Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
D-Pinitol improves cognitive dysfunction and neuronal damage induced by isoproterenol via modulation of NF-κB/BDNF/GFAP signaling in Swiss albino mice

Objective(s): Neurological disorders are the world’s most distressing problem. The adverse effects of current medications continue to compel scientists to seek safer, more effective, and economically affordable alternatives. In this vein, we explored the effect of D-Pinitol on isoproterenol-induced neurotoxicity in mice. Materials and Methods: Forty-two mice were randomly distributed into 7 groups each having 6 animals. Group I; received saline. Group II; received isoproterenol (ISO) 15 mg/kg/day, s.c. for 20 days. Group III, IV; received 50 and 100 mg/kg/day/oral of D-Pinitol, respectively along with ISO for 20 days. Group V; received D-Pinitol 100 mg/kg/day/oral for 20 days. Group VI; received propranolol 20 mg/kg/day/oral and ISO for 20 days. Group VII; received propranolol 20 mg/kg/day/oral for 20 days. On the 21st day after behavioral tests, blood was collected and mice were sacrificed for various biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Chronic administration of isoproterenol caused neurotoxicity, cognitive dysfunction, and histopathological changes in the brain as evidenced by increase in GFAP, oxidative stress (via SOD, CAT, TBARS, and GSH), neuroinflammation (NF-kB, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10), and decrease in AchE and BDNF. Co-administration of D-Pinitol (100 mg/kg) significantly prevented these pathological alterations. The cognitive improvement was also observed through the forced swim test, elevated plus maze test, and rotarod test. Conclusion: Our findings on D-Pinitol thus clearly established its neuroprotective role in ISO-induced neurodegeneration in Swiss albino mice.
Noncanonical interaction with microtubules via the N-terminal nonmotor domain is critical for the functions of a bidirectional kinesin

Several kinesin-5 motors (kinesin-5s) exhibit bidirectional motility. The mechanism of such motility remains unknown. Bidirectional kinesin-5s share a long N-terminal nonmotor domain (NTnmd), absent in exclusively plus-end–directed kinesins. Here, we combined in vivo, in vitro, and cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies to examine the impact of NTnmd mutations on the motor functions of the bidirectional kinesin-5, Cin8. We found that NTnmd deletion mutants exhibited cell viability and spindle localization defects. Using cryo-EM, we examined the structure of a microtubule (MT)-bound motor domain of Cin8, containing part of its NTnmd. Modeling and molecular dynamic simulations based on the cryo-EM map suggested that the NTnmd of Cin8 interacts with the C-terminal tail of β-tubulin. In vitro experiments on subtilisin-treated MTs confirmed this notion. Last, we showed that NTnmd mutants are defective in plus-end–directed motility in single-molecule and antiparallel MT sliding assays. These findings demonstrate that the NTnmd, common to bidirectional kinesin-5s, is critical for their bidirectional motility and intracellular functions.
Evaluation of Pregnant Woman’s Perception of COVID-19 Based on the Health Belief Model in Isfahan

Background: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is a viral disease that has become an international public health concern. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate pregnant women’s perception of COVID-19 based on the health belief model in Isfahan. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 100 pregnant women selected by random sampling. Data were collected using an online questionnaire on the Porsline website. This questionnaire examines the knowledge and structures of the health belief model, including perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived barriers and benefits, and self-efficacy regarding the prevention of COVID-19. Data were analyzed using analytical tests such as independent t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The significance level was considered to be <0.05. Results: The results showed that the knowledge of COVID-19 and preventative methods was at a reasonable level among most women (77%). Also, there was a significant correlation between education and self-efficacy. Based on the findings, the mean score of knowledge (F1,99 = 0.116, p = 0.04) and the mean score of perceived susceptibility (F1,99 = 0.02, p < 0.001) of mothers who were pregnant for the first time were significantly higher than mothers who were pregnant for the second time or more. Conclusions: The perceived severity and susceptibility scores were higher than other constructs, indicating women’s proper understanding of the risks of COVID-19. However, half of them stated that they do not go to receive services, and this issue can have adverse consequences. The researchers recommend planning to improve other model constructs, such as self-efficacy, for improving women’s performance in receiving care.
Retrospective analysis of urinary tract infections in long-term care facilities in Japan: Insights from physical examination-based diagnosis

Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections are highly prevalent among long-term care facility (LTCF) residents, and are thus important targets for antimicrobial stewardship. Diagnoses of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are associated with antimicrobial use in these facilities, are not always made by physicians. Past epidemiologic studies have included asymptomatic bacteriuria together with UTIs. The National Healthcare Safety Network has initiated a surveillance program to identify the causative organisms of UTIs in LTCF residents. In Japan, medical care for these residents is provided through in-person physician visits; however, limited related data are available. Therefore, we investigated the organisms causing UTIs and their drug susceptibility among LTCF residents in central Japan, and examined the prevalence of multidrug resistance, its risk factors, and correlations with clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated clinical and urine culture data of LTCF residents with physician-diagnosed UTIs between April 1, 2019, and April 30, 2022. Results: The detection rate of multidrug-resistant organisms was high, with Escherichia coli being the most prevalent. Ceftriaxone was frequently used for initial therapy. The initial antimicrobial agents were significantly less active against MDR pathogens than non-MDR pathogens. Most residents continued to receive the initial agents regardless of culture results. Nonetheless, differences in the therapy duration, relapse and hospitalization rates, and death rate within 28 days between the multidrug-resistant and non–multidrug-resistant groups were not significant. Conclusions: Antimicrobial stewardship is essential for reducing antimicrobial use and selective pressure in LTCFs in Japan; however, more specific data are needed for its effective implementation.
Activating autophagy promotes skin regeneration induced by mechanical stretch during tissue expansion

Abstract Background Tissue expansion, a technique in which skin regeneration is induced by mechanical stretch stimuli, is commonly used for tissue repair and reconstruction. In this study, we aimed to monitor the autophagy levels of expanded skin after the application of expansion stimuli and explore the effect of autophagy modulation on skin regeneration. Methods A rat scalp expansion model was established to provide a stable expanded skin response to mechanical stretch. Autophagy levels at different time points (6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the last expansion) were detected via western blotting. The effect of autophagy regulation on skin regeneration during tissue expansion was evaluated via skin expansion efficiency assessment, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, TUNEL staining and laser Doppler blood flow imaging. Results The autophagic flux reached its highest level 48 h after tissue expansion. Activating autophagy by rapamycin increased the area of expanded skin as well as the thicknesses of epidermis and dermis. Furthermore, activating autophagy accelerated skin regeneration during tissue expansion by enhancing the proliferation of cells and the number of epidermal basal and hair follicle stem cells, reducing apoptosis, improving angiogenesis, and promoting collagen synthesis and growth factor secretion. Conversely, the regenerative effects were reversed when autophagy was blocked. Conclusions Autophagy modulation may be a promising therapeutic strategy for improving the efficiency of tissue expansion and preventing the incidence of the complication of skin necrosis.
Explicit Control of Step Timing During Split-Belt Walking Reveals Interdependent Recalibration of Movements in Space and Time

Split-belt treadmills that move the legs at different speeds are thought to update internal representations of the environment, such that this novel condition generates a new locomotor pattern with distinct spatio-temporal features compared to those of regular walking. It is unclear the degree to which such recalibration of movements in the spatial and temporal domains is interdependent. In this study, we explicitly altered subjects’ limb motion in either space or time during split-belt walking to determine its impact on the adaptation of the other domain. Interestingly, we observed that motor adaptation in the spatial domain was susceptible to altering the temporal domain, whereas motor adaptation in the temporal domain was resilient to modifying the spatial domain. This nonreciprocal relation suggests a hierarchical organization such that the control of timing in locomotion has an effect on the control of limb position. This is of translational interest because clinical populations often have a greater deficit in one domain compared to the other. Our results suggest that explicit changes to temporal deficits cannot occur without modifying the spatial control of the limb.
Phylogenetic characterisation of tick-borne encephalitis virus from Lithuania

The Baltic states are the region in Europe where tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is most endemic. The highest notification rate of TBE cases is reported in Lithuania, where the incidence of TBE has significantly increased since 1992. A recent study reported 0.4% prevalence of TBE virus (TBEV) in the two most common tick species distributed in Lithuania, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus, with the existence of endemic foci confirmed in seven out of Lithuania’s ten counties. However, until now, no comprehensive data on molecular characterisation and phylogenetic analysis have been available for the circulating TBEV strains. The aim of this study was to analyse TBEV strains derived from I. ricinus and D. reticulatus ticks collected from Lithuania and provide a genotypic characterisation of viruses based on sequence analysis of partial E protein and NS3 genes. The 54 nucleotide sequences obtained were compared with 81 TBEV strains selected from the NCBI database. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial E and NS3 gene sequences derived from 34 Lithuanian TBEV isolates revealed that these were specific to Lithuania, and all belonged to the European subtype, with a maximum identity to the Neudoerfl reference strain (GenBank accession no. U27495) of 98.7% and 97.4%, respectively. The TBEV strains showed significant regional genetic diversity. The detected TBEV genotypes were not specific to the tick species. However, genetic differences were observed between strains from different locations, while strains from the same location showed a high similarity.
Explaining the Nurses’ Spiritual Needs in the Oncology Department: A Qualitative Study

