Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual and Gender Minority Stress Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for LGBTQ Young Persons’ Mental Health and Well-Being

University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 2 LGBTQ+ Students and Allies in Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 3 University of Maryland Prevention Research Center, College Park, MD, USA 4 Department of Biology, College of Computer, Math, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 5 Department of Psychology, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 6 Department of Public Health Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 7 Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Evaluation of risk factors for postoperative complications in rectal cancer patients.

Introduction: The complications of surgical treatment for rectal cancer, particularly anastomotic leaks after anterior resection, are a significant clinical problem. We retrospectively analysed preoperative factors that may affect the occurrence of complications. Meterial and Methods: A total of 392 rectal cancer patients were included in a retrospective analysis. A total of 257 anterior resections (AR) and 135 abdominoperineal resections (APR) were performed. The risk factors for early postoperative complications were analysed by logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The significant risk factors for severe complications (grade 3B and higher on the Clavien-Dindo scale) in the multivariate analysis were neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio > 5 (P = 0.047) in the AR group, age of the patients (P = 0.031) in the APR group, and coronary artery disease in both groups (P = 0.03, P = 0.011, respectively). There were no risk factors for anastomotic leaks in the AR group before the analysis was divided into early and late leaks. In the univariate analysis, the statistically significant risk factors for early leaks were preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio > 5 and peripheral blood platelet count, while late leaks were associated with coronary artery disease; however, in the multivariate analysis, these factors were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The risk factors for severe postoperative complications were neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio > 5, advanced age of the patients and coronary artery disease. The different risk factors for early and late anastomotic leaks after anterior resection may indicate their different aetiologies.
Skeletal muscle fat and carbohydrate metabolism during recovery from glycogen‐depleting exercise in humans

The primary aim of the present study was to determine whether intramuscular triacylglycerol (IMTG) utilization contributed significantly to the increase in lipid oxidation during recovery from exercise, as determined from the muscle biopsy technique. In addition, we also examined the regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) and changes in muscle acetyl units during an 18 h recovery period after glycogen‐depleting exercise. Eight endurance‐trained males completed an exhaustive bout of exercise (∼90 min) on a cycle ergometer followed by ingestion of carbohydrate (CHO)‐rich meals (64–70 % of energy from carbohydrate) at 1, 4 and 7 h of recovery. Duplicate muscle biopsies were obtained at exhaustion, and 3, 6 and 18 h of recovery. Despite the large intake of CHO during recovery (491 ± 28 g or 6.8 ± 0.3 g kg−1), respiratory exchange ratio values of 0.77 to 0.84 indicated a greater reliance on lipid as an oxidative fuel. However, there was no net IMTG utilization during recovery. IMTG content at exhaustion was 23.5 ± 3.5 mmol (kg dry wt)−1, and remained constant at 24.6 ± 2.6, 25.7 ± 2.8 and 28.4 ± 3.0 mmol (kg dry wt)−1 after 3, 6 and 18 h of recovery. Muscle glycogen increased significantly from 37 ± 11 mmol (kg dry wt)−1 at exhaustion, to 165 ± 13, 250 ± 18, and 424 ± 22 mmol (kg dry wt)−1 at 3, 6 and 18 h of recovery, respectively. PDHa was reduced at 6 and 18 h when compared to exhaustion, but did not change during the recovery period. Acetyl‐CoA, acetylcarnitine and pyruvate contents declined significantly after 3 h of recovery compared to exhaustion, and thereafter remained unchanged. We conclude that IMTG has a negligible role in contributing to the enhanced fat oxidation during recovery from exhaustive exercise. Despite the elevation of glucose and insulin following high‐CHO meals during recovery, CHO oxidation and PDH activation were decreased, supporting the hypothesis that glycogen resynthesis is of high metabolic priority. Plasma fatty acids, very low density lipoprotein triacylglycerols, as well as intramuscular acetylcarnitine stores are likely to be important fuel sources for aerobic energy, particularly during the first few hours of recovery.
Discriminative Mixture Variational Autoencoder for Semisupervised Classification

In this article, a deep probability model, called the discriminative mixture variational autoencoder (DMVAE), is developed for the feature extraction in semisupervised learning. The DMVAE consists of three parts: 1) the encoding; 2) decoding; and 3) classification modules. In the encoding module, the encoder projects the observation to the latent space, and then the latent representation is fed to the decoding part, which depicts the generative process from the hidden variable to data. In particular, the decoding module in our DMVAE partitions the observed dataset into some clusters via multiple decoders whose number is automatically determined via the Dirichlet process (DP) and learns a probability distribution for each cluster. Compared to the standard variational autoencoder (VAE) describing all data with a single probability function, the DMVAE has the capacity to give a more accurate description for observations, thus improving the characterization ability of the extracted features, especially for the data with complex distribution. Moreover, to obtain a discriminative latent space, the class labels of labeled data are introduced to restrict the feature learning via a softmax classifier, with which the minimum entropy of the predicted labels for the features from unlabeled data can also be guaranteed. Finally, the joint optimization of the marginal likelihood, label, and entropy constraints makes the DMVAE have higher classification confidence for unlabeled data while accurately classifying the labeled data, ultimately leading to better performance. Experiments on several benchmark datasets and the measured radar echo dataset show the advantages of our DMVAE-based semisupervised classification over other related methods.
Differential GLP-1R binding and activation by peptide and non-peptide agonists

