Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental Regulation of Photosynthetically Produced Dissolved Organic Carbon by Phytoplankton Along a Subtropical Estuarine Bay

Photosynthetically produced dissolved organic carbon (PDOC) released by marine phytoplankton has an important significance on the marine carbon cycle and on the growth of heterotopic bacteria (HB). However, PDOC is often neglected in the estimation of global marine primary productivity and carbon sequestration capacity. This work studied the issue of PDOC and its environmental regulation mechanism through field investigation and lab experiments in an estuarine bay during southwest and northeast monsoon. We used the percentage of extracellular release (PER) as a key indicator to evaluate the contribution of PDOC to total primary productivity (TPP). We also compared PER among different seasons and sectors and then analyzed the inter-relationship between PDOC and bacterial carbon demand (BCD), size-fractionated phytoplankton, bacterial production (BP), and TPP. We finally discussed the impact factors of PDOC productivity. The results showed that the average contribution of PDOC to TPP in Qinzhou bay could reach 15% during two seasons, which satisfies about 25% of the carbon requirement by HB in the bay. Multiple factors contribute to the seasonal (SW monsoon 13% < NE monsoon 18%) and sectoral variation (outer bay 26% > middle bay 17% > inner bay 7%) in PER, the most significant of which are salinity and nitrogen to phosphorus ratios. PER is also related to phytoplankton community structure and nutrient limitation, the higher PER in the outer bay is attributed to the dual effect of picophytoplankton being the predominant species and a severe imbalance in the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, both of which lead to increased phytoplankton PDOC release. On the other hand, the lower PER in the inner bay was mainly due to the dominance of microphytoplankton and nitrogen to phosphorus ratio which is close to the redfield ratio. There is still a non-uniform conclusion on the relationship between PER and TPP, suggesting that this relationship needs to be evaluated not only in a horizontal-independent way but also through seasonal and vertical dimensions. The non-linear relationship between PDOC and BCD found in this study potentially indicated weak coupling between phytoplankton exudation and bacterial metabolism. In addition to phytoplankton exudate, HB is still dependent on other sources of DOC to meet their carbon requirements.
Multivariate Adaptive Step Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm Optimized Generalized Regression Neural Network for Short-Term Power Load Forecasting

Short-term load forecasting plays a significant role in the management of power plants. In this paper, we propose a multivariate adaptive step fruit fly optimization algorithm (MAFOA) to optimize the smoothing parameter of the generalized regression neural network (GRNN) in the short-term power load forecasting. In addition, due to the substantial impact of some external factors including temperature, weather types, and date types on the short-term power load, we take these factors into account and propose an efficient interval partition technique to handle the unstructured data. To verify the performance of MAFOA-GRNN, the power load data are used for empirical analysis in Wuhan City, China. The empirical results demonstrate that the forecasting accuracy of the MAFOA applied to the GRNN outperforms the benchmark methods.
Central Venous Pressure Measurement Is Associated With Improved Outcomes in Patients With or at Risk for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: An Analysis of the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV Database

Background Central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring is widely used in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the formal utility of CVP measurement to altering patient outcomes among ICU patients with or at risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has never been investigated. Our study aimed to explore the association of CVP measurement with 28-day mortality specifically in that population. Methods This study was based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Patients were divided into CVP and no CVP groups according to whether they had CVP measurement within 24 h of admission to the ICU. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Multivariate regression was used to elucidate the association between CVP measurement and 28-day mortality, and propensity score matching (PSM) and propensity score-based overlap weighting (OW) were employed to verify the stability of our results. Results A total of 10,198 patients with or at risk for ARDS were included in our study, of which 4,647 patients (45.6%) belonged to the CVP group. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the early measurement of CVP was independently associated with lower 28-day mortality (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.42–0.57; p < 0.001). This association remained robust after PSM and OW (both p < 0.001). Patients in the CVP group had shorter ICU stay, lower in-hospital mortality, more fluid on day 1 and higher clearance of blood lactate than those in the no CVP group. Conclusion Early CVP measurement is associated with an improvement in 28-day mortality among a general population of critically ill patients with or at risk for ARDS.
Identification of Glycoside Transporters From the Human Gut Microbiome

