Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of GARP Vesicle Tethering Complex in Golgi Physiology

The Golgi associated retrograde protein complex (GARP) is an evolutionarily conserved component of Golgi membrane trafficking machinery that belongs to the Complexes Associated with Tethering Containing Helical Rods (CATCHR) family. Like other multisubunit tethering complexes such as COG, Dsl1, and Exocyst, the GARP is believed to function by tethering and promoting fusion of the endosome-derived small trafficking intermediate. However, even twenty years after its discovery, the exact structure and the functions of GARP are still an enigma. Recent studies revealed novel roles for GARP in Golgi physiology and identified human patients with mutations in GARP subunits. In this review, we summarized our knowledge of the structure of the GARP complex, its protein partners, GARP functions related to Golgi physiology, as well as cellular defects associated with the dysfunction of GARP subunits.
Convection in a rotating cylindrical annulus. Part 4. Modulations and transition to chaos at low Prandtl numbers

Thermal Rossby waves driven by centrifugal buoyancy in a rotating cylindrical fluid gap become unstable right at the onset of convection when the Prandtl number is small. The Benjamin–Feir–Newell instability leads to modulated thermal Rossby waves which can also be described by a generalized Ginzburg–Landau equation. A resonance instability occurs at a finite distance in Rayleigh number from the neutral curve. It leads to two independent wave patterns propagating past each other and finally gives rise to vacillations of the amplitude of convection. Most of these features can be described to a good approximation by a system of three coupled amplitude equations. Time integrations based on a Galerkin expansion show transitions to chaotic convection at higher Rayleigh numbers.
Self-similar mean dynamics in turbulent wall flows

Abstract This study investigates how and why dynamical self-similarities emerge with increasing Reynolds number within the canonical wall flows beyond the transitional regime. An overarching aim is to advance a mechanistically coherent description of turbulent wall-flow dynamics that is mathematically tractable and grounded in the mean dynamical equations. As revealed by the analysis of Fife, Klewicki & Wei (J. Discrete Continuous Dyn. Syst. A, vol. 24, 2009, pp. 781–807), the equations that respectively describe the mean dynamics of turbulent channel, pipe and boundary layer flows formally admit invariant forms. These expose an underlying self-similar structure. In all cases, two kinds of dynamical self-similarity are shown to exist on an internal domain that, for all Reynolds numbers, extends from $O(\nu / {u}_{\tau } )$ to $O(\delta )$ , where $\nu $ is the kinematic viscosity, ${u}_{\tau } $ is the friction velocity and $\delta $ is the half-channel height, pipe radius, or boundary layer thickness. The simpler of the two self-similarities is operative on a large outer portion of the relevant domain. This self-similarity leads to an explicit analytical closure of the mean momentum equation. This self-similarity also underlies the emergence of a logarithmic mean velocity profile. A more complicated kind a self-similarity emerges asymptotically over a smaller domain closer to the wall. The simpler self-similarity allows the mean dynamical equation to be written as a closed system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations that, like the similarity solution for the laminar flat-plate boundary layer, can be numerically integrated. The resulting similarity solutions are demonstrated to exhibit nearly exact agreement with direct numerical simulations over the solution domain specified by the theory. At the Reynolds numbers investigated, the outer similarity solution is shown to be operative over a domain that encompasses ${\sim }40\hspace{0.167em} \% $ of the overall width of the flow. Other properties predicted by the theory are also shown to be well supported by existing data.
Beta-Caryophyllene Modifies Intracellular Lipid Composition in a Cell Model of Hepatic Steatosis by Acting through CB2 and PPAR Receptors

