57–29 ka ago) in addition to those found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Conversely, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout the LGM even at high latitudes. Main conclusions Our results suggest that the main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last glacial period was the reduction of open habitats during the interstadial periods while the climate deterioration during the LGM had little impact on species’ population dynamics.