Background: It seems that improving the spiritual dimension of cancer patients can play an effective role in their mental and emotional peace. Meanwhile, oncology ward nurses are one of the most important healthcare providers that can help improve patients’ relationship with God due to their more interaction and communication with patients. For this reason, this study aimed at explaining nurses’ spiritual needs in an oncology ward. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted based on the qualitative content analysis method. The participants included 11 nurses from the oncology ward of Seyed Al Shahada Hospital in Isfahan from 2021 to 2022. A semi-structured interview was administered to determine nurses’ spiritual needs. Results: Analysis of 11 interviews conducted with nurses revealed a total of four main codes, 13 sub-codes, and four sub-sub-codes. According to nurses’ point of view, their spiritual needs can be classified into four dimensions as follows: communication with God, communication with oneself (intrapersonal communication), communication with others (interpersonal communication), and communication with environment. Administered interviews revealed the role of communication with God with six sub-codes as nurses’ most important point of attention. Conclusions: According to nurses’ point of view, nurses’ spiritual needs were divided into the dimensions of communication with God, communication with oneself, communication with others, and communication with environment. Therefore, it is necessary to simultaneously pay attention to oncology nurses’ personal and social aspects to increase their spirituality.
How do creative assets affect overseas market entry modes of enterprises– the moderating role of internal and external factors

In the process of transnational investment management, the choice of entry mode is one of the key decisions, and creative assets will affect the choice of overseas market entry mode. However, few studies have analyzed how creative assets affect firms’ overseas market entry patterns. This paper takes 480 overseas investment data of 134 Chinese listed enterprises from 2012 to 2019 as research samples and uses the Logistic model to study the influence of creative assets owned by enterprises on their choice of the joint venture and wholly owned modes. At the same time, we examine the formal and informal institutional distance between home and host countries, and the moderating effect of firms’ own experience in the process of model selection. In addition, using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) from the perspective of configuration to explore the different paths of overseas market entry mode. The research results indicate that marketing intensity and technical intensity of enterprises have a positive and significant impact on overseas investment patterns, that is, higher marketing intensity or technical intensity will prompt enterprises to preferentially choose wholly-owned mode. Formal institutional distance and experience can moderate the relationship between creativity and investment mode to some extent, while informal institutional distance has no significant moderating effect on creative assets and investment mode. Three configurations can induce firms to choose the wholly-owned mode, and only one configuration can induce firms to choose the joint venture mode. This study lays a theoretical foundation for enterprises to enter the overseas market.
Does increasing biodiversity in an urban woodland setting promote positive emotional responses in humans? A stress recovery experiment using 360-degree videos of an urban woodland

Green spaces can support human stress reduction and foster positive emotional well-being. Previous research has suggested that biodiversity (i.e. the variety of species of plants and animals in a given location) can enhance recovery from stress even further. However, there is limited experimental evidence testing this hypothesis and results, to date, have been mixed. This study aimed to provide further understanding of the role of biodiversity (actual or perceived) on human well-being by experimentally manipulating species richness and stress. Participants (372 in total) took part in an online experiment, where they received an episode of mild stress before watching a 360-degree video to recover. The video showed the same location, an urban woodland, but at one of four artificially manipulated levels of biodiversity. The participants reported their Positive and Negative Affect before and after the stress induction and after watching the video, providing a measure of their stress and well-being throughout the experiment. Participants also reported their perceptions of biodiversity (i.e. how diverse they thought the location was) and elaborated on their responses with brief comments. Repeated Measure Analysis of Variance revealed that exposure to all levels of biodiversity reduced the participants’ Negative Affect, but with no significant difference between the conditions. However, the analysis showed higher Positive Affect in those participants who perceived the environment as more biodiverse. Comments from participants indicated that those who reported noticing flowers and trees in the environment also showed higher Positive Affect. This suggests that perceiving biodiversity promotes more positive emotions, but critically one needs to actually notice (engage with) the components of biodiversity to elicit these extra benefits.
Validation of ncep's ocean winds for the use in wind wave models

The quality of analyzed ocean surface winds from the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) and forecasted winds from the early or 'aviation' cycle of the global medium range forecast model (AVN) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is assessed as part of a validation study of a new wave forecast system. This validation is performed using conventional buoy data and satellite retrieved wind speeds from the ERS1 altimeter and scatterometer. Both GDAS and AVN wind fields are shown to include moderate systematic biases, for which statistical corrections based on both satellite and buoy data are presented. Furthermore, buoy data are shown not to be representative for a global validation study. The altimeter data are potentially of significant importance for wave model validations, as they include collocated wind and wave measurements. The altimeter winds, however, are shown to be seriously contaminated by the development stage of the wave field. As it does not appear to be possible to remove this contamination, altimeter wind data should not be used in the validation of wave models.
America's water: Agricultural water demands and the response of groundwater