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease; however, no specific pharmacological therapy has yet been approved for this condition. Plant-derived extracts can be an important source for the development of new drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of (E)-β-caryophyllene (BCP), a phytocannabinoid recently found to be beneficial against metabolic diseases, on HepG2 steatotic hepatocytes. Using a fluorescence-based lipid quantification assay and GC-MS analysis, we show that BCP is able to decrease lipid accumulation in steatotic conditions and to change the typical steatotic lipid profile by primarily reducing saturated fatty acids. By employing specific antagonists, we demonstrate that BCP action is mediated by multiple receptors: CB2 cannabinoid receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and γ (PPARγ). Interestingly, BCP was able to counteract the increase in CB2 and the reduction in PPARα receptor expression observed in steatotic conditions. Moreover, through immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that CB2 receptors are mainly intracellularly localized and that BCP is internalized in HepG2 cells with a maximum peak at 2 h, suggesting a direct interaction with intracellular receptors. The results obtained with BCP in normal and steatotic hepatocytes encourage future applications in the treatment of NAFLD.
Experimental observation of super-resolution imaging in highly attenuative materials

Routine applications of ultrasound imaging in medical diagnostics combine array technology and bemaforming (BF) algorithms for image formation. Although BF is very robust, it discards a signicant proportion of the information encoded in ultrasonic signals. Therefore, BF can reconstruct some of the geometrical features of an object but with resolution limited by the transmitted wavelength according to the Rayleigh criterion. Recent studies have shown that imaging formation techniques based on inverse scattering rather than standard BF can overcome the Rayleigh limit to achieve subwavelength resolution. This allows for high resolution images to be obtained at relatively large wavelengths that can penetrate deep into highly attenuative media such as human tissue. In this paper we present the rst experimental demonstration of subwavelength resolution in glycerol whose ultrasonic attenuation is in the order of 1 dB/cm/MHz and which is comparable to the attenuation observed in tissue. Using a commercial clinical scanner and strands of human hairs we show that the inverse scattering approach outperforms current sonography revealing features that are undetected by sonography.
Richtmyer-Meshkov evolution under steady shock conditions in the high-energy-density regime

This work presents direct experimental evidence of long-predicted nonlinear aspects of the Richtmyer-Meshkov process, in which new modes first arise from the coupling of initially-present modes, and in which shorter-wavelength modes are eventually overtaken by longer-wavelength modes. This is accomplished using a technique we developed employing a long driving laser pulse to create a strong (Mach ∼ 8) shock across a well-characterized material interface seeded by a two-mode sinusoidal perturbation. This technique further permits the shock to be sustained, without decay of the high-energy-density flow conditions, long enough for the system to evolve into the nonlinear phase.
The Role Played by Space Dimension in Elliptic Critical Problems

, and (1.1) has nosolution for *˛**. The preceding results show that the space dimension N plays afundamental role when one seeks solutions of (1.1); in particular, thedimension N=3 is a special one, if compared with N˚4. According to thedefinition introduced by Pucci and Serrin (see [PS1; PS2]; see also [G]),we shall say that N=3 is a critical dimension for problem (1.1). Moregenerally, we shall say that a dimension N is critical for a second order
Estimating the Burden of Tuberculosis in India: A Modelling Study

Background: Measurements TB incidence and mortality are crucial for monitoring progress towards SDG goals for TB. Until recently, WHO estimated TB burden in India with applied simple, transparent equilibrium models to data from Gujarat, an Indian state where the first state-level prevalence survey was conducted in 2011. However, since then there has been several interventions in India including national TB prevalence survey, infection survey, sub-national survey & certification which gives opportunity for national and sub-national estimates for TB incidence and mortality. Methods: We developed a model is a compartmental, deterministic framework, taking account of TB natural history, as well as India's healthcare system including health care seeking from public and private sector. To address changes in TB burden owing to COVID disruptions, we followed same model that used by WHO in the global TB Report 2022 with additional impact of delta wave in 2021. Major sources of data included National TB Prevalence survey, trends in caseloads in public and private sector including their contribution and mortality information. Results: We estimated total TB incidence of 2.77 million in the year 2022 as against 2.97 in the year 2015 and corresponding TB mortality of 0.32 and 0.36 million respectively. In terms of rate per 1,00,000 TB incidence in 2022 was 196 as compared to 225 in the year 2015 and mortality was 23 and 27 respectively. TB incidence estimates are similar to what was estimated by WHO, while mortality estimates appear different in our estimates due to different calibration targets depending on in-country published data. Conclusion: Even if TB burden is infeasible to measure directly, a range of data can nonetheless offer indirect evidence for its estimation: mathematical modelling can be a helpful tool for bringing together these diverse sources of evidence, and deriving estimates that are consistent with them all. While the RGI reported mortality is an important source of information, its quality and coverage for medically certified cause of deaths requires improvement in India.
Cities resilient to climate change through natural heritage: a bibliometric review

