Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistance Induction in Olive Tree (Olea europaea) Against Verticillium Wilt by Two Beneficial Microorganisms and a Copper Phosphite Fertilizer

Enhancement of the natural defenses of a plant by beneficial microorganisms, i.e., endophytic bacteria and fungi or fertilizers such as copper phosphonates, could result in a potential alternative strategy against verticillium wilt of olive tree (Olea europaea). In this study, two beneficial microorganisms (the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans AP08 and the bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens PAB-024) and a phosphonate salt copper phosphite (CuPh) were evaluated for their effectiveness as host resistance inducers against Verticillium dahliae in olive. To this end, 6-month-old healthy olive plants of the susceptible cultivar Picual were treated by foliar or root applications by spraying 15 ml per plant or by irrigation with 350 ml per plant of the dilutions of each product (CuPh: 3 or 10 ml l–1, respectively; PAB-024: 108 UFC ml–1; AP08: 106 UFC ml–1). Treatments were conducted weekly from 2 weeks before inoculation to 10 days after inoculation. A cornmeal–water–sand mixture (1:2:9; w:v:w) colonized by V. dahliae was used for plant inoculation. Additionally, treated and noninoculated, nontreated and inoculated, and nontreated and noninoculated plants were included for comparative purposes. Disease severity progress and shoot fresh weight were assessed. Parameters involved in plant resistance were monitored through determination and quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) response (H2O2), and evaluation of hormones was done by gene expression analysis. Aureobasidium pullulans and CuPh were the most effective in disease reduction in planta by foliar or root application, respectively. Plants treated with CuPh showed significantly higher shoot fresh weight compared to the other treatments. ROS was significantly enhanced in plants treated with B. amyloliquefaciens PAB-024 compared to the rest of treatments and control. With regard to the evaluation of hormones, high levels of salicylic acid were detected on leaves from all treatment combinations, but without significant enhancements compared to the nontreated control. Regarding the gene expression related to salicylic acid, only the WRKY5 gene has shown a strong enhancement in the treatment with B. amyloliquefaciens. On the other hand, a strong accumulation of jasmonic acid and jasmonic acid-isoleucine in plants treated with A. pullulans was observed in all the tissues analyzed and also in the roots of plants treated with B. amyloliquefaciens and CuPh.
Canagliflozin Prevents Lipid Accumulation, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Mice With Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, as oral medications for T2DM treatment have shown the potential to improve vascular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of canagliflozin (Cana) to relieve CVD in T2DM mice and its possible action mechanism. Mice with diabetic CVD was conducted by a high-fat diet for 24 weeks, followed by oral gavaging with metformin (200 mg/kg/day) or Cana (50 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. The result demonstrated that Cana reduced serum lipid accumulation, and decreased the arteriosclerosis index and atherogenic index of plasma. In addition, Cana treatment reduced the circulating markers of inflammation. More importantly, Cana improved cardiac mitochondrial homeostasis and relieved oxidative stress. Moreover, Cana treatment alleviated the myocardial injury with decreasing levels of serous soluble cluster of differentiation 40 ligand and cardiac troponin I. Thus, cardiovascular abnormality was relieved by suppressing fibrosis and basement membrane thickening, while elevating the cluster of differentiation 31 expression level. Importantly, Cana increased the ratio of gut bacteria Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and the relative abundance of Alistipes, Olsenella, and Alloprevotella, while it decreased the abundance of Mucispirillum, Helicobacter, and Proteobacteria at various taxonomic levels in mice with diabetic CVD. In short, Cana treatment altered the colonic microbiota composition close to the normal level, which was related with blood lipid, inflammation, and oxidative stress, and might play a vital role in CVD. In general, the improvements in the gut microbiota and myocardial mitochondrial homeostasis may represent the mechanism of Cana on CVD treatment.
The Contribution of Event-Related Potentials to the Understanding of Sign Language Processing and Production in the Brain: Experimental Evidence and Future Directions

Functional neuroimaging allows investigation of the timing properties of the brain mechanisms underlying covert language processing. This paper presents a review of the use of the neuroimaging technique called Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) in sign language (SL) research. In the field of neurolinguistics, ERPs have been widely used in the study of spoken language, but their use in SL is still rare. Studying the neurocognitive aspects of SL could lead to a better understanding of the specific processing of SL in the brain. This review outlines the basic theoretical and methodological principles of ERPs. We focus on three groups of ERPs that are particularly relevant to SL processing and production: ERPs focusing on cognition, ERPs focusing on language, and ERPs focusing on movement aspects. We then summarize within each group some ERPs that we consider could be useful for studying the sequence of cognitive processes underlying SL processing and we discuss the current state of the use of ERPs within SL research. According to our analysis of the field, ERPs focusing on language aspects have been used more than ERPs focusing on cognitive and movement-related aspects to study SL. More variability in the type of SLs used is needed to expand the inferences made so far. For the development of the field, we recommend the more frequent use of videos and SL stimulation at a natural pace in order to understand how SL is processed in daily life. The use of a wider variety of ERPs in the study of SL is also recommended. We conclude that ERPs offer a useful tool to address unanswered questions in the field, especially those that call for measuring the building blocks of SL processing in real time. The study of SL cognitive processing in the brain is still in its infancy. One way of developing the field in the coming years would be the more frequent use of the ERP neuroimaging technique.
Genetic Background of Kirgiz Ethnic Group From Northwest China Revealed by Mitochondrial DNA Control Region Sequences on Massively Parallel Sequencing

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used to trace population evolution and apply to forensic identification due to the characteristics including lack of recombination, higher copy number and matrilineal inheritance comparing with nuclear genome DNA. In this study, mtDNA control region sequences of 91 Kirgiz individuals from the Northwest region of China were sequenced to identify genetic polymorphisms and gain insight into the genetic background of the Kirgiz ethnic group. MtDNA control region sequences of Kirgiz individuals presented relatively high genetic polymorphisms. The 1,122 bp sequences of mtDNA control region could differ among unrelated Kirgiz individuals, which suggested the mtDNA control region sequences have a good maternal pedigree tracing capability among different Kirgiz individuals. The neutrality test, mismatch distribution, Bayesian phylogenetic inference, Bayesian skyline analysis, and the median network analyses showed that the Kirgiz group might occurred population expansion, and the expansion could be observed at about ∼53.41 kilo years ago (kya) when ancestries of modern humans began to thrive in Eurasia. The pairwise population comparisons, principal component analyses, and median network analyses were performed based on haplogroup frequencies or mtDNA control region sequences of 5,886 individuals from the Kirgiz group and the 48 reference populations all over the world. And the most homologous haplotypes were found between Kirgiz individuals and the East Asian individuals, which indicated that the Kirgiz group might have gene exchanges with the East Asian populations.
The Effectiveness of Price Promotions in Purchasing Affordable Luxury Products: An Event-Related Potential Study

Similar to traditional luxuries, affordable luxuries enjoy a high level of perceived product quality and perceived social status, but the effectiveness of price promotions of purchasing affordable luxury products is different from that of traditional luxuries. In order to further investigate the purchases of affordable luxuries, we used event-related potential (ERP) technology to reveal the formation of the purchase intention toward affordable luxuries at original prices (high or low) and current prices (discounted or non-discounted). Compared with the high-priced affordable luxury without a price promotion and the low-priced affordable luxury with a price promotion, consumers showed a stronger intention toward the high-priced affordable luxury with a price promotion, by weighing up three factors, perceived product quality, perceived social status, and perceived monetary saving at the behavioral level. A shorter reaction time emerged in the price promotion condition than in the absent price promotion condition when the original price was low. At the neural level, a decrease in N2 amplitude was found in the high original price and discounted current price condition than the high original price and non-discounted current price condition and the low original price and discounted current price condition, respectively, suggesting that the price information of the latter two conditions might not be the expectation information of subjects, and thus, the enhanced conflict is produced. The high-priced affordable luxury product without a price discount evoked a more positive LPP amplitude than the high-priced affordable luxury product with price promotions or than the low-priced affordable luxury item without price promotions, demonstrating that participants could regard the former as an evaluative inconsistent condition and the latter as evaluative consistent conditions. These results are helpful to better understand the effects of price promotions on purchasing affordable luxury products at different original prices.
Differentiation Between Benign and Metastatic Breast Lymph Nodes Using Apparent Diffusion Coefficients

