Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auditory Cue Effects on Gait-Phase-Dependent Electroencephalogram (EEG) Modulations during Overground and Treadmill Walking

Walking rehabilitation following injury or disease involves voluntary gait modification, yet the specific brain signals underlying this process remains unclear. This aim of this study was to investigate the impact of an auditory cue on changes in brain activity when walking overground (O) and on a treadmill (T) using an electroencephalogram (EEG) with a 32-electrode montage. Employing a between-group repeated-measures design, 24 participants (age: 25.7 ± 3.8 years) were randomly allocated to either an O (n = 12) or T (n = 12) group to complete two walking conditions (self-selected speed control (sSC) and speed control (SC)). The differences in brain activities during the gait cycle were investigated using statistical non-parametric mapping (SnPM). The addition of an auditory cue did not modify cortical activity in any brain area during the gait cycle when walking overground (all p > 0.05). However, significant differences in EEG activity were observed in the delta frequency band (0.5–4 Hz) within the sSC condition between the O and T groups. These differences occurred at the central frontal (loading phase) and frontocentral (mid stance phase) brain areas (p < 0.05). Our data suggest auditory cueing has little impact on modifying cortical activity during overground walking. This may have practical implications in neuroprosthesis development for walking rehabilitation, sports performance optimization, and overall human quality-of-life improvement.
Glacier surges in the north-west West Kunlun Shan inferred from 1972 to 2017 Landsat imagery

The West Kunlun Shan lie close to, or are perhaps part of, two significant glaciological phenomena – the High Mountain Asia surge ‘supercluster’ and the Karakoram Anomaly. However, glaciological studies, and particularly surge studies, in the range are limited. Here, we extend the database of known surges in the region using Landsat imagery and cross-correlation feature tracking. We examine 88 glaciers larger than 1 km2in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang, China, and find evidence of nine surges occurring between 1972 and 2017. Glaciers display low active phase velocities (~0.2–1.5 km a−1) that show seasonal acceleration in the summer, active phase periods as short as 2 years, and build-up and deceleration phases of months--years. Although these observations display characteristics indicative of both the classic hydrological and thermal switch mechanisms, the surging observed displays a close resemblance to that in the adjacent Karakoram ranges. Furthermore, the majority of the surges occur clustered at the end of a decadal-scale warming period, corroborating previously proposed causal links between climate and surging in the Karakoram. We suggest that the two regions should be considered part of one larger system when considering surge dynamics in High Mountain Asia.
Plasma Concentrations of High Mobility Group Box 1 Proteins and Soluble Receptors for Advanced Glycation End-Products Are Relevant Biomarkers of Cognitive Impairment in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pilot Study

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major component in the etiology of cognitive decline and dementia. Underlying mechanisms by which long-term alcohol abuse causes cognitive dysfunction include excessive oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, activated by increased reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1). In a pilot study, we examine the potential clinical value of circulating biomarkers of oxidative stress including ROS/RNS, HMGB1, the soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), the brain biomarker of aging apolipoprotein D (ApoD), and the antioxidant regulator nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) as predictive indices for cognitive impairment (CI) in abstinent patients with AUD (n = 25) compared to patients with established Alzheimer’s disease (AD, n = 26) and control subjects (n = 25). Plasma concentrations of sRAGE were evaluated with immunoblotting; ROS/RNS with a fluorometric kit; and HMGB1, ApoD, and NRF2 by ELISA. Abstinent AUD patients had higher sRAGE, ROS/RNS (p < 0.05), and ApoD (p < 0.01) concentrations, similar to those of AD patients, and lower NRF2 (p < 0.01) concentrations, compared to controls. These changes were remarkable in AUD patients with CI. HMGB1, and sRAGE correlated positively with duration of alcohol use (rho = 0.398, p = 0.022; rho = 0.404, p = 0.018), whereas sRAGE correlated negatively with periods of alcohol abstinence (rho = −0.340, p = 0.045). A predictive model including ROS/RNS, HMGB1, sRAGE, alcohol use duration, and alcohol abstinence periods was able to differentiate AUD patients with CI (92.3% of correct predictions, ROC-AUC= 0.90) from those without CI. In conclusion, we propose ROS/RNS, HMGB1, and sRAGE as stress biomarkers capable of predicting cognitive impairment in AUD patients.
Vegetative filter strips—Effect of vegetation type and shape of strip on run‐off and sediment trapping

