Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting University Students' Mental Health: A Systematic Literature Review Introducing the 4M-Model of Individual-Level Interventions

Objective: The purpose of this study is to systematically review recently published individual student-level interventions aimed at alleviating the burden of mental health challenges faced by the students and/ or at equipping them with coping mechanism that will foster their resilience. Methods: This study relied on a systematic literature review. PubMed dataset was used; the search was confined to the following period: July 2016-December 2020. Results: A total of 1,399 records were identified by the electronic search, out of which 40 studies were included in this study. The authors inductively identified four overlapping categories of interventions across all included articles, and coded them as follows: Mindfulness, Movement, Meaning, and Moderator. Accordingly, each study was linked to at least one of four overlapping categories based on the nature of the intervention(s) under investigation, leading to differing assortments of categories. Conclusions: The 4M-Model generated by this study encourages focusing on devising holistic, university-based interventions that embrace the individuality of students to improve their mental health through elements of mindfulness, movement, meaning, and moderator. Through this focused approach, university counselors are enabled to design interventions that address students' physical, psychological, emotional, and social needs.
Whole Transcriptome Analysis Reveals a Potential Regulatory Mechanism of LncRNA-FNIP2/miR-24-3p/FNIP2 Axis in Chicken Adipogenesis

Lipid biosynthesis is a complex process, which is regulated by multiple factors including lncRNA. However, the role of lncRNA in chicken abdominal fat accumulation is still unclear. In this research, we collected liver tissues from six high abdominal fat rate Sanhuang broilers and six low abdominal fat rate Sanhuang broilers to perform lncRNA sequencing and small RNA sequencing. A total of 2,265 lncRNAs, 245 miRNAs, and 5,315 mRNAs were differently expressed. Among of them, 1,136 differently expressed genes were enriched in the metabolic process. A total of 36 differently expressed genes, which were considered as differently expressed lncRNAs’ targets, were enriched in the metabolic process. In addition, we also found out that eight differently expressed miRNAs could target 19 differently expressed genes. FNIP2 and PEX5L were shared in a cis-regulatory network and a differently expressed miRNA target relationship network. LncRNA-FNIP2/miR-24-3p/FNIP2 axis was considered as a potential candidate that may participate in lipid synthesis. Experimentally, the objective reality of lncRNA-FNIP2/miR-24-3p/FNIP2 axis was clarified and the regulation effect of lncRNA-FNIP2/miR-24-3p/FNIP2 axis on synthesis was validated. In brief, our study reveals a potential novel regulatory mechanism that lncRNA-FNIP2/miR-24-3p/FNIP2 axis was considered as being involved in lipid synthesis during chicken adipogenesis in liver.
Parasitic Helminth-Derived microRNAs and Extracellular Vesicle Cargos as Biomarkers for Helminthic Infections

As an adaption to their complex lifecycles, helminth parasites garner a unique repertoire of genes at different developmental stages with subtle regulatory mechanisms. These parasitic worms release differential components such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators which participate in the host-parasite interaction, immune regulation/evasion, and in governing processes associated with host infection. MiRNAs are small (~ 22-nucleotides) non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, and can exist in stable form in bodily fluids such as serum/plasma, urine, saliva and bile. In addition to reports focusing on the identification of miRNAs or in the probing of differentially expressed miRNA profiles in different development stages/sexes or in specific tissues, a number of studies have focused on the detection of helminth-derived miRNAs in the mammalian host circulatory system as diagnostic biomarkers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), small membrane-surrounded structures secreted by a wide variety of cell types, contain rich cargos that are important in cell-cell communication. EVs have attracted wide attention due to their unique functional relevance in host-parasite interactions and for their potential value in translational applications such as biomarker discovery. In the current review, we discuss the status and potential of helminth parasite-derived circulating miRNAs and EV cargos as novel diagnostic tools.
Machine Learning With GA Optimization to Model the Agricultural Soil-Landscape of Germany: An Approach Involving Soil Functional Types With Their Multivariate Parameter Distributions Along the Depth Profile

Societal demands on soil functionality in agricultural soil-landscapes are confronted with yield losses and environmental impact. Soil functional information at national scale is required to address these challenges. On behalf of the well-known theory that soils and their site-specific characteristics are the product of the interaction of the soil-forming factors, pedometricians seek to model the soil-landscape relationship using machine learning. Following the rationale that similarity in soils is reflected by similarity in landscape characteristics, we defined soil functional types (SFTs) which were projected into space by machine learning. Each SFT is described by a multivariate soil parameter distribution along its depth profile. SFTs were derived by employing multivariate similarity analysis on the dataset of the Agricultural Soil Inventory. Soil profiles were compared on behalf of differing sets of soil properties considering the top 100 and 200 cm, respectively. Various depth weighting coefficients were tested to attribute topsoil properties higher importance. Support vector machine (SVM) models were then trained employing optimization with a distributed multiple-population hybrid Genetic algorithm for parameter tuning. Model training, tuning, and evaluation were implemented in a nested k-fold cross-validation approach to avoid overfitting. With regards to the SFTs, organic soils were differentiated from mineral soils of various particle size distributions being partly influenced by waterlogging and groundwater. Further SFTs reflect soils with a depth limitation within the top 100 cm and high stone content. Altogether, with SVM predictive model accuracies between 0.7 and 0.9, the agricultural soil-landscape of Germany was represented with eight SFTs. Soil functionality with regards to the soil’s capacity to store plant-available water and soil organic carbon is well characterized. Four additional soil functions are described to a certain extent. An extension of the approach to fully cover soil functions such as nutrient cycling, agricultural biomass production, filtering of contaminants, and soil as a habitat for soil biota is possible with the inclusion of additional soil properties. Altogether, the developed data product represents the 3D multivariate soil parameter space. Its agglomerated simplicity into a limited number of spatially allocated process units provides the basis to run agricultural process models at national scale (Germany).
Sex Differences in Tolerance to Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Mice With Cisplatin-Evoked Chronic Neuropathic Pain

Tolerance to the pain-relieving effects of cannabinoids limits the therapeutic potential of these drugs in patients with chronic pain. Recent preclinical research with rodents and clinical studies in humans has suggested important differences between males and females in the development of tolerance to cannabinoids. Our previous work found that male mice expressing a desensitization resistant form (S426A/S430A) of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) show delayed tolerance and increased sensitivity to the antinociceptive effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC). Sex differences in tolerance have been reported in rodent models with females acquiring tolerance to ∆9-THC faster than males. However, it remains unknown whether the S426A/S430A mutation alters analgesic tolerance to ∆9-THC in mice with chemotherapy-evoked chronic neuropathic pain, and also whether this tolerance might be different between males and females. Male and female S426A/S430A mutant and wild-type littermates were made neuropathic using four once-weekly injections of 5 mg/kg cisplatin and subsequently assessed for tolerance to the anti-allodynic effects of 6 and/or 10 mg/kg ∆9-THC. Females acquired tolerance to the anti-allodynic effects of both 6 and 10 mg/kg ∆9-THC faster than males. In contrast, the S426A/S430A mutation did not alter tolerance to ∆9-THC in either male or female mice. The anti-allodynic effects of ∆9-THC were blocked following pretreatment with the CB1R antagonist, rimonabant, and partially blocked following pretreatment with the CB2R inverse agonist, SR144528. Our results show that disruption of the GRK/β-arrestin-2 pathway of desensitization did not affect sensitivity and/or tolerance to ∆9-THC in a chronic pain model of neuropathy.
Intelligent Fruit Yield Estimation for Orchards Using Deep Learning Based Semantic Segmentation Techniques—A Review

Smart farming employs intelligent systems for every domain of agriculture to obtain sustainable economic growth with the available resources using advanced technologies. Deep Learning (DL) is a sophisticated artificial neural network architecture that provides state-of-the-art results in smart farming applications. One of the main tasks in this domain is yield estimation. Manual yield estimation undergoes many hurdles such as labor-intensive, time-consuming, imprecise results, etc. These issues motivate the development of an intelligent fruit yield estimation system that offers more benefits to the farmers in deciding harvesting, marketing, etc. Semantic segmentation combined with DL adds promising results in fruit detection and localization by performing pixel-based prediction. This paper reviews the different literature employing various techniques for fruit yield estimation using DL-based semantic segmentation architectures. It also discusses the challenging issues that occur during intelligent fruit yield estimation such as sampling, collection, annotation and data augmentation, fruit detection, and counting. Results show that the fruit yield estimation employing DL-based semantic segmentation techniques yields better performance than earlier techniques because of human cognition incorporated into the architecture. Future directions like customization of DL architecture for smart-phone applications to predict the yield, development of more comprehensive model encompassing challenging situations like occlusion, overlapping and illumination variation, etc., were also discussed.
Tissue Type: A Crucial Factor Influencing the Fungal Diversity and Communities in Sichuan Pork Bacon

This study aimed to the variations of fungal diversity and community structure in different parts of traditional homemade Sichuan pork bacon. A total of seven phyla and 91 fungal genera were identified. Among them, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the first and second most abundant phyla in the bacon tissues. In addition, five dominant genera (Aspergillus, Candida, Debaryomyces, Malassezia, and Penicillium) were shared by all bacon tissues. The numbers of OTUs unique to individual groups were 14, 67, and 65 for the muscle tissue, the adipose tissue, and pork skin, respectively. Linear discriminant analysis showed that a total of 31 taxa significantly differed among the groups. Results of redundancy analysis indicated that fat content, protein content, aw, and pH of bacon tissue shaped the bacon fungal communities. Results of network analysis also indicated that tissue type was a crucial factor influencing the fungal interactions in different tissues. This study can lay a foundation for further isolation and identification of fungi in the product and provides a basis for further research of food health in homemade traditional pork bacon.
The Plant Cuticle: An Ancient Guardian Barrier Set Against Long-Standing Rivals

The aerial surfaces of plants are covered by a protective barrier formed by the cutin polyester and waxes, collectively referred to as the cuticle. Plant cuticles prevent the loss of water, regulate transpiration, and facilitate the transport of gases and solutes. As the cuticle covers the outermost epidermal cell layer, it also acts as the first line of defense against environmental cues and biotic stresses triggered by a large array of pathogens and pests, such as fungi, bacteria, and insects. Numerous studies highlight the cuticle interface as the site of complex molecular interactions between plants and pathogens. Here, we outline the multidimensional roles of cuticle-derived components, namely, epicuticular waxes and cutin monomers, during plant interactions with pathogenic fungi. We describe how certain wax components affect various pre-penetration and infection processes of fungi with different lifestyles, and then shift our focus to the roles played by the cutin monomers that are released from the cuticle owing to the activity of fungal cutinases during the early stages of infection. We discuss how cutin monomers can activate fungal cutinases and initiate the formation of infection organs, the significant impacts of cuticle defects on the nature of plant–fungal interactions, along with the possible mechanisms raised thus far in the debate on how host plants perceive cutin monomers and/or cuticle defects to elicit defense responses.
The Dispensable Roles of X-Linked Ubl4a and Its Autosomal Counterpart Ubl4b in Spermatogenesis Represent a New Evolutionary Type of X-Derived Retrogenes

X-derived retrogenes contribute to genetic diversity in evolution and are usually specifically expressed in testis and perform important functions during spermatogenesis. Ubl4b is an autosomal retrogene with testis-specific expression derived from Ubl4a, an X-linked housekeeping gene. In the current study, we performed phylogenetic analysis and revealed that Ubl4a and Ubl4b are subject to purifying selection and may have conserved functions in evolution. Ubl4b was knocked out in mice using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology and interestingly, we found no alterations in reproductive parameters of Ubl4b–/– male mice. To get insights into whether Ubl4a could compensate the absence of Ubl4b in vivo, we further obtained Ubl4a–/Y; Ubl4b–/– mice that lack both Ubl4a and Ubl4b, and the double knockout (dKO) mice also displayed normal spermatogenesis, showing that Ubl4a and Ubl4b are both dispensable for spermatogenesis. Thus, through the in vivo study of UBL4A and UBL4B, we provided a direct evidence for the first time that some X chromosome-derived autosomal retrogenes can be unfunctional in spermatogenesis, which represents an additional evolutionary type of X-derived retrogenes.
The City of São Paulo's Environmental Quota: A Policy to Embrace Urban Environmental Services and Green Infrastructure Inequalities in the Global South

In 2013 the urban authority for São Paulo city, Brazil, was interested in incorporating environmental aspects into the urban licensing process of diverse urban developments. To overcome concepts related simply to soil sealing, the initiative gave rise to a wide range of principles associated with environmental services and the consideration that green areas in this megacity are unequally distributed. Given the costs involved in analyzing each case and the legal uncertainty among entrepreneurs, it has become a tradition in Brazil for authorities in charge of urban licensing to follow general regulations rather than case-by-case studies, except in high-impact developments. In response, the São Paulo municipal government developed during the period from 2013 to 2016 a governing instrument to deal with these issues, known as the Environmental Quota (EQ). For that, the following guiding principles were established: (a) it should have a solid theoretical basis, with incentives for consistent public participation; (b) it should be flexible in such a way that it can provide a general framework within which a project designer can make decisions, rather than a set of rigidly determined solutions; and (c) it should consider inequalities in the availability of urban green infrastructure throughout the city. This paper will first detail the political-institutional context in which the EQ and its guidelines were established and implemented, then provide a general overview of the tool and the theoretical frameworks within which it was developed, and, finally, discuss the complex social decision-making process of its legal constraints. Moreover, it analyzes the implementation and application of the EQ to examine its effectiveness and how it relates to the city's gentrification. Furthermore, it is considered the replicability potential of the EQ to expand both the supply and distribution of green infrastructure and environmental services throughout the urban environment and, thus, contribute toward mitigating the intricate problems of urban environments in the Global South.
Developmental Topographical Disorientation With Concurrent Face Recognition Deficit: A Case Report

Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) has been defined as a developmental deficit in human navigational skills in the absence of congenital or acquired brain damage. We report the case of Lost In Space Again (LISA), a 22-year-old woman with a normal development and no clinical history of neurological or psychiatric diseases, evaluated twice, with an interval of 5 years. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination did not reveal any morphological alteration, while diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) showed a structural connectivity deficit (a decreased fractional anisotropy—FA) in the parieto–prefrontal and parieto–premotor pathway. The behavioral assessment showed different deficits in spatial and navigational tasks, which seemed to be connected to a poor ability to form a cognitive map of the environment. Moreover, LISA displayed a poor performance in high-level face encoding and retrieval. The aim of this case report is to share new insight about DTD in order to deepen the knowledge of this specific neurodevelopmental disorder. In conclusion, this novel DTD case (1) supports the hypothesis of the existence of different DTD subtypes; (2) sustains the evidence that DTD can co-occur (or not) with deficit in face recognition; and (3) highlights the need for an in-depth examination from both a neurocognitive and behavioral point of view of a possible common developmental defect between the formation of cognitive maps and the recognition of faces that might be in mental imagery skills. Future directions will be also discussed.
Gut Microbiota Signature Among Asian Post-gestational Diabetes Women Linked to Macronutrient Intakes and Metabolic Phenotypes

Aberrant gut microbiota dysbiosis in women with a previous history of gestational diabetes mellitus (post-GDM) was comparable to that in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nonetheless, potential relationships between diet, gut microbiota, and metabolic phenotypes in post-GDM women after delivery are yet to be discovered. In this research, we assessed the relationship of the macronutrient intakes, gut microbiota composition, and metabolic phenotypes (i.e., anthropometrics and glycemic control) in post-GDM women with and without postpartum glucose intolerance (GI). About 24 post-GDM women were included in this study, 14 women were grouped in the GI group and 10 women were grouped in the normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group according to oral glucose tolerance test. Macronutrient intake assessment using a 3-day dietary record, anthropometric measurements, biochemical analyses, and fecal sampling were done during 3–6 months postpartum. Gut microbiota profiling was determined using 16S rRNA genes sequencing targeting the V3–V4 regions. The relationships between macronutrient intakes, gut microbiota composition, and metabolic phenotypes were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analyses. In this study, most post-GDM women had significantly poor dietary fiber adherence than the nutritional recommendations. Women from the GI group have significantly higher fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels compared to the NGT group. The group also showed significant elevation of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level when compared to the normal value. Specific gut microbial taxa derived from Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes such as Parasutterella, Aquicella, Haliscomenobacter, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group were significantly abundant in the GI group compared to the NGT group. Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group was significantly associated with high FBG, HOMA-IR, and HbA1c levels. Low fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids intakes were associated with Lactobacillus. Meanwhile, Lactobacillus was associated with high body mass index, waist circumference, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, and hs-CRP levels. Our study suggested that macronutrient intake is an important predictor of gut microbiota dysbiosis and is associated with obesity, low-grade inflammation, and poor glycemic control in post-GDM women. Hence, dietary intake modification to remodel gut microbiota composition is a promising T2DM preventive strategy in post-GDM women.
Validation of Two Kinetic Assays for the Quantification of Endotoxin in Human Serum

Background: There is an emerging evidence of the role of the microbiome in neurological diseases. Endotoxin is a component of gram-negative bacteria and thought to be one of the possible signals between the gut microbiota and the immune system. Previous studies explored the blood levels of endotoxin using an endpoint chromogenic assay. Methods: We validated and compared the analytical performance of two kinetic assays for the quantification of endotoxin in serum: (1) the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) Kinetic-QCL assay and (2) the turbidimetric LAL Pyrogent-5000 assay. We used the best-performing validated assay to measure the endotoxin level in 20 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and eight healthy controls. Results: The Pyrogent-5000 and QCL assay achieved similar performance in regard to spike recovery and linear dilution; however, the Pyrogent-5000 had a better signal to noise in the calibrator curve. By using the Pyrogent-5000 assay, we found that serum samples from MS patients and healthy controls have a similar level of endotoxin; hence, we did not find evidence to support a penetration of endotoxin in the blood of MS patients. Our findings do not exclude a role of endotoxin in mediating signals from the gut microbiota in MS patients directly at the gut–blood barrier where numerous antigen-presenting cells are actively sensing metabolites and bacterial products.
Study on kinetics and thermodynamics of nitrobenzene adsorption onto wheat straw

Groups of experiments were designed to investigate the kinetics and thermodynamics of nitrobenzene adsorption onto wheat straw.The adsorption equilibration time is about 60 min.And within the first 20 min,there is a dramatic increase in uptake of NB.The process of nitrobenzene adsorption onto wheat straw was found to follow pseudo second-order kinetic model well.The coefficient of determination R2 are all over 0.99. The adsorption isotherm was fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms well.The reaction of the adsorption of nitrobenzene onto wheat straw was a process which was spontaneous,endothermic accompanied by an increase in entropy.Therefore,raising temperature was beneficial to adsorption reaction.