Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact assessment of cold-adapted Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Pseudomonas palleroniana N26 on Phaseolus vulgaris yield and soil health

The poor agriculture practices, fragmented land holdings, fluctuating climatic conditions, and minimal external inputs lead to nutrient deficiency in the Himalayan agroecosystems. Because of the risks associated with chemical fertilizers, their implication is a big question mark. Therefore, two previously characterized plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Pseudomonas palleroniana N26 were employed to enhance kidney bean productivity and soil health at farmer’s fields of Harsil and Chakrata regions of Uttarakhand Himalayas. The study revealed that MP1 and N26 treatment resulted in 25.62% and 37.23% higher grain yield than respective uninoculated controls at the trial fields of Harsil and Chakrata regions, respectively. Further, the bacterial treatments have significantly increased nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in the soils. The soil diversity analysis revealed the dominance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria at Harsil and Chakrata, respectively. Further, the MP1 treatment had increased Firmicutes percentage over uninoculated control at both locations. Conclusively, the application of cold adaptive Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Pseudomonas palleroniana N26 improved the grain yield and soil health status of the Himalayan agroecosystems. Therefore, they can be explored as an eco-friendly alternative for the commercial production of kidney beans.
Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses for the treatment of glioma and targeting glioblastoma stem-like cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most lethal cancers, having a poor prognosis and a median survival of only about 15 months with standard treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy), which has not been significantly extended in decades. GBM demonstrates remarkable cellular heterogeneity, with glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) at the apex. GSCs are a subpopulation of GBM cells that possess the ability to self-renew, differentiate, initiate tumor formation, and manipulate the tumor microenvironment (TME). GSCs are no longer considered a static population of cells with specific markers but are quite flexible phenotypically and in driving tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance. In light of these features, they are a critical target for successful GBM therapy. Oncolytic viruses, in particular oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs), have many attributes for therapy and are promising agents to target GSCs. oHSVs are genetically-engineered to selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells, including GSCs, but not normal cells. Moreover, oHSV can induce anti-tumor immune responses and synergize with other therapies, such as chemotherapy, DNA repair inhibitors, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, to potentiate treatment effects and reduce GSC populations that are partly responsible for chemo- and radio-resistance. Herein, we present an overview of GSCs, activity of different oHSVs, clinical trial results, and combination strategies to enhance efficacy, including therapeutic arming of oHSV. Throughout, the therapeutic focus will be on GSCs and studies specifically targeting these cells. Recent clinical trials and approval of oHSV G47Δ in Japan for patients with recurrent glioma demonstrate the efficacy and promise of oHSV therapy. Graphical Abstract
Functional diversity of nanohaloarchaea within xylan-degrading consortia

Extremely halophilic representatives of the phylum Candidatus Nanohaloarchaeota (members of the DPANN superphyla) are obligately associated with extremely halophilic archaea of the phylum Halobacteriota (according to the GTDB taxonomy). Using culture-independent molecular techniques, their presence in various hypersaline ecosystems around the world has been confirmed over the past decade. However, the vast majority of nanohaloarchaea remain uncultivated, and thus their metabolic capabilities and ecophysiology are currently poorly understood. Using the (meta)genomic, transcriptomic, and DNA methylome platforms, the metabolism and functional prediction of the ecophysiology of two novel extremely halophilic symbiotic nanohaloarchaea (Ca. Nanohalococcus occultus and Ca. Nanohalovita haloferacivicina) stably cultivated in the laboratory as members of a xylose-degrading binary culture with a haloarchaeal host, Haloferax lucentense, was determined. Like all known DPANN superphylum nanoorganisms, these new sugar-fermenting nanohaloarchaea lack many fundamental biosynthetic repertoires, making them exclusively dependent on their respective host for survival. In addition, given the cultivability of the new nanohaloarchaea, we managed to discover many unique features in these new organisms that have never been observed in nano-sized archaea both within the phylum Ca. Nanohaloarchaeota and the entire superphylum DPANN. This includes the analysis of the expression of organism-specific non-coding regulatory (nc)RNAs (with an elucidation of their 2D-secondary structures) as well as profiling of DNA methylation. While some ncRNA molecules have been predicted with high confidence as RNAs of an archaeal signal recognition particle involved in delaying protein translation, others resemble the structure of ribosome-associated ncRNAs, although none belong to any known family. Moreover, the new nanohaloarchaea have very complex cellular defense mechanisms. In addition to the defense mechanism provided by the type II restriction-modification system, consisting of Dcm-like DNA methyltransferase and Mrr restriction endonuclease, Ca. Nanohalococcus encodes an active type I-D CRISPR/Cas system, containing 77 spacers divided into two loci. Despite their diminutive genomes and as part of their host interaction mechanism, the genomes of new nanohaloarchaea do encode giant surface proteins, and one of them (9,409 amino acids long) is the largest protein of any sequenced nanohaloarchaea and the largest protein ever discovered in cultivated archaea.
Relationship between child-to-parent violence and cumulative childhood adversity: the mediating role of parental attachment, resilience, and emotional intelligence

