Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological, Chemical, and Genetic Characteristics of Korean Native Thyme Bak-Ri-Hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.)

Bak-ri-hyang (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant in Korea. T. quinquecostatus population and is always mixed with other thyme cultivars during cultivation and marketing. Hence, this study aimed to determine the genetic variability and the essential oil composition of three Korean native thyme, T. quinquecostatus cultivars collected from the Wolchul, Jiri, and Odae mountains, in comparison with six commercial thyme cultivars (T. vulgaris), to distinguish Bak-ri-hyang from other thyme cultivars. The composition of essential oils obtained from nine individuals was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was accomplished using 16 different primers. The GC–MS analysis revealed that Wolchul, creeping, golden, and orange cultivars belong to the geraniol chemotype. Whereas the Odae, lemon, and silver cultivars belong to the thymol chemotype. Further, linalool was the most abundant component in carpet and Jiri cultivars. The RAPD analysis demonstrated that all thyme cultivars showed characteristic RAPD patterns that allowed their identification. In total, 133 bands were obtained using 16 primers, and 124 bands were polymorphic, corresponding to 93.2% polymorphism. Cluster analysis of RAPD markers established the presence of clear separation from nine thyme cultivars. The highest dissimilarity and similarity coefficient of the RAPD markers were 0.58 and 0.98, respectively. According to the RAPD patterns, the nine thyme cultivars could be divided into two major clusters. Among three Korean cultivars, the Wolchul and Odae cultivars were placed into the same cluster, but they did not show identical clustering with their essential oil compositions. The findings of the present study suggest that RAPD analysis can be a useful tool for marker-assisted identification of T. quinquecostatus from other Thymus species.
PINK1 phosphorylates Drp1S616 to regulate mitophagy‐independent mitochondrial dynamics

Impairment of PINK1/parkin‐mediated mitophagy is currently proposed to be the molecular basis of mitochondrial abnormality in Parkinson's disease (PD). We here demonstrate that PINK1 directly phosphorylates Drp1 on S616. Drp1S616 phosphorylation is significantly reduced in cells and mouse tissues deficient for PINK1, but unaffected by parkin inactivation. PINK1‐mediated mitochondrial fission is Drp1S616 phosphorylation dependent. Overexpression of either wild‐type Drp1 or of the phosphomimetic mutant Drp1S616D, but not a dephosphorylation‐mimic mutant Drp1S616A, rescues PINK1 deficiency‐associated phenotypes in Drosophila. Moreover, Drp1 restores PINK1‐dependent mitochondrial fission in ATG5‐null cells and ATG7‐null Drosophila. Reduced Drp1S616 phosphorylation is detected in fibroblasts derived from 4 PD patients harboring PINK1 mutations and in 4 out of 7 sporadic PD cases. Taken together, we have identified Drp1 as a substrate of PINK1 and a novel mechanism how PINK1 regulates mitochondrial fission independent of parkin and autophagy. Our results further link impaired PINK1‐mediated Drp1S616 phosphorylation with the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic PD.
Perceived Patient Pain and Spousal Caregivers’ Negative Affect: The Moderating Role of Spouse Confidence in Patients’ Pain Management

Objectives: This study examined whether older patients’ greater daily pain perceived by their spouses was associated with spouses’ higher daily negative affect. We further investigated whether spouses’ lower confidence in patients’ ability to manage pain exacerbated the daily association between perceived patient pain and spouses’ negative affect. Method: We used baseline interviews and a 22-day diary of knee osteoarthritis patients and their spouses (N = 144 couples). Multilevel models were estimated to test hypotheses. Results: Daily perceived patient pain was not associated with spouses’ daily negative affect. However, spouse confidence significantly moderated the association. Only spouses with lower confidence in patients’ pain management experienced higher negative affect on days when they perceived that patients’ level of pain was higher than usual. Discussion: Findings suggest that spousal caregivers’ lack of confidence in patients’ pain management may be a risk factor for spouses’ affective distress in daily life.
Schottky‐Contacted Nanowire Sensors

