Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive isolating mechanisms contributing to asymmetric hybridization in Killifishes (Fundulus spp.)

When species hybridize, one F1 hybrid cross type often predominates. Such asymmetry can arise from differences in a variety of reproductive barriers, but the relative roles and concordance of pre‐mating, post‐mating prezygotic, and post‐zygotic barriers in producing these biases in natural animal populations have not been widely investigated. Here, we study a population of predominantly F1 hybrids between two killifish species (Fundulus heteroclitus and F. diaphanus) in which >95% of F1 hybrids have F. diaphanus mothers and F. heteroclitus fathers (D♀ × H♂). To determine why F. heteroclitus × F. diaphanus F1 hybrids (H♀ × D♂) are so rare, we tested for asymmetry in pre‐mating reproductive barriers (female preference and male aggression) at a common salinity (10 ppt) and post‐mating, pre‐zygotic (fertilization success) and post‐zygotic (embryonic development time and hatching success) reproductive barriers at a range of ecologically relevant salinities (0, 5, 10, and 15 ppt). We found that F. heteroclitus females preferred conspecific males, whereas F. diaphanus females did not, matching the observed cross bias in the wild. Naturally rare H♀ × D♂ crosses also had lower fertilization success than all other cross types, and a lower hatching success than the prevalent D♀ × H♂ crosses at the salinity found in the hybrid zone centre (10 ppt). Furthermore, the naturally predominant D♀ × H♂ crosses had a higher hatching success than F. diaphanus crosses at 10 ppt, which may further increase their relative abundance. The present study suggests that a combination of incomplete mating, post‐mating pre‐zygotic and post‐zygotic reproductive isolating mechanisms act in concert to produce hybrid asymmetry in this system.
Quality of ADL task performance in persons with schizophrenia: Looking beyond independence

Abstract Background Persons with schizophrenia may experience decreased ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) indicated by need for assistance in everyday life. Others are independent, but their quality of ADL task performance in terms of effort and efficiency may still be impacted. Aims/Objectives The overall purpose of this study was to explore the quality of ADL task performance in subgroups with schizophrenia (independent/needing assistance). Materials and methods Participants were in- and outpatients at a Psychiatric Hospital diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 83). Their quality of ADL task performance was evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). Evaluations were conducted at the hospital. Two subgroups (A: independent and B: needing assistance) were created based on AMPS ADL ability measures. Results The majority in both subgroups had AMPS ADL ability measures within the risk zones. Further, the majority in subgroup A had ADL ability measures within age expectations but below mean for well persons of the same age. Both ineffective motor and process skills were identified in both subgroups Conclusions/Significance Occupational therapy is indicated for persons with schizophrenia, both for independent persons and for persons needing assistance. This is to prevent decline in or to enhance ADL ability.
The association between high‐risk human papillomavirus and oral lichen planus

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a cell‐mediated inflammatory mucosal disorder and is classified as an oral potentially malignant disorder. Some research has shown that apoptosis in OLP cells is similar to a viral infection such as human papillomavirus (HPV). So, the aim of this case‐control study was to investigate the association of high‐risk HPV with OLP.
The Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence in Germany: A Comparison of Three Representative Population Surveys

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound societal and economic effects. Concerns were raised that domestic violence might increase because of the enacted infection control measures. Previous findings on this issue have been contradictory. Since existing studies mainly rely on official reports, administrative data, helpline calls, or retrospective measures, their findings are likely to prove unreliable. Few population-based surveys include pre-pandemic data, limiting their ability to test for causality regarding increasing violence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare findings from population-representative surveys on the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence against children (VAC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data of N = 3,639 individuals living with a romantic partner and N = 1,313 parents living with at least one of their children from three German representative population surveys, we estimated average marginal effects for the temporal trends (i.e., pre vs. post infection control measures) of domestic violence separately for males and females. To minimize bias across survey waves, inverse probability weighting was used. Results show no statistically significant increase in either physical or psychological forms of IPV or VAC as a result of the implementation of COVID measures. On the contrary, the 1-year prevalence was decreasing for certain forms of violence. Our findings suggest that the assessment of the consequences of infection control measures needs an empirical basis. Further research should be conducted using high-quality data sources. Therefore, the present study should be considered a stepping stone for ongoing research efforts to examine the consequences of pandemic-related infection control measures on the general population.
Implication of E3 ligase RAD18 in UV-induced mutagenesis in human induced pluripotent stem cells and neuronal progenitor cells

