Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic toolkits of the red alga Pyropia tenera against the three most common diseases in Pyropia farms

Disease outbreaks devastate Pyropia aquaculture farms every year. The three most common and serious diseases are Olpidiopsis‐blight and red‐rot disease caused by oomycete pathogens and green‐spot disease caused by the PyroV1 virus. We hypothesized that a basic genetic profile of molecular defenses will be revealed by comparing and analyzing the genetic response of Pyropia tenera against the above three pathogens. RNAs isolated from infected thalli were hybridized onto an oligochip containing 15,115 primers designed from P. tenera expressed sequence tags (EST)s. Microarray profiles of the three diseases were compared and interpreted together with histochemical observation. Massive amounts of reactive oxygen species accumulated in P. tenera cells exposed to oomycete pathogens. Heat shock genes and serine proteases were the most highly up‐regulated genes in all infection experiments. Genes involved in RNA metabolism, ribosomal proteins and antioxidant metabolism were also highly up‐regulated. Genetic profiles of P. tenera in response to pathogens were most similar between the two biotrophic pathogens, Olpidiopsis pyropiae and PyroV1 virus. A group of plant resistance genes were specifically regulated against each pathogen. Our results suggested that disease response in P. tenera consists of a general constitutive defense and a genetic toolkit against specific pathogens.
District-level impacts of health system decentralization in Indonesia: A systematic review.

The local-level impacts of decentralizing national health systems are significant yet infrequently examined. This review aims to assess whether localized health services delivery in Indonesia, which commenced a health system decentralization process in 2001, achieved its objectives or could be enhanced. A systematic review was undertaken to collate published evidence regarding this topic and synthesize key findings holistically using the six building blocks framework of the World Health Organization (WHO) to categorize health system performance. Four research databases were searched in 2016 for relevant evidence published between 2001 and 2015. The inclusion criteria were relevance to the topic of decentralization impacts at the district level, original research, and published in English. Included articles were appraised for quality using a standardized tool, with key findings synthesized using the WHO building blocks. Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and categorized under the WHO building blocks categories. The findings highlight problematic impacts of decentralization related to three building blocks: service delivery, health financing, and workforce. In the 15 years of post-decentralization in Indonesia, the service delivery, health workforce, and health financing blocks should be prioritized for further research and policy evaluation to improve the overall health system performance at the district level.
Prospects of information systems for detecting the propaganda texts

The work is devoted to searching the promising directions of developing the information systems for detecting the propaganda texts in order to increase the reliability of their functioning in the context of information confrontation and to ensure national security. As a result of researching the existing models and information systems for detecting the signs of psycholinguistic influence and propaganda, a promising direction of their development was found, which consists in applying the texts' automated classification. Based on the comparative analysis of information systems for morphological analysis in text categorization with the system for defining the morphological-syntactic and semantic category of the propagandist's psycholinguistic portrait, the perspective ways of developing the information systems for detecting the propaganda texts are determined.
Serum Albumin Is Negatively Associated with Hemorrhagic Transformation in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Background and Objective: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a major complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Serum albumin is known for its neuroprotective effects and is a marker of improved AIS patient outcomes. However, it is not known whether there is a relationship between serum albumin and HT. Methods: AIS patients admitted to the Department of Neurology of West China Hospital from 2012 to 2016 were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. Baseline characteristics were collected. HT during hospitalization was diagnosed by brain imaging. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between serum albumin and HT. Confounding factors were identified by univariate analysis. Stratified logistic regression analysis was performed to identify effect modifiers. Results: A total of 1996 AIS patients were recruited, of whom 135 (6.8%) developed HT. Serum albumin negatively correlated with HT. Patients in the upper serum albumin tertile (42.6–54.1 g/L) had a 46% lower risk of HT than patients in the lower tertile (19.3–39.1 g/L) after adjustment for potential confounders (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.29–0.99, p = 0.04). Risk of HT decreased stepwise with higher serum albumin tertile (p for trend = 0.04). There was a significant interaction between serum albumin and age (p = 0.02), with no significant correlation between serum albumin and HT in patients over 60 years of age. Conclusions: Higher serum albumin is associated with lower HT risk in a dose-dependent manner in AIS patients younger than 60 years.
Effects of alpha-lipoic acid therapy on experimentally induced apical periodontitis: a biochemical, histopathological and micro-CT analysis.