Vegetative filter strips (VFSs) are a common type of off‐site method used to enhance the sustainability of catchment systems by promoting desirable soil and landscape functions. The transport of water run‐off and sediment to downstream reaches can be restricted by VFSs in the flow path. The adoption of VFSs is increasing because they have been demonstrated to be effective for trapping run‐off and sediment. Thus, an optimized design procedure for developing VFSs is required. To further understand the roles of both vegetation type and geometric size in the design of VFSs, global sensitivity analysis (GSA) within the Vegetative Filter Strip Modeling System was conducted using a traditional elementary effect test and a novel density‐based method called PAWN. The analysis involved both a uniform and a concentrated flow scenario. The GSA outcomes indicated that the inputs related to vegetation type were vital for the VFS design, especially in terms of the run‐off reduction function of the VFS, irrespective of the scenario that was used. The vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity was the main input responsible for the influence of vegetation type. The inputs related to vegetation type had limited influences on the sediment trapping performance of the VFS, which was shown to be mainly controlled by the length of the VFS. The role of vegetation type in the design of VFSs must be fully considered, especially in cases in which VFSs are established primarily for flood control or run‐off reduction purposes.
Exposure of African ape sites to climate change impacts

Large gaps remain in our understanding of the vulnerability of specific animal taxa and regions to climate change, especially regarding extreme climate impact events. Here, we assess African apes, flagship and highly important umbrella species for sympatric biodiversity. We estimated past (1981–2010) and future exposure to climate change impacts across 363 sites in Africa for RCP2.6 and RCP6.0 for near term (2021–2050) and long term (2071–2099). We used fully harmonized climate data and data on extreme climate impact events from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP). Historic data show that 171 sites had positive temperature anomalies for at least nine of the past ten years with the strongest anomalies (up to 0.56°C) estimated for eastern chimpanzees. Climate projections suggest that temperatures will increase across all sites, while precipitation changes are more heterogeneous. We estimated a future increase in heavy precipitation events for 288 sites, and an increase in the number of consecutive dry days by up to 20 days per year (maximum increase estimated for eastern gorillas). All sites will be frequently exposed to wildfires and crop failures in the future, and the latter could impact apes indirectly through increased deforestation. 84% of sites are projected to be exposed to heatwaves and 78% of sites to river floods. Tropical cyclones and droughts were only projected for individual sites in western and central Africa. We further compiled available evidence on how climate change impacts could affect apes, for example, through heat stress and dehydration, a reduction in water sources and fruit trees, and reduced physiological performance, body condition, fertility, and survival. To support necessary research on the sensitivity and adaptability of African apes to climate change impacts, and the planning and implementation of conservation measures, we provide detailed results for each ape site on the open-access platform A.P.E.S. Wiki.
The changes and its significance of peripheral blood NK cells in patients with tuberculous meningitis

Objective Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the number of natural killer (NK) cells and adaptive immune status, and disease severity in TBM patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective study on 244 TB patients and 146 healthy control subjects in the 8th Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from March 2018 and August 2023. Results The absolute count of NK cells in the peripheral blood of TBM patients was significantly lower than that in normal controls (NC), latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and non-severe TB (NSTB) patients (p < 0.05). The proportion of TBM patients (48.7%) with a lower absolute count of NK cells than the normal reference value was significantly higher than that in NC (5.2%) and LTBI groups (4.0%) (p < 0.05), and slightly higher than that in NSTB group (36.0%) (p > 0.05). The absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in TBM combined with other active TB group, etiology (+) group, IGRA (−) group, and antibody (+) group were lower than that in simple TBM group, etiology (−) group, IGRA (+) group, and antibody (−) group, respectively. The CD3+ T, NK, and B cells in BMRC-stage III TBM patients were significantly lower than those in stage I and stage II patients (p < 0.05). The counts of CD3+ T, CD4+ T, and B cells in the etiology (+) group were significantly lower than those in the etiology (−) group (p < 0.05). Conclusion The absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of TBM patients were significantly decreased, especially in NK cells. The reduction of these immune cells was closely related to the disease severity and had a certain correlation with cellular and humoral immune responses. This study helps to better understand the immune mechanism of TBM and provides reliable indicators for evaluating the immune status of TBM patients in clinical practice.
When the Embryo Meets the Endometrium: Identifying the Features Required for Successful Embryo Implantation

Evaluation of the optimal number of embryos, their quality, and the precise timing for transfer are critical determinants in reproductive success, although still remaining one of the main challenges in assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Indeed, the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments relies on a multitude of events and factors involving both the endometrium and the embryo. Despite concerted efforts on both fronts, the overall success rates of IVF techniques continue to range between 25% and 30%. The role of the endometrium in implantation has been recently recognized, leading to the hypothesis that both the “soil” and the “seed” play a central role in a successful pregnancy. In this respect, identification of the molecular signature of endometrial receptivity together with the selection of the best embryo for transfer become crucial in ART. Currently, efforts have been made to develop accurate, predictive, and personalized tests to identify the window of implantation and the best quality embryo. However, the value of these tests is still debated, as conflicting results are reported in the literature. The purpose of this review is to summarize and critically report the available criteria to optimize the success of embryo transfer and to better understand current limitations and potential areas for improvement.
The Ability of Brand Trust as a Mediator on the Determinants of Customer Loyalty: Study on Mie Sagu Waraka (SAWA) in Ambon, Indonesia

