Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Is Associated With Non-motor Symptoms of Multiple System Atrophy: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Objectives: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in multiple system atrophy (MSA) has received scant attention in the literature, thus the present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of EDS and its potential risk factors among Chinese patients with MSA. Methods: A total of 66 patients with MSA (60.6% males) were consecutively recruited. Eighteen patients (27.3%, 13 men) with Epworth Sleepiness Scale score >10 were defined as having EDS. Demographic, motor [Unified Multiple-System Atrophy (UMSARS)] and non-motor symptoms [Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS)], and sleep parameters [polysomnography (PSG)] were compared between patients with MSA with and without EDS. A logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the risk factors of EDS in patients with MSA. Results: There were no significant differences in age, sex, MSA onset age, disease duration, MSA sub-type, and motor symptom severity between MSA patients with and without EDS. However, compared with the MSA patients without EDS, their counterparts with EDS had higher scores of NMSS (65.3 ± 23.1 vs. 43.4 ± 25.3, P = .0002), Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) [15.3 (10.3–20.0) vs. 9.5 (3.0–15.0), P = 0.006], Hamilton Depression (HAMD) [13.7 (12.5–17.8) vs. 9.0 (4.0–13.0), P = 0.015], and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) [29.8 (17.3–47.8) vs. 18.7 (10.3–21.8), P = 0.040]. Conversely, the patients with EDS had lower score of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) [23.3 (20.3–27.0) vs. 25.7 (22.0–29.0), P = 0.023]. Similarly, there was a significantly lower percentage of N3 sleep (%) [0.3 (0–0) vs. 2.0 (0–0), P = 0.007] and a higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI/h) [30.5 (14.5–47.8) vs. 19.3 (5.0–28.7), P = 0.034] in patients with EDS. After adjusting for age, sex, disease duration, MSA sub-type, and UMSARS score, the odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of EDS was higher while increasing scores in FSS [1.06 (1.02–1.11)], HAMA [1.16 (1.04–1.28)], HAMD [1.13 (1.02–1.25)], NMSS [1.04 (1.01–1.07)], and AHI [1.03 (1.00–1.10)]. The OR of EDS was lower while the MMSE score was increasing [0.85 (0.72–1.00)]. Conclusions: The presence and severity of EDS may be significantly associated with the non-motor dysfunction, including fatigue, anxiety, depression, cognitive dysfunction, and sleep-related breathing disorder, but not with the motor dysfunction in MSA.
Controlled Growth of Indium Selenides by High-Pressure and High-Temperature Method

The controlled growth of indium selenides has attracted considerable research interests in condensed matter physics and materials science yet remains a challenge due to the complexity of the indium–selenium phase diagram. Here, we demonstrate the successful growth of indium selenides in a controllable manner using the high-pressure and high-temperature growth technique. The γ-InSe and α-In2Se3 crystals with completely different stoichiometries and stacking manner of atomic layers have been controlled grown by subtle tuning growth temperature, duration time, and growth pressure. The as-grown γ-InSe crystal features a semiconducting property with a prominent photoluminescence peak of ∼1.23 eV, while the α-In2Se3 crystal is ferroelectric. Our findings could lead to a surge of interest in the development of the controlled growth of high-quality van der Waal crystals using the high-pressure and high-temperature growth technique and will open perspectives for further investigation of fascinating properties and potential practical application of van der Waal crystals.
Small Angle Neutron Scattering Reveals Wood Nanostructural Features in Decay Resistant Chemically Modified Wood