AIM To investigate the possible therapeutic effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) in a model of chronic apical periodontitis in rats by analysing biochemical, histopathological and micro-CT parameters. METHODOLOGY The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Near East University. Thirty-two Wistar rats were divided into four groups of eight rats each: Control Group; ALA Group; AP Group; AP + ALA Group. In the AP and AP + ALA groups, the pulp chambers of the mandibular first molars were surgically exposed and were left open to the oral environment for 4-weeks to allow the establishment of periapical lesions. The rats in the Control and AP groups were treated intraperitoneally with saline solution (with a daily dose of 100 mg kg-1 , for 28 days after periapical lesion induction). The rats in the ALA and AP + ALA groups were treated intraperitoneally with ALA (with a daily dose of 100 mg kg-1 , for 28 days after periapical lesion induction). After decapitation, the trunk blood was collected for the assessment of biochemical parameters. The mandibles were surgically removed and dissected for histopathologic analysis and further scanned with micro-CT. Groups of data were compared with a two-way analysis of variance (two-way anova) followed by Sidak's multiple comparison tests. Values of P < 0.05 were regarded as significant. RESULTS TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP-1, MMP-2 levels were significantly lower in AP + ALA group compared with AP group (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference between the AP and AP + ALA groups according to assessment of the inflammatory scores (P < 0.05). The periapical inflammatory infiltrates were significantly more severe (P < 0.05) in the AP group. The AP + ALA group exhibited lower values both in terms of surface area and volume of resorption cavities than the AP group and this difference was significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION alpha-lipoic acid treatment provided therapeutic effects on the inhibition of periapical bone loss.
Cultural context as a biasing factor for language activation in bilinguals

ABSTRACT Two studies investigated how cultural context and familiarity impact lexical access in Korean-English bilingual and English monolingual adults. ERPs were recorded while participants decided whether a word and picture matched or not. Pictures depicted versions of objects that were prototypically associated with North American or Korean culture and named in either English or Korean, creating culturally congruent and incongruent trials. For bilinguals, culturally congruent trials facilitated responding but ERP results showed that images from both cultures were processed similarly. For monolinguals, culturally incongruent pairs produced longer RTs and larger N400s than congruent items, indicating more effortful processing. Thus, an unfamiliar culture impeded linguistic processing for monolinguals but facilitated it for bilinguals familiar with that culture. Study 2 presented images that were more or less familiar and both groups replicated the pattern for monolinguals in Study 1. Therefore, in Study 1 monolinguals responded to familiarity but bilinguals responded to culture.
Biodegradation of fenpropathrin by Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain PSB07‐21 cultured under three different growth modes

This study aimed at the biodegradation of fenpropathrin by Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain PSB07‐21 cultured under different growth modes. The biomass production, cell surface hydrophobicity and fenpropathrin biodegradation efficiency of the strain PSB07‐21 cultured under the photoheterotrophic growth mode were better than that shown by the strain PSB07‐21 cultured under the photoautotrophic or the chemotrophic growth mode. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis using cell‐free protein extracts showed several distinct protein bands in the gels representing the strain PSB07‐21 cultured under the photoheterotrophic growth mode. The fenpropathrin enzymatic degradation was clearly affected the bacterial growth mode. Results obtained from this study should improve our knowledge regarding fenpropathrin biodegradation under field conditions. Our findings can also be used to optimize the usage of Rhodopseudomonas sp. PSB07‐21 in field applications.
Prevalence and multi-morbid correlates of homelessness among veterans with HIV infection nationally in the veterans health administration

ABSTRACT This study sought to evaluate the risk of homelessness among HIV positive users of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services. National VHA administrative data from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 (N = 5.4 million) were used to: (1) evaluate the unadjusted risk of homelessness among veterans with HIV; (2) identify common multi-morbid correlates of both HIV diagnosis and homelessness; and (3) to assess the independent risk of homelessness among veterans with HIV after adjusting for risk factors common to both conditions. Veterans with HIV were at substantial risk of homelessness (OR = 4.23 (95% CI 4.07–4.39)). However, with adjustment for shared co-variates (especially black race, low income, substance use, and psychiatric disorders) this risk declined substantially to 1.41 (95% CI 1.35–1.48). The high risk of homelessness among HIV positive veterans is largely attributable to multi-morbid risk factors common to both HIV and homelessness rather than to an independent effect of HIV, and requires multi-dimensional preventive psychosocial interventions.
Anxiety sensitivity and opioid misuse among opioid-using adults with chronic pain