Peptide drugs targeting class B1 GPCRs can treat multiple diseases, however there remains substantial interest in the development of orally delivered non-peptide drugs. Here we reveal unexpected overlap between signalling and regulation of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor by the non-peptide agonist, PF 06882961, and GLP-1 that was not observed for another compound, OWL-833. Both compounds are currently in clinical trials for treatment of type 2 diabetes. High resolution cryo-EM structures reveal the binding sites for PF-06882961 and GLP-1 substantially overlap, whereas OWL-833 adopts a unique binding mode with a more open receptor conformation at the extracellular face. Structural differences involving extensive water-mediated hydrogen bond networks could be correlated to functional data to understand how PF 06882961, but not OWL-833, can closely mimic the pharmacological properties of GLP-1. These findings will facilitate rational structure-based discovery of non-peptide agonists targeting class B GPCRs.
A sleep-like state in Hydra unravels conserved sleep mechanisms during the evolutionary development of the central nervous system

The brain-less freshwater polyp Hydra controls sleep-wake cycles by mechanisms conserved or reprogrammed among animal species. Sleep behaviors are observed even in nematodes and arthropods, yet little is known about how sleep-regulatory mechanisms have emerged during evolution. Here, we report a sleep-like state in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris with a primitive nervous organization. Hydra sleep was shaped by homeostasis and necessary for cell proliferation, but it lacked free-running circadian rhythms. Instead, we detected 4-hour rhythms that might be generated by ultradian oscillators underlying Hydra sleep. Microarray analysis in sleep-deprived Hydra revealed sleep-dependent expression of 212 genes, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (PRKG1) and ornithine aminotransferase. Sleep-promoting effects of melatonin, GABA, and PRKG1 were conserved in Hydra. However, arousing dopamine unexpectedly induced Hydra sleep. Opposing effects of ornithine metabolism on sleep were also evident between Hydra and Drosophila, suggesting the evolutionary switch of their sleep-regulatory functions. Thus, sleep-relevant physiology and sleep-regulatory components may have already been acquired at molecular levels in a brain-less metazoan phylum and reprogrammed accordingly.
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INFLOWS TO SUB SAHARAN AFRICA: DO RESOURCE ENDOWMENT AND MARKET SIZE MATTER?

The study examined whether resource endowment and market size of an economy are significant channels for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). It employed the System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) in analysing unbalanced panel data of 31 countries covering the period from 1996 to 2015. The primary findings indicate that both resource endowment and market size are significant channels in attracting FDI inflows to SSA. The comparative analysis between rich and poor resource countries confirms suggestive evidence of higher affinity in rich resource countries over poor resource countries in attracting FDI inflows. A similar finding is evident between large and small market size in which countries having large market size exhibit higher attractive level of FDI inflows. The finding implies that, host countries in SSA should make policies underpinning GDP growth including infrastructure development to enhance local market competitive capacity. Similarly, countries endowed with abundant natural resources should enact favourable laws and regulations in guiding effective use of these resources for their national benefits through resource promotion to attract significant FDI inflows
Formulation and Evaluation of Nanoemulsion Based Nanoemulgel of Aceclofenac

Aim & objective: The present work aimed to formulation and evaluation of nanoemulsion based nanoemugel of aceclofenac for improving its efficacy, stability, and permeability, bioavailability for the treatment of arthritis. Methods: O/W Nanoemulsions were prepared using aqueous titration method oleic acid was chosen as the oil phase, Tween 20, ethanol were used as surfactant and cosurfactant respectively, on the basis of solubility studies and emulsification studies in the formulation of nanoemulsion. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to obtain the nanoemulsion region. Further optimized NE was incorporated into different concentration of Carbopol-940 to get a gel for improving convenience in superficial application of the drug. Drug loaded NE and NEG were characterized for particle size, viscosity, rheological behavior, thermodynamic stability studies. Results: The optimized formulation was compared to conventional gel formulation and it showed higher permeation rate invitro and ex-vivo which justifies the nanoemulsion gel to be a promising carrier for transdermal delivery of aceclofenac Conclusion: The optimized formulation showed higher drug release of 90.2%, compared to conventional gel that released 68.2% release in about 9 hrs. The study suggested that nanoemulsion significantly enhanced bioavailability of transdermally applied aceclofenac.
First Birth of Cheetah Cubs from In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

