Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of sisal and henequen fibres as reinforcements in composites

Abstract: Firstly, a brief overview of sisal fibres, including global sources and availability, chemical compositions, key properties, extraction and quality control is given. Their multi-scale structures and dimensional parameters are revealed by micro-observation, and their mechanical properties are measured a by single fibre tensile test. Several theoretical models are proposed and the results are compared with experimental values. Secondly, manufacturing techniques of sisal fibre-reinforced thermoplastics and thermosets are introduced. Effects of fibre surface treatments and moisture absorption on the interfacial shear strength, interlaminar shear strength and interlaminar fracture toughness are investigated. Mechanical properties, moisture absorption behaviour, and effects of moisture absorption and UV light radiation are revealed. Finally, current applications and further research aspects are proposed.
G-CSF + plerixafor versus G-CSF alone mobilized hematopoietic stem cells in patients with multiple myeloma and lymphoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Aim The combination of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and plerixafor is one of the approaches for hematopoietic stem cell mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the ability of G-CSF + plerixafor to mobilize peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cells and examine its safety profile. Methods We performed a database search using the terms ‘granulocyte colony stimulating factor’, ‘G-CSF’, ‘AMD3100’, and ‘plerixafor’, published up to May 1, 2023. The methodology is described in further detail in the PROSPERO database (CRD42023425760). Results Twenty-three studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. G-CSF + plerixafor resulted in more patients achieving the predetermined apheresis yield of CD34+ cells than G-CSF alone (OR, 5.33; 95%, 4.34–6.55). It was further discovered that G-CSF + plerixafor could mobilize more CD34+ cells into PB, which was beneficial for the next transplantation in both randomized controlled (MD, 18.30; 95%, 8.74–27.85) and single-arm (MD, 20.67; 95%, 14.34–27.00) trials. Furthermore, G-CSF + plerixafor did not cause more treatment emergent adverse events than G-CSF alone (OR, 1.25; 95%, 0.87–1.80). Conclusions This study suggests that the combination of G-CSF and plerixafor, resulted in more patients with MM, NHL, and HL, achieving the predetermined apheresis yield of CD34+ cells, which is related to the more effective mobilization of CD34+ cells into PB.
The influence of educational interventions to reduce occupational stress: A systematic review

Introduction: Job stress is one of the occupational hazards in the modern era. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health introduced the nursing job as a top 40 stressful jobs. In this job, multiple training techniques are considered to reduce stress and stress factors. This study was conducted to response the question “Is the use of health education programs can be effective in reducing job stress? ” Material and Method: Electronic search was done using key words in Persian and English database (Medical Sciences, Iran Medex), Scientific Information Database (SID), Bio Med Central, Pub Med, Science Direct) and were found 3,412 paper totally. Articles examined based on defined criteria and 9 qualified articles were discussed systematically. Result: Among the reviewed studies, educational interventions in 7 studies were without, and 2 studies were with the use of health education models. The results of studies indicated significant effect of educational interventions on reducing job stress and using health education models in interventions had a greater effect on reducing job stress. Conclusion: The results highlights the importance of educational interventions based on health education models to reduce occupational stress among nurses.
Differential Impacts of 1.5 and 2 °C Warming on Extreme Events Over China Using Statistically Downscaled and Bias‐Corrected CESM Low‐Warming Experiment

Using statistically downscaled and bias‐corrected CESM (Community Earth System Model) 11‐member ensemble, we investigate the changes in precipitation and temperature extremes over China in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer climates. Most regions will experience a significant increase in wet extreme indices accompanied by fewer consecutive dry days under both warming targets. An additional 0.5 °C warming may result in stronger increases in wet extreme indices over most subregions and weak decreases over North China, although the grid point‐level changes between the two scenarios are mostly nonsignificant. A robust increase in extreme high‐temperature events and TNn (the coldest night) is found across China at a 2 °C relative to 1.5 °C scenario. Compared to a 2 °C world, a 0.5 °C less warming avoids 32–34% of the increases in the frequency and intensity of temperature extremes in China, particularly over Northeast China.
The Productivity and Natural Increase of Swamp Buffalo in District Malang

The purpose of this research was to collect the basic information needed to develop a sustainable breeding program, which includes the potential for production and reproduction of buffaloes. This research was conducted on swamp buffalo in Malang Regency East Java. The research method used was survey method. Primary data was obtained from direct observation on 323 tails owned by 98 breeders. Variables observed were population growth and reproductive performance. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively. The result showed that the initial population study of swamp Buffaloes in Malang as many as 1155 with male and female ratio 1: 2. The ratios of male and female swamp Buffalo 20 percent male and 80 percent female. Overall, the buffalo reproduction performance was still low. Service per conception 2.06 ± 0.88; Anestrus Postpartum 7.46 ± 3.83 months; calving interval distance 17.82 ± 4.86 months; 20.43 % birth rate and 4.33% mortality rate of Natural Increase (NI) population was about 16,1%. In conclusion, the value of NI of swamp Buffalo in Malang Regency is still low. To increase buffalo productivity, buffalo breeding program is continuously based on reproduction control.
Religious Denominations in Vienna and Austria: Baseline Study for 2016 - Scenarios until 2046