The aim of this study was to determine the range of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values for benign axillary lymph nodes in contrast to malignant axillary lymph nodes, and to define the optimal ADC thresholds for three different ADC parameters (minimum, maximum, and mean ADC) in differentiating between benign and malignant lymph nodes. This retrospective study included consecutive patients who underwent breast MRI from January 2017–December 2020. Two-year follow-up breast imaging or histopathology served as the reference standard for axillary lymph node status. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for minimum, maximum, and mean ADC (min ADC, max ADC, and mean ADC) for benign vs malignant axillary lymph nodes were determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and optimal ADC thresholds were determined using Youden’s Index. The final study sample consisted of 217 patients (100% female, median age of 52 years (range, 22–81), 110 with benign axillary lymph nodes and 107 with malignant axillary lymph nodes. For benign axillary lymph nodes, ADC values (×10−3 mm2/s) ranged from 0.522–2.712 for mean ADC, 0.774–3.382 for max ADC, and 0.071–2.409 for min ADC; for malignant axillary lymph nodes, ADC values (×10−3 mm2/s) ranged from 0.796–1.080 for mean ADC, 1.168–1.592 for max ADC, and 0.351–0.688 for min ADC for malignant axillary lymph nodes. While there was a statistically difference in all ADC parameters (p<0.001) between benign and malignant axillary lymph nodes, boxplots illustrate overlaps in ADC values, with the least overlap occurring with mean ADC, suggesting that this is the most useful ADC parameter for differentiating between benign and malignant axillary lymph nodes. The mean ADC threshold that resulted in the highest diagnostic accuracy for differentiating between benign and malignant lymph nodes was 1.004×10−3 mm2/s, yielding an accuracy of 75%, sensitivity of 71%, specificity of 79%, positive predictive value of 77%, and negative predictive value of 74%. This mean ADC threshold is lower than the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) mean ADC threshold of 1.300×10−3 mm2/s, therefore suggesting that the EUSOBI threshold which was recently recommended for breast tumors should not be extrapolated to evaluate the axillary lymph nodes.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Background The world has been facing an unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19 with over 336 million people infected and millions of deaths. This required an enormous communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak. When a pandemic affects communities, individuals' knowledge and attitude are important factors to contain the outbreak. Thus, the purpose of this study is to measure individuals' knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 and ascertain whether a need exists for mental health services for those who were affected by the pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to measure the knowledge, attitude, and psychological impacts about the COVID-19 pandemic among the Saudi population. Research participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique through the social media platform WhatsApp. A total of 482 eligible individuals participated from various locations in Saudi Arabia represented almost all Saudi regions. The questionnaire consisted of seven questions evaluating knowledge, seven gauging attitudes, and 16 questions assessing anxiety and perceived need for mental healthcare services. Results A modest level of knowledge (59%) was found among the Saudi population sampled about the COVID-19 pandemic, and satisfactory knowledge (>80%) about its preventive measures. Anxiety and stress existed among the participants (79% obsessed with COVID-19), with an 88% approval rate for obtaining mental health services for individuals highly affected by the pandemic. Conclusion There is a need to increase awareness and provide continuous updates regarding the pandemic situation. Promoting access to mental health services is critical, as well as finding creative and suitable strategies to deliver mental health services to those who need them.
Alternative Prey and Predator Interference Mediate Thrips Consumption by Generalists

Generalist predators’ complex feeding relationships make it difficult to predict their contribution to pest suppression. Alternative prey can either distract predators from attacking pests, weakening biocontrol, or provide food that support larger predator communities to enhance it. Similarly, predator species might both feed upon and complement one another by occupying different niches. Here, we use molecular gut-content analysis to examine predation of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) by two generalist predatory bugs, Geocoris sp. and Nabis sp. We collected predators from conventional and organic potato fields that differed in arthropod abundance and composition, so that we could draw correlations between abundance and biodiversity of predators and prey, and thrips predation. We found that alternative prey influenced the probability of detecting Geocoris predation of thrips through a complex interaction. In conventionally-managed potato fields, thrips DNA was more likely to be detected in Geocoris as total abundance of all arthropods in the community increased. But the opposite pattern was found in organic fields, where the probability of detecting thrips predation by Geocoris decreased with increasing total arthropod abundance. Perhaps, increasing abundance (from a relatively low baseline) of alternative prey triggered greater foraging activity in conventional fields, but drew attacks away from thrips in organic fields where prey were consistently relatively bountiful. The probability of detecting Geocoris predation of thrips generally increased with increasing thrips density, but this correlation was steeper in organic than conventional fields. For both Geocoris and Nabis, greater Nabis abundance correlated with reduced probability of detecting thrips DNA; for Nabis this was the only important variable. Nabis is a common intraguild predator of the smaller Geocoris, and is highly cannibalistic, suggesting that predator-predator interference increased with more Nabis present. Complex patterns of thrips predation seemed to result from a dynamic interaction with alternative prey abundance, alongside consistently negative interactions among predators. This provides further evidence that alternative prey and predator interference must be studied in concert to accurately predict the contributions of generalists to biocontrol.
Impact of Fluoxetine Treatment and Folic Acid Supplementation on the Mammary Gland Transcriptome During Peak Lactation