The progress of the Internet‐of‐Things in the past few years has necessitated the support of high‐performance sensors. Schottky‐contacted nanowire sensors have attracted considerable attention owing to their high sensitivity and fast response time. Their progress is reviewed here, based on several kinds of important nanowires, for applications such as bio/chemical sensors, gas sensors, photodetectors, and strain sensors. Although Schottky‐contacted nanowire sensors deliver excellent performance in these fields, they can be further improved by various methods, including defect engineering, surface modification, the piezotronic effect, and the piezophototronic effect, all of which are discussed here. With regard to practical applications, further efforts are required to address challenges such as the stability, selectivity, ultrafast response, multifunctionality, flexibility, distributed energy supply, and sustainability of Schottky‐contacted nanowire sensors. Finally, future perspectives and solutions are discussed.
Aromatic Photooxidation, A New Source of Atmospheric Acidity.

Formic acid (HCOOH), one of the most important and ubiquitous organic acids in the Earth's atmosphere, contributes substantially to atmospheric acidity and affects pH-dependent reactions in the aqueous phase. However, based on the current mechanistic understanding, even the most advanced chemical models significantly underestimate the HCOOH concentrations when compared to ambient observations at both ground-level and high altitude, thus underrating its atmospheric impact. Here we reveal new chemical pathways to HCOOH formation from reactions of both O3 and OH with ketene-enols, which are important and up-to-now undiscovered intermediates produced in the photo-oxidation of aromatics and furans. We highlight that the estimated yields of HCOOH from ketene-enol oxidation are up to 60% in polluted urban areas, and great than 30% even in the continental background. Our theoretical calculations are further supported by a chamber experiment evaluation. Considering that aromatic compounds are highly reactive and contribute ca. 10 % to global non-methane hydrocarbon emissions and 20 % in the urban areas, the new oxidation pathways presented here should help to narrow the budget gap of HCOOH and other small organic acids, and can be relevant in any environment with high aromatic emissions, including urban areas and biomass burning plumes.
Harnessing Selectivity and Sensitivity in Electronic Biosensing: A Novel Lab-on-Chip Multigate Organic Transistor

Electrolyte gated organic transistors can operate as powerful ultrasensitive biosensors, and efforts are currently devoted to devising strategies for reducing the contribution of hardly avoidable, nonspecific interactions to their response, to ultimately harness selectivity in the detection process. We report a novel lab-on-a-chip device integrating a multigate electrolyte gated organic field-effect transistor (EGOFET) with a 6.5 μL microfluidics set up capable to provide an assessment of both the response reproducibility, by enabling measurement in triplicate, and of the device selectivity through the presence of an internal reference electrode. As proof-of-concept, we demonstrate the efficient operation of our pentacene based EGOFET sensing platform through the quantification of tumor necrosis factor alpha with a detection limit as low as 3 pM. Sensing of inflammatory cytokines, which also include TNFα, is of the outmost importance for monitoring a large number of diseases. The multiplexable organic electronic lab-on-chip provides a statistically solid, reliable, and selective response on microliters sample volumes on the minutes time scale, thus matching the relevant key-performance indicators required in point-of-care diagnostics.
Integration of phage and yeast display platforms: A reliable and cost effective approach for binning of peptides as displayed on-phage

Hundreds of target specific peptides are routinely discovered by peptide display platforms. However, due to the high cost of peptide synthesis only a limited number of peptides are chemically made for further analysis. Here we describe an accurate and cost effective method to bin peptides on-phage based on binding region(s), without any requirement for peptide or protein synthesis. This approach, which integrates phage and yeast display platforms, requires display of target and its alanine variants on yeast. Flow cytometry was used to detect binding of peptides on-phage to the target on yeast. Once hits were identified, they were synthesized to confirm their binding region(s) by HDX (Hydrogen deuterium exchange) and crystallography. Moreover, we have successfully shown that this approach can be implemented as part of a panning process to deplete non-functional peptides. This technique can be applied to any target that can be successfully displayed on yeast; it narrows down the number of peptides requiring synthesis; and its utilization during selection results in enrichment of peptide population against defined binding regions on the target.
Patient-perceived service needs and health care utilization in people with type 2 diabetes

