Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial and temporal homogenisation of freshwater macrofaunal communities in ditches

There is a widespread concern that we are witnessing an ongoing homogenisation of ecological communities. However, in contrast to human impacts on spatial patterns in biodiversity, human impacts on the temporal aspects of β‐diversity have received little attention. Moreover, the interplay between spatial and temporal β‐diversity is poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed dissimilarity within freshwater macrofaunal communities of drainage ditches to determine spatiotemporal β‐diversity as well as homogenisation in relation to different types of land use. We considered four distinct changes in community composition: spatial turnover, temporal turnover, spatial variation over time, and temporal variation in space, as well as the combined effects of space and time on β‐diversity. As a metric of dissimilarity, we calculated the taxonomic Hellinger distance between samples from different locations and time points and correlated these with distance in space and in time, as well as with three spatial variables, including land‐use type, and two temporal variables. We studied the effect of interactions between spatial and temporal variables on dissimilarity by applying a permutational analysis of variance. Our results illustrate the importance of changes in community composition in time with respect to temporal turnover, spatial variation over time, and temporal variation in space. While we did not find spatial turnover in community composition, both month and year had a considerable effect. Within a year, β‐diversity decreased over the months, yet these assembly patterns differed between years. This suggests major effects of seasonal and year‐to‐year dynamics on β‐diversity. Land use was also observed to be a main driver: ditches in nature conservation areas had higher β‐diversity and temporal heterogeneity was lowest in ditches adjacent to the most intensive agricultural land‐use category, indicating that agricultural practices can homogenise biodiversity in both space and time. By analysing the spatial and temporal β‐diversity patterns in freshwater macrofaunal communities in concert, we have shown that β‐diversity is a sensitive and highly informative metric of both spatial and temporal changes in community composition.
Cotranslational folding stimulates programmed ribosomal frameshifting in the alphavirus structural polyprotein

Viruses maximize their genetic coding capacity through a variety of biochemical mechanisms, including programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF), which facilitates the production of multiple proteins from a single mRNA transcript. PRF is typically stimulated by structural elements within the mRNA that generate mechanical tension between the transcript and ribosome. However, in this work, we show that the forces generated by the cotranslational folding of the nascent polypeptide chain can also enhance PRF. Using an array of biochemical, cellular, and computational techniques, we first demonstrate that the Sindbis virus structural polyprotein forms two competing topological isomers during its biosynthesis at the ribosome-translocon complex. We then show that the formation of one of these topological isomers is linked to PRF. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the translocon-mediated membrane integration of a transmembrane domain upstream from the ribosomal slip site generates a force on the nascent polypeptide chain that scales with observed frameshifting. Together, our results indicate that cotranslational folding of this viral protein generates a tension that stimulates PRF. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first example in which the conformational state of the nascent polypeptide chain has been linked to PRF. These findings raise the possibility that, in addition to RNA-mediated translational recoding, a variety of cotranslational folding or binding events may also stimulate PRF.
Impact of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) on patients harboring the spliceosome mutation SRSF2.

7008 Background: Molecular predictors of outcome are increasingly important in determining optimal therapy for myeloid neoplasms. Mutations (mut) in spliceosome genes U2AF1 and SRSF2 predict poor outcome in MDS and related diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of HCT on the prognostic impact of U2AF1 and SRSF2 in myeloid malignancies. Methods: 123 patients (pts) with MDS (33%), AML (51%), MPN (10%), and MDS/MPN (5%) receiving an allogeneic HCT from 2003-2012 for whom genomic DNA was available from a time when the disease was active, were evaluated for mut in U2AF1 and SRSF2 by direct sequencing. Data were analyzed using competing risks methods (relapse and non-relapse mortality, NRM), proportional hazards (overall survival, OS) and logistic regression models (GVHD). Results: Median time of follow up was 38 months (range 1.5-108). Median age at HCT was 51 yrs (range 18-71). 53 (43%) pts were in remission and 70 (57%) had active disease prior to HCT. 20 (16%) pts had low, 48 (39%) .
The primary structural photoresponse of phytochrome proteins captured by a femtosecond X-ray laser