The publication presents the results of the research project “Religious Denominations in Vienna & Austria: Baseline study for 2016 – Scenarios until 2046” conducted by the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The aim of this study project was twofold: Firstly, to estimate the religious composition of the population of Austria and Vienna in 2016 taking into account the most recent migration movements; and secondly, to project the population of Austria and Vienna from 2016 to 2046 based on several scenarios related mostly to the three major forces affecting religious composition, migration (including asylum-seekers), differential fertility, and religious conversion. While the projections demonstrate some of the possible futures that Austria and its capital city could experience in the coming decades, and those are all quite dissimilar, they also show that religious diversity is bound to increase, and there are no reasons to think that any of the trends that have been in place already for several decades in the country will stop and that the country would move back to the situation of the early 1970s.
Genome-wide repeat landscapes in cancer and cell-free DNA

Genetic changes in repetitive sequences are a hallmark of cancer and other diseases, but characterizing these has been challenging using standard sequencing approaches. We developed a de novo kmer finding approach, called ARTEMIS (Analysis of RepeaT EleMents in dISease), to identify repeat elements from whole-genome sequencing. Using this method, we analyzed 1.2 billion kmers in 2837 tissue and plasma samples from 1975 patients, including those with lung, breast, colorectal, ovarian, liver, gastric, head and neck, bladder, cervical, thyroid, or prostate cancer. We identified tumor-specific changes in these patients in 1280 repeat element types from the LINE, SINE, LTR, transposable element, and human satellite families. These included changes to known repeats and 820 elements that were not previously known to be altered in human cancer. Repeat elements were enriched in regions of driver genes, and their representation was altered by structural changes and epigenetic states. Machine learning analyses of genome-wide repeat landscapes and fragmentation profiles in cfDNA detected patients with early-stage lung or liver cancer in cross-validated and externally validated cohorts. In addition, these repeat landscapes could be used to noninvasively identify the tissue of origin of tumors. These analyses reveal widespread changes in repeat landscapes of human cancers and provide an approach for their detection and characterization that could benefit early detection and disease monitoring of patients with cancer. ARTEMIS is a new approach to characterizing genome-wide repeat elements in cancer and cell-free DNA. Editor’s summary Repetitive sequences make up much of the human genome and have been implicated in cancer development. Here, Annapragada et al. have taken advantage of the new telomere-to-telomere reference genome to evaluate changes in repeat elements from liquid biopsies. The authors have developed ARTEMIS (Analysis of RepeaT EleMents in dISease) to call these repeat elements from whole-genome sequencing and created a machine learning model that is able to predict disease in patients with early-stage lung or liver cancer. This promising new technique offers a new avenue for both cancer detection and monitoring that warrants further study. —Dorothy Hallberg
Hepatic danger signaling triggers TREM2+ macrophage induction and drives steatohepatitis via MS4A7-dependent inflammasome activation

Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is an advanced stage of metabolic fatty liver disease. The pathogenic mechanisms of MASH center on hepatocyte injury and the ensuing immune response within the liver microenvironment. Recent work has implicated TREM2+ macrophages in various disease conditions, and substantial induction of TREM2+ NASH-associated macrophages (NAMs) serves as a hallmark of metabolic liver disease. Despite this, the mechanisms through which NAMs contribute to MASH pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we identify membrane-spanning 4-domains a7 (MS4A7) as a NAM-specific pathogenic factor that exacerbates MASH progression in mice. Hepatic MS4A7 expression was strongly induced in mouse and human MASH and associated with the severity of liver injury. Whole-body and myeloid-specific ablation of Ms4a7 alleviated diet-induced MASH pathologies in male mice. We demonstrate that exposure to lipid droplets (LDs), released upon injury of steatotic hepatocytes, triggered NAM induction and exacerbated MASH-associated liver injury in an MS4A7-dependent manner. Mechanistically, MS4A7 drove NLRP3 inflammasome activation via direct physical interaction and shaped disease-associated cell states within the liver microenvironment. This work reveals the LD-MS4A7-NLRP3 inflammasome axis as a pathogenic driver of MASH progression and provides insights into the role of TREM2+ macrophages in disease pathogenesis. A lipid droplet–MS4A7–NLRP3 inflammasome axis drives MASH progression. Editor’s summary Liver inflammation marks the transition into a more advanced stage of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH) that is marked by increasing liver damage. Although TREM2+ macrophages have been associated with this disease progression, their precise role is still unclear. Zhou et al. show that MASH-associated macrophage-enriched protein MS4A7 exacerbated disease in mouse models of MASH by promoting lipid droplet–mediated TREM2+ macrophage induction and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Ms4a7 knockout alleviated diet-induced MASH in male mice, suggesting the potential of MS4A7 as a therapeutic target. —Catherine Charneski
Beta bursts in the parkinsonian cortico-basal ganglia network form spatially discrete ensembles