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate service needs and health care utilization among people with type 2 diabetes, further to identify the relationship between service needs and health care utilization. We used a self-reported questionnaire to collect data regarding demographic and diabetes characteristics, service needs toward self-management and follow-up care, and 4 health care utilizations during past year. Multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to test the impacts of demographic and diabetes characteristics on service needs and health care utilizations, respectively. Spearman rank correlations were used to explore correlation between service needs and health care utilization. We recruited 1796 participants with type 2 diabetes from 20 community health centers across 12 cities of Sichuan Province in China. Needs of self-management and follow-up had significant positive correlations with health care utilization. Participants rated that nutrition was the most needed aspects of self-management (78.5%), and out-patient visit was the most popular type of follow-up (66.8%). Educational level and treatment modality were predictors of self-management needs. Low educational level (elementary school or blow, β = 0.11, P = .008; middle school, β = 0.10, P = .015) and insulin treatment (β = 0.08, P = .007) were positive factors of self-management needs. Younger age (age < 45 years old, β = 0.07, P = .046), being employed (β = 0.14, P < .001), and underdeveloped region (β = 0.16, P < .001) were positive factors of follow-up care needs. Elementary educational level (OR: 0.53; CI: 0.30–0.96) and underdevelopment region (OR: 0.01; CI: 0.01–0.07) were protective factors of general practitioner visit, in contrast, those factors were risk factors of specialist visit (elementary educational level, OR: 1.69; CI: 1.13–2.5; underdevelopment region, OR: 2.93; CI: 2.06–4.16) and emergency room visit (elementary educational level, OR: 2.97; CI: 1.09, 8.08; underdevelopment region, OR: 6.83; CI: 2.37–14.65). The significant positive relationship between service needs and health care utilization demonstrated the role of service needs in influencing health care utilization. When self-management education is provided, age, educational level, employment status, treatment modality, and region should be considered to offer more appropriate education and to improve health care utilization.
The Association Drepanoclado Uncinati-Heliospermetum Pusilli (Arabidetalia Caeruleae, Thlaspietea Rotundifolii) in the Trnovski Gozd Plateau (Slovenia, NW Dinaric Mts)

The Association Drepanoclado Uncinati-Heliospermetum Pusilli (Arabidetalia Caeruleae, Thlaspietea Rotundifolii) in the Trnovski Gozd Plateau (Slovenia, NW Dinaric Mts) The phytosociology and ecology of Heliosperma pusillum in freezing ravines of the Trnovski gozd plateau (Slovenia, NW Dinaric Mts) are discussed. The species thrive on shadowy, moist, cold and stable screes of boulders with long-lasting snow cover. The stands belonged to the association Drepanoclado uncinati-Heliospermetum pusilli (Salicion retusae, Arabidetalia caeruleae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii). Due to close proximity to the Julian Alps, the stands host a significant number of SE - Alpine and N-Illyrian species. Therefore, a new geographical variant Paederota lutea is described. Differential species for the geographical variant are Phyteuma scheuchzeri ssp. columnae, Valeriana saxatilis, Rhodothamnus chamaecistus, and Saxifraga cuneifolia. For less stable screes with smaller rocky particles a new subassociation salicetosum retusae is described, and the differential species for the subassociation are Salix retusa and Poa alpina. Stands of the association Drepanoclado-Heliospermetum var. geogr. Paederota lutea from the Trnovski gozd plateau are on the north-westernmost part of the distribution area of the Dinaric alliance Salicion retusae. Asociacija Drepanoclado uncinati-Heliospermetum pusilli (Arabidetalia caeruleae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii) v Trnovskem gozdu (Slovenije, SZ Dinarsko gorstvo) Preučili smo fitocenološke in okoljske razmere vrste Heliosperma pusillum v mraziščih v Trnovskem gozdu (Slovenija, SZ Dinaridi). Vrsta uspeva na senčnih, vlažnih in hladnih ustaljenih meliščih in skalnatih blokih z dolgotrajno snežno odejo. Sestoji, v katerih uspeva vrsta Heliosperma pusillum, pripadajo združbi Drepanoclado uncinati-Heliosperetum pusilli (Salicion retusae, Arabidetalia caeruleae, Thlaspietea rotundifolii). Zaradi bližine Julijskih Alp je v sestojih prisotnih precej jugovzhodno-alpskih in severno-ilirskih vrst. Zato smo opisali novo geografsko varianto in jo poimenovali po vrsti Paederota lutea var. geogr. nova. Razlikovalne vrste za geografsko varianto so Paederota lutea, Phyteuma scheuchzeri ssp. columnae, Rhodothamnus chamaecistus, Saxifraga cuneifolia, and Valeriana saxatilis. Na manj umirjenih meliščih z drobnejšim kamenjem smo opisali novo subasociacijo salicetosum retusae subass. nova. Za razlikovalnici smo določili vrsti Salix retusa in Poa alpina. Sestoji asociacije Drepanoclado-Heliospermetum var. geogr. Paederota lutea iz Trnovskega gozda so na skrajnem severozahodnem robu areala vegetacije snežnih dolinic iz dinarske zveze Salicion retusae.
ATM-mediated DNA double-strand break response facilitated oncolytic Newcastle disease virus replication and promoted syncytium formation in tumor cells