Phytochrome proteins control the growth, reproduction, and photosynthesis of plants, fungi, and bacteria. Light is detected by a bilin cofactor, but it remains elusive how this leads to activation of the protein through structural changes. We present serial femtosecond X-ray crystallographic data of the chromophore-binding domains of a bacterial phytochrome at delay times of 1 ps and 10 ps after photoexcitation. The structures reveal a twist of the D-ring, which lead to partial detachment of the chromophore from the protein. Unexpectedly, the conserved so-called pyrrole water is photodissociated from the chromophore, concomitant with movement of the A-ring and a key signalling aspartate. The changes are wired together by ultrafast backbone and water movements around the chromophore, channeling them into signal transduction towards the output domains. We suggest that the water dissociation is key to the phytochrome photoresponse, explaining the earliest steps of how plants, fungi and bacteria sense red light.
Survival time of hypothermic white rats (15°C) and ground squirrels (10°C)

The survival times of intensively cooled white rats decrease with their body temperatures. When cooled by Giaja's technique and maintained afterwards at a body temperature of 15°C rats survived 9 hours, but they could be revived by rewarming only during the first 5.5 hours of survival (biological survival). Similar biological survival times were found when the rats were cooled by other techniques, whether the cooling was much quicker or much slower. The survival time was also independent of the rate of rewarming from hypothermia. Survival was shortened by cooling after administration of sodium pentobarbital. Biological survival of young 40-gm rats at 15°C body temperature was 19 hours, 14 hours longer than that of hypothermic adults. Level of O2 consumption of hypothermic young rats differed from those of hypothermic adult animals.
Molecular determinants of human oocyte quality in assisted reproduction

ADVERTIMENT. La consulta d’aquesta tesi queda condicionada a l’acceptació de les següents condicions d'ús: La difusió d’aquesta tesi per mitjà del servei TDX (www.tdx.cat) i a través del Dipòsit Digital de la UB (diposit.ub.edu) ha estat autoritzada pels titulars dels drets de propietat intel·lectual únicament per a usos privats emmarcats en activitats d’investigació i docència. No s’autoritza la seva reproducció amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva difusió i posada a disposició des d’un lloc aliè al servei TDX ni al Dipòsit Digital de la UB. No s’autoritza la presentació del seu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX o al Dipòsit Digital de la UB (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant al resum de presentació de la tesi com als seus continguts. En la utilització o cita de parts de la tesi és obligat indicar el nom de la persona autora.
Extended Adolescence: The Ecology and Endocrinology of Facultative Paedomorphosis

ii List of abbreviations and symbols . iv Acknowledgements . vi List of tables . ix List of figures . x Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Background . 2 Study site . 16 Mesocosms . 17 Study system . 18 Chapter 2: Initial density sets trajectory for density-dependent polyphenism thresholds . 21 Abstract . 22 Introduction . 24 Methods.27 Results . 30 Discussion . 34 Chapter 3: Are direct density cues, not resource competition, driving life history trajectories in a polyphenic salamander? 38 Abstract . 39 Introduction . 41 Methods.46 Results . 52 Discussion . 57 Chapter 4: Ambystoma have convergent plastic responses among alternative habitat types separate by small spatial scales . 62 Abstract . 63 Introduction . 64 Methods.68 Results . 72 Discussion . 77 Chapter 5: Functional diversity of predators drive variable traitand density-mediated effects on prey life history . 81 Abstract . 82 Introduction . 84
Prevention and Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage

Objective: the primary objective of these guidelines is to review the clinical aspects of Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) and provide guidelines to help clinicians prevent and manage excessive bleeding postpartum. Options: prevention, appropriate intervention, keys to minimizing its impact. Outcomes: establish practices to facilitate the identification of women who may be at particularly high risk of PPH and to allow prompt intervention should excessive bleeding occur Evidence: follows the Qualify of Evidence of The Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Values: developed by experts in the field of obstetrics. Benefits, harms and costs: the use of uterotonic drugs and other active management techniques have been evaluated based on their convenience, accuracy, availability and safety Recommendations: the 12 recommendations listed in the guidelines have been graded according to the level of evidence on which they are based Validation: Medline references were sought using the MeSH heading postpartum haemorrhage. The Cochrane Library was searched for relevant studies. The ALARM course Manual was consulted. Sponsors: developed and reviewed by the Clinical Practice Obstetrics Committee and approved by the Council of the SOGC. DEVELOPMENT
First record of Chloridea (Heliothis) subflexa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae) on cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) in Brazil

Chloridea (Heliothis) subflexa (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae) is a frugivorous and monophagous species with plant hosts in the genus Physalis. In the last few years, the subflexus straw moth became the main pest-insect in tomatillo crops (Physalis ixocarpa Brotero) in Mexico and cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) crops in Argentina. The objective was to provide the first record of C. subflexa on P. peruviana in Brazil. The specimens were collected in the larval stage and kept on a natural diet until reaching the adult stage. Species identification was carried out based on morphological criteria. Damage from C. subflexa on P. peruviana fruits cultivated in an organic system were recorded. This is the first record in Brazil. Additional key words: exotic fruit, subflexus straw moth, organic system.
Evaluation of sex pheromone formulations to attract Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) adult males in Argentina

Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) is the most important pest of corn in Argentina. Its monitoring in the Americas is carried out by traps lured with a synthetic version of its female sex pheromone. Such monitoring has variable success mainly because the composition of the sex pheromone of populations from distant geographical areas is different, and a synthetic lure has not been developed for each area. The composition of the sex pheromone of the populations found in Argentina is not known. The objective of this work was to test one commercial (Hercon lure) and three experimental formulations (from the manufacturer ChemTica) of the pheromone to establish if any of those formulations is better than the www.biotaxa. org/RSEA. ISSN 1851-7471 (online) Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina 78(3): 7-14, 2019 Copyright BRATOVICH, C. et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0) 7 one currently used in the country (i.e., the commercial ChemTica lure). Attraction to the synthetic pheromones was tested in a wind tunnel using males from different regions of Argentina. In addition, field tests were carried out in two distant regions of the country. One of the experimental formulations from ChemTica and the commercial formulation from Hercon evoked the highest attraction in wind tunnel tests. In field tests, only the Hercon lure captured a significant number of males. Although lures evoking higher attraction than the commercial ChemTica lure were found, attraction and capture, even with those lures, did not reach high
Role of Proinsulin Self-Association in Mutant INS gene-induced Diabetes of Youth

Abnormal interactions between misfolded mutant and wild-type (WT) proinsulin in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) drive the molecular pathogenesis of Mutant-INS-gene induced Diabetes of Youth (MIDY). How these abnormal interactions are initiated remains unknown. Normally, proinsulin-WT dimerizes in the ER. Here, we suggest that the normal proinsulin-proinsulin contact surface, involving the B-chain, contributes to dominant-negative effects of misfolded MIDY mutants. Specifically, we find that proinsulin Tyr-B16, which is a key residue in normal proinsulin dimerization, helps confer dominant-negative behavior of MIDY mutant proinsulin-C(A7)Y. Substitutions of Tyr-B16 with ether Ala, Asp, or Pro in proinsulin-C(A7)Y each decrease the abnormal interactions between the MIDY mutant and proinsulin-WT, rescuing proinsulin-WT export, limiting ER stress, and increasing insulin production in β-cells and human islets. This study reveals the first evidence indicating that noncovalent proinsulin-proinsulin contact initiates dominant-negative behavior of misfolded proinsulin, pointing to a novel therapeutic target to enhance bystander proinsulin export for increased insulin production.
Using simple acupressure and breathing techniques to improve mood, sleep and pain management in refugees: a peer-to-peer approach in a Rohingya refugee camp