: Natural heritage is the composition between biodiversity and geodiversity; therefore, it is also a primary source of ecosystem and geosystem services that have multiple benefits such as adaptation to climate change. However, it is mainly found in natural environments. On the other hand, due to climate change, there are cities around the world with extreme conditions such as heat or cold waves. The aim of this article is to analyse the implications of climate change in urban areas through a bibliometric mapping of ecosystem and geosystem services in urban planning of cities for the use of natural heritage as control and development of cities. The methods are indicated in a) selection of the topic, keywords and scientific databases; b) pre-processing, merging of databases, and data processing using Bibliometrix-RStudio; and c) analysis and interpretation of results. A total of 1425 records were found in Scopus and 1839 in the Web of Science, and the countries contributing to the subject are the United States (54%), China (52.2%), Germany (18.4%), the United Kingdom (17.8%), and Italy (15.8%). In addition, the processing of the unified database made it possible to recognize i) conceptual and intellectual structure, research trends over time. Finally, geosystem services and ecosystem services help mitigate climate change through green infrastructure, blue infrastructure, and their adaptability to gray infrastructure, contributing to sustainable development goals: sustainable cities and communities and climate action.
Susceptibility to Colorectal Cancer Based on HSD17B4 rs721673 and rs721675 Polymorphisms and Alcohol Intake among Taiwan Biobank Participants: A Retrospective Case Control Study Using the Nationwide Claims Data

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health issue, and there are limited studies on the association between 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 4 (HSD17B4) polymorphism and CRC. We used two national databases from Taiwan to examine whether HSD17B4 rs721673, rs721675, and alcohol intake were independently and interactively correlated with CRC development. We linked the Taiwan Biobank (TWB) participants’ health and lifestyle information and genotypic data from 2012 to 2018 to the National Health Insurance Database (NHIRD) to confirm their medical records. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using data from 145 new incident CRC cases and matched 1316 healthy, non-CRC individuals. We calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for CRC based on multiple logistic regression analyses. HSD17B4 rs721673 and rs721675 on chromosome 5 were significantly and positively correlated with CRC (rs721673 A > G, aOR = 2.62, p = 2.90 × 10−8; rs721675 A > T, aOR = 2.61, p = 1.01 × 10−6). Within the high-risk genotypes, significantly higher ORs were observed among the alcohol intake group. Our results demonstrated that the rs721673 and rs721675 risk genotypes of HSD17B4 might increase the risk of CRC development in Taiwanese adults, especially those with alcohol consumption habits.
Long-term simulated microgravity alters gut microbiota and metabolome in mice