Transport is a crucial step in the metabolism of glycosides by bacteria, which is itself key for microbiota function and equilibrium. However, most transport proteins are function-unknown or only predicted, limiting our understanding of how bacteria utilize glycosides. Here, we present an activity-based screening method to identify functional glycoside transporters from microbiomes. The method is based on the co-expression in Escherichia coli of genes encoding transporters and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) from metagenomic polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) cloned in fosmids. To establish the proof of concept of the methodology, we used two different metagenomic libraries derived from human gut microbiota to select 18 E. coli clones whose metagenomic sequence contained at least one putative glycoside transporter and one functional CAZyme, identified by screening for various glycoside-hydrolase activities. Growth tests were performed on plant-derived glycosides, which are the target substrates of the CAZymes identified in each PUL. This led to the identification of 10 clones that are able to utilize oligosaccharides as sole carbon sources, thanks to the production of transporters from the PTS, ABC, MFS, and SusCD families. Six of the 10 hit clones contain only one transporter, providing direct experimental evidence that these transporters are functional. In the six cases where two transporters are present in the sequence of a clone, the transporters’ function can be predicted from the flanking CAZymes or from similarity with transporters characterized previously, which facilitates further functional characterization. The results expand the understanding of how glycosides are selectively metabolized by bacteria and offers a new approach to screening for glycoside-transporter specificity toward oligosaccharides with defined structures.
Assessing Cerebrovascular Resistance in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) the delivery of oxygen to the brain is compromised by anemia, abnormal rheology, and steno-occlusive vascular disease. Meeting demands for oxygen delivery requires compensatory features of brain perfusion. The cerebral vasculature’s regulatory function and reserves can be assessed by observing the flow response to a vasoactive stimulus. In a traditional approach we measured voxel-wise change in Blood Oxygen-Level Dependent (BOLD) MRI signal as a surrogate of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in response to a linear progressive ramping of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO2). Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) was defined as ΔBOLD/ΔPETCO2. We used a computer model to fit a virtual sigmoid resistance curve to the progressive CBF response to the stimulus, enabling the calculation of resistance parameters: amplitude, midpoint, range response, resistance sensitivity and vasodilatory reserve. The quality of the resistance sigmoid fit was expressed as the r 2 of the fit. We tested 35 patients with SCD, as well as 24 healthy subjects to provide an indication of the normal ranges of the resistance parameters. We found that gray matter CVR and resistance amplitude, range, reserve, and sensitivity are reduced in patients with SCD compared to healthy controls, while resistance midpoint was increased. This study is the first to document resistance measures in adult patients with SCD. It is also the first to score these vascular resistance measures in comparison to the normal range. We anticipate these data will complement the current understanding of the cerebral vascular pathophysiology of SCD, identify paths for therapeutic interventions, and provide biomarkers for monitoring the progress of the disease.
Genome-Wide Marker Data-Based Comparative Population Analysis of Szeklers From Korond, Transylvania, and From Transylvania Living Non-Szekler Hungarians

Genome-wide genotype data from 48 carefully selected population samples of Transylvania-living Szeklers and non-Szekler Hungarians were analyzed by comparative analysis. Our analyses involved contemporary Hungarians living in Hungary, other Europeans, and Eurasian samples counting 530 individuals altogether. The source of the Szekler samples was the commune of Korond, Transylvania. The analyzed non-Szekler Hungarian samples were collected from villages with a history dating back to the era of the Árpád Dynasty. Population structure by principal component analysis and ancestry analysis also revealed a great within-group similarity of the analyzed Szeklers and non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarians. These groups also showed similar genetic patterns with each other. Haplotype analyses using identity-by-descent segment discovering tools showed that average pairwise identity-by-descent sharing is similar in the investigated populations, but the Korond Szekler samples had higher average sharing with the Hungarians from Hungary than non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarians. Average sharing results showed that both groups are isolated compared to other Europeans, and pointed out that the non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarian inhabitants of the investigated Árpád Age villages are more isolated than investigated Szeklers from Korond. This was confirmed by our autozygosity analysis as well. Identity-by-descent segment analyses and 4-population tests also confirmed that these Hungarian-speaking Transylvanian ethnic groups are strongly related to Hungarians living in Hungary.
An ECM-Mimetic Hydrogel to Promote the Therapeutic Efficacy of Osteoblast-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Bone Regeneration

The use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is emerging as a promising acellular approach for bone regeneration, overcoming translational hurdles associated with cell-based therapies. Despite their potential, EVs short half-life following systemic administration hinders their therapeutic efficacy. EVs have been reported to bind to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and play an essential role in matrix mineralisation. Chitosan and collagen type I are naturally-derived pro-osteogenic biomaterials, which have been demonstrated to control EV release kinetics. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an injectable ECM-mimetic hydrogel capable of controlling the release of osteoblast-derived EVs to promote bone repair. Pure chitosan hydrogels significantly enhanced compressive modulus (2.48-fold) and osteogenic differentiation (3.07-fold), whilst reducing gelation times (2.09-fold) and proliferation (2.7-fold) compared to pure collagen gels (p ≤ 0.001). EV release was strongly associated with collagen concentration (R2 > 0.94), where a significantly increased EV release profile was observed from chitosan containing gels using the CD63 ELISA (p ≤ 0.001). Hydrogel-released EVs enhanced human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) proliferation (1.12-fold), migration (2.55-fold), and mineralisation (3.25-fold) compared to untreated cells (p ≤ 0.001). Importantly, EV-functionalised chitosan-collagen composites significantly promoted hBMSCs extracellular matrix mineralisation when compared to the EV-free gels in a dose-dependent manner (p ≤ 0.001). Taken together, these findings demonstrate the development of a pro-osteogenic thermosensitive chitosan-collagen hydrogel capable of enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of osteoblast-derived EVs as a novel acellular tool for bone augmentation strategy. Graphical Abstract
Innovative Strategies to Improve the Clinical Application of NK Cell-Based Immunotherapy