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage response (DDR) is the fundamental cellular response for maintaining genomic integrity and suppressing tumorigenesis. The activation of ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase is central to DNA double-strand break (DSB) for maintaining host-genome integrity in mammalian cells. Oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) can selectively replicate in tumor cells; however, its influence on the genome integrity of tumor cells is not well-elucidated. Here, we found that membrane fusion and NDV infection triggered DSBs in tumor cells. The late replication and membrane fusion of NDV mechanistically activated the ATM-mediated DSB pathway via the ATM-Chk2 axis, as evidenced by the hallmarks of DSBs, i.e., auto-phosphorylated ATM and phosphorylated H2AX and Chk2. Immunofluorescence data showed that multifaceted ATM-controlled phosphorylation markedly induced the formation of pan-nuclear punctum foci in response to NDV infection and F-HN co-expression. Specific drug-inhibitory experiments on ATM kinase activity further suggested that ATM-mediated DSBs facilitated NDV replication and membrane fusion. We confirmed that the Mre11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex sensed the DSB signal activation triggered by NDV infection and membrane fusion. The pharmacological inhibition of MRN activity also significantly inhibited intracellular and extracellular NDV replication and syncytia formation. Collectively, these data identified for the first time a direct link between the membrane fusion induced by virus infection and DDR pathways, thereby providing new insights into the efficient replication of oncolytic NDV in tumor cells.
Talking About Weight With Families—Helping Health Care Professionals Start the Conversation: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Health care professionals (HCPs) and trainees feel ill-equipped to discuss weight-related issues with children and their families. A whiteboard video for HCPs and trainees outlining strategies to communicate about weight was developed and evaluated. Seventy HCPs, including 15 trainees, participated in the baseline assessment and 39 repeated measures 4 to 6 months later. HCP self-efficacy for initiating conversations with overweight and underweight patients, measured immediately following the video, significantly improved from pre-video values (Z = −5.6, P ≤ .001, and Z= −3.3, P = .001, respectively). Although improvements were not sustained 4 to 6 months later (overweight: P = .143, and underweight: P = .846), no significant decline was observed, suggesting retention of the skill. A majority of HCP respondents would recommend the video to a colleague and feel it will affect their practice. Thus, the present study suggests educational videos may be an effective tool for facilitating healthy weight-related conversations between HCPs and their pediatric patients.
Validation Study to Determine the Accuracy of Central Blood Pressure Measurement Using the Sphygmocor Xcel Cuff Device

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Numerous devices purport to measure central (aortic) blood pressure (BP) as distinct from conventional brachial BP. This validation study aimed to determine the accuracy of the Sphygmocor Xcel cuff device (AtCor Medical, CardieX, Sydney, Australia) for measuring central BP. 296 patients (mean age 61±12 years) undergoing coronary angiography had simultaneous measurement of invasive central BP and noninvasive cuff-derived central BP using the Xcel cuff device (total n=558 individual comparisons). A subsample (n=151) also had invasive brachial BP measured. Methods were undertaken according to the Artery Society recommendations, and several calibration techniques to derive central systolic BP (SBP) were examined. Minimum acceptable error was ≤5±≤8 mm Hg. Central SBP was significantly underestimated, and with wide variability, when using the default calibration of brachial-cuff SBP and diastolic BP (DBP; mean difference±SD, −7.7±11.0 mm Hg). Similar variability was observed using other calibration methods (cuff 33% form-factor mean arterial pressure and DBP, −4.4±11.5 mm Hg; cuff 40% form-factor mean arterial pressure and DBP, 4.7±11.9 mm Hg; cuff oscillometric mean arterial pressure and DBP, −18.2±12.1 mm Hg). Only calibration with invasive central integrated mean arterial pressure and DBP was within minimal acceptable error (3.3±7.5 mm Hg). The difference between brachial-cuff SBP and invasive central SBP was 3.3±10.7 mm Hg. A subsample analysis to determine the accuracy of central-to-brachial SBP amplification showed this to be overestimated by the Xcel cuff device (mean difference 4.3±9.1 mm Hg, P=0.02). Irrespective of cuff calibration technique, the Sphygmocor Xcel cuff device does not meet the Artery Society accuracy criteria for noninvasive measurement of central BP.
Effects of betaine and condensed molasses solubles on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities in piglets

