Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Galectin-3 Derived from HucMSC Exosomes Promoted Myocardial Fibroblast-to-Myofibroblast Differentiation Associated with β-catenin Upregulation

Background and Objectives Galectin-3 promotes fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and facilitates injury repair. Previous studies have shown that exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSC-ex) promote the differentiation of myocardial fibroblasts into myofibroblasts under inflammatory environment. Whether hucMSC-ex derived Galectin-3 (hucMSC-ex-Galectin-3) plays an important role in fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation is the focus of this study. Methods and Results Galectin-3 was knocked-down by siRNA in hucMSCs, and then exosomes were extracted. Fibroblasts were treated with LPS, LPS＋hucMSC-ex, LPS＋negative control-siRNA-ex (NC-ex), or LPS＋Galectin-3-siRNA-ex (si-ex) in vitro. The coronary artery of the left anterior descending (LAD) branch was permanently ligated, followed by intramyocardial injection with phosphate buffered saline(PBS), hucMSC-ex, hucMSC-NC-ex, or hucMSC-si-ex in vivo. Western blot, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of markers related to fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and inflammatory factors. Migration and contraction functions of fibroblasts were evaluated using Transwell migration and collagen contraction assays, respectively. β-catenin expression was detected by western blot and immunofluorescence. The results showed that hucMSC-ex increased the protein expression of myofibroblast markers, anti-inflammatory factors, and β-catenin. HucMSC-ex also reduced the migration and promoted the contractility of fibroblasts. However, hucMSC-si-ex did not show these activities. Conclusions HucMSC-ex-Galectin-3 promoted the differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts in an inflammatory environment, which was associated with increased β-catenin levels.
Early Parenting Stress Links Obstetric Complications and Child Psychopathology in Middle Childhood in an At-Risk Sample

ABSTRACT: Objective: Obstetric complications (OCs) are adverse events during pregnancy, birth, or immediately after birth. Evidence on cumulative OC and longitudinal associations with child psychopathology is sparse. Prospective studies testing mediating pathways such as parenting stress are needed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of OC on child psychopathology in middle childhood and to highlight whether and which type of parenting stress specifically mediates this association. Methods: We investigated n = 54 mother-child dyads from 5 months to 8 years of age. Child psychopathology at 8 years and parenting stress at 12 months were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Index. OCs were evaluated by the Steinhausen Questionnaire and through access to official pregnancy records at the 5-month visit. Half of the mothers had experienced early-life maltreatment (ELM), assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results: There was a significant indirect effect of maternal parenting stress at 12 months mediating the association between OC and child psychopathology at 8 years (β = 0.26; p < 0.01; 95% [0.35–1.83]). A significant proportion of 35% of CBCL-variance was explained. The significant effect remained even when maternal ELM and maternal psychological distress were controlled for. On the subscale level, only the “Difficult Child” subscale was a significant mediator. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that parenting stress should be targeted to prevent adverse effects of OC on child psychopathology. More research focusing on families subjected to OC is needed to highlight how maternal parenting stress and child regulatory functioning interact to affect child development longitudinally.
Person–environment fit and medical professionals’ job satisfaction, turnover intention, and professional efficacy: A cross-sectional study in Shanghai

Objectives Using the person-environment (PE) fit theory, this study aims to explore factors affecting medical professionals’ job satisfaction, turnover intention, and professional efficacy, and to examine individual characters associated with PE fit. Design and methods This study used data from the sixth National Health Service Survey conducted in 2018, with a focus on job outcomes among medical professionals in Shanghai. The reliability and validity of the tools for measuring PE and job outcomes were calculated. A structural equation model was used to examine the relationship among person-job (PJ) fit and person-group (PG) fit, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and professional efficacy. Finally, a hierarchical regression model was used to analyze the association between demographic variables and the PJ and PG fit. Results PG fit was directly and positively associated with job satisfaction and professional efficacy. PJ fit had a direct and positive association with job satisfaction but had a direct and negative association with turnover intention. The indirect association of PJ fit with turnover intention was statistically significant. The results from the hierarchical regression analysis showed that younger physicians generally had a lower level of PJ fit and older physicians with higher education tended to have a lower level of PG fit. Conclusions Medical professionals with higher PJ or PG fit have higher job satisfaction, and those with higher PG fit have higher professional efficacy. The impact of PJ fit on turnover intention was mediated by job satisfaction. Healthcare managers should take actions to effectively promote medical professionals’ PJ and PG fit to improve their retention and efficiency.
Psychological interventions during COVID pandemic: Telehealth for individuals with cystic fibrosis and caregivers