Abstract Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have the potential to differentiate to any of the other organs. The genome DNA integrity of PSCs is maintained by a high level of transcription for a number of genes involved in DNA repair, cell cycle and apoptosis. However, it remains unclear how high the frequency of genetic mutation is and how these DNA repair factors function in PSCs. In this study, we employed Sup F assay for the measurement of mutation frequency after UV-C irradiation in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as PSC models and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were derived from iPSCs as differentiated cells. iPSCs and NPCs exhibited a lower mutation frequency compared with the original skin fibroblasts. In RNA-seq analysis, iPSCs and NPCs showed a high expression of RAD18, which is involved in trans-lesion synthesis (TLS) for the emergency tolerance system during the replication process of DNA. Although RAD18 is involved in both error free and error prone TLS in somatic cells, it still remains unknown the function of RAD18 in PSCs. In this study we depleted of the RAD18 by siRNA knockdown resulted in decreased frequency of mutation in iPSCs and NPCs. Our results will provide information on the genome maintenance machinery in PSCs.
Genomic Characteristics and the Potential Clinical Implications in Oligometastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose Oligometastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have been increasingly regarded as a distinct group that could benefit from local treatment to achieve a better clinical outcome. However, current definitions of oligometastasis are solely numerical, which are imprecise because of ignoring the biological heterogeneity caused by genomic characteristics. Our study aimed to profile the molecular alterations of oligometastatic NSCLC and elucidate its potential difference from polymetastasis. Materials and Methods We performed next-generation sequencing to analyze tumors and paired peripheral blood from 77 oligometastatic and 21 polymetastatic NSCLC patients to reveal their genomic characteristics and assess the genetic heterogeneity. Results We found ERBB2, ALK, MLL4, PIK3CB, and TOP2A were mutated at a significantly lower frequency in oligometastasis compared with polymetastasis. EGFR and KEAP1 alterations were mutually exclusive in oligometastatic group. More importantly, oligometastasis has a unique significant enrichment of apoptosis signaling pathway. In contrast to polymetastasis, a highly enriched COSMIC signature 4 and a special mutational process, COSMIC signature 14, were observed in the oligometastatic cohort. According to OncoKB database, 74.03% of oligometastatic NSCLC patients harbored at least one actionable alteration. The median tumor mutation burden of oligometastasis was 5.00 mutations/Mb, which was significantly associated with smoking, DNA damage repair genes, TP53 mutation, SMARCA4 mutation, LRP1B mutation, ABL1 mutation. Conclusion Our results shall help redefine oligometastasis beyond simple lesion enumeration that will ultimately improve the selection of patients with real oligometastatic state and optimize personalized cancer therapy for oligometastatic NSCLC.
Iron‐mediated anaerobic ammonium oxidation recorded in the early Archean ferruginous ocean

The nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter is controlled by metabolic activity and redox speciation and has therefore largely been used to uncover the early evolution of life and ocean oxygenation. Specifically, positive δ15N values found in well‐preserved sedimentary rocks are often interpreted as reflecting the stability of a nitrate pool sustained by water column partial oxygenation. This study adds much‐needed data to the sparse Paleoarchean record, providing carbon and nitrogen concentrations and isotopic compositions for more than fifty samples from the 3.4 Ga Buck Reef Chert sedimentary deposit (BRC, Barberton Greenstone Belt). In the overall anoxic and ferruginous conditions of the BRC depositional environment, these samples yield positive δ15N values up to +6.1‰. We argue that without a stable pool of nitrates, these values are best explained by non‐quantitative oxidation of ammonium via the Feammox pathway, a metabolic co‐cycling between iron and nitrogen through the oxidation of ammonium in the presence of iron oxides. Our data contribute to the understanding of how the nitrogen cycle operated under reducing, anoxic, and ferruginous conditions, which are relevant to most of the Archean. Most importantly, they invite to carefully consider the meaning of positive δ15N signatures in Archean sediments.
Pulsational Stability of g-Modes in Slowly Pulsating B Stars

Low-frequency g-modes excited by the opacity bump mechanism in main-sequence stars with the masses M ~ 4 M☉ are believed to be responsible for the periodic variability observed in slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars. We calculate fully nonadiabatic g-modes with a low-degree l in an SPB star model to examine the pulsational stability by taking into account the effects of the Coriolis force and assuming a uniform rotation. We find that the slow rotation of the star contributes to the excitation of the high radial order retrograde g-modes with low l. This contribution to the excitation is most significant for the g-modes with l = 1. At rapid rotation, many g-modes with low l in the model are found to be pulsationally unstable even in the inertial regime in which |ω| < 2Ω, where ω denotes the oscillation frequency observed in the corotating frame and Ω is the angular rotation frequency. As the rotation rate increases, mode coupling caused by the Coriolis force between g-modes with different values of l becomes influential on the pulsational stability. We find that some of the g-modes in the inertial regime are stabilized by mode coupling at rapid rotation and that this stabilization effect is most significant for the retrograde g-modes with l > |m|.
The effect of Acacia nilotica bark extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, and intestinal morphology in broilers as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter

Objective Present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Acacia nilotica bark extract as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broilers. Methods Six hundred, day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into six groups (NC, without any supplementation; AB, NC+Zinc Bacitracin; PB, NC+Safmannan; ANBE1, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.1%; ANBE3, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.3%; ANBE5, NC+A. nilotica bark extract 0.5%), with ten replicates per group (10 chicks/replicate) and feeding trial was lasted for 35 days. Results Results showed that weight gain (1,296.63 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.59) of AB was better than NC, during the finisher phase. Overall FCR of AB (1.53), PB (1.54), and ANBE5 (1.54) was significantly (p<0.05) better than NC. From carcass parameters relative weight of wing and heart were highest in ANBE3 (2.5% and 1.51%, respectively). Significantly (p<0.05) highest blood glucose level was observed in NC (264.5 mg/dL) and highest albumin concentration was found in AB (1.46 mg/dL). In addition, antibody titer levels against ND and IBD were higher in ANBE5 than NC, while higher relative weight of bursa was observed in ANBE3 than NC. The villus height to crypt depth ratio in all experimental groups was better than NC. Conclusion Acacia nilotica bark extract could be a suitable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to support the growth in broilers.
SGLT2 inhibitors mitigate kidney tubular metabolic and mTORC1 perturbations in youth-onset type 2 diabetes

The molecular mechanisms of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors (SGLT2i) remain incompletely understood. Single-cell RNA sequencing and morphometric data were collected from research kidney biopsies donated by young persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D), aged 12 to 21 years, and healthy controls (HCs). Participants with T2D were obese and had higher estimated glomerular filtration rates and mesangial and glomerular volumes than HCs. Ten T2D participants had been prescribed SGLT2i (T2Di[+]) and 6 not (T2Di[–]). Transcriptional profiles showed SGLT2 expression exclusively in the proximal tubular (PT) cluster with highest expression in T2Di(–) patients. However, transcriptional alterations with SGLT2i treatment were seen across nephron segments, particularly in the distal nephron. SGLT2i treatment was associated with suppression of transcripts in the glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways in PT, but had the opposite effect in thick ascending limb. Transcripts in the energy-sensitive mTORC1-signaling pathway returned toward HC levels in all tubular segments in T2Di(+), consistent with a diabetes mouse model treated with SGLT2i. Decreased levels of phosphorylated S6 protein in proximal and distal tubules in T2Di(+) patients confirmed changes in mTORC1 pathway activity. We propose that SGLT2i treatment benefits the kidneys by mitigating diabetes-induced metabolic perturbations via suppression of mTORC1 signaling in kidney tubules.
Comparison of the prophylactic antithrombotic effect of indobufen and warfarin in patients with nephrotic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Purpose The risk of thromboembolic events is elevated in patients with nephrotic syndrome, and warfarin use has been associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Indobufen, a selective cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitor, is currently being evaluated for the prevention of thromboembolic events in nephrotic syndrome. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of indobufen with that of warfarin in patients with nephrotic syndrome. Materials and methods This multicenter, randomized, three-arm, open-label, parallel controlled trial involved a total of 180 adult patients with nephrotic syndrome from four centers in China. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg indobufen (bid), 200 mg indobufen (bid), and 3 mg warfarin (qd) daily for 12 weeks. The primary endpoints included thromboembolic and bleeding events, while laboratory results and adverse events constituted secondary endpoints. Results No thromboembolic events occurred in the high-/low-dose indobufen and warfarin groups. Moreover, the use of a low dose of indobufen significantly reduced the risk of minor bleeding events compared with warfarin use (2% versus 18%, p < .05). Finally, adverse events were more frequent in warfarin-treated patients. Conclusions This study found that indobufen therapy provided equivalent effects in preventing thromboembolic events compared with warfarin therapy, while low dose of indobufen was associated with a reduced risk of bleeding events, thus it should be recommended for the prevention of thromboembolic events in clinical practice in patients with nephrotic syndrome. Trial registration number ChiCTR-IPR-17013428.
A latent class analysis approach to the identification of doctoral students at risk of attrition