The aim of this research is to investigate the determinants of customer loyalty for Mie Sagu Waraka (SAWA) in Ambon, which is analyzed using the factors of brand image, brand trust, product differentiation, and purchasing decisions, as well as testing the ability of brand trust as a mediating variable. This research is explanatory research using a questionnaire to obtain data from respondents, as many as 171 Mie Sagu Waraka (SAWA) customers obtained using a purposive sampling technique. PLS-SEM as a data analysis technique was used to test the hypothesis proposed in this research and analyzed using the help of the SmartPLS version-4 application. The results of data processing found that brand image does not have a significant influence on customer loyalty, brand trust has a significant influence on customer loyalty, image brand has a significant influence on brand trust, product differentiation has a significant influence on customer loyalty, purchasing decisions have a significant influence on customer loyalty, and product differentiation has a significant influence on purchasing decisions, and brand trust is able to significantly mediate the relationship between brand image and customer loyalty.
Redescription of Woolungasaurus glendowerensis (Plesiosauria: Elasmosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of northeast Queensland

Woolungasaurus glendowerensis Persson, 1960, was based on an incomplete postcranial skeleton, comprising cervical, pectoral, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, an almost complete sacrum, as well as elements of the pectoral and pelvic girdles and of the fore and hind paddles. Following comparisons with specimens referable to all valid genera of the Elasmosauridae, this specimen and additional material is identified as belonging to Styxosaurus. It is the earliest record of this genus and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Plesiosauria, Elasmosauridae, Woolungasaurus, Styxosaurus, Lower Cretaceous, northeast Queensland.
Overexpression of cry1c* Enhances Resistance against to Soybean Pod Borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella) in Soybean

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ], an essential staple food and oil crop worldwide, boasts abundant vegetable proteins and fats beneficial for both human and animal consumption. However, the soybean pod borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella) (SPB) stands as the most destructive soybean insect pest in northeast China and other northeastern Asian regions, leading to significant annual losses in soybean yield and economic burden. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the introduction of a previously tested codon-optimized cry1c gene, cry1c*, into the soybean genome and assess its effect on the SPB infestation by generating and characterizing stable transgenic soybeans overexpressing cry1c*. The transgenic soybean lines that constitutively overexpressed cry1c* exhibited a significant reduction in the percentage of damaged seeds, reaching as low as 5% in plants under field conditions. Additionally, feeding transgenic leaves to the larvae of S. exigua, S. litura, and M. separta resulted in inhibited larval growth, decreased larval body weight, and lower survival rates compared to larvae fed on wild-type leaves. These findings showed that the transgenic lines maintained their resistance to SPB and other lepidopteran pests, especially the transgenic line KC1. Southern blotting and genome-wide resequencing analysis revealed that T-DNA integration occurred as a single copy between loci 50,868,122 and 50,868,123 of chromosome 10 in the transgenic line KC1. Therefore, the transgenic line KC1, overexpressing high levels of cry1c* in leaves and seeds, holds strong potential for commercial use in the integrated management of SPB and other lepidopteran pests.
A Recombinant Thermophilic and Glucose-Tolerant GH1 β-Glucosidase Derived from Hehua Hot Spring

As a crucial enzyme for cellulose degradation, β-glucosidase finds extensive applications in food, feed, and bioethanol production; however, its potential is often limited by inadequate thermal stability and glucose tolerance. In this study, a functional gene (lq-bg5) for a GH1 family β-glucosidase was obtained from the metagenomic DNA of a hot spring sediment sample and heterologously expressed in E. coli and the recombinant enzyme was purified and characterized. The optimal temperature and pH of LQ-BG5 were 55 °C and 4.6, respectively. The relative residual activity of LQ-BG5 exceeded 90% at 55 °C for 9 h and 60 °C for 6 h and remained above 100% after incubation at pH 5.0–10.0 for 12 h. More importantly, LQ-BG5 demonstrated exceptional glucose tolerance with more than 40% activity remaining even at high glucose concentrations of 3000 mM. Thus, LQ-BG5 represents a thermophilic β-glucosidase exhibiting excellent thermal stability and remarkable glucose tolerance, making it highly promising for lignocellulose development and utilization.
Effects of forest disturbance on leaf breakdown in southern Appalachian streams