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) emerged in China, leading to worldwide morbidity and mortality, including depression and anxiety. As the pandemic spread throughout Italy, mental health concerns increased for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), who are at greater risk. The aim was to pilot a Telehealth Psychological Support Intervention for pwCF and caregivers to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety during the lockdown in Italy in March 2020.
Evaluation of a primary antifungal prophylaxis protocol for preventing invasive mold infections after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Introduction Invasive mold infections contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The optimal strategy for primary antifungal prophylaxis in this patient population remains uncertain. Methods Medical records of patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Adult patients were included if they received micafungin followed by fluconazole, with the option to escalate to voriconazole, for antifungal prophylaxis. The primary outcome was the incidence rate of proven or probable invasive mold infection. Secondary outcomes were time to invasive mold infection diagnosis, invasive mold infection-related mortality, and risk factors associated with invasive mold infection. Results Two hundred patients were included in the study, a majority of whom underwent matched unrelated (46%) or matched related (33%) donor transplants. The incidence rate of proven or probable invasive mold infection was 18.4 cases per 100 patient-years, with a one-year cumulative incidence of 14%. Median time to proven or probable invasive mold infection was 94 days post-transplant (IQR 26–178), with invasive mold infection-related mortality occurring in 18 (64%) of 28 patients diagnosed with invasive mold infection. Comparison of invasive mold infection-free survival by potential risk factors failed to show any significant differences. Conclusions In this real-life cohort of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients, the incidence of proven or probable invasive mold infection was higher than expected based on previous literature. In the absence of standard guidance on anti-mold prophylaxis in this patient population and given that unique risk factors for invasive mold infection may differ between institutions, it is essential that centers performing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation routinely monitor their antifungal prophylaxis strategies for effectiveness.
Equine sarcoid of the glans penis with bovine papillomavirus type 1 in a miniature horse (Falabella)

A 23-year-old Falabella gelding kept in Tochigi, Japan, for more than 20 years presented with a recurrent mass of the glans penis that was first noticed about a year earlier. Partial phallectomy was performed with no adjunctive therapy for local regrowth of the mass. The horse was euthanized 3 months after surgery for urinary retention due to suspected regrowth. The resected mass affected the genital and urethral mucosa of the glans penis, and was diagnosed as equine sarcoid by histopathology and identification of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the BPV genome of the sarcoid showed high sequence homology to BPV type 1 (BPV-1) from Hokkaido, Japan, suggesting a geographical relationship for BPV-1 in Japan.
Cis-acting modifiers in the ABCA4 locus contribute to the penetrance of the major disease-causing variant in Stargardt disease.