Many of the 626,500 Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh (OCHA, 2019) suffer from feelings of hopelessness, excessive worry, insomnia and somatic complaints such as headache and total body pain (UNHCR, 2018; Riley et al., 2017; Tay et al., 2019; Milton et al., 2017). The provision of mental health and psychosocial support and treatment within camp remains inadequate and under-resourced (UNHCR, 2019; UNHCR, 2018; Tay et al., 2019). This innovative project utilises Rohingya community health workers (CHWs) to pilot the use of peer-to-peer teaching of low-cost tools for potential alleviation of mental health complaints. CHWs learned six simple relaxation techniques: four acupressure points and two breathing exercises. A cohort of 13 CHWs taught 46 community members these techniques, advised participants to use them daily for one week and completed a feedback questionnaire with each participant. In total, 78% of participants, aged 22–75 years, reported that the techniques were ‘very good’. A total of 70% reported the techniques to be ‘very easy’ and used them daily during the week. During a reflective conversation, the CHWs shared specific cases where the complaints of difficulty in sleeping, stress and pain had improved. Both men and women found the techniques easy to teach. The CHWs felt that the community would benefit from utilising these techniques throughout the camp. This pilot project is inadequate in scope and design to claim effect attribution. However, the positive findings warrant a more rigorous examination of how these low-cost techniques and peer-to-peer teaching may empower self-care amongst refugees in managing their mental health complaints. FNx01Both the authors contributed equally.
Single cell map of the human ovarian cortex

The human ovary orchestrates sex hormone production and undergoes monthly structural changes to release mature oocytes. The outer lining of the ovary (cortex) has a key role in defining fertility in women as it harbors the ovarian reserve. It has been postulated that putative oogonial stem cells exist in the ovarian cortex and that these can be captured by DDX4 antibody isolation. We analysed on a single cell level the transcriptome and cell surface antigen profiles of over 24,000 cells from high quality ovarian cortex samples from 21 patients. Our single cell mapping reveals transcriptional profiles of six main cell types; oocytes, granulosa cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, perivascular cells, and stromal cells. Cells captured by DDX4 antibody are perivascular cells, not oogonial stem cells. Our data does not support the existence of germline stem cells in adult human ovaries thereby reinforcing the dogma of a limited ovarian reserve.
The architects of bacterial DNA bridges: a structurally and functionally conserved family of proteins

Every organism across the tree of life compacts and organizes its genome with architectural chromatin proteins. While eukaryotes and archaea express histone proteins, the organization of bacterial chromosomes is dependent on nucleoid-associated proteins. In Escherichia coli and other proteobacteria, the histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) acts as a global genome organizer and gene regulator. Functional analogues of H-NS have been found in other bacterial species: MvaT in Pseudomonas species, Lsr2 in actinomycetes and Rok in Bacillus species. These proteins complement hns− phenotypes and have similar DNA-binding properties, despite their lack of sequence homology. In this review, we focus on the structural and functional characteristics of these four architectural proteins. They are able to bridge DNA duplexes, which is key to genome compaction, gene regulation and their response to changing conditions in the environment. Structurally the domain organization and charge distribution of these proteins are conserved, which we suggest is at the basis of their conserved environment responsive behaviour. These observations could be used to find and validate new members of this protein family and to predict their response to environmental changes.
Are formal self-care interventions for healthy people effective? A systematic review of the evidence