While it is known that modifying the hydroxyls in wood can improve the decay resistance; what is often missing in the literature is whether these modifications alter wood nanostructure, and how these changes correlate to the improved decay resistance. Here, we used small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to probe the effects of alkylene oxide modifications on wood nanostructure. Southern pine wood samples were chemically modified to various weight percentage gains (WPG) using four different alkylene oxides: propylene oxide (PO), butylene oxide (BO), epichlorohydrin (EpH), and epoxybutene (EpB). After modification, the samples were water leached for 2 weeks to remove any unreacted reagents or homopolymers and then equilibrium moisture content (EMC) was determined at 90% relative humidity (RH) and 27°C. Laboratory soil block decay evaluations against the brown rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum were performed to determine weight loss and biological efficacy of the modifications. To assist in understanding the mechanism, SANS was used to study samples that were fully immersed in deuterium oxide (D2O). These measurements revealed that the modifications altered the water distribution inside the cell wall, and the most effective modifications reduced the microfibril swelling and preserved the microfibril structure even after being subject to 12 weeks of brown rot exposure.
Benefits of Veterinary Herd Health Management on German Dairy Farms: Status Quo and Farmers' Perspective

Veterinary Herd Health Management plays an important role in veterinary medicine on dairy farms and has also been mandatory at the European Union level since April 21, 2021. Despite the increasing importance of VHHM, little is known about the extent of utilization of VHHM by dairy farmers and their view on this type of collaboration. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine the status quo of the currently practiced VHHM in Germany. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted among dairy farmers in November and December 2020. From 216 analyzed questionnaires, about half (n = 106) of the surveyed dairy farmers used VHHM at different scopes. However, regardless of the group, the term “veterinary herd health management” generally was given most relative importance by the participants as a veterinary service for herd fertility improvement, rather than the actual definition of a holistic approach. In contrast to this, the actual motivation of the VHHM participants, to take part in such a program was primarily based on the desire to safeguard animal health by employing preventive measures, that is, to avoid the occurrence of diseases via improved management and to improve farm performance (and profitability). Dairy farmers who opted for VHHM tended to manage larger higher yielding herds than those who did not. Additionally, the farmers in latter farms were more likely to make joint animal health decisions with their veterinarians. Using a latent class analysis, two groups of farmers among farms that were not currently using VHHM were identified, one of which expressed great interest in using VHHM while the other did not. Since the new legal basis makes the topic even more relevant than before, dairy farmers, animals, and veterinarians might benefit from the study to exploit hidden opportunities for VHHM collaboration.
Type 2 Diabetes Increases Risk of Unfavorable Survival Outcome for Postoperative Ischemic Stroke in Patients Who Underwent Non-cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been critically associated with unfavorable outcomes in the general population. We aimed to investigate the association between type 2 DM and long-term survival outcomes for postoperative ischemic stroke in patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery. Research Design and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with non-cardiac surgery who had suffered from postoperative ischemic stroke between January 2008 and August 2019. Diabetic individuals were included in postoperative ischemic stroke patients with the DM group. The outcome of interest was long-term overall survival (OS). We conducted propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) to adjust for baseline characteristic differences between groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis with stepwise selection was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of OS and type 2 DM. Results: During a median follow-up of 46.2 month [interquartile range (IQR), 21.1, 84.2], 200 of 408 patients (49.0%) died. The OS rates at 3, 5, and 10 years were significantly lower for postoperative ischemic stroke patients with DM than those without DM (3 years OS: 52.2 vs. 69.5%, p < 0.001; 5 years OS: 41.6 vs. 62.4%, p < 0.001; 10 years OS: 37.2 vs. 56.6%, p < 0.001). All covariates were between-group balanced after using PSM or IPTW. The postoperative ischemic stroke patients with type 2 DM had a shortened OS in primary analysis (HR: 1.947; 95% CI: 1.397–2.713; p < 0.001), PSM analysis (HR: 2.190; 95% CI: 1.354–3.540; p = 0.001), and IPTW analysis (HR: 2.551; 95% CI: 1.769–3.679; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Type 2 DM was associated with an unfavorable survival outcome for postoperative ischemic stroke in patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery. When postoperative ischemic stroke co-occurred with type 2 DM, the potential synergies would have multiplicative mortality risk. Further research to assess the adverse effects of type 2 DM on long-term survival may be warranted.
Business Cycle and Public Health: The Moderating Role of Health Education and Digital Economy

