Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent progress and new challenges in modeling of human pluripotent stem cell-derived blood-brain barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a semipermeable unit that serves to vascularize the central nervous system (CNS) while tightly regulating the movement of molecules, ions, and cells between the blood and the brain. The BBB precisely controls brain homeostasis and protects the neural tissue from toxins and pathogens. The BBB is coordinated by a tight monolayer of brain microvascular endothelial cells, which is subsequently supported by mural cells, astrocytes, and surrounding neuronal cells that regulate the barrier function with a series of specialized properties. Dysfunction of barrier properties is an important pathological feature in the progression of various neurological diseases. In vitro BBB models recapitulating the physiological and diseased states are important tools to understand the pathological mechanism and to serve as a platform to screen potential drugs. Recent advances in this field have stemmed from the use of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Various cell types of the BBB such as brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), pericytes, and astrocytes have been derived from PSCs and synergistically incorporated to model the complex BBB structure in vitro. In this review, we summarize the most recent protocols and techniques for the differentiation of major cell types of the BBB. We also discuss the progress of BBB modeling by using PSC-derived cells and perspectives on how to reproduce more natural BBBs in vitro.
Métodos estatísticos ótimos na análise de experimentos de campo no melhoramento de plantas.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo apontar alguns procedimentos otimos de analise estatistica de dados advindos de experimentos de campo. Inumeros procedimentos estatisticos existem para esta finalidade mas muitos deles nao sao otimos para uso de forma generalizada. Muitas vezes o usuario aplica, ao mesmo conjunto de dados experimentais, um grande numero de metodos disponiveis sem se atentar para a escolha do procedimento que e otimo por concepcao. Assim, sao apontados aqui procedimentos otimos especialmente relacionados ao melhoramento genetico, enfatizando-se os metodos BLUP e IME para a predicao de valores geneticos; REML para a estimacao de componentes de variância; modelos fator analiticos multiplicativos mistos (FAMM) para a analise de multiplos experimentos e da divergencia genetica, adaptabilidade e estabilidade genotipica; media harmonica da performance relativa dos valores geneticos (MHPRVG) para inferencia simultânea sobre produtividade, estabilidade e adaptabilidade; modelos autoregressivos separaveis de primeira ordem em duas dimensoes (linha e coluna) para analise espacial de experimentos (AR1 x AR1); modelos de competicao genotipica para contemplar a interferencia entre tratamentos; modelo auto-regressivo com variâncias heterogeneas (ARH) ou modelo ante-dependencia estruturado (SAD) para analise de medidas repetidas com correlacoes de magnitudes decrescentes com o aumento da distância entre medicoes; modelos para estudos de QTL envolvendo simultaneamente os efeitos dos QTL marcados, dos QTL nao marcados, da dependencia espacial e da competicao entre genotipos. Grande parte do material apresentado aqui baseia-se no trabalho de Resende (2004).
Physio-chemical changes of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) at postharvest period due to the use of modified atmosphere packaging

Litchi is a fast perishable fruit. The first purpose of this experiment is to observe the physiological and chemical changes occurred in litchi fruits at postharvest period for using low temperature (4 °C) and polypropylene bags. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications. In case of low temperature (4 °C), at 3 rd day of storage the condition of peel was the best of all (pulp to peel ratio 4.48), minimum dry matter content (16.71%), minimum pulp pH (3.70), maximum titratable acidity (0.48%); at 9 th day of storage maximum total soluble solids (19.53 ºBrix); disease incidence (0.00%) and disease severity (0.00%) was found at all the storage period. In case of various thickness of polypropylene bags, the lowest dry matter content (16.87%), the lowest rate of TSS (18.30 ºBrix), highest titratable acid content (0.48%) were found in litchis kept in 75µ PP bags at 3 rd day of storage; the lowest rate of disease incidence (0.00%) and disease severity (6.67%) in litchis kept in 75µ PP bags at 2 nd and 8 th day of storage. The lowest pulp to peel ratio (4.46) and the maximum pH of fruit pulp (4.13) were observed in litchis kept in 100µ thickness of PP bag at the 9 th day of storage. By using low temperature (4 °C) and 75µ PP bag, the quality of litchi can be well preserved from the time of laid from the tree to the time of human consumption.
Compositional Changes of the High-Fat Diet-Induced Gut Microbiota upon Consumption of Common Pulses