Defining spatial synchronization of pathological beta oscillations is important, given that many theories linking them to parkinsonian symptoms propose a reduction in the dimensionality of the coding space within and/or across cortico-basal ganglia structures. Such spatial synchronization could arise from a single process, with widespread entrainment of neurons to the same oscillation. Alternatively, the partially segregated structure of cortico-basal ganglia loops could provide a substrate for multiple ensembles that are independently synchronized at beta frequencies. Addressing this question requires an analytical approach that identifies groups of signals with a statistical tendency for beta synchronisation, which is unachievable using standard pairwise measures. Here, we utilized such an approach on multichannel recordings of background unit activity (BUA) in the external globus pallidus (GP) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in parkinsonian rats. We employed an adapted version of a principle and independent component analysis-based method commonly used to define assemblies of single neurons (i.e., neurons that are synchronized over short timescales). This analysis enabled us to define whether changes in the power of beta oscillations in local ensembles of neurons (i.e., the BUA recorded from single contacts) consistently covaried over time, forming a “beta ensemble”. Multiple beta ensembles were often present in single recordings and could span brain structures. Membership of a beta ensemble predicted significantly higher levels of short latency (<5ms) synchrony in the raw BUA signal and phase synchronization with cortical beta oscillations, suggesting that they comprised clusters of neurons that are functionally connected at multiple levels, despite sometimes being non-contiguous in space. Overall, these findings suggest that beta oscillations do not comprise a single synchronization process, but rather multiple independent activities that can bind both spatially contiguous and non-contiguous pools of neurons within and across structures. As previously proposed, such ensembles provide a substrate for beta oscillations to constrain the coding space of cortico-basal ganglia circuits.
Dorsal hippocampus represents locations to avoid as well as locations to approach during approach-avoidance conflict

Worrying about perceived threats is a hallmark of multiple psychological disorders including anxiety. This concern about future events is particularly important when an individual is faced with an approach-avoidance conflict. Potential goals to approach are known to be represented in the dorsal hippocampus during theta sweeps. Similarly, important non-local information is represented during hippocampal high synchrony events (HSEs), which are correlated with sharp-wave ripples (SWRs). It is likely that potential future threats may be similarly represented. We examined how threats and rewards were represented within the hippocampus during approach-avoidance conflicts in rats faced with a predator-like robot guarding a food reward. We found representations of the pseudo-predator during HSEs when hesitating in the nest, and during theta prior to retreating as the rats approached the pseudo-predator. After the first attack, we observed new place fields appearing at the location of the robot (not the location the rat was when attacked). The anxiolytic diazepam reduced anxiety-like behavior and altered hippocampal local field potentials, including reducing SWRs, suggesting that one potential mechanism of diazepam’s actions may be through altered representations of imagined threat. These results suggest that hippocampal representation of potential threats could be an important mechanism that underlies worry and a potential target for anxiolytics.
Genetic load, eco-evolutionary feedback and extinction in a 1 metapopulation 2

4 Fragmented landscapes pose a significant threat to the persistence of species as they are highly 5 susceptible to heightened risk of extinction due to the combined effects of genetic and demographic 6 factors such as genetic drift and demographic stochasticity. This paper explores the intricate interplay 7 between genetic load and extinction risk within metapopulations with a focus on understanding the 8 impact of eco-evolutionary feedback mechanisms. We distinguish between two models of selection: 9 soft selection, characterised by subpopulations maintaining carrying capacity despite load, and hard 10 selection, where load can significantly affect population size. Within the soft selection framework, 11 we investigate the impact of gene flow on genetic load at a single locus, while also considering the 12 effect of selection strength and dominance coefficient. We subsequently build on this to examine how 13 gene flow influences both population size and load under hard selection as well as identify critical 14 thresholds for metapopulation persistence. Our analysis employs the diffusion, semi-deterministic and 15 effective migration approximations. Our findings reveal that under soft selection, even modest levels of 16 migration can significantly alleviate the burden of load. In sharp contrast, with hard selection, a much 17 higher degree of gene flow is required to mitigate load and prevent the collapse of the metapopulation. 18 Overall, this study sheds light into the crucial role migration plays in shaping the dynamics of genetic 19 load and extinction risk in fragmented landscapes, offering valuable insights for conservation strategies 20 and the preservation of diversity in a changing world. 21
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are influenced by ecoregion boundaries across Europe