The cyclicality of public health in the emerging market is underexplored in existing literature. In this study, we used a fixed effect model and provincial data to document how public health varies with the business cycle in China over the period of 2010–2019. The estimated results showed that the business cycle is negatively correlated with the mortality of infectious disease, a proxy variable of public health, thus indicating that public health exhibits a countercyclical pattern in China. Furthermore, we investigated the potential moderating role of public health education and digital economy development in the relationship between business cycle and public health. Our findings suggested that public health education and digital economy development can mitigate the damage of economic conditions on public health in China. Health education helps the public obtain more professional knowledge about diseases and then induces effective preventions. Compared with traditional economic growth, digital economy development can avoid environmental pollution which affects public health. Also, it ensures that state-of-the-art medical services are available for the public through e-health. In addition, digitalization assures that remote working is practicable and reduces close contact during epidemics such as COVID-19. The conclusions stand when subjected to several endogeneity and robustness checks. Therefore, the paper implies that these improvements in public health education and digitalization can help the government in promoting public health.
The Association Between Loneliness and Inflammation: Findings From an Older Adult Sample

Loneliness has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes. Past research suggests that inflammation is a potential pathway linking loneliness and health, but little is known about how loneliness assessed in daily life links with inflammation, or about linkages between loneliness and inflammation among older adults specifically. As part of a larger investigation, we examined the cross-sectional associations between loneliness and a panel of both basal and LPS-stimulated inflammatory markers. Participants were 222 socioeconomically and racially diverse older adults (aged 70–90 years; 38% Black; 13% Hispanic) systematically recruited from the Bronx, NY. Loneliness was measured in two ways, with a retrospective trait measure (the UCLA Three Item Loneliness Scale) and an aggregated momentary measure assessed via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) across 14 days. Inflammatory markers included both basal levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α) and LPS-stimulated levels of the same cytokines. Multiple regression analyses controlled for age, body-mass index, race, and depressive symptoms. Moderation by gender and race were also explored. Both higher trait loneliness and aggregated momentary measures of loneliness were associated with higher levels of CRP (β = 0.16, p = 0.02; β = 0.15, p = 0.03, respectively). There were no significant associations between loneliness and basal or stimulated cytokines and neither gender nor race were significant moderators. Results extend prior research linking loneliness with systemic inflammation in several ways, including by examining this connection among a sample of older adults and using a measure of aggregated momentary loneliness.
Effects of Top Management Team Characteristics on Patent Strategic Change and Firm Performance

Patent strategy is increasingly recognized as a vital contributor in promoting core competitiveness of an enterprise. A top management team (TMT) has been indicated as one of the key factors driving changes in patent strategy. Based on upper echelons theory, this study examines how TMT characteristics, including, team diversity, emotional intelligence, and safety climate, influence enterprise patent strategic change and, hence, the business outcome. The data from 930 top managers in 228 enterprises showed that the changes in patent strategies are significantly influenced by the characteristics of top managers. These aforementioned internal TMT factors have diverse effects on the speed and scope of the enterprise patent strategic change, which in turn affects firm performance in a positive and negative way, respectively.
Dynamics of the Fermentation Products, Residual Non-structural Carbohydrates, and Bacterial Communities of Wilted and Non-wilted Alfalfa Silage With and Without Lactobacillus plantarum Inoculation