Introduction Recent research on aggressor profiles in child-to-parent violence (CPV) seems to provide promising results. However, this phenomenon has been poorly addressed in the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) framework. This study aimed to explore the frequency of different types of ACEs and cumulative ACEs in adolescents who exert CPV, to analyze the differences between aggressors with different levels of cumulative ACEs in parental attachment, resilience, and emotional intelligence, and to evaluate the associations between these variables, as well as a possible mediational model. Methods A total of 3,142 Spanish adolescents (50.7% girls) aged between 12 and 18 years from educational centers participated. Results Adolescents who exerted CPV presented higher rates of ACEs both independently and cumulatively than those without CPV. Aggressors with cumulative ACEs (88%) in general presented more insecure parental attachment, lower resilience, and lower emotional intelligence than those without cumulative ACEs, and, in turn, aggressors with high levels of cumulative ACEs than those with low levels of cumulative ACEs. Significant associations were identified between CPV, ACEs, insecure parental attachment, resilience, and emotional intelligence. The mediation model suggested that ACEs are related to CPV through preoccupied and traumatized parental attachment and also through low levels of emotional intelligence. Discussion The findings provide a better understanding of CPV from the perspective of ACEs, especially of those cases that involve an accumulation of adverse experiences during childhood, and suggest greater professional attention to these cases with the design of specialized CPV intervention programs.
Younger age and induction failure predict outcomes in infant leukemia: 30 years of experience in a tertiary center

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of infant patients with leukemia. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted in a cohort of 39 patients diagnosed with infant leukemia from 1990 to 2020 who underwent treatment at the pediatric hemato-oncology department of a tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain. Results Of the 588 diagnosed cases of childhood leukemia, 39 (6.6%) cases were infant leukemia. The 5-year event-free survival and the 5-year overall survival were 43.6% (SE 4.1) and 46.5% (SD 24.08), respectively. In a univariate analysis, a younger age at diagnosis was associated with poorer outcomes (p = 0.027), as was induction failure (p = 0.0024). Patients treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had better outcomes than non-transplanted patients (p = 0.001); however, the group comparisons that exclude patients who were unable to undergo transplantation due to refractoriness/relapse or death during treatment showed no significant differences. Conclusions The main risk factors that affected survival in our study were an age younger than 6 months and a poor response to induction therapy. It is important to identify poor prognostic factors in this population in order to seek different approaches that could improve outcomes.
Riemann-Hilbert approach to Gap Probabilities of Determinantal Point Processes

In this work, we study problems related to gap probabilities of certain universal determinantal point processes. The study of gap probabilities can be addressed in two directions: derivation of a Lax formulation of PDEs, as in the first two works presented here, and study of asymptotic behaviour, as in the last work. In order to achieve such results, the powerful theory of Riemann-Hilbert problem will be widely implemented. We first consider the gap probability for the Bessel process in the single-time and multi-time case. We prove that the scalar and matrix Fredholm determinants of such process can be expressed in terms of determinants of integrable kernels in the sense of Its-Izergin-Korepin-Slavnov and thus related to suitable Riemann-Hilbert problems. In the single-time case, we construct a Lax pair formalism and we derive a Painleve' III equation related to the Fredholm determinant. Next, we consider the problem of the gap probabilities for the Generalized Bessel process in the single-time and multi-time case, a determinantal process which arises as critical limiting kernel in the study of self-avoiding squared Bessel paths. As in the Bessel case, we connect the gap probability to a Riemann-Hilbert problem (derived from an IIKS kernel) on one side and to the isomonodromic tau-function on the other side. In particular, in the single-time case we construct a Lax pair formalism and in the multi-time case we explicitly define a completely new multi-time kernel and we proceed with the study of gap probabilities as in the single-time case. Finally, we investigate the gap probabilities of the single-time Tacnode process. Through steepest descent analysis of a suitable Riemann-Hilbert problem, we show that under appropriate scaling regimes the gap probability of the Tacnode process degenerates into a product of two independent gap probabilities of the Airy process.
SAPAP3, SPRED2, and obsessive-compulsive disorder: the search for fundamental phenotypes

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Rajkumar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. SAPAP3, SPRED2, and obsessive-compulsive disorder: the search for fundamental phenotypes
Characterization of HSP70 family in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus): identification, structure, evolution, and potential function in response to ABA, cold and drought stress