Simple Summary Although the cheetah is the most studied of all wild felid species, reproduction of cheetahs in zoological settings has never been self-sustaining. A large proportion (~30%) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums population is excluded from breeding due to advanced age, health, behavior, or management issues. Development of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to enable the genetic contribution of sub-fertile individuals is now a priority research and management focus. We have previously demonstrated that aging females produce eggs that have the same developmental competence as young females. The objective of the present study was to produce embryos in vitro from older donor oocytes and transfer them into younger recipients to obtain pregnancies and live births. Good quality oocytes were collected from three synchronized donors, fertilized in vitro with frozen-thawed semen, and cultured for two days. Resulting embryos were transferred into the oviduct of three synchronized recipients. Pregnancies were monitored via fecal levels of progestogens, ultrasonography, and radiography. Two cubs were born naturally after 90 days of gestation, representing the first cheetah births resulting from the transfer of embryos produced in vitro. Abstract Approximately 30% of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums cheetah population (~350 total animals) is unlikely to breed naturally due to advanced age, health, or behavioral issues. Aging cheetah females (≥9 y old) are unlikely to become pregnant via natural breeding if they are nulliparous. We previously demonstrated that oocytes recovered from aged females were of similar quality compared with those recovered from younger females (2–8 y old). We hypothesize that transfer of 4–8 cell embryos produced by in vitro fertilization with oocytes from old donors could result in pregnancy after transfer into younger recipients. Female cheetahs (n = 3 aging donors and n = 3 young recipients) received 300 IU equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG) and 3000 IU Luteinizing Hormone (LH) while fecal metabolites of estrogens and progestogens were closely monitored. At 28 h post-LH injection, oocytes were aspirated laparoscopically from donors and inseminated in vitro with cryopreserved sperm. After 48 h of in vitro culture, resulting embryos (4–8 cells) were transferred into the oviducts of recipient females. Pregnancy was confirmed in one recipient via ultrasound 32 days after transfer and by radiograph 62 days after transfer. Two cubs were born naturally after 90 days of gestation, representing the first cheetah births resulting from transfer of embryos produced in vitro.
Focus on atherosclerosis and lipids

Dyslipidemia is an important cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) worldwide that leads to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Treating dyslipidemia to goal reduces the risks of ASCVD. Statins are the cornerstone of the treatment; however, despite the demonstrated benefits of these agents, registries and observational studies have reported statin intolerance prevalence rates of 7% to 29%, with the predominant symptoms being musclerelated side effects. Fibrates have been used to treat dyslipidemia, particularly hypertriglyceridemia, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, conventional fibrates have low selectivity for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)a and have been shown to elevate liver function test values and to worsen kidney function. Moreover, the potential role of HDL in the prevention and treatment of ASCVD has been extensively investigated in recent years, but the regulation of HDL-cholesterol remains an enigmatic therapeutic target. Therefore, there is a need for new and safe oral agents to address classic lipid targets, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol. In the present issue of the journal the review by Sirtori et al., revisiting available English-language studies published from January 1998 to March 2019, investigates synthetic orally administered pharmacotherapies, in advanced development or currently in use. In brief, the authors showed that among the novel cholesterol-lowering medications, pitavastatin and bempedoic acids are promising agents because the former does not adversely affect glucose metabolism and the latter is not associated with muscular side effects confirming the results of a recent review. In the context of hypertriglyceridemia pemafibrate, a selective PPARa modulator, exhibited a relatively significant lower elevation in serum creatinine and liver function tests. Furthermore, among cholesteryl ester transfer protein antagonists that elevate HDLcholesterol, only anacetrapib reduces cardiovascular events. Total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio discordance with LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol and incidence of ASCVD in primary prevention
Is the COVID-19 disease associated with de novo nephritic syndrome?