Introduction Preventative interventions are shown to be effective in reducing 40% of the mortality due to unhealthy behaviours and lifestyles. Health-promoting self-care has been recognised as a promising strategy in preventative health. However, self-care research is being done around the self-management of chronic illnesses and the promotion of self-care practices among healthy populations has been overlooked by many healthcare systems. Method The study methodology was a systematic review with a narrative synthesis. The search was done through seven academic databases, reference tracking of selected articles and grey literature. The scoping, selection, screening and quality assessments of the articles were reviewed independently by two reviewers. Results Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Self-care behaviour, health-promotive lifestyle changes and medical care utilisation were some of the main outcomes evaluated in the studies. Positive effects were seen in increasing self-care and health-promotive behaviours in most interventions although limited or mixed impact was seen in health attitudes, beliefs and utilisation of medical services. Most studies were from high income settings with low-quality study designs. The complexity of the word ‘self-care’ and inconsistencies in the terminology used in health-promotive self-care were significant highlights of the study. Conclusion Health-promoting preventative self-care interventions show promise in increasing the well-being of healthy people. However, the methodological drawbacks limit the generalisability of the findings. As the demand for self-care interventions increases, the lack of a formal globally accepted definition and framework and complexity of behaviour change are key limitations to consider moving forward.
‘It was a ravage!’: lived experiences of epidemic cholera in rural Haiti

Introduction A cholera epidemic began in Haiti over 8 years ago, prompting numerous, largely quantitative research studies. Assessments of local ‘knowledge, attitudes and practices’ relevant for cholera control have relied primarily on cross-sectional surveys. The voices of affected Haitians have rarely been elevated in the scientific literature on the topic. Methods We undertook focus groups with stakeholders in the Artibonite region of Haiti in 2011, as part of planning for a public health intervention to control cholera at the height of the epidemic. In this study, we coded and analysed themes from 55 community members in five focus groups, focusing on local experiences of cholera and responses to the prevention messages. Results The majority of participants had a personal experience with cholera and described its spread in militaristic terms, as a disease that ‘attacked’ individuals, ‘ravaged’ communities and induced fear. Pre-existing structural deficiencies were identified as increasing the risk of illness and death. Knowledge of public health messages coincided with some improvements in water treatment and handwashing, but not changes in open defecation in their community, and was sometimes associated with self-blame or shame. Most participants cited constrained resources, and a minority listed individual neglect, for inconsistent or unimproved practices. Conclusion The experience of epidemic cholera in a rural Haitian community at the beginning of a major outbreak included a high burden and was exacerbated by poverty, which increased risk while hindering practice of known prevention messages. To interrupt cholera transmission, public health education must be paired with investments in structural improvements that expand access to prevention and healthcare services.
Functional Connectivity Between Motor and Mid-Frontal Areas During Vicarious Reward Revealed via EEG Time-Frequency Analysis

Vicarious reward is a phenomenon in which an individual feels as if he/she has received a reward as the result of watching someone else receive a reward. In this study, we used electroencephalography to investigate brain activity while participants watched a preferred player win a competitive game (Rock-Paper-Scissors game). In the experimental task, movie clips showed right hand of the two players and played Rock-Paper-Scissors game. We asked participants to explicitly support or “cheer” for a specific player, and then examined brain activity associated with vicarious reward. For the observed hand movement, previous findings showed that the event-related desynchronization of mu band (8–14 Hz) appeared at the contra-lateral central electrode to the observed hand (If someone sees the right-hand movement, the left central electrode shows the event-related desynchronization of mu-band). During observation of the player, we detected event-related desynchronization of mu band activity in the contra-lateral central electrode as well as mid-frontal beta band (15–22 Hz) activation when the preferred player won. Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis revealed a strong phase synchronization between the contra-lateral central electrode and mid-frontal electrode in the mu band when participants received the vicarious reward. Cross-frequency coupling analysis revealed functional integration between the mu and beta bands at mid-frontal electrode. These results indicate the interaction of mu band observed at contra-lateral electrode and beta band observed at mid-frontal electrode coupling, suggesting a link between the mirror neuron system and the reward system during vicarious reward.