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of wilting and Lactobacillus plantarum inoculation on the dynamics of the fermentation products, residual non-structural carbohydrates, and bacterial communities in alfalfa silage. Fresh and wilted alfalfa were ensiled with and without L. plantarum for 10, 30, 60, and 90 days. A high-throughput sequencing method for absolute quantification of 16S rRNA was adopted to determine the bacterial community composition at different ensiling periods. For the wilted silage, the bacterial community, pH value, and ammonia nitrogen concentration remained stable in the silage at 30 days. L. plantarum inoculation accelerated lactic acid fermentation and altered the predominant genus in the wilted silage as compared with the non-inoculated group. For the non-wilted group, fast consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) was observed at 10 days in the non-inoculated silage along with rapid growth of undesirable Hafnia. L. plantarum inoculation inhibited growth of Hafnia at 10 days in the non-wilted silage. Clostridia fermentation occurred in the non-wilted silage at 90 days, as indicated by an increased pH, formation of butyric acid (BA), and apparent abundance of genera belonging to Clostridia. L. plantarum inoculation inhibited BA accumulation and growth of Garciella in the non-wilted silage at 90 days as compared with the non-wilted silage without inoculation, but had little effect on the growth of Clostridium sensu stricto. Overall, the high moisture content of the non-wilted alfalfa silage led to rapid consumption of WSCs and growth of harmful microorganisms at the early stage of ensiling, resulting in poor fermentation quality. Wilting and L. plantarum inoculation both improved fermentation quality and inhibited the growth of spoilage microorganisms in alfalfa silage, while L. plantarum inoculation alone failed to achieve optimum fermentation quality of non-wilted alfalfa silage.
GABAA Receptors in Astrocytes Are Targets for Commonly Used Intravenous and Inhalational General Anesthetic Drugs

Background: Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs) occur commonly in older patients after anesthesia and surgery. Treating astrocytes with general anesthetic drugs stimulates the release of soluble factors that increase the cell-surface expression and function of GABAA receptors in neurons. Such crosstalk may contribute to PNDs; however, the receptor targets in astrocytes for anesthetic drugs have not been identified. GABAA receptors, which are the major targets of general anesthetic drugs in neurons, are also expressed in astrocytes, raising the possibility that these drugs act on GABAA receptors in astrocytes to trigger the release of soluble factors. To date, no study has directly examined the sensitivity of GABAA receptors in astrocytes to general anesthetic drugs that are frequently used in clinical practice. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine whether the function of GABAA receptors in astrocytes was modulated by the intravenous anesthetic etomidate and the inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane. Methods: Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were performed in astrocytes in the stratum radiatum of the CA1 region of hippocampal slices isolated from C57BL/6 male mice. Astrocytes were identified by their morphologic and electrophysiologic properties. Focal puff application of GABA (300 μM) was applied with a Picospritzer system to evoke GABA responses. Currents were studied before and during the application of the non-competitive GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin (0.5 mM), or etomidate (100 μM) or sevoflurane (532 μM). Results: GABA consistently evoked inward currents that were inhibited by picrotoxin. Etomidate increased the amplitude of the peak current by 35.0 ± 24.4% and prolonged the decay time by 27.2 ± 24.3% (n = 7, P < 0.05). Sevoflurane prolonged current decay by 28.3 ± 23.1% (n = 7, P < 0.05) but did not alter the peak amplitude. Etomidate and sevoflurane increased charge transfer (area) by 71.2 ± 45.9% and 51.8 ± 48.9% (n = 7, P < 0.05), respectively. Conclusion: The function of astrocytic GABAA receptors in the hippocampus was increased by etomidate and sevoflurane. Future studies will determine whether these general anesthetic drugs act on astrocytic GABAA receptors to stimulate the release of soluble factors that may contribute to PNDs.
Identification of the Q Gene Playing a Role in Spike Morphology Variation in Wheat Mutants and Its Regulatory Network