The gut microbiome is involved in the host’s metabolism, development, and immunity, which translates to measurable impacts on disease risk and overall health. Emerging evidence supports pulses, i.e., grain legumes, as underutilized nutrient-dense, culinarily versatile, and sustainable staple foods that promote health benefits through modulating the gut microbiota. Herein, the effects of pulse consumption on microbial composition in the cecal content of mice were assessed. Male mice were fed an obesogenic diet formulation with or without 35% of the protein component comprised by each of four commonly consumed pulses—lentil (Lens culinaris L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), or dry pea (Pisum sativum L.). Mice consuming pulses had distinct microbial communities from animals on the pulse-free diet, as evidenced by β-diversity ordinations. At the phylum level, animals consuming pulses showed an increase in Bacteroidetes and decreases in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Furthermore, α-diversity was significantly higher in pulse-fed animals. An ecosystem of the common bacteria that were enhanced, suppressed, or unaffected by most of the pulses was identified. These compositional changes are accompanied by shifts in predicted metagenome functions and are concurrent with previously reported anti-obesogenic physiologic outcomes, suggestive of microbiota-associated benefits of pulse consumption.
Musculoskeletal sports medicine injuries in special operations forces soldiers

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) normally related to sports occur to a large degree during physical activity in soldiers from special operations forces (SOF) and are the leading course for disability in military personnel. Efforts to prevent these injuries have been initiated through human performance optimization programs in several SOF´s. However, to provide the best conditions for the development of such strategies initially a comprehensive description of the injury epidemiology in this very unique population is required. Overall, studies indicate that more than half of SOF Operators—who have training amounts similar to elite athletes—experience one sports‐related injury per year, and the most common sites of injury are the shoulder, lumbar spine, and knee. Around half the injuries are acute, and the other 50% are chronic injuries. Although the type of injury is mapped, there is a lack of data regarding causes, mechanisms, and severity of injuries.
Never Underestimate the Power of a Backhoe: Integrating Single Points of Failure into Strategic Planning

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is probably used more often than any other management technique in strategic decision making. There appears to be a greater emphasis, however, on identifying strengths and opportunities while weaknesses and threats are examined less closely. Such bias may be problematic because firms may overlook single points of failure (SPOFs), which are elements that, upon malfunction, render an entire system unavailable or unreliable. These threats and weaknesses are most often presented in information technology and engineering discussions of equipment, machine, and device breakdowns, but may have applicability in a number of other areas important to organizations including people; materials and supplies; methods and processes; and shock events—natural and human-made disasters. To be resilient in today’s 24-7, 365 days a year global business world, it is critical that organizations effectively anticipate, evaluate, prepare for, and mitigate SPOF risks that can have a seriously negative impact on a firm’s performance. The paper concludes with a three-step approach to help managers reduce and effectively respond to SPOFs. Companies that integrate the concept of SPOFs into their strategic planning could develop high-impact management skill, leading to improved corporate profitability. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
Overexpression of Plasmodium falciparum M1 Aminopeptidase Promotes an Increase in Intracellular Proteolysis and Modifies the Asexual Erythrocytic Cycle Development

Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent of the human malaria parasite, is responsible for high mortality rates worldwide. We studied the M1 alanyl-aminopeptidase of this protozoan (PfA-M1), which is involved in the final stages of hemoglobin cleavage, an essential process for parasite survival. Aiming to help in the rational development of drugs against this target, we developed a new strain of P. falciparum overexpressing PfA-M1 without the signal peptide (overPfA-M1). The overPfA-M1 parasites showed a 2.5-fold increase in proteolytic activity toward the fluorogenic substrate alanyl-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin, in relation to the wild-type group. Inhibition studies showed that overPfA-M1 presented a lower sensitivity against the metalloaminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin and to other recombinant PfA-M1 inhibitors, in comparison with the wild-type strain, indicating that PfA-M1 is a target for the in vitro antimalarial activity of these compounds. Moreover, overPfA-M1 parasites present a decreased in vitro growth, showing a reduced number of merozoites per schizont, and also a decrease in the iRBC area occupied by the parasite in trophozoite and schizont forms when compared to the controls. Interestingly, the transgenic parasite displays an increase in the aminopeptidase activity toward Met-, Ala-, Leu- and Arg-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin. We also investigated the potential role of calmodulin and cysteine proteases in PfA-M1 activity. Taken together, our data show that the overexpression of PfA-M1 in the parasite cytosol can be a suitable tool for the screening of antimalarials in specific high-throughput assays and may be used for the identification of intracellular molecular partners that modulate their activity in P. falciparum.
Glyphosate Pollution Treatment and Microbial Degradation Alternatives, a Review