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) as a crop with important economic value, is widely cultivated around the world. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family in plant is indispensable under stress conditions. However, no comprehensive analysis of watermelon HSP70 family is reported to date. In this study, 12 ClHSP70 genes were identified from watermelon, which were unevenly located in 7 out of 11 chromosomes and divided into three subfamilies. ClHSP70 proteins were predicted to be localized primarily in cytoplasm, chloroplast, and endoplasmic reticulum. Two pairs of segmental repeats and 1 pair of tandem repeats existed in ClHSP70 genes, and ClHSP70s underwent strong purification selection. There were many abscisic acid (ABA) and abiotic stress response elements in ClHSP70 promoters. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of ClHSP70s in roots, stems, true leaves, and cotyledons were also analyzed. Some of ClHSP70 genes were also strongly induced by ABA. Furthermore, ClHSP70s also had different degrees of response to drought and cold stress. The above data indicate that ClHSP70s may be participated in growth and development, signal transduction and abiotic stress response, laying a foundation for further analysis of the function of ClHSP70s in biological processes.
Clinical utility of geriatric assessment tools in older patients with gastrointestinal cancer

Background Geriatric 8 (G8) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are recommended to predict overall survival (OS) or risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) in older cancer patients. However, the clinical utility is relatively unknown in older patients suffering malnutrition with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, including gastric cancer (GC) and pancreatic cancer (PC). Materials and methods We retrospectively included patients aged ≥65 years with GC, PC, and colorectal cancer (CRC) who received a G8 questionnaire at first visit from April 2018 to March 2020. The associations between G8/IADL and safety or OS were assessed in patients with advanced/unresectable tumors. Results Of 207 patients (median age: 75 years), the median G8 score was 10.5 and normal G8 score rate was 6.8%. Both the median G8 score and normal G8 (>14) score rate numerically increased in the order of GC < PC < CRC. There was no clear association between the G8 standard cutoff value of 14 and SAEs or OS. However, OS was significantly longer in patients with G8 >11 than in those with G8 ≤11 (19.3 vs. 10.5 months, p = 0.0017). Furthermore, OS was significantly better in patients with normal IADL than in those with abnormal IADL (17.6 vs. 11.4 months, p = 0.049). Conclusion The G8 cutoff value of 14 would not be clinically useful in patients with GI cancer for predicting OS or SAEs; however, the cutoff value of 11 and IADL may be useful to predict OS for older patients with GI cancers including GC and PC.
Gut microbial composition and functionality of school-age Mexican population with metabolic syndrome and type-2 diabetes mellitus using shotgun metagenomic sequencing

Gut metagenome in pediatric subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been poorly studied, despite an alarming worldwide increase in the prevalence and incidence of obesity and MetS within this population. The objective of this study was to characterize the gut microbiome taxonomic composition of Mexican pediatric subjects with MetS and T2DM using shotgun metagenomics and analyze the potential relationship with metabolic changes and proinflammatory effects. Paired-end reads of fecal DNA samples were obtained through the Illumina HiSeq X Platform. Statistical analyses and correlational studies were conducted using gut microbiome data and metadata from all individuals. Gut microbial dysbiosis was observed in MetS and T2DM children compared to healthy subjects, which was characterized by an increase in facultative anaerobes (i.e., enteric and lactic acid bacteria) and a decrease in strict anaerobes (i.e., Erysipelatoclostridium, Shaalia, and Actinomyces genera). This may cause a loss of gut hypoxic environment, increased gut microbial nitrogen metabolism, and higher production of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. These metabolic changes may trigger the activation of proinflammatory activity and impair the host's intermediate metabolism, leading to a possible progression of the characteristic risk factors of MetS and T2DM, such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and an increased abdominal circumference. Furthermore, specific viruses (Jiaodavirus genus and Inoviridae family) showed positive correlations with proinflammatory cytokines involved in these metabolic diseases. This study provides novel evidence for the characterization of MetS and T2DM pediatric subjects in which the whole gut microbial composition has been characterized. Additionally, it describes specific gut microorganisms with functional changes that may influence the onset of relevant health risk factors.
Droplet oscillations in a turbulent flow