Natural killer cells constitute a part of the innate immune system that mediates an effective immune response towards virus-infected and malignant cells. In recent years, research has focused on exploring and advancing NK cells as an active immunotherapy platform. Despite major advances, there are several key challenges that need to be addressed for the effective translation of NK cell research to clinical applications. This review highlights some of these challenges and the innovative strategies being developed to overcome them, including in vitro expansion, in vivo persistence, infiltration to the tumor site, and prevention of exhaustion.
NMR Assignment of Methyl Groups in Immobilized Proteins Using Multiple-Bond 13C Homonuclear Transfers, Proton Detection, and Very Fast MAS

In nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of proteins, methyl protons play a particular role as extremely sensitive reporters on dynamics, allosteric effects, and protein–protein interactions, accessible even in high-molecular-weight systems approaching 1 MDa. The notorious issue of their chemical shift assignment is addressed here by a joint use of solid-state 1H-detected methods at very fast (nearly 100 kHz) magic-angle spinning, partial deuteration, and high-magnetic fields. The suitability of a series of RF schemes is evaluated for the efficient coherence transfer across entire 13C side chains of methyl-containing residues, which is key for establishing connection between methyl and backbone 1H resonances. The performance of ten methods for recoupling of either isotropic 13C–13C scalar or anisotropic dipolar interactions (five variants of TOBSY, FLOPSY, DIPSI, WALTZ, RFDR, and DREAM) is evaluated experimentally at two state-of-the-art magic-angle spinning (55 and 94.5 kHz) and static magnetic field conditions (18.8 and 23.5 T). Model isotopically labeled compounds (alanine and Met-Leu-Phe tripeptide) and ILV-methyl and amide-selectively protonated, and otherwise deuterated chicken α-spectrin SH3 protein are used as convenient reference systems. Spin dynamics simulations in SIMPSON are performed to determine optimal parameters of these RF schemes, up to recently experimentally attained spinning frequencies (200 kHz) and B 0 field strengths (28.2 T). The concept of linearization of 13C side chain by appropriate isotope labeling is revisited and showed to significantly increase sensitivity of methyl-to-backbone correlations. A resolution enhancement provided by 4D spectroscopy with non-uniform (sparse) sampling is demonstrated to remove ambiguities in simultaneous resonance assignment of methyl proton and carbon chemical shifts.
Cancer Cell Phenotype Plasticity as a Driver of Immune Escape in Melanoma

Immunotherapies blocking negative immune checkpoints are now approved for the treatment of a growing number of cancers. However, even in metastatic melanoma, where sustained responses are observed, a significant number of patients still do not respond or display resistance. Increasing evidence indicates that non-genetic cancer cell-intrinsic alterations play a key role in resistance to therapies and immune evasion. Cancer cell plasticity, mainly associated with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in carcinoma, relies on transcriptional, epigenetic or translational reprogramming. In melanoma, an EMT-like dedifferentiation process is characterized by the acquisition of invasive or neural crest stem cell-like features. Herein, we discuss recent findings on the specific roles of phenotypic reprogramming of melanoma cells in driving immune evasion and resistance to immunotherapies. The mechanisms by which dedifferentiated melanoma cells escape T cell lysis, mediate T cell exclusion or remodel the immune microenvironment will be detailed. The expanded knowledge on tumor cell plasticity in melanoma should contribute to the development of novel therapeutic combination strategies to further improve outcomes in this deadly metastatic cancer.
Genetic Diversity of Wild and Cultivated Muscadine Grapes (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.)

The muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia syn. Muscadinia rotundifolia) is an American grape species native to the southeastern United States that has been cultivated for centuries. Muscadines are one of three grape species in subgenus Muscadinia with a chromosome number of 2n = 40 (V. rotundifolia, Vitis munsoniana, and Vitis popenoei), making them genetically distinct from the European wine and table grape (Vitis vinifera) and other species in subgenus Euvitis. Crop improvement efforts have been continuous since the late 19th century, yet the germplasm that served as the foundation for early muscadine breeding efforts was sourced from a relatively small portion of their native range, mostly in the coastal plains of North Carolina. This study used the rhAmpSeq Vitis core panel haplotype markers to genotype 194 Muscadinia accessions from five cultivated populations and 15 wild populations collected across their native range. Wild populations from the western half of the native range were generally less genetically differentiated than hypothesized, but were genetically distinct from the material used in both past and present breeding efforts. One population collected from coastal North Carolina grouped closely with V. munsoniana accessions despite being well outside the reported range for that species. Principal coordinate and structure analyses revealed three main groups within the 194 accessions: one for cultivated material, one for wild V. rotundifolia, and one for V. munsoniana and V. popenoei. At K = 5, structure results showed that more recent muscadine cultivars are further differentiated from wild accessions and varieties. These analyses confirmed our hypothesis that muscadine cultivars are genetically differentiated from their wild counterparts. This study also showed that genetic diversity in V. rotundifolia is not equally distributed across its native range and that the limited number of genotypes used in crop improvement efforts has not fully utilized the genetic diversity within the species.
Challenges and Opportunities of Real-World Data: Statistical Analysis Plan for the Optimise:MS Multicenter Prospective Cohort Pharmacovigilance Study

Introduction Optimise:MS is an observational pharmacovigilance study aimed at characterizing the safety profile of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) in a real world population. The study will categorize and quantify the occurrence of serious adverse events (SAEs) in a cohort of MS patients recruited from clinical sites around the UK. The study was motivated particularly by a need to establish the safety profile of newer DMTs, but will also gather data on outcomes among treatment-eligible but untreated patients and those receiving established DMTs (interferons and glatiramer acetate). It will also explore the impact of treatment switching. Methods Causal pathway confounding between treatment selection and outcomes, together with the variety and complexity of treatment and disease patterns observed among MS patients in the real world, present statistical challenges to be addressed in the analysis plan. We developed an approach for analysis of the Optimise:MS data that will include disproportionality-based signal detection methods adapted to the longitudinal structure of the data and a longitudinal time-series analysis of a cohort of participants receiving second-generation DMT for the first time. The time-series analyses will use a number of exposure definitions in order to identify temporal patterns, carryover effects and interactions with prior treatments. Time-dependent confounding will be allowed for via inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW). Additional analyses will examine rates and outcomes of pregnancies and explore interactions of these with treatment type and duration. Results To date 14 hospitals have joined the study and over 2,000 participants have been recruited. A statistical analysis plan has been developed and is described here. Conclusion Optimise:MS is expected to be a rich source of data on the outcomes of DMTs in real-world conditions over several years of follow-up in an inclusive sample of UK MS patients. Analysis is complicated by the influence of confounding factors including complex treatment histories and a highly variable disease course, but the statistical analysis plan includes measures to mitigate the biases such factors can introduce. It will enable us to address key questions that are beyond the reach of randomized controlled trials.
Physical Self Matters: How the Dual Nature of Body Image Influences Smart Watch Purchase Intention

To determine the role of physical self in body-involving consumption, we explore how body image influences purchasing intention toward hybrid products with body-involving features. In this study, we establish the dual nature of body image: specifically, body image influences intention to purchase via the perception of utilitarian value and symbolic value. Further, we find a competitive mediation in which positive body image (PBI) negatively influences purchase intention (direct effect), while PBI is positively related to purchase intention via utilitarian and symbolic value (indirect effect). This indicates that without the mediation testing of the utilitarian-symbolic framework, the positive influence of body image will be “hidden. ” Additionally, the mediated effect of symbolic value is moderated by personal innovativeness toward technology (PITT), suggesting that a consumer’s knowledge of wearables enhances the effect of body image. With the introduction of body image, this paper provides a more comprehensive model to analyze purchase intention with regard to digital products with body-involving features.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Soybean Germplasm Derived From Canadian × Chinese Crosses to Mine for Novel Alleles to Improve Seed Yield and Seed Quality Traits

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has emerged in the past decade as a viable tool for identifying beneficial alleles from a genomic diversity panel. In an ongoing effort to improve soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ], which is the third largest field crop in Canada, a GWAS was conducted to identify novel alleles underlying seed yield and seed quality and agronomic traits. The genomic panel consisted of 200 genotypes including lines derived from several generations of bi-parental crosses between modern Canadian × Chinese cultivars (CD-CH). The genomic diversity panel was field evaluated at two field locations in Ontario in 2019 and 2020. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) was conducted and yielded almost 32 K high-quality SNPs. GWAS was conducted using Fixed and random model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU) model on the following traits: seed yield, seed protein concentration, seed oil concentration, plant height, 100 seed weight, days to maturity, and lodging score that allowed to identify five QTL regions controlling seed yield and seed oil and protein content. A candidate gene search identified a putative gene for each of the three traits. The results of this GWAS study provide insight into potentially valuable genetic resources residing in Chinese modern cultivars that breeders may use to further improve soybean seed yield and seed quality traits.