Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of Male Queensland Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Host Fruit Odors

Abstract The surveillance and management of Dacini fruit fly pests are commonly split by fly gender: male trapping focuses on the dacine ‘male-lures’, whereas female trapping focuses on lures based on host-fruit volatiles. Although the males of several Dacini species have been reported to be attracted to host fruit volatiles, the option of using host-fruit traps for males has, to date, been ignored. Males of the cue-lure responsive fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) have been recorded as responding to host-fruit volatile blends, but it is not known how frequently this happens, if it is age-dependent, or the strength of the response relative to cue-lure throughout the year. Here, we conducted an olfactometer experiment to test the lifetime (weeks 1–15) response of B. tryoni males to the odor of tomato, a known host of this fly, and compare catches of wild males to tomato-based traps and cue-lure traps in the field. Bactrocera tryoni males started to respond to tomato odor as they sexually matured (2 to 3 wk olds) and thereafter showed consistent olfactory response until advanced age (15 wk). In the field, wild males were captured by tomato-based traps throughout the year at a level not significantly different from cue-lure traps. The reason for the consistent B. tryoni male response to host fruit odor at this stage is not known, but it certainly occurs at a level greater than can be continued to be ignored for both basic and applied research.
Discriminant validity of 3D joint kinematics and centre of mass displacement measured by inertial sensor technology during the unipodal stance task

Background The unipodal stance task is a clinical task that quantifies postural stability and alignment of the lower limb joints, while weight bearing on one leg. As persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have poor postural and knee joint stability, objective assessment of this task might be useful. Objective To investigate the discriminant validity of three-dimensional joint kinematics and centre of mass displacement (COM) between healthy controls and persons with knee KOA, during unipodal stance using inertial sensors. Additionally, the reliability, agreement and construct validity are assessed to determine the reproducibility and accuracy of the discriminating parameters. Methods Twenty healthy controls and 19 persons with unilateral severe KOA were included. Five repetitions of the unipodal stance task were simultaneously recorded by an inertial sensor system and a camera-based system (gold standard). Statistical significant differences in kinematic waveforms between healthy controls and persons with severe knee KOA were determined using one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping (SPM1D). Results Persons with severe knee KOA had more lateral trunk lean towards the contralateral leg, more hip flexion throughout the performance of the unipodal stance task, more pelvic obliquity and COM displacement towards the contralateral side. However, for the latter two parameters the minimum detectable change was greater than the difference between healthy controls and persons with severe knee KOA. The construct validity was good (coefficient of multiple correlation 0.75, 0.83 respectively) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) was low (RMSE <1.5°) for the discriminant parameters. Conclusion Inertial sensor based movement analysis can discriminate between healthy controls and persons with severe knee KOA for lateral trunk lean and hip flexion, but unfortunately not for the knee angles. Further research is required to improve the reproducibility and accuracy of the inertial sensor measurements before they can be used to assess differences in tasks with a small range of motion.
Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background No published study, to our knowledge, has systematically reviewed the prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs) and LUTS types in the general multiple sclerosis (MS) population. Therefore, a systematic review and a meta-analysis were conducted to determine the totality of literature investigating the prevalence of LUTSs and LUTS types in the general MS population according to International Continence Society definitions. Methods Various electronic databases were searched between January 4, 2018, and February 12, 2018. This review included observational studies involving adults (18 years or older) with a confirmed diagnosis of MS recruited from the general MS population using self-report and/or objective outcome measures for LUTSs. Results Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that LUTSs were prevalent in people with MS, with a pooled prevalence of 68.41% using self-report and 63.95% using the objective measure of urodynamics. When considering LUTS types, urinary frequency was the predominant symptom, with a pooled prevalence estimate of 73.45%, followed by urgency assessed using self-report measures at 63.87%. Detrusor overactivity was found to be the most prevalent urodynamic symptom, with a pooled prevalence estimate of 42.9%, followed by detrusor sphincter dyssynergia at 35.44%. Conclusions This systematic review revealed that LUTSs are highly prevalent in MS. There is a need for improvement in the conduct and reporting of prevalence studies of LUTSs in MS and for the use of validated self-report outcome measures to enable pooling of data in the future.
GC-MS Profile and Enhancement of Antibiotic Activity by the Essential Oil of Ocotea odorífera and Safrole: Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Efflux Pumps

Considering the evidence that essential oils, as well as safrole, could modulate bacterial growth in different resistant strains, this study aims to characterize the phytochemical profile and evaluate the antibacterial and antibiotic-modulating properties of the essential oil Ocotea odorífera (EOOO) and safrole against efflux pump (EP)-carrying strains. The EOOO was extracted by hydrodistillation, and the phytochemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial and antibiotic-modulating activities of the EOOO and safrole against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were analyzed through the broth microdilution method. The EP-inhibiting potential of safrole in association with ethidium bromide or antibiotics was evaluated using the S. aureus 1199B and K2068 strains, which carry genes encoding efflux proteins associated with antibiotic resistance to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. A reduction in the MIC of ethidium bromide or antibiotics was used as a parameter of EP inhibition. The phytochemical analysis identified 16 different compounds in the EOOO including safrole as the principal constituent. While the EOOO and safrole exerted clinically relevant antibacterial effects against S. aureus only, they potentiated the antibacterial activity of norfloxacin against all strains evaluated by our study. The ethidium bromide and antibiotic assays using the strains of S