Most studies of stream disturbance have been from the perspective of point or non-point discharges that impinge directly on stream communities. Streams may also receive indirect impacts when the catchments they drain are disturbed by such activities as logging. Logging has been extensive in areas drained by small to intermediate streams throughout the United States, and few streams in the Eastern United States drain forests that have escaped logging. Logging effects on streams in the southern Appalachian Mountains were recently sumniarized by SWANK & CROSSLEY (1988). One common effect is that increasing light and temperature due to canopy loss coupled with increase dissolved nutrients stimulate autochthonous primary production in streains. Canopy loss also reduces allochthonous organic matter input to streams which, along with increased primary production, may drastically change the stream energy base. After a few years, vegetation regrowth returns streams to an allochthonous energy base. However, the allochthonous input is dominated by foliage from successional rather than mature forest plants present prior to logging. These changes in the energy base of forested streams are probably positive in many ways, e.g., temporary increases in stream primary and secondary production (HAINS 1981, GURTZ & WALLACE 1984). Negative effects of logging include increased sediment loading to streams due to road construction and soil disturbance and long-term loss of woody debris resulting in unstable streambed substrata (SWANSON & LEJNKAEMPER 1978, MOLLES 1982, LIKENS & Bnj»Y 1982). In low-order streams of Eastern United States deciduous forests, the energy base is chiefly leaves from riparian trees and shurbs. The present study -was undertaken l;o investigate the impact of clear-cutting on the rates at which riparian tree leaves are comminuted by first-order stream communities in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Comparative efficacy of anthropometric indices in predicting 10-year ASCVD risk: insights from NHANES data

Background Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Accurately predicting the 10-year risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) is crucial for timely intervention and management. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of six anthropometric indices in assessing the 10-year ASCVD risk. Methods Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (1999–2018), the study involved 11,863 participants after applying exclusion criteria. Six anthropometric indices—waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), and waist-to-height0.5 ratio (WHT.5R)—were calculated. The 10-year ASCVD risk was assessed using the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines & pooled cohort equations model. Participants were divided into two groups based on an ASCVD risk threshold of 7.5%. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests, odds ratios, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The study found significant differences in baseline characteristics between participants with ASCVD risk less than 7.5% and those with a risk greater than or equal to 7.5%, stratified by gender. In both male and female groups, individuals with higher ASCVD risk exhibited higher age, waist circumference, BMI, and a higher prevalence of health-compromising behaviors. ABSI emerged as the most accurate predictor of ASCVD risk, with the highest area under the curve (AUC) values in both genders. The optimal cut-off values for ABSI was established for effective risk stratification (cut-off value = 0.08). Conclusion The study underscores the importance of anthropometric indices, particularly ABSI, in predicting the 10-year risk of ASCVD. These findings suggest that ABSI, along with other indices, can be instrumental in identifying individuals at higher risk for ASCVD, thereby aiding in early intervention and prevention strategies.
Lead: The inevitable slow poison eroding our society

Child development and growth patterns are indicators of environmental health, whose degradation leads to diseases of various kinds in them. This is so because children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental toxicants due to their greater relative exposure, less developed metabolism and higher rates of cell production, growth and change. These environmental insults of childhood may manifest themselves over a life time of growth to adulthood and senescence, thus producing defective future population of a nation which would instead of being assets would be liabilities for the nation. In addition to these physiologic vulnerabilities, majority of children in our society are also exposed to a number of social vulnerabilities as well such as poverty, malnutrition and environmental injustice. Moreover, since the society is not willing to do away with a number of these toxicants due to their role in the industrial progress of the society, the only alternative, that remains in these conditions is searching their alternatives.
Measuring Economic Resilience of Tourism Villages: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Pre and Post-Covid-19 Pandemic

Tourist village plays an important role in rural development in Indonesia. Nevertheless, tourist village is also prone to external shocks such as national and global economic volatilities and recent public health events of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study attempts to analyze a temporal variations of tourist village economic resilience from pandemic shock in 24 tourist village destinations covering the period of 2019-2022 in Indonesia. A synthetic composite index of the Adjusted Mazziotta-Pareto Index (AMPI) was used to measure resilience, followed by clustering analysis to determine the typology of the resilience. The resilience index was composed of capacity and performance dimension related to resilience. The results show that most villages were severely affected in the first year of Covid-19, yet they recovered afterward, as indicated by positive differences in the AMPI index before and after Covid-19. This result shows that tourist villages in Indonesia have a tendency of strong capacity and performance to recover from the pandemic shock. The economic components of the capacity and performance were able to readjust after the pandemic indicating that these components are relatively adaptable to the shocks. The indicator that has the most significant influence on the typology of resilience in the performance dimension is the number of visitors. Meanwhile, the Development Village Index (DVI) indicator is the most significant influence on the capacity dimension.