ABSTRACT Background: The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis, and this problem is particularly prevalent among individuals with chronic pain. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for interventions to mitigate the risk for opioid misuse and opioid use disorder among people with pain. Given that mental health problems, specifically anxiety, are common among people who misuse opioids, it is important to examine factors that link mental health problems with opioid misuse to ultimately inform the development of novel interventions. Anxiety sensitivity, a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor defined as the fear of anxiety-related physical sensations, may be one important mechanism in elevated opioid misuse among persons with chronic pain. Objective: Therefore, the current cross-sectional study examined anxiety sensitivity (and construct sub-facets) as a predictor of opioid misuse among adults with chronic pain. Method: Adults reporting chronic pain and prescription opioid use completed an online survey. Results: Anxiety sensitivity was associated with multiple aspects of opioid misuse, including current opioid misuse, severity of opioid dependence, and number of opioids used to get high. The magnitude of effects ranged from medium to large. Associations between anxiety sensitivity and opioid misuse were observed over and above the variance accounted for by age, sex, income, education, perceived health, and pain severity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may be an important treatment target among adults with chronic pain who misuse opioids. Future research should continue to explore the explanatory relevance of anxiety sensitivity in opioid misuse among individuals with chronic pain.
Making more from methane

Methanesulfonic acid, an industrially useful chemical, is made directly from methane Methane, the major component in natural gas, is one of the most difficult molecules to activate in a controlled manner, because almost any initial oxidation product is easier to oxidize than methane itself and most of the product is carbon dioxide. Instead, methane is currently converted to syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, from which many useful products, such as methanol or Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbons, can be synthesized in subsequent steps. However, syngas production is characterized by severe economies of scale. Economical plants must be very large, such as the so-called “MegaMethanol” plants or the Fischer-Tropsch Pearl complex in Qatar, where the total annual hydrocarbon production exceeds 10 million metric tons (MT). Thus, direct approaches for converting methane to valuable products that are also economical on a smaller scale are of extreme interest. Such processes could rescue so-called stranded natural gas that is produced in too small an amount and is too remote to transport economically. In the worst case, stranded natural gas extracted with other fossil fuels is burned (“flared”; see the photo). On page 1326 of this issue, Díaz-Urrutia and Ott (1) at the Grillo company report a direct process that converts methane directly to methanesulfonic acid, a chemical with many industrial uses.
Arabidopsis seedlings display a remarkable resilience under severe mineral starvation using their metabolic plasticity to remain self-sufficient for weeks.

During the life cycle of plants, seedlings are considered vulnerable because they are at the interface between the highly stress tolerant seed embryos and the established plant, and must develop rapidly, often in a challenging environment, with limited access to nutrients and light. Using a simple experimental system, whereby the seedling stage of Arabidopsis is considerably prolonged by nutrient starvation, we analysed the physiology and metabolism of seedlings maintained in such conditions up to 4 weeks. Although development was arrested at the cotyledon stage, there was no sign of senescence and seedlings remained viable for weeks, yielding normal plants after transplantation. Photosynthetic activity compensated for respiratory carbon losses, and energy dissipation by photorespiration and alternative oxidase appeared important. Photosynthates were essentially stored as organic acids, while the pool of free amino acids remained stable. Seedlings lost the capacity to store lipids in cytosolic lipid droplets, but developed large plastoglobuli. Arabidopsis seedlings arrested in their development because of mineral starvation displayed therefore a remarkable resilience, using their metabolic and physiological plasticity to maintain a steady state for weeks, allowing resumption of development when favourable conditions ensue.
From children’s expressive control to emotion regulation: Looking back, looking ahead

Abstract In 1984, Carolyn Saarni published an important cross-sectional study on the development of children’s expressive control. That paper, as with much of her early work, presaged interest in the development of emotion regulation and of the efforts to understand emotion regulation both in typical and at risk children. In this paper, we look back on Dr. Saarni’s work on expressive control and studies that used her creative disappointment task. We discuss conclusions from that work and how this germinal work on expressive control contributed to the study of the broader concept of emotion regulation. We look ahead to the next steps that carry this line of research forward contributing to the development of emotional competence and mental health.
Trends in the prevalence of airflow limitation in a general Japanese population: two serial cross-sectional surveys from the Hisayama Study