Over 1200 variants in the ABCA4 gene cause a wide variety of retinal disease phenotypes, the best known of which is autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1). Disease-causing variation encompasses all mutation categories, from large copy number variants to very mild, hypomorphic missense variants. The most prevalent disease-causing ABCA4 variant, present in ~ 20% of cases of European descent, c.5882G > A p.(Gly1961Glu), has been a subject of controversy since its minor allele frequency (MAF) is as high as ~ 0.1 in certain populations, questioning its pathogenicity, especially in homozygous individuals. We sequenced the entire ~140Kb ABCA4 genomic locus in an extensive cohort of 644 bi-allelic, i.e. genetically confirmed, patients with ABCA4 disease and analyzed all variants in 140 compound heterozygous and 10 homozygous cases for the p.(Gly1961Glu) variant. Twenty-three patients in this cohort additionally harbored the deep intronic c.769-784C > T variant on the p.(Gly1961Glu) allele, which appears on a specific haplotype in ~ 15% of p.(Gly1961Glu) alleles. This haplotype was present in 5/7 of homozygous cases, where the p.(Gly1961Glu) was the only known pathogenic variant. Three cases had an exonic variant on the same allele with the p.(Gly1961Glu). Patients with the c. [769-784C > T; 5882G > A] complex allele exhibit a more severe clinical phenotype, as seen in compound heterozygotes with some more frequent ABCA4 mutations, e.g. p.(Pro1380Leu). Our findings indicate that the c.769-784C > T variant is major cis-acting modifier of the p.(Gly1961Glu) allele. The absence of such additional allelic variation on most p.(Gly1961Glu) alleles largely explains the observed paucity of affected homozygotes in the population.
Changes in leaf functional traits with leaf age: When do leaves decrease their photosynthetic capacity in Amazonian trees?

Most leaf functional trait studies in the Amazon basin do not consider ontogenetic variations (leaf age), which may influence ecosystem productivity throughout the year. When leaf age is taken into account, it is generally considered discontinuous, and leaves are classified into age categories based on qualitative observations. Here, we quantified age-dependent changes in leaf functional traits such as the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vcmax), stomatal control (Cgs%), leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and leaf macronutrient concentrations for nine naturally growing Amazon tropical trees with variable phenological strategies. Leaf ages were assessed by monthly censuses of branch-level leaf demography; we also performed leaf trait measurements accounting for leaf chronological age based on days elapsed since the first inclusion in the leaf demography, not predetermined age classes. At the tree community scale, a nonlinear relationship between Vcmax and leaf age existed: young, developing leaves showed the lowest mean photosynthetic capacity, increasing to a maximum at 45 days and then decreasing gradually with age in both continuous and categorical age-group analyses. Maturation times among species and phenological habits differed substantially, from 8 ± 30 to 238 ± 30 days, and the rate of decline of Vcmax varied from -0.003 to -0.065 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 day-1. Stomatal control increased significantly in young leaves but remained constant after peaking. Mass-based phosphorus and potassium concentrations displayed negative relationships with leaf age, while nitrogen did not vary temporally. Differences in life strategies, leaf nutrient concentrations, and phenological types, not the leaf age effect alone, may thus be important factors for understanding observed photosynthesis seasonality in Amazonian forests. Furthermore, assigning leaf age categories in diverse tree communities may not be the recommended method for studying carbon uptake seasonality in the Amazon, since the relationship between Vcmax and leaf age could not be confirmed for all trees.
Experimental Determination of Bed Temperatures during Wood Pellet Combustion

Constant effort to reduce heating costs leads to production of not only high-quality pellets from pure wood but also cheaper vegetable pellets of inferior quality in terms of energy properties.1,2 The combustion of alternative pellets in small boilers causes many problems, mainly ash sintering, as a result of their low melting temperature.3,4 The paper focuses on experimental determination of bed temperatures in the burning layer during wood pellet combustion. The bed temperatures are important for prediction of combustion phases and better localization and description of sites that are critical for the sintering of ash particles as temperatures are close to the ash melting points. This experiment describes a method for measurement of the temperature field in the symmetry plane of the burner during wood pellet combustion in the retort burner. The measurement of temperature profiles at different locations in the burner shows that the combustion process in the retort burner is rather more horizontally strat.
MeSCoT: the tool for quantitative trait simulation through the mechanistic modeling of genes’ regulatory interactions