Spaceflight and microgravity has a significant impact on the immune, central nervous, bone, and muscle support and cardiovascular systems. However, limited studies are available on the adverse effects of long-term microgravity on the intestinal microbiota, metabolism, and its relationships. In this study, a ground-based simulated microgravity (SMG) mouse model was established to evaluate the impact of long-term microgravity on gut microbiota and metabolome. After 8 weeks of SMG, alterations of the intestinal microbiota and metabolites were detected using 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. Compared to the control, no significant differences in α-diversity were observed at weeks 2, 4 and 8. Nevertheless, there were clear differences in community structures at different time points. The phylum Verrucomicrobia significantly declined from 2 to 8 weeks of SMG, yet the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Deferribacteres expanded remarkably at weeks 8. SMG decreased the genus of Allobaculum and increased Bacteroides significantly throughout the period of 8 weeks. Besides, Genus Akkermansia, Gracilibacter, Prevotella, Odoribacter, Rothia, Sporosarcina, Gracilibacter, Clostridium, and Mucispirillum were identified as biomarkers for SMG group. Desulfovibrio_c21_c20, Akkermansia_muciniphila, and Ruminococcus_gnavus dropped at week 2, which tend to recover at week 4, except for Akkermansia_muciniphila. Bacteroides_uniformis and Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii declined significantly, while Ruminococcus_flavefaciens and Mucispirillum_schaedleri elevated at week 8. Furthermore, intestinal metabolome analysis showed that 129 were upregulated and 146 metabolites were downregulated in SMG. Long-term SMG most affected steroid hormone biosynthesis, tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, arginine, proline metabolism, and histidine metabolism. Correlated analysis suggested that the potential beneficial taxa Allobaculum, Akkermansia, and Faecalibacterium were negatively associated with tryptophan, histidine, arginine, and proline metabolism, but positively with steroid hormone biosynthesis. Yet Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae_Clostridium, Rothia, Bilophila, and Coprococcus were positively correlated with arginine, proline, tryptophan, and histidine metabolism, while negatively associated with steroid hormone biosynthesis. These results suggest that Long-term SMG altered the community of intestinal microbiota, and then further disturbed intestinal metabolites and metabolic pathways, which have great potential to help understand and provide clues for revealing the mechanisms of long-term SMG involved diseases.
Selected biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy Beagle dogs: A preliminary study

Introduction While oxidative stress has been studied in pathologic conditions in dogs, data in presumably healthy dogs and standardized protocols are lacking. This work purposed to bridge the gap by presenting provisional physiological ranges for oxidative stress biomarkers in a group of Beagle dogs. Methods Based on our long-standing clinical expertise in the field of oxidative stress, nine plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress were evaluated for their concentrations (mean ± SD) in 14 healthy adult Beagle dogs. Results Selected biomarkers were: vitamins C (7.90 ± 1.36 μg/mL) and E (34.1 ± 6.63 μg/mL), zinc (0.80 ± 0.17 mg/L), copper (0.54 ± 0.048 mg/L), selenium (256 ± 25.7 μg/L), total and oxidized glutathione (822 ± 108 μM and 3.56 ± 1.76 μM), myeloperoxidase (67.4 ± 56.2 ng/mL), and isoprostanes (340 ± 95.3 ng/mL). Glutathione peroxidase activity and superoxide anion production in whole blood were also measured. Glutathione peroxidase activity was 473 ± 34.0 IU/g of hemoglobin and superoxide anion production in whole blood was 18,930 ± 12,742 counts per 30 min. Reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione and copper/zinc ratios were, respectively, 280 ± 139 and 0.70 ± 0.15. Sex-related differences were recorded for zinc (p = 0.0081), copper/zinc ratio (p = 0.0036) and plasma isoprostanes (p = 0.0045). Conclusion Provisional physiological norms covering 95% of our group were proposed for each biomarker and should be of interest for future studies of canine oxidative stress.
Genotyping and molecular investigation of plasmid-mediated carbapenem resistant clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Egypt