Serotonin is a key regulator of mammary gland homeostasis during lactation. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly used to treat peripartum depression, but also modulates mammary gland serotonin concentrations and signaling in part through DNA methylation. The objective of this study was to determine mouse mammary transcriptome changes in response to the SSRI fluoxetine and how methyl donor supplementation, achieved by folic acid supplementation, affected the transcriptome. Female C57BL/6J mice were fed either breeder diet (containing 4 mg/kg folic acid) or supplemented diet (containing 24 mg/kg folic acid) beginning 2 weeks prior to mating, then on embryonic day 13 mice were injected daily with either saline or 20 mg/kg fluoxetine. Mammary glands were harvested at peak lactation, lactation day 10, for transcriptomic analysis. Fluoxetine but not folic acid altered circulating serotonin and calcium concentrations, and folic acid reduced mammary serotonin concentrations, however only fluoxetine altered genes in the mammary transcriptome. Fluoxetine treatment altered fifty-six genes. Elovl6 was the most significantly altered gene by fluoxetine treatment along with gene pathways involving fatty acid homeostasis, PPARγ, and adipogenesis, which are critical for milk fat synthesis. Enriched pathways in the mammary gland by fluoxetine revealed pathways including calcium signaling, serotonin receptors, milk proteins, and cellular response to cytokine stimulus which are important for lactation. Although folic acid did not impact specific genes, a less stringent pathway analysis revealed more diffuse effects where folic acid enriched pathways involving negative regulation of gene expression as expected, but additionally enriched pathways involving serotonin, glycolysis, and lactalbumin which are critical for lactation. In conclusion, peripartal SSRI use and folic acid supplementation altered critical genes related to milk synthesis and mammary gland function that are important to a successful lactation. However, folic acid supplementation did not reverse changes in the mammary gland transcriptome altered by peripartal SSRI treatment.
Cytosolic Nipah Virus Inclusion Bodies Recruit Proteins Without Using Canonical Aggresome Pathways

Nipah virus (NiV) is a BSL-4 classified zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes respiratory or encephalitic diseases. A hallmark of NiV infections, as with all cell infections caused by non-segmented negative-strand RNA viruses, is the formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs). We previously showed that cytosolic NiV IBs, which are formed in infected cells or in cells minimally expressing the NiV nucleocapsid proteins, are associated with the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) marker γ-tubulin. They also recruit overexpressed cytosolic proteins that are not functionally required for viral replication in IBs and that otherwise might form toxic protein aggregates. Therefore, NiV IBs are thought to share some functional properties with cellular aggresomes. The fact that aggresomes were not found in NiV-infected cells supports the idea that NiV IBs are successfully reducing the proteotoxic stress in infected cells. Only if the proteasome-ubiquitin system is artificially blocked by inhibitors, cellular aggresomes are formed in addition to IBs, but without colocalizing. Although both structures were positive for the classical aggresome markers histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3), they clearly differed in their cellular protein compositions and recruited overexpressed proteins to different extents. The further finding that inhibition of aggresome pathways by HDAC6 or microtubule (MT) inhibitors did neither interfere with IB formation nor with protein sequestration, strengthens the idea that cytosolic NiV IBs can assume some aggresome-like functions without involving active transport processes and canonical cellular aggresome pathways.
Circulating Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibodies Associate With Immune Activation Independent of Kidney Transplant Histopathological Findings

Despite the critical role of cytokines in allograft rejection, the relation of peripheral blood cytokine profiles to clinical kidney transplant rejection has not been fully elucidated. We assessed 28 cytokines through multiplex assay in 293 blood samples from kidney transplant recipients at time of graft dysfunction. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering identified a subset of patients with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. This patient subset was hallmarked by a high prevalence (75%) of donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies (HLA-DSA) and histological rejection (70%) and had worse graft survival compared to the group with low cytokine levels (HLA-DSA in 1.7% and rejection in 33.7%). Thirty percent of patients with high pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and HLA-DSA did not have histological rejection. Exploring the cellular origin of these cytokines, we found a corresponding expression in endothelial cells, monocytes, and natural killer cells in single-cell RNASeq data from kidney transplant biopsies. Finally, we confirmed secretion of these cytokines in HLA-DSA-mediated cross talk between endothelial cells, NK cells, and monocytes. In conclusion, blood pro-inflammatory cytokines are increased in kidney transplant patients with HLA-DSA, even in the absence of histology of rejection. These observations challenge the concept that histology is the gold standard for identification of ongoing allo-immune activation after transplantation.