Aim Ecoregions and the distance decay in community similarity are fundamental concepts in biogeography and conservation biology that are well supported across plants and animals, but not fungi. Here we test the relevance of these concepts for ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in temperate and boreal regions. Location Europe. Time period 2008 – 2015. Major taxa studied Ectomycorrhizal fungi. Methods We used a large dataset of ∼ 24,000 ectomycorrhizas, assigned to 1,350 operational taxonomic units, collected from 129 forest plots via a standardised protocol. We investigated the relevance of ecoregion delimitations for ECM fungi through complementary methodological approaches based on distance decay models, multivariate analyses, and indicator species analyses. We then evaluated the effects of host tree and climate on the observed biogeographical distributions. Results Ecoregions predict large-scale ECM fungal biodiversity patterns. This is partly explained by climate differences between ecoregions but independent from host tree distribution. Basidiomycetes in the orders Russulales and Atheliales and producing epigeous fruiting bodies, with potentially short-distance dispersal, show the best agreement with ecoregion boundaries. Host tree distribution and fungal abundance (as opposed to presence/absence only) are important to uncover biogeographical patterns in mycorrhizas. Main conclusions Ecoregions are useful units to investigate eco-evolutionary processes in mycorrhizal fungal communities and for conservation decision-making that includes fungi.
An EpCAM/Trop2 mechanostat differentially regulates collective behaviour of human carcinoma cells

EpCAM and its close relative Trop2 are well-known markers of carcinoma, but the potential role of these cell surface proteins in cancer metastasis remains unclear. They are known, however, to downregulate myosin-dependent contractility, a key parameter involved in cell adhesion and migration. We investigate here the morphogenetic impact of the high EpCAM and Trop2 levels typically found in epithelial breast cancer cells, using spheroids of MCF7 cells as an in vitro model. Intriguingly, EpCAM depletion stimulated spheroid cohesive spreading, while Trop2 depletion had the opposite effect. Combining cell biological and biophysical approaches, we demonstrate that while EpCAM and Trop2 both contribute to moderate cell contractility, their depletions differentially impact on the process of “wetting” a substrate, here both matrix and neighboring cells, by affecting the balance of cortical tension at cell and tissue interfaces. These distinct phenotypes can be explained by partial enrichment at specific interfaces. Differential distribution and antagonistic loss-of-function phenotypes are also observed in two other breast cancer cell lines with very different characteristics, suggesting that these are general properties of these two regulators. Our data are consistent with a simple model in which the EpCAM-Trop2 pair acts as a mechanostat that tunes local cortical tension, thus influencing a spectrum of adhesive and migratory behaviours.
Dietary restriction reveals sex-specific expression of the mTOR pathway genes in Japanese quails

Limited resources affect an organism’s physiology through the conserved metabolic pathway, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). Males and females often react differently to nutritional limitation, but whether it leads to differential mTOR pathway expression remains unknown. Recently, we found that dietary restriction (DR) induced significant changes in the expression of mTOR pathway genes in female Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica). We simultaneously exposed 32 male and female Japanese quails to either 20%, 30%, 40% restriction or ad libitum feeding for 14 days and determined the expression of six key genes of the mTOR pathway in the liver to investigate sex differences in the expression patterns. We found that DR significantly reduced body mass, albeit the effect was milder in males compared to females. We observed sex-specific liver gene expression. DR downregulated mTOR expression more in females than in males. Under moderate DR, ATG9A and RPS6K1 were increased more in males than in females. Like females, body mass in males was correlated positively with mTOR and IGF1, but negatively with ATG9A and RS6K1. Our findings highlight that sexes may cope with nutritional deficits differently and emphasise the importance of considering sexual differences in studies of dietary restriction.
Single molecule fingerprinting reveals different growth mechanisms in seed amplification assays for different polymorphs of αSynuclein fibrils

Alpha-synuclein (αSyn) aggregates, detected in the biofluids of patients with Parkinson’s disease, have the ability to catalyze their own aggregation, leading to an increase in the number and size of aggregates. This self-templated amplification is used by newly developed assays to diagnose Parkinson’s disease and turned the presence of αSyn aggregates into a biomarker of the disease. It has become evident that αSyn can form fibrils with slightly different structures, called “strains” or polymorphs, but little is known about their differential reactivity in diagnostic assays. Here we compared the properties of two well-described αSyn polymorphs. Using single molecule techniques, we observed that one of the polymorphs had an increased tendency to undergo secondary nucleation and we showed that this could explain the differences of reactivity observed in in vitro seed amplification assay and cellular assays. Simulations and high-resolution microscopy suggest that a 100-fold difference in apparent rate of growth can be generated by a surprisingly low number of secondary nucleation “points” (1 every 2,000 monomers added by elongation). When both strains are present in the same seeded reaction, secondary nucleation displaces proportions dramatically and causes a single strain to dominate the reaction as the major end-product.