Agricultural, industrial, and urban water use in the conterminous United States (CONUS) is highly dependent on groundwater that is largely drawn from nonsurficial wells (>30 m). We use a Demand‐Sensitive Drought Index to examine the impacts of agricultural water needs, driven by low precipitation, high agricultural water demand, or a combination of both, on the temporal variability of depth to groundwater across the CONUS. We characterize the relationship between changes in groundwater levels, agricultural water deficits relative to precipitation during the growing season, and winter precipitation. We find that declines in groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer and around the Mississippi River Valley are driven by groundwater withdrawals used to supplement agricultural water demands. Reductions in agricultural water demands for crops do not, however, lead to immediate recovery of groundwater levels due to the demand for groundwater in other sectors in regions such as Utah, Maryland, and Texas.
Association Analysis Provides Insights into Plant Mitonuclear Interactions

Abstract Cytonuclear interaction refers to the complex and ongoing process of coevolution between nuclear and organelle genomes, which are responsible for cellular respiration, photosynthesis, lipid metabolism, etc. and play a significant role in adaptation and speciation. There have been a large number of studies to detect signatures of cytonuclear interactions. However, identification of the specific nuclear and organelle genetic polymorphisms that are involved in these interactions within a species remains relatively rare. The recent surge in whole genome sequencing has provided us an opportunity to explore cytonuclear interaction from a population perspective. In this study, we analyzed a total of 3,439 genomes from 7 species to identify signals of cytonuclear interactions by association (linkage disequilibrium) analysis of variants in both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes across flowering plants. We also investigated examples of nuclear loci identified based on these association signals using subcellular localization assays, gene editing, and transcriptome sequencing. Our study provides a novel perspective on the investigation of cytonuclear coevolution, thereby enriching our understanding of plant fitness and offspring sterility.
Proceedings of the seventh California oak symposium: managing oak woodlands in a dynamic world

Beginning in 1979, there have been a series of symposia held every 5 to 7 years addressing the state of our knowledge about science, policy and management factors affecting California's oak resource. This program represents the seventh symposium in the series. California's oak woodlands cover 10 percent of the state, and in addition, are a key ecological component of conifer forests. Oak woodlands are the most biologically diverse broad habitat in the state, making conservation of their ecosystem values an important policy and management priority. The meeting location in the San Joaquin Valley was conveniently situated for both northern and southern California oak scientists, managers, policy makers and interest groups. These proceedings have 56 papers in a broad array of subject areas, including: wildlife and oaks; oak ecosystem services; oak restoration; oak conservation, management and utilization; and the gold-spotted oak borer and sudden oak death.
Extracellular Vesicles Obtained From Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells Cultured Under Intermittent Hypoxia Induce M2 Macrophage Polarization via miR-20a-5p Delivery

Introduction: Intermittent hypoxia (IH), an important feature of obstructive sleep apnea, enhances the function of lung cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to exacerbate the immunosuppressive properties of macrophages. Herein, we investigated the effects of EVs obtained from lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured under IH on macrophage polarization. Methods: The M1-type and M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tissues from lung adenocarcinoma cases with (n = 10) or without (n = 12) OSA were assessed by immunohistochemical studies. EVs obtained from A549 cells grown under normoxia (EV-NA) or IH (EV-IH) were isolated and cocultured with macrophages. MicroRNA sequencing was used to determine discrepant miRNAs in EVs, selecting miR-20a-5p for subsequent experiments. Next, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, luciferase reporter assay, western blotting assay, and gain- and loss-of-function assays were used to explore the mechanism by which miR-20a-5p promotes M2 macrophage polarization by targeting phosphatase and Tensin homolog gene (PTEN). Results: Stromal M2 TAMs were highly abundant in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and obstructive sleep apnea. Macrophages treated with EV-IH that highly expressed miR-20a-5p showed the M2 phenotype. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed PTEN as a target of miR-20a-5p. Transfection of miR-20a-5p mimics decreased PTEN expression, upregulated M2 polarization markers, and promoted Akt phosphorylation in macrophages, while transfection with a miR-20a-5p inhibitor had the opposite effects. Furthermore, miR-20a-5p inhibition in macrophages eliminated the PTEN downregulation, Akt phosphorylation, and upregulation of M2 polarization markers induced by EV-IH transfection. Conclusion: These findings indicate that EVs obtained from lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured under IH deliver miR-20a-5p to promote M2 macrophage polarization by targeting PTEN.