Abstract This work represents a novel mechanistic approach to simulate and study genomic networks with accompanying regulatory interactions and complex mechanisms of quantitative trait formation. The approach implemented in MeSCoT software is conceptually based on the omnigenic genetic model of quantitative (complex) trait, and closely imitates the basic in vivo mechanisms of quantitative trait realization. The software provides a framework to study molecular mechanisms of gene-by-gene and gene-by-environment interactions underlying quantitative trait’s realization and allows detailed mechanistic studies of impact of genetic and phenotypic variance on gene regulation. MeSCoT performs a detailed simulation of genes’ regulatory interactions for variable genomic architectures and generates complete set of transcriptional and translational data together with simulated quantitative trait values. Such data provide opportunities to study, for example, verification of novel statistical methods aiming to integrate intermediate phenotypes together with final phenotype in quantitative genetic analyses or to investigate novel approaches for exploiting gene-by-gene and gene-by-environment interactions.
Preparation of Pr-Nd-Dy Alloys by Molten Salt Electrolysis

By Using 4000 A electrolysis cell,in lithium fluoride-praseodymium neodymium fluoride-dysprosium fluoride molten salt system,Pr-Nd-Dy alloys were prepared with the method of electrolysis of dysprosium oxide and praseodymium neodymium oxide. Direct metal yield is greater than 96%,and current efficiency is greater than 75%. The effect of electrolyte components,temperature,cathode current density,feeding speed on the electrolytic process was discussed. At the same time,the process was compared with calciothermy for producing dysprosium metal and consumable cathode for preparing Dy-Fe Alloy.The results showed that the molten salt electrolysis method has advantages in cost,process stability and product quality.
Dielectric spectroscopy of Baijiu over 2-20 GHz using an open-ended coaxial probe.

The complex electric permittivity of Baijiu (one of the most consumed beverages) is measured over a frequency range of 2 to 20 GHz using a low-cost open-ended coaxial probe and a portable microwave analyzer. The Cole-Cole equation is used to fit the permittivity data, and the parameter values related are extracted using the particle swarm optimization. A linear relationship is obtained between these parameters and the alcohol by volume. A strong dependence of the permittivity on the alcohol content is also observed for other alcoholic drinks, including brandy and whisky. The study demonstrates that the microwave technique provides an efficient solution in the effort to determine the alcohol content and the principal component analysis is a powerful tool for the quick estimation of the dielectric properties. The sensor presented can contribute to efficient on-site quality control of alcoholic drinks. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The microwave approach presented could offer an economical approach for the characterization of Baijiu and a general solution to the alcohol content determination for the alcoholic drinks industry.
Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanocrystal line for gas sensor application

In this research, nanostructure of ZnO film has been fabricated by spraying 0.2M concentration of Zinc salt solution on glass substrate. The Zinc solution was prepared by solves 4.389908g of the Zinc salt in 100 mL of isopropyl alcohol C3H9O. In order to obtain the best optimization in their optical properties via the annealing effect, these films were treated thermally at different temperatures (RT, 200, 300 and 400). Then AFM and XRD tests are employed to examine the structure. According to X-ray diffraction patterns, the structure of all ZnO films is polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtizte structure and preferential orientation in the (002) direction. It also turns out that the annealing process has led to increase the high of the peaks of the x-ray pattern tests which means the structure has been improved. As for the surface morphology, the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) test results are shown there is uniform distribution of homogeneous with columnar nanostructure grains. The band gap varies between (3.2-3.37 eV) and tendency to rise with annealing temperature have been observed through the optical measurement. The sensing tests showed that linear response with increasing the gas concentration and, the annealing treatment gave rise to the sensitivity and more selectivity for NO2 gas. Moreover, the best sensing performance in term of sensitivity and selectivity has been absorbed by ZnO film that was treated by 300 oC annealing temperature.
Effect of Preparation Parameters on Methylene blue number of Activated Carbons Prepared from a Locally Available Material

The adsorption of Methylene blue by the activated carbons prepared from a locally available material Lapsi Seed Stone has been studied. Various activated carbons were prepared by varying the parameters such as ratio of Lapsi seed stone particles to Phosphoric acid, carbonization temperature and carbonization time. Determination of Methylene blue numbers of the activated carbons was done by single point method by batch mode. Methylene blue number is found to be affected by the various preparation conditions like carbonization temperature, carbonization time, ratio of activating agent and Lapsi seed stone particles and the concentration of phosphoric acid. The optimum conditions for the preparation of activated carbon are found to be carbonization temperature 400°C for 4 hours at the ratio of 1:1 Lapsi seed stone particles and Phosphoric acid. Journal of the Institute of Engineering , 2016, 12(1): 169-174
Phylogenetic and Morphological Characterization of Cladosporium perangustum Associated with Flyspeck on Shine Muscat Grapes in South Korea

Abstract The Shine Muscat is a table grape, popular in South Korea for its unique mango-flavor taste. Flyspeck is a disease that is characterized by small, black, and circular specks on the grape cuticle was first observed in several commercial orchards in Sangju, South Korea, in August 2019. Here we identified the causal agent of flyspeck based on an advanced diagnosis approach, comprised of both morphological and molecular analyses. Morphological characteristics of the cultures isolated from grape flyspeck were identical to the fungus Cladosporium perangustum. The concatenated sequences of ITS, ACT, and EF1-α were used for molecular phylogenetic analysis, BLAST searches along with Bayesian inference-based phylogeny, confirmed that the causal agent of grape flyspeck is C. perangustum. The cultured fungal isolates also produced flyspeck symptoms on healthy fruits in pathogenicity tests. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first documented evidence of any Cladosporium sp. producing flyspeck symptoms on any plant.
Relation Classification via Relation Validation

Recognising if a relation holds between two entities in a text plays a vital role in information extraction. To address this problem, multiple models have been proposed based on ﬁxed or contextualised word representations. In this paper, we propose a meta relation classiﬁcation model that can integrate the most recent models by the use of a related task, namely relation validation. To do so, we encode the text that may contain the relation and a relation triplet candidate into a sentence-triplet representation. We grounded our strategy in recent neural architectures that allow single sentence classiﬁcation as well as pair comparisons. Finally, our model is trained to determine the most relevant sentence-triplet pair from a set of candidates. Experiments on two public data sets for relation extraction show that the use of the sentence-triplet representation outperforms strong baselines and achieves comparable results when compared to larger models.
Two Siblings with Kaufman Oculocerebrofacial Syndrome Resembling Oculoauriculovertebral Spectrum

Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder which represents a phenotype mainly involving craniofacial and neurodevelopmental manifestations due to UBE3B gene mutations. The vast majority of the affected individuals exhibit microcephaly, eye abnormalities, and typical facial gestalt including blepharophimosis, ptosis, telecanthus, upslanting palpebral fissures, dysplastic ears, and micrognathia. We encountered 2 siblings in whom severe psychomotor delay, distinctive facial features, hearing loss, and respiratory distress were observed. Some clinical manifestations of the patients, including epibulbar dermoid, microtia, and multiple preauricular tags, were reminiscent of the oculoauriculovertebral spectrum. However, 2 affected siblings exhibited a similar clinical picture consisting of microcephaly, severe developmental and cognitive disabilities, failure to thrive, and dysmorphic features, which were not fully consistent with oculoauriculovertebral spectrum. Also, hypoplastic nails, considered as a core manifestation of Coffin-Siris syndrome, were present in our patients. Therefore, whole-exome sequencing was carried out in order to identify the underlying genetic alterations, contributing to the complex phenotype shared by the 2 siblings. A homozygous pathogenic mutation was found in both affected siblings in the UBE3B gene which caused Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome. Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome should be considered among the autosomal recessive causes of blepharophimosis-mental retardation syndromes, particularly in populations with a high rate of consanguineous marriages, even if there are dysmorphic facial features that are not typically associated with the phenotype.