Objectives Chronic obstructive airway disease, which is characterised by airflow limitation, is a major burden on public health. Reductions in environmental pollution in the atmosphere and workplace and a decline in the prevalence of smoking over recent decades may have affected the prevalence of airflow limitation in Japan. The present epidemiological study aimed to evaluate trends in the prevalence of airflow limitation and in the influence of risk factors on airflow limitation in a Japanese community. Design Two serial cross-sectional surveys. Setting Data from the Hisayama Study, a population-based prospective study that has been longitudinally conducted since 1961. Participants A total of 1842 and 3033 residents aged ≥40 years with proper spirometric measurements participated in the 1967 and 2012 surveys, respectively. Main outcome measures Airflow limitation was defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity <70% by spirometry. For each survey, the age-adjusted prevalence of airflow limitation was evaluated by sex. ORs and population attributable fractions of risk factors on the presence of airflow limitation were compared between surveys. Results The age-standardised prevalence of airflow limitation decreased from 1967 to 2012 in both sexes (from 26.3% to 16.1% in men and from 19.8% to 10.5% in women). Smoking was significantly associated with higher likelihood of airflow limitation in both surveys, although the magnitude of its influence was greater in 2012 than in 1967 (the multivariable-adjusted OR was 1.63 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.24) in 1967 and 2.26 (95% CI 1.72 to 2.99) in 2012; p=0.007 for heterogeneity). Accordingly, the population attributable fraction of smoking on airflow limitation was 33.5% in 2012, which was 1.5-fold higher than that in 1967 (21.1%). Conclusions The prevalence of airflow limitation was decreased over 45 years in Japan, but the influence of smoking on airflow limitation increased with time.
HIV risk and pre-exposure prophylaxis interest among female bar workers in Dar es Salaam: cross-sectional survey

Objective Female bar workers (FBW) in East Africa often conduct sex work to supplement their incomes, and may be vulnerable to HIV acquisition. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers protection against HIV acquisition. However, there is little research on FBW’s sexual health. Our objective was to determine HIV risk behaviours and interest in PrEP among FBW in the largest city in East Africa. Design Cross-sectional survey covering respondents’ work and personal lives, including social and behavioural risk factors for HIV. The survey aimed to determine the feasibility of working with FBW and HIV prevalence estimates. Those who did not report being HIV positive were asked about their knowledge of and interest in PrEP. All women were offered free on-site HIV testing and counselling (HTC). Setting Eight randomly selected workplaces, that is, bars, in Kinondoni district, Dar es Salaam (DSM). Participants 66 FBW (≥18 years) selected at random from all women working in selected bars on the day of visit. Results Half of respondents reported having had sex for money: 20% with bar clients only, 15% with other men only and 15% with both. Almost all (98%) reported ≥1 non-commercial partners in the past 12 months; only 30% reported using condoms with these partners. 85% of respondents had ever been pregnant; 44% had had an unintended pregnancy. Only 5% of respondents had ever heard of PrEP. However, 54% were somewhat/very interested in daily-pill PrEP and 79% were somewhat/very interested in long-acting injectable PrEP. When asked to rank modalities, long-acting injectable PrEP was the most preferred. Seven per cent of the 56 respondents who completed HTC tested HIV positive. Conclusions FBW in DSM have elevated risk factors for HIV acquisition, and PrEP appears highly acceptable. Studies developing PrEP delivery models and assessing PrEP initiation and adherence in FBW appear warranted.
Techniques of anterior capsulotomy in cataract surgery

Optimal outcomes of a cataract surgery largely depend on the successful performance of an anterior capsulotomy. It is one of the most important steps of modern cataract surgery which reduces the risk of capsular tears and ensures postoperative stable intraocular lens (IOL). Anterior capsulotomy is considered ideal if it is round, continuous, well-centered, and overlaps the implanted IOL around its circumference. If any of these features is missing, it can be a cause of impedance for desired surgical and visual outcomes. Manual can opener and manual capsulorhexis are the routine standard techniques employed for manual extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification, respectively. Recent increasing use of femtosecond laser cataract surgery has allowed cataract surgeons to obviate inherent inaccuracies of manual anterior capsulotomy techniques. There is an ongoing quest to find an ideal, risk free, and surgeon-friendly technique of anterior capsulotomy that can be employed for surgery in all types of cataracts.
Digest: Little evidence exists for a virulence‐transmission trade‐off *

Research predicting the impact and spread of infectious disease has been heavily influenced by the idea of an evolutionary trade‐off between a pathogen's virulence and its transmission rate. In a meta‐analysis of the key underlying relationships, Acevedo et al. (2019) highlight the surprising lack of empirical evidence for this influential hypothesis.
Diurnal variations in flow density measured using optical coherence tomography angiography and the impact of heart rate, mean arterial pressure and intraocular pressure on flow density in primary open‐angle glaucoma patients

To determine the diurnal variations in peripapillary and macular flow density (FD), as measured using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to elaborate on the relationship between diurnal FD, circulatory parameters and intraocular pressure (IOP) variations in primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG).