Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbiome Structure of the Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) Is Shaped by Different Solanaceae Plant Diets

Myzus persicae (Sulzer) is an important insect pest in agriculture that has a very broad host range. Previous research has shown that the microbiota of insects has implications for their growth, development, and environmental adaptation. So far, there is little detailed knowledge about the factors that influence and shape the microbiota of aphids. In the present study, we aimed to investigate diet-induced changes in the microbiome of M. persicae using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments in combination with molecular and microbiological experiments. The transfer of aphids to different plants from the Solanaceae family resulted in a substantial decrease in the abundance of the primary symbiont Buchnera. In parallel, a substantial increase in the abundance of Pseudomonas was observed; it accounted for up to 69.4% of the bacterial community in M. persicae guts and the attached bacteriocytes. In addition, we observed negative effects on aphid population dynamics when they were transferred to pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.). The microbiome of this treatment group showed a significantly lower increase in the abundance of Pseudomonas when compared with the other Solanaceae plant diets, which might be related to the adaptability of the host to this diet. Molecular quantifications of bacterial genera that were substantially affected by the different diets were implemented as an additional verification of the microbiome-based observations. Complementary experiments with bacteria isolated from aphids that were fed with different plants indicated that nicotine-tolerant strains occur in Solanaceae-fed specimens, but they were not restricted to them. Overall, our mechanistic approach conducted under controlled conditions provided strong indications that the aphid microbiome shows responses to different plant diets. This knowledge could be used in the future to develop environmentally friendly methods for the control of insect pests in agriculture.
Cognitive Empathy in Subtypes of Antisocial Individuals

Cognitive empathy allows individuals to recognize and infer how others think and feel in social situations and provides a foundation for the formation and maintenance of mutually constructive relationships. It may seem intuitive to assume that individuals who engage in antisocial behavior, who disregard the rights of others, might have problems with cognitive empathy. However, careful examination of the literature suggests that any dysfunction in cognitive empathy associated with antisociality varies by subtype of antisocial individual and is specific to subcomponents of cognitive empathy. In this review, we (1) briefly define subtypes of antisocial individuals (“psychopathic” vs. “antisocial-only”), (2) summarize specific components of cognitive empathy; (3) review existing literature examining cognitive empathy through questionnaires, behavioral tasks, and neuroimaging within different antisocial subtypes; and (4) discuss the limitations of the current research and potential future directions. Individuals in the psychopathic subtype fail to implicitly engage in cognitive empathy, and potentially lack insight into this issue reflected in no self-reported problems with cognitive empathy, but show an ability to engage in cognitive empathy when explicitly required. Individuals in the antisocial-only subtype appear able to engage in cognitive empathy, showing no differences on questionnaire or behavioral tasks that tap explicit cognitive empathy, but may display subtle difficulties accurately inferring (affective theory of mind) the emotions of others. We end the review by noting areas for future research, including the need to: (1) document the patterns of equifinality that exist across levels of analysis for these antisocial subtypes; (2) examine the temporality of empathy and antisociality development; (3) carefully consider and label subcomponents of cognitive empathy in research on antisocial behavior; and (4) investigate the intersection among environmental experiences, cognitive empathy, and antisocial behavior.
Keratinocyte-Immune Cell Crosstalk in a STAT1-Mediated Pathway: Novel Insights Into Rosacea Pathogenesis

Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory condition that mainly affects the central face. However, the molecular background of the normal central face and the transcriptional profiling and immune cell composition of rosacea lesions remain largely unknown. Here, we performed whole-skin and epidermal RNA-seq of central facial skin from healthy individuals, lesions and matched normal skin from rosacea patients. From whole-skin RNA-seq, the site-specific gene signatures for central facial skin were mainly enriched in epithelial cell differentiation, with upregulation of the activator protein-1 (AP1) transcription factor (TF). We identified the common upregulated inflammatory signatures and diminished keratinization signature for rosacea lesions. Gene ontology, pathway, TF enrichment and immunohistochemistry results suggested that STAT1 was the potential core of the critical TF networks connecting the epithelial–immune crosstalk in rosacea lesions. Epidermal RNA-seq and immunohistochemistry analysis further validated the epithelial-derived STAT1 signature in rosacea lesions. The epidermal STAT1/IRF1 signature was observed across ETR, PPR, and PhR subtypes. Immune cell composition revealed that macrophages were common in all 3 subtypes. Finally, we described subtype-specific gene signatures and immune cell composition correlated with phenotypes. These findings reveal the specific epithelial differentiation in normal central facial skin, and epithelial–immune crosstalk in lesions providing insight into an initial keratinocyte pattern in the pathogenesis of rosacea.
Association of HIV-1 Infection and Antiretroviral Therapy With Type 2 Diabetes in the Hispanic Population of the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas has one of the highest prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the United States (US). We report for the first time the T2D prevalence in persons with HIV (PWH) in the RGV and the interrelationship between T2D, cardiometabolic risk factors, HIV-related indices, and antiretroviral therapies (ART). The PWH in this study received medical care at Valley AIDS Council (VAC) clinic sites located in Harlingen and McAllen, Texas. Henceforth, this cohort will be referred to as Valley AIDS Council Cohort (VACC). Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using retrospective data obtained from 1,827 registries. It included demographic and anthropometric variables, cardiometabolic traits, and HIV-related virological and immunological indices. For descriptive statistics, we used mean values of the quantitative variables from unbalanced visits across 20 months. Robust regression methods were used to determine the associations. For comparisons, we used cardiometabolic trait data obtained from HIV-uninfected San Antonio Mexican American Family Studies (SAMAFS; N = 2,498), and the Mexican American population in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES; N = 5,989). The prevalence of T2D in VACC was 51% compared to 27% in SAMAFS and 19% in HHANES, respectively. The PWH with T2D in VACC were younger (4.7 years) and had lower BMI (BMI 2.43 units less) when compared to SAMAFS individuals. In contrast, VACC individuals had increased blood pressure and dyslipidemia. The increased T2D prevalence in VACC was independent of BMI. Within the VACC, ART was associated with viral load and CD4+ T cell counts but not with metabolic dysfunction. Notably, we found that individuals with any INSTI combination had higher T2D risk: OR 2.08 (95%CI 1.67, 2.6; p < 0.001). In summary, our results suggest that VACC individuals may develop T2D at younger ages independent of obesity. The high burden of T2D in these individuals necessitates rigorously designed longitudinal studies to draw potential causal inferences and develop better treatment regimens.
Direct Neuronal Reprogramming: Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Application

Direct neuronal reprogramming is an innovative new technology that involves the conversion of somatic cells to induced neurons (iNs) without passing through a pluripotent state. The capacity to make new neurons in the brain, which previously was not achievable, has created great excitement in the field as it has opened the door for the potential treatment of incurable neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries such as stroke. These neurological disorders are associated with frank neuronal loss, and as new neurons are not made in most of the adult brain, treatment options are limited. Developmental biologists have paved the way for the field of direct neuronal reprogramming by identifying both intrinsic cues, primarily transcription factors (TFs) and miRNAs, and extrinsic cues, including growth factors and other signaling molecules, that induce neurogenesis and specify neuronal subtype identities in the embryonic brain. The striking observation that postmitotic, terminally differentiated somatic cells can be converted to iNs by mis-expression of TFs or miRNAs involved in neural lineage development, and/or by exposure to growth factors or small molecule cocktails that recapitulate the signaling environment of the developing brain, has opened the door to the rapid expansion of new neuronal reprogramming methodologies. Furthermore, the more recent applications of neuronal lineage conversion strategies that target resident glial cells in situ has expanded the clinical potential of direct neuronal reprogramming techniques. Herein, we present an overview of the history, accomplishments, and therapeutic potential of direct neuronal reprogramming as revealed over the last two decades.
The Verification of Thermoelectric Performance Obtained by High-Throughput Calculations: The Case of GeS2 Monolayer From First-Principles Calculations

Electronic fitness function (EFF, achieved by the electrical transport properties) as a new quantity to estimate thermoelectric (TE) performance of semiconductor crystals is usually used for screening novel TE materials. In recent years, because of the high EFF values, an increasing number of two-dimensional materials have been predicted to have the potential for TE applications via high-throughput calculations. Among them, the GeS2 monolayer has many interesting physical properties and is being used for industrial applications. Hence, in this work, we systematically investigated the TE performance, including both electronic and thermal transport properties, of the GeS2 monolayer with first-principles calculations. The results show that the structure of the GeS2 monolayer at 700 K is thermally unstable, so we study its TE performance only at 300 and 500 K. As compared with other typical TE monolayers, the GeS2 monolayer exhibits excellent electronic transport properties but a relatively high lattice thermal conductivity of 5.71 W m−1 K−1 at 500 K, and thus an unsatisfactory ZT value of 0.23. Such a low ZT value indicates that it is necessary to consider not only the electron transport properties but also the thermal transport properties to screen the thermoelectric materials with excellent performance through high-throughput calculations.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Neurocognition in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Age at First Exposure and Multiplicity Matter

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might be related to cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). However, it remains unknown what aspects of ACEs are associated with cognitive impairments in SSD. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between various characteristics of ACEs (age at first exposure, severity, and multiplicity) and cognition in SSD and healthy controls (HCs). We enrolled 127 individuals with SSD and 56 HCs. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). The Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire was administered to record a history of ACEs. The following characteristics of ACEs were analyzed: multiplicity, severity, and age at first exposure. Individuals with SSD had significantly lower scores on all RBANS domains. Multiplicity and severity of ACEs were significantly higher in patients with SSD compared to HCs. In both groups, greater multiplicity of ACEs was associated with lower scores of global cognition and delayed memory. Additionally, in subjects with SSD, greater multiplicity and younger age at first exposure were associated with lower scores of attention. The present findings indicate that greater multiplicity and younger age at first exposure are the most important aspects of ACEs contributing to cognitive impairments observed in SSD. Moreover, ACEs might exert differential impact on cognition in SSD and HCs.
Restoration of Natural Forests After Severe Wind Disturbance in a Cold, Snowy Region With a Deer Population: Implications From 15 Years of Field Experiments

Questions have been raised about the application of conventional post-windthrow forest practices such as salvage logging, site preparation, and afforestation in response to the increase in wind disturbance caused by climate change. In particular, it is necessary to identify effective forest management practices that consider the pressure from deer browsing in forests in cold, snowy regions because the population of ungulates is expected to increase. The impacts of legacy destruction, i.e., the destruction of advance regeneration, microsites, and soil structure, caused by conventional post-windthrow practices have rarely been assessed separately from the impacts of subsequent deer browsing on forest regeneration or evaluated based on sufficiently long monitoring periods to assess vegetation succession. This lack of studies is one reason that alternative forest management practices to salvaging and planting have not been proposed. We conducted a field experiment at a large-scale windthrow site with a deer population to (1) assess the impact of legacy destruction and deer browsing on vegetation biomass and species composition after 15 years and (2) identify the effects of legacy retention. The study design allowed us to distinguish between and measure the impact of legacy destruction and that of subsequent deer browsing during a 15-year period. The results revealed the following: (1) Salvage logging and site preparation suppressed the development of biomass of shrub and tree layers in forested areas where harvest residues were piled up and shifted the plant communities in these areas to herbaceous plant communities. (2) Subsequent deer browsing suppressed the development of the biomass of shrub and tree layers throughout the forested site and shifted herbaceous communities to ruderal communities dominated by alien species; and 3. Compared with salvaging and planting, legacy retention enabled the windthrow sites to more quickly develop into a stand with characteristics similar to that of a mature, natural forest. Forest management practices that consider the presence of deer are necessary. We propose a policy shift from planting trees after salvaging to leaving downed trees to regenerate natural forests, unless there is concern about insect damage to the remaining forestry land in the vicinity.
Inside Humans: Creating a Simple Layered Anatomical Model from Human Surface Scans

3D morphable models are widely used to describe the variation of human body shapes. However, these models typically focus on the surface of the human body, since the acquisition of the volumetric interior would require prohibitive medical imaging. In this paper we present a novel approach for creating a volumetric body template and for fitting this template to the surface scan of a person in a just a few seconds. The body model is composed of three surface layers for bones, muscles, and skin, which enclose the volumetric muscle and fat tissue in between them. Our approach includes a data-driven method for estimating the amount of muscle mass and fat mass from a surface scan, which provides more accurate fits to the variety of human body shapes compared to previous approaches. We also show how to efficiently embed fine-scale anatomical details, such as high resolution skeleton and muscle models, into the layered fit of a person. Our model can be used for physical simulation, statistical analysis, and anatomical visualization in computer animation and medical applications, which we demonstrate on several examples.
Moderate Alcohol Intake Changes Visual Perception by Enhancing V1 Inhibitory Surround Interactions

Moderate alcohol consumption is considered to enhance the cortical GABA-ergic inhibitory system and it also variously affects visual perception. However, little behavioral evidence indicates changes of visual perception due to V1 modulated by alcohol intoxication. In this study, we investigated this issue by using center-surround tilt illusion (TI) as a probe of V1 inhibitory interactions, by taking into account possible higher-order effects. Participants conducted TI measures under sober, moderate alcohol intoxication, and placebo states. We found alcohol significantly increased repulsive TI effect and weakened orientation discrimination performance, which is consistent with the increase of lateral inhibition between orientation sensitive V1 neurons caused by alcohol intoxication. We also observed no visible changes in the data for global orientation processing but a presence of global attentional modulation. Thus, our results provide psychophysics evidence that alcohol changed V1 processing, which affects visual perception of contextual stimuli.
Patterns of Immune Activation in HIV and Non HIV Subjects and Its Relation to Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Introduction Insight into inflammation patterns is needed to understand the pathophysiology of HIV and related cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed patterns of inflammation related to HIV infection and CVD risk assessed with carotid intima media thickness (CIMT). Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in Johannesburg, South Africa, including participants with HIV who were virally suppressed on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) as well as HIV-negative participants who were family members or friends to the HIV-positive participants. Information was collected on CVD risk factors and CIMT. Inflammation was measured with the Olink panel ‘inflammation’, allowing to simultaneously assess 92 inflammation markers. Differences in inflammation patterns between HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants were explored using a principal component analysis (PCA) and ANCOVA. The impact of differentiating immune markers, as identified by ANCOVA, on CIMT was assessed using linear regression while adjusting for classic CVD risk factors. Results In total, 185 HIV-positive and 104 HIV negative participants, 63% females, median age 40.7 years (IQR 35.4 – 47.7) were included. HIV-positive individuals were older (+6 years, p <0.01) and had a higher CIMT (p <0.01). No clear patterns of inflammation were identified by use of PCA. Following ANCOVA, nine immune markers differed significantly between HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants, including PDL1. PDL1 was independently associated with CIMT, but upon stratification this effect remained for HIV-negative individuals only. Conclusion HIV positive patients on stable ART and HIV negative controls had similar immune activation patterns. CVD risk in HIV-positive participants was mediated by inflammation markers included in this study.
Hydrophobization of silver nanoparticles through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

This work describes the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-coated Ag@SiO2 core–shell particles by conducting a Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (SI-ATRP). Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were first prepared by the polyol synthesis and subjected to preliminary surface functionalization which includes the encapsulation in an insulating SiO2 shell by an optimized Stober method and functionalization of the shell with an ATRP initiator. The growth of an organic PMMA shell yields inorganic/organic core–shell particles with an enhanced dispersibility in non-polar solvents.
Synergistic extraction of Eu(III) with N-phosphorylated bis-ureas and chlorinated cobalt bis(dicarbollide) ion

Abstract Extraction of Eu(III) with a synergistic mixture of polydentate N-phosphorylated bis-ureas with the general formula (i-PrO)2P(O)NHC(O)NHXNHC(O)NHP(O)(Oi-Pr)2 (X = (CH2)7, (CH2)2O(CH2)2 and (CH2)2O(CH2)2O(CH2)2) and chlorinated cobalt bis(dicarbollide) ion (CCD−) with formula closo-[(1,2-C2B9H8Cl3)2-3-Co]− was studied using nitrobenzene as the solvent. Extraction of Eu(III) was very effective up to high concentrations of nitric acid. Eu(III) is most likely extracted into the organic phase as the [EuL2]3+ species whereas the positive charge of extracted complex is compensated by CCD and/or nitrate anions.
LISTING MAXIMAL

Algorithms for listing the subgraphs satisfying a given property (e.g., being a clique, a cut, a cycle, etc.) fall within the general framework of set systems. A set system ( U , F ) consists of a ground set U (e.g., a network’s nodes) and a family F ⊆ 2 U of subsets of U that have the required property. For the problem of listing all sets in F maximal under inclusion, the ambitious goal is to cover a large class of set systems, preserving at the same time the eﬃciency of the enumeration. Among the existing algorithms, the best-known ones list the maximal subsets in time proportional to their number but may require exponential space. In this paper we improve the state of the art in two directions by introducing an algorithmic framework based on reverse search that, under standard suitable conditions, simultaneously (i) extends the class of problems that can be solved eﬃciently to strongly accessible set systems, and (ii) reduces the additional space usage from exponential in |U| to stateless , i.e., with no additional memory usage other than that proportional to the solution size, thus accounting for just polynomial space.