The oscillations of an initially unperturbed spherical droplet immersed in a homogeneous and isotropic turbulent background flow are investigated through spherical harmonic decomposition. As suggested in the literature, the shape oscillations under turbulent conditions are related to the frequency of droplets oscillating in a fluid without background flow. A series of direct numerical simulations (DNS) of droplets with single deformation modes in a fluid at rest are first performed. The frequency and damping rate are compared with weakly viscous linear theory. Then, a database of 220 droplets deformed under turbulent conditions for a single Weber and Reynolds number is generated with an identical numerical set-up. Each spherical harmonic coefficient shows an oscillatory motion with comparable frequency to the single deformation mode simulations. The power spectrum of the coefficients provides the amount of surface of each mode. After a transient regime, the surface area reaches a stationary saturation level. The saturation level of each mode is linked to the turbulence and the energy stored at the interface. Droplets after a high deformation are studied with and without background flow. As expected, the physics of relaxation is driven by capillary forces.
Cadmium exposure is associated with increased transcript abundance of multiple heavy metal associated transporter genes in roots of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has demonstrated promise for phytoremediation due to an extensive root system, large biomass, and ability to survive under relatively high levels of heavy metals. However, little research has been conducted to determine the impact of heavy metal uptake in hemp grown for medicinal use. This study evaluated the potential for cadmium (Cd) uptake and its impact on growth, physiological responses, and transcript expression of metal transporter genes in a hemp variety grown for flower production. The cultivar ‘Purple Tiger’ was exposed to 0, 2.5, 10, and 25 mg·L-1 Cd in a greenhouse hydroponic study in two independent experiments. Plants exposed to 25 mg·L-1 Cd displayed stunted plant growth characteristics, reduced photochemical efficiency, and premature senescence suggesting Cd toxicity. At the two lower concentrations of Cd (2.5 and 10 mg·L-1 Cd), plant height, biomass, and photochemical efficiency were not affected, with chlorophyll content index (CCI) being slightly lower at 10 mg·L-1 Cd, compared to 2.5 mg·L-1 Cd. There were no consistent differences between the two experiments in total cannabidiol (CDB) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations in flower tissues at 2.5 and 10 mg·L-1 Cd, compared to the control treatment. Root tissue accumulated the highest amount of Cd compared to other tissues for all the Cd treatments, suggesting preferential root sequestration of this heavy metal in hemp. Transcript abundance analysis of heavy metal-associated (HMA) transporter genes suggested that all seven members of this gene family are expressed in hemp, albeit with higher expression in the roots than in the leaves. In roots, CsHMA3 was up-regulated at 45 and 68 d after treatment (DAT), and CsHMA1, CsHMA4, and CsHMA5 were upregulated only under long term Cd stress at 68 DAT, at 10 mg·L-1 Cd. Results suggest that expression of multiple HMA transporter genes in the root tissue may be upregulated in hemp exposed to 10 mg·L-1 Cd in a nutrient solution. These transporters could be involved in Cd uptake in the roots via regulating its transport and sequestration, and xylem loading for long distance transport of Cd to shoot, leaf, and flower tissues.
A Switching Algorithm Based on Modified Quasi-Newton Equation

In this paper, a switching method for unconstrained minimization is proposed. The method is based on the modiﬁed BFGS method and the modiﬁed SR1 method. The eigenvalues and condition numbers of both the modiﬁed updates are evaluated and used in the switching rule. When the condition number of the modiﬁed SR1 update is superior to the modiﬁed BFGS update, the step in the proposed quasi-Newton method is the modiﬁed SR1 step. Otherwise the step is the modiﬁed BFGS step. The eﬃciency of the proposed method is tested by numerical experiments on small, medium and large scale optimization. The numerical results are reported and analyzed to show the superiority of the proposed method.
Intrapreneurs are Laterborns: Exploring the Effects of Birth Order on Managers’ Entrepreneurial Intentions and Risk Taking

This paper investigates the effects of birth order on entrepreneurial intention (EI) and risk taking propensity of managers. Data from 230 managers from different industries in Kosovo were collected through self-report questionnaires. The results show that laterborns demonstrate a higher EI and risk taking propensity compared to their firstborn counterparts. Our findings have important implications for practitioners and researchers since we investigate the EI and risk taking propensity of managers in a non-Western culture. Moreover, given that individual characteristics cannot be changed, the knowledge of the impact of birth order on managers’ attitudes towards intrapreneurship and risk taking is indispensable for organizations. Information about managers’ EI and risk taking related to their birth order can be useful for fostering an entrepreneurial climate for managers of certain birth orders to act intrapreneurially rather than spin out.
A Numerical Improvement in Analyzing the Dynamic Characteristics of an Electrostatically Actuated Micro-beam in Fluid Loading with Free Boundary Approach

In this paper, the dynamic response of a micro-beam immersed in a fluid with regard to the free boundary of the operating fluid is investigated. In the other words, in addition to the kinematic compatibility on the boundary between micro-beam and its surrounding fluid, equations of the potential functions are modeled considering the free boundaries. It is also assumed that the micro-beam is a movable electrode, and the electrostatic force is used for the actuation of the system. Galerkin's method is utilized to solve the governing equations of the fluid-structure system. By imposing a fixed voltage to the system, in addition to investigating the geometrical effects, fluid type and the dimensions of the cavity, the effect of the free boundaries on the transient response of the system is studied. It is shown that the coefficient of relative permittivity of operating fluid, the length of the micro-beam, and the relative position of it to the lower side of the cavity have significant impact on the instability of system voltage. It is further shown that assuming the free boundaries in the modeling of the system, which is closer to the physical reality of the issue, increases the pull-in voltage.