Abstract The study was carried out to investigate the effects of betaine monohydrate (BET) and betaine derived from condensed molasses solubles (CMS) on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility in weaned piglets. The experiment included three treatments with 12 eight-week-old barrows with an average initial body weight (BW) of 8.5 kg. The piglets were fitted with a simple T cannula at the distal ileum. They were fed a basal diet (control, CON) based on wheat, barley and soybean meal alone or either supplemented with betaine monohydrate (betaine treatment, BET) or condensed molasses solubles (condensed molasses solubles treatment, CMS). Each treatment included four piglets in two repeated measurements. Titanium dioxide was added as a digestibility marker. The collection of faeces began at 20.00 h on day 7 and continued for 48 consecutive hours. Ileal digesta were collected for 24 h from 20.00 to 08.00 h on day 9 and 10 and from 08.00 to 20.00 h on day 11. The second collection period started on day 14 following the same procedure. The ileal and total tract digestibilities of NDF, ADF and crude ash were improved (p<0.05) due to supplemental BET and CMS. The supplementation of CMS increased (p<0.05) the ileal digestibilities of and most amino acids by 2 to 8 percentage units whereas BET supplementation resulted in a decrease (p<0.05) in the ileal digestibilities of crude protein and most amino acids by 2 to 7 percentage units. It can be concluded that, in piglets, betaine originating from different sources promotes efficiently the fermentation of dietary NDF and ADF in association with improved mineral absorption, whereas the effects on ileal amino acid digestibility are equivocal.
Production of Beta-Carotene from Synthetic Medium by Blakeslea trispora in Fed-batch Culture

Abstract The production of β-carotene from a synthetic medium by Blakeslea trispora in fed-batch culture was investigated. A maximum β-carotene concentration of 85.0 mg L−1 with productivity of 0.16 mg L−1 h−1 and specific β-carotene production rate of 0.01 mg g−1 h−1 was obtained by feeding the cells constantly with olive oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, antioxidant, and low concentration of growth factors at feeding rate of 4.2 mL h−1 from the beginning of the fermentation. In this case, the fed-batch culture supported high values of biomass dry weight (11.0 g L−1) and sugar utilization (0.976 g g−1). The morphology of the fungus was studied during growth in fed-batch fermentation system using an image analysis system. Zygospores are the morphological forms, which are responsible for the production of the pigment. The highest percentage of zygospores (11.44%) was correlated with the highest percentage of intracellular β-carotene (0.72%) in the total biomass dry weight. Moreover, high percentages of vacuolated hyphae, evacuated cells, and degenerated hyphae of the microorganism were observed. This was due to the formation of high amount of H2O2 by exposure of the microorganism to high dissolved oxygen concentration.
Leaf spot and stem blight of sweetpotato caused by Alternaria bataticola: a new record to South America.

A severe leaf spot and stem blight disease was observed on several sweetpotato genotypes at an experimental field and in commercial plantings of the cultivar Brazlandia Roxa in the Brasilia-DF area. An Alternaria sp. was consistently isolated from the lesions. Pathogenicity tests were done under greenhouse conditions (air temperature, 18-40 C) using a spore suspension adjusted to 5 × 10 4 conidia per milliliter. The same Alternaria sp. was reisolated from leaf and petiole lesions. Even though identified as A. bataticola, the Brazilian isolates completely lacked the forked beaks in the conidia that are characteristic of this species. This is apparently the first report of A. bataticola in South America, extending the geographic range of this pathogen to the New World