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide extensively used worldwide to eliminate weeds in agricultural areas. Since its market introduction in the 70’s, the levels of glyphosate agricultural use have increased, mainly due to the introduction of glyphosate-resistant transgenic crops in the 90’s. Glyphosate presence in the environment causes pollution, and recent findings have proposed that glyphosate exposure causes adverse effects in different organisms, including humans. In 2015, glyphosate was classified as a probable carcinogen chemical, and several other human health effects have been documented since. Environmental pollution and human health threats derived from glyphosate intensive use require the development of alternatives for its elimination and proper treatment. Bioremediation has been proposed as a suitable alternative for the treatment of glyphosate-related pollution, and several microorganisms have great potential for the biodegradation of this herbicide. The present review highlights the environmental and human health impacts related to glyphosate pollution, the proposed alternatives for its elimination through physicochemical and biological approaches, and recent studies related to glyphosate biodegradation by bacteria and fungi are also reviewed. Microbial remediation strategies have great potential for glyphosate elimination, however, additional studies are needed to characterize the mechanisms employed by the microorganisms to counteract the adverse effects generated by the glyphosate exposure.
Real-Time PCR Assay for the Detection of Dermatophytes: Comparison between an In-House Method and a Commercial Kit for the Diagnosis of Dermatophytoses in Patients from Dakar, Senegal

Background. PCR assays have been developed for the diagnosis of dermatophytes, yet data in African populations are scarce. Objective. This study aimed to compare two PCR assays for the diagnosis of dermatophytosis in outpatients at the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. Patients and methods. A total of 105 samples, including 24 skin, 19 nail and 62 hair samples collected from 99 patients were included in this study. Each sample was subjected to conventional diagnosis (CD), including direct microscopy and culture, and two real-time PCR assays: one in-house (IH)-PCR, used at the University Hospital of Marseille and the Eurobio Scientific commercial kit (CK): designed for the specific detection of six dermatophytes not including Microsporum audouinii. Results. Of the 105 specimens, 24.8%, 36.2% and 20% were positive by CD, IH-PCR and CK-PCR, respectively. The IH-PCR and CK-PCR exhibited 88.9% and 65.4% sensitivity, respectively. With a 36.6 diagnostic odd ratio and 1.41 needed to diagnose, the IH-PCR displayed better diagnostic indices than the CK-PCR. It is notable that, when considering the species that it claims to detect, when it came to skin and nail samples, CK-PCR sensitivity increased to 77%. Conclusions. The pan-dermatophyte IH-PCR performed better in the diagnosis of dermatophytosis in this African population than the CK-PCR, which is not designed to detect M. audouinii. Nevertheless, both assays exhibited similarly good diagnostic indices for tinea corporis and tinea unguium, both of which are localisations where M. audouinii is more rarely involved than in tinea capitis.
Association of Two Variable Number of Tandem Repeats in the Monoamine Oxidase A Gene Promoter with Schizophrenia

Background Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) decomposes dopamine and serotonin, and decreased MAO-A expression increases monoamine levels and is related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous studies have reported that variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), namely, upstream (u)VNTR, and some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MAOA gene are associated with schizophrenia. Methods We investigated the two VNTRs and their related SNPs (rs6323 and rs1137070) in the MAOA gene promoter in 859 patients with schizophrenia and 826 healthy controls. Distal (d)VNTR and uVNTR were genotyped with fluorescence-based fragment polymerase chain reaction assays, and rs6323 and rs1137070 with TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Results Neither the genotype nor allelic frequency of the VNTRs or SNPs showed significant differences between the schizophrenia and control groups. On the other hand, analysis of the dVNTR-uVNTR-rs6323-rs1137070 haplotype showed significant association for nine repeats (9R)-3R-T-C in female patients (corrected p = 0.0006, odds ratio [confidence interval] = 2.17 [1.446–3.257]). Conclusion Our findings provide novel evidence that MAOA gene polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia in females.
Effects of the Aromatherapy Program Using Fir Needle Essential Oil on Stress, Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Middle-Aged Women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy program using fir needle essential oil on stress, sleep quality, and fatigue of middle aged women. Twenty middle-aged women were divided into experimental group and control group. The experimental group inhaled the fir needle fragrance for 5 minutes and received a back massage with sunflower oil mixed with fir essential oil for 20 minutes. The control group took a rest for 5 minutes instead of inhaling the fragrance of essential oils and received a back massage with only sunflower oil. The experiment was conducted total eight times (twice a week) for four weeks. For the measurement of stress, fatigue, and sleep quality, questionnaires were used to collect data in the pre-test survey and post-test survey. As a result, the scores of physical and psychological stress in the experimental group and the control group were significantly decreased. However, the physical stress was more decreased in the experimental group treated with fir oil aromatherapy. In addition, both groups showed a significant difference in the quality of sleep. Fatigue measurements showed significant changes in both groups, but the fatigue reduction was more significant in the experimental group. These results suggest that massage therapy for the middle-aged women has a positive effect on relieving physical and psychological stress, improving sleep quality and reducing fatigue by assisting metabolism and blood circulation. This study proved that fir needle essential oil can be a good material for aromatherapy to promote health of middle aged women undergoing physical, psychological, and social changes.
Investigating Alderfer’s Work Motivation Theory to Explore Work Burnout