INTRODUCTION This study aims to determine the incidence of de novo nephritic syndrome (NS) in COVID-19 patients and identify its associated factors. METHODS All ward patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were investigated. After determining the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the study population was identified. The urine dipstick test and urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) measurements were performed. Patients with de novo NS findings, nasopharyngeal swab, and urine RT-PCR tests were performed simultaneously. RESULTS This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 21 patients with COVID-19. The mean age of the patients was 42.2±8.8 years, and 71.4% of them were male. The mean duration of follow-up was 28.4±9.3 days. The urine RT-PCR test was positive in one patient (4.8%). Improvements were observed in hematuria by 71.4%, and proteinuria by 85.7% at the end of the follow-up. A significant decrease in the measured UPCR was found in comparison to the baseline(P=0.000). Also, improvements were recorded in the complete blood counts, inflammatory parameters, ferritin, and coagulation tests, compared to the baseline. There was a positive correlation between baseline UPCR and ferritin, and a negative correlation between baseline UPCR and sodium values. CONCLUSION COVID-19-induced de novo nephritic syndrome may occur mainly due to tubulointerstitial involvement and often results in spontaneous remission. However, why these findings were not present in all patients who had no comorbidities is not clear.
Ecology of the Chinese Stripe-Necked Turtle, Ocadia sinensis (Testudines: Emydidae), in the Keelung River, Northern Taiwan

An intensive ecological study of a large population of the Chinese stripe-necked turtle, Ocadia sinensis, was conducted in northern Taiwan from February 1995 to May 1996. Of 661 turtles captured and measured, there were 136 unsexedjuveniles, 289 males, and 233 females; the sex ratio was significantly male-biased. Significant sexual size dimorphism was evident. Females grew larger than males; mean body size of females over four years was consistently larger than that of coeval males. Xray photography revealed that females were gravid from March to May. Clutch size averaged 12.6 and varied from 7 to 17. Stomach contents collected from June to October 1995 revealed sexual differences in diet: males tended to consume animal
Stringent containment measures without complete city lockdown to achieve low incidence and mortality across two waves of COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Introduction An international city, Hong Kong, in proximity to the first epicentre of COVID- 19, experienced two epidemic waves with different importation pressure. We compared the epidemiological features of patients with COVID-19 in the context of containment policies between the first and second waves. Methods We retrieved information on the first 1038 cases detected in Hong Kong (23 January to 25 April 2020) to analyse the epidemiological characteristics including age/gender-specific incidence, clustering, reproduction number (Rt) and containment delay; in relation to the containment measures implemented. Factors associated with containment delay were evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis with age, gender, epidemic wave and infection source as covariates. A time series of 5-day moving average was plotted to examine the changes across the two epidemic waves. Results The incidence and mortality (135.5 and 0.5 per 1 000 000 population) was among the lowest in the world. Aggressive escalation of border control correlated with reductions in Rt from 1.35 to 0.57 and 0.92 to 0.18, and aversions of 450 and 1650 local infections during the first and second waves, respectively. Implementing COVID-19 tests for overseas returners correlated with an upsurge of asymptomatic case detection, and shortened containment delay in the second wave. Medium-sized cluster events in the first wave were family gatherings, whereas those in the second wave were leisure activities among youngsters. Containment delay was associated with older age (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.02, p=0.040), male gender (AOR=1.41, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.96, p=0.039) and local cases (AOR=11.18, 95% CI 7.43 to 16.83, p<0.001), and with significant improvement in the second wave compared with the first wave (average: 6.8 vs 3.7 days). A higher incidence rate was observed for males, raising possibility of gender predilection in susceptibility of developing symptoms. Conclusion Prompt and stringent all-round containment strategies represent successful measures in pandemic control. These findings could inform formulation and implementation of pandemic mitigation strategies.
Selection indices for the genetic improvement of Caribbean pine to increase sawn timber production

Summary Four selection indices were developed for Pinus caribaea Morelet var. hondurensis Barrett and Golfari grown in Queensland, in order to maximise the rate of genetic improvement in the volume of sawn timber recovered from 20-year-old trees. The first index placed no restriction on correlated genetic changes in density or spiral grain while the other three restricted changes in either or both of these wood properties to zero. Measurements of diameter at breast height, height and stem straightness made at 11 years were used as the controlling characters. For all indices, genetic responses in sawn-timber production were predicted using both mass selection and combined selection. Genetic gains of up to 18% were predicted, with an associated reduction of 13% in density. Gains in sawn-timber production of 8% were predicted with no decreases in density or spiral grain. Thus, substantial gains in sawn-timber production may only be possible at the expense of density. Other approaches for the development of a.
Standardization of seed dormancy breaking treatment in Senna (Cassia auriculata)

The study conducted to standardize the seed dormancy breaking treatment in senna (Cassia auriculata) revealed that soaking the seeds in hot water (boiled to 100°C and removed from the flame) for 15 min and soaking with 100 ppm GA3 for 3 h had effectively improved the germination (98%), root length (7.2 cm), shoot length (9.5 cm), dry matter production (0.258 g per ten seedlings) and vigour index (1637) compared to hot water treatment for 15 min alone (89% germination) and non-scarified seeds (20% germination). The seeds scarified with concentrated sulphuric acid also showed better germination than the non scarified seeds but less than the hot water scarified seeds. Key words: Senna, Cassia auriculata, seed dormancy breaking, hot water treatment.