To advance understanding of doctoral student experiences and the high attrition rates among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) doctoral students, we developed and examined the psychological profiles of different types of doctoral students. We used latent class analysis on self-reported psychological data relevant to psychological threat from 1,081 incoming doctoral students across three universities and found that the best-fitting model delineated four threat classes: Lowest Threat, Nonchalant, Engaged/Worried, and Highest Threat. These classes were associated with characteristics measured at the beginning of students’ first semester of graduate school that may influence attrition risk, including differences in academic preparation (e.g., amount of research experience), self-evaluations and perceived fit (e.g., sense of belonging), attitudes towards graduate school and academia (e.g., strength of motivation), and interpersonal relations (e.g., perceived social support). Lowest Threat students tended to report the most positive characteristics and Highest Threat students the most negative characteristics, whereas the results for Nonchalant and Engaged/Worried students were more mixed. Ultimately, we suggest that Engaged/Worried and Highest Threat students are at relatively high risk of attrition. Moreover, the demographic distributions of profiles differed, with members of groups more likely to face social identity threat (e.g., women) being overrepresented in a higher threat profile (i.e., Engaged/Worried students) and underrepresented in lower threat profiles (i.e., Lowest Threat and Nonchalant students). We conclude that doctoral students meaningfully vary in their psychological threat at the beginning of graduate study and suggest that these differences may portend divergent outcomes.
Environmental Risks of Microplastics on the Spatial and Temporal Gradient in a River Originating from the Western Himalayas

The presence of microplastics in different environmental matrices has raised many concerns about potential effects of microplastics on humans and freshwater ecosystems. In Pakistan, rivers potentially receive microplastics from anthropogenic activities in their catchments. However, research studies regarding microplastics' presence, distribution, and risks are scarce in Pakistan. To bridge the gap, the present study was conducted to evaluate microplastic pollution in the Chenab River. Surface water samples were collected from selected sites on the Chenab River using a manta trawl in the low‐flow season during postmonsoon (October) 2019 and 2020 and in the high‐flow season during monsoon (July) 2020 and 2021. Samples were digested, followed by density separation and filtration. Identification and polymer characterization of microplastics were completed using stereomicroscopy and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Microplastics were found in all samples with significant spatiotemporal variation in microplastic concentration, with an average of 45.98 ± 10.45 microplastics/m3 in the low‐flow season and 34.66 ± 16.15 microplastics/m3 in the high‐flow season. Among microplastic shapes, fibers were the most dominant shape, whereas polyethylene terephthalate (38.2%) and polypropylene (19%) were the most abundant polymers. Polymer risk index analysis and pollution load index demonstrated that most of the sites ranked as safe. The potential ecological risks from single polymers and combined polymers showed minor risks posed by microplastics. The present study is the first step to focus on microplastic pollution in the Chenab River; it will help river managers to mitigate the microplastic pollution without compromising the ecological integrity of the river. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:727–739. © 2023 SETAC
Dual role of friction in granular flows: attenuation versus enhancement of instabilities

Abstract Flow instabilities driven by the dissipative nature of particle–particle interactions have been well documented in granular flows. The bulk of previous studies on such instabilities have considered the impact of inelastic dissipation only and shown that instabilities are enhanced with increased dissipation. The impact of frictional dissipation on the stability of grains in a homogeneous cooling system is studied in this work using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and kinetic-theory-based predictions. Surprisingly, both MD simulations and theory indicate that high levels of friction actually attenuate instabilities relative to the frictionless case, whereas moderate levels enhance instabilities compared to frictionless systems, as expected. The mechanism responsible for this behaviour is identified as the coupling between rotational and translational motion. These results have implications not only for granular materials, but also more generally to flows with dissipative interactions between constituent particles – cohesive systems with agglomeration, multiphase flows with viscous dissipation, etc.
Genome‐wide association analysis of spike and kernel traits in the U.S. hard winter wheat

A better understanding of the genetic control of spike and kernel traits that have higher heritability can help in the development of high‐yielding wheat varieties. Here, we identified the marker‐trait associations (MTAs) for various spike‐ and kernel‐related traits in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). An association mapping panel comprising 297 hard winter wheat accessions from the U.S. Great Plains was evaluated for eight spike‐ and kernel‐related traits in three different environments. A GWAS using 15,590 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified a total of 53 MTAs for seven spike‐ and kernel‐related traits, where the highest number of MTAs were identified for spike length (16) followed by the number of spikelets per spike (15) and spikelet density (11). Out of 53 MTAs, 14 were considered to represent stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) as they were identified in multiple environments. Five multi‐trait MTAs were identified for various traits including the number of spikelets per spike (NSPS), spikelet density (SD), kernel width (KW), and kernel area (KA) that could facilitate the pyramiding of yield‐contributing traits. Further, a significant additive effect of accumulated favorable alleles on the phenotype of four spike‐related traits suggested that breeding lines and cultivars with a higher number of favorable alleles could be a valuable resource for breeders to improve yield‐related traits. This study improves the understanding of the genetic basis of yield‐related traits in hard winter wheat and provides reliable molecular markers that will facilitate marker‐assisted selection (MAS) in wheat breeding programs.