The pandemic has changed the way people work. In the midst of excitement of working from home emerged the issue of work burnout. Work burnout is a phenomenon associated with people and their career development. Work burnout is an important risk factor for excessive stress in individual professional lives. The present study aims to explore Alderfer's Work Motivation Theory to understand work burnout. This study explores how ERG (Existence, Relatedness and Growth) Motivation influences the factors of personal, colleague and work-related burnout. Feeling of deprivation in the working environment leads to burnout. Therefore, this research aims on personal, colleague and work-related burnout. The data conducted through a total of 100 respondents from a public university in Malaysia. The data collection using quantitative methods was performed through questionnaires and SPSS was used to summarize the demographic information and descriptive analysis. The questionnaire consists of 4 sections, a) demographic profile, b) personal burnout, c) work related burnout and d) colleague related burnout with a total of 23 items. The findings shed light on the role of work motivation in transmitting the impact of work burnout. The major contribution of the study is to understand that work motivation is indeed affecting work burnout. The study presented has profound implications for future studies of work motivation and it is hoped this study will provide valuable evidence on how to focus on personal, colleague and work-related burnout for continuous improvement.
Effects of Forest Changes on Summer Surface Temperature in Changbai Mountain, China

The area and vegetation coverage of forests in Changbai Mountain of China have changed significantly during the past decades. Understanding the effects of forests and forest coverage change on regional climate is important for predicting climate change in Changbai Mountain. Based on the satellite-derived land surface temperature (LST), albedo, evapotranspiration, leaf area index, and land-use data, this study analyzed the influences of forests and forest coverage changes on summer LST in Changbai Mountain. Results showed that the area and vegetation coverage of forests increased in Changbai Mountain from 2003 to 2017. Compared with open land, forests could decrease the summer daytime LST (LSTD) and nighttime LST (LSTN) by 1.10 °C and 0.07 °C, respectively. The increase in forest coverage could decrease the summer LSTD and LSTN by 0.66 °C and 0.04 °C, respectively. The forests and increasing forest coverage had cooling effects on summer temperature, mainly by decreasing daytime temperature in Changbai Mountain. The daytime cooling effect is mainly related to the increased latent heat flux caused by increasing evapotranspiration. Our results suggest that the effects of forest coverage change on climate should be considered in climate models for accurately simulating regional climate change in Changbai Mountain of China.
Food Insecurity Is Associated with Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review of Findings across the Life Course

Food insecurity (FI) has negative implications across the life course that include poor health outcomes among both children and adults. However, the behavioral mechanisms by which FI impacts health behaviors are not clear. By understanding how FI is related to cognitive function/brain structure across the life course, we can design more targeted interventions. A systematic literature review was performed by conducting comprehensive database searches in Google Scholar and PubMed. Inclusion criteria required studies to include measures of FI and cognitive function/brain structure in humans. Study sample, design, outcomes, and biases were extracted. In total, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Cognitive domains included general cognition (n = 13), executive function (n = 10), visuospatial abilities (n = 4), and verbal memory (n = 8). No studies examined brain structure. Most studies (88%) indicated significant inverse associations between FI and cognitive function across all stages of the life course, particularly for general cognition and executive function. Significant inverse associations were observed between FI and either general cognition or executive function among children (n = 3) and adults (n = 12). All studies considered confounding variables; however, given that all were observational, no causality can be inferred from the findings. These findings indicate that FI is related to lower cognitive function across the life course. Research should explore how changes in food security status impacts cognitive function and brain structure to develop optimal FI interventions and improve cognitive health.
Impact of Tournament Incentives on Management Earnings Forecasts

This paper examines how rank-order tournament incentives in the top management team (TMT) influence the quality of management earnings forecasts (MEFs). Instead of breeding feelings of inequality and fostering peer sabotage, the large pay gap between the CEO and subordinates may motivate top executives to issue more accurate and precise forecasts to win the prize of promotion. The positive tournament effect on the quality of MEFs is weakened (strengthened) when the perceived probability of promotion for candidates is low (high). We find that firms with higher tournament incentives are more likely to issue supplementary forecasts to increase the credibility of MEFs. By examining the tournament effect at each subordinate manager level, we find that CFOs are the driving force in controlling the frequency and quality of management forecasts and chief marketing officers (CMOs) may also contribute to the quality of management forecasts. The results are robust to multiple measures of tournament incentives and multiple research designs.