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. Carbapenem resistance is mediated mainly by enzymes carried on transmissible plasmids causing their dissemination among other members of Enterobacteriaceae. This study aimed to molecularly detect carbapenem resistance genes in K. pneumoniae clinical isolates, genotype them using ERIC-PCR, and investigate plasmid transformation of resistant genes by using ERIC-PCR and sequencing. Methods Antimicrobial resistance of sixty carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae strains was evaluated by using the disc diffusion method. Five carbapenemases' genes were amplified by conventional PCR. Genotyping was performed using ERIC-PCR. Gene transformation was performed for the five genes to sensitive isolates. Wild and transformed isolates were genetically investigated using ERIC-PCR and sequencing. Results Carbapenem resistance in our isolates was associated with high resistance to all tested antibiotics. The 60 K. pneumoniae isolates were divided into 6 resistor types. The prevalence of KPC, IMP, VIM, NDM, and OXA-48 genes were 17%, 63%, 93%, 85% and 100%, respectively. Dendrogram analysis showed 57 distinct patterns, arranged in three clusters. The five genes were transformed successfully into sensitive isolates. ERIC profiles of wild and transformed isolates showed cluster A contained all the wild isolates, and cluster B contained all transformed isolates. Genetic sequences of the 5 genes reflected high genetic similarity with the GenBank reference genes before plasmid transformation; however, a distinguishable decrease of genetic similarity was observed after transformation. Conclusion Plasmid-mediated carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae and its dissemination among different strains is a real threat to public health.
FREE VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF CROSS-PLY LAYERED COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH FINITE LENGTH ON ELASTIC FOUNDATION

In this paper, free vibration analysis of cross-ply layered composite beams (LCB) with finite length and rectangular cross-section rested on an elastic foundation is investigated by finite element method. Based on the Timoshenko beam theory which includes the shear deformation and rotary inertia, the stiffness and mass matrices of a LCB are obtained using the energy method. Then, the natural frequencies are calculated by employing eigenvalue technique. The obtained results are verified against existing data in the literatures for a LCB with no foundation and uniform cross-section. Good agreements are observed between these cases. In the same way, the natural frequencies of a specific case, i.e. the stepped beam are calculated and finally, free vibrations of a symmetric and non-symmetric LCB are compared with each others.
Physical and Mental Recovery after Aortic Valve Surgery in Non-Elderly Patients: Native Valve-Preserving Surgery vs. Prosthetic Valve Replacement

Background: Exercise capacity and patient-reported outcomes are increasingly considered crucial following aortic valve (AV) surgery in non-elderly adults. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the effect of native valve preservation compared with prosthetic valve replacement. Methods: From October 2017 to August 2020, 100 consecutive non-elderly patients undergoing surgery for severe AV disease were included. Exercise capacity and patient-reported outcomes were evaluated upon admission, and 3 months and 1 year postoperatively. Results: In total, 72 patients underwent native valve-preserving procedures (AV repair or Ross procedure, NV group), and 28 patients, prosthetic valve replacement (PV group). Native valve preservation was associated with an increased risk of reoperation (weighted hazard ratio: 10.57 (95% CI: 1.24–90.01), p = 0.031). The estimated average treatment effect on six-minute walking distance in NV patients at 1 year was positive, but not significant (35.64 m; 95% CI: −17.03–88.30, adj. p = 0.554). The postoperative physical and mental quality of life was comparable in both groups. Peak oxygen consumption and work rate were better at all assessment time points in NV patients. Marked longitudinal improvements in walking distance (NV, +47 m (adj. p < 0.001); PV, +25 m (adj. p = 0.004)) and physical (NV, +7 points (adj. p = 0.023); PV, +10 points (adj. p = 0.005)) and mental quality of life (NV, +7 points (adj. p < 0.001); PV, +5 points (adj. p = 0.058)) from the preoperative period to the 1-year follow-up were observed. At 1 year, there was a tendency of more NV patients reaching reference values of walking distance. Conclusions: Despite the increased risk of reoperation, physical and mental performance markedly improved after native valve-preserving surgery and was comparable to that after prosthetic aortic valve replacement.
A highly sensitive, highly reproducible laser-induced fluorescence detection system with optical pickup

In this study, we have developed a novel laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIF) system, which is particularly well suited for measurements in microfluidic processes such as capillary electrophoresis and microchip-based separations and in devices such as microreactors. In order to obtain a high-performance system, we have used a commercially available optical pickup head as a measurement probe along with an objective lens actuator that is vibrated in the vertical and horizontal directions of a light axis according to a simple methodology. Our system is superior to conventional systems because it has high sensitivity and high reproducibility, and it can be implemented without complex and expensive apparatus for high-precision positioning of the component and detection probe.