The wheat AP2 family gene Q controls domestication traits, including spike morphology and threshability, which are critical for the widespread cultivation and yield improvement of wheat. Although many studies have investigated the molecular mechanisms of the Q gene, its direct target genes, especially those controlling spike morphology, are not clear, and its regulatory pathways are not well established. In this study, we conducted gene mapping of a wheat speltoid spike mutant and found that a new allele of the Q gene with protein truncation played a role in spike morphology variation in the mutant. Dynamic expression levels of the Q gene throughout the spike development process suggested that the transcript abundances of the mutant were decreased at the W6 and W7 scales compared to those of the WT. We identified several mutation sites on the Q gene and showed that mutations in different domains resulted in distinct phenotypes. In addition, we found that the Q gene produced three transcripts via alternative splicing and that they exhibited differential expression patterns in nodes, internodes, flag leaves, and spikes. Finally, we identified several target genes directly downstream of Q, including TaGRF1-2D and TaMGD-6B, and proposed a possible regulatory network. This study uncovered the target genes of Q, and the results can help to clarify the mechanism of wheat spike morphology and thereby improve wheat grain yield.
Parasitoid Wasp Community Dynamics in Vineyards Following Insecticide Application

In order to integrate parasitoid wasps in agroecosystems as biological control agents, we need to understand how insecticides affect the parasitoids in the crops and their surroundings. We investigated the non-target effect of Indoxacarb, an insecticide commonly used against European grapevine moth, on parasitoid wasp communities in vineyards. We focused on characterizing: 1. The dynamics of common wasp species, and 2. Wasp abundance and species richness in the vineyard center, edge, and nearby natural area. Seven vineyards, with neighboring natural areas, were sampled before, and up to 2 weeks after, Indoxacarb applications over 2 years. We expected initial negative effects of spraying in the vineyard with some effect of Indoxacarb drift into the natural habitat, followed by wasp recovery, first in natural areas, then at the vineyard edge and finally in the center. Sticky traps were hung at the vineyard edge and center to evaluate migration into and out of the vineyard. Vacuum sampling was used to obtain parasitoid total abundance and species richness, and the abundances of four common species (43% of the wasps collected). From the vacuum samples we found that total wasp abundance and richness declined after spraying in the vineyards’ margins and center but rose over time in the natural area. Vineyard wasp abundance was restored to pre-spraying levels within 2 weeks. Among the abundant species, Trichogramma sp. and Telenomus sp. , which parasitize lepidopteran hosts, declined after spraying, and Trichogramma sp. recovered more quickly than Telenomus sp. Two other abundant species, Lymaenon litoralis and Oligosita sp. , did not decline after spraying. In the sticky traps, wasp abundance increased at the vineyard edge but not center after spraying, suggesting that there was migration of wasps at the vineyard edge, into or out of the crop. The results indicate an effect of Indoxacarb on the parasitoid wasp community, particularly on parasitoids of lepidopterans, the target group of Indoxacarb. The results also indicate a potential for recovery of the parasitoid community through migration from neighboring natural vegetation.
Children Use Non-referential Gestures in Narrative Speech to Mark Discourse Elements Which Update Common Ground

While recent studies have claimed that non-referential gestures (i.e., gestures that do not visually represent any semantic content in speech) are used to mark discourse-new and/or -accessible referents and focused information in adult speech, to our knowledge, no prior investigation has studied the relationship between information structure (IS) and gesture referentiality in children’s narrative speech from a developmental perspective. A longitudinal database consisting of 332 narratives performed by 83 children at two different time points in development was coded for IS and gesture referentiality (i.e., referential and non-referential gestures). Results revealed that at both time points, both referential and non-referential gestures were produced more with information that moves discourse forward (i.e., focus) and predication (i.e., comment) rather than topical or background information. Further, at 7–9 years of age, children tended to use more non-referential gestures to mark focus and comment constituents than referential gestures. In terms of the marking of the newness of discourse referents, non-referential gestures already seem to play a key role at 5–6 years old, whereas referential gestures did not show any patterns. This relationship was even stronger at 7–9 years old. All in all, our findings offer supporting evidence that in contrast with referential gestures, non-referential gestures have been found to play a key role in marking IS, and that the development of this relationship solidifies at a period in development that coincides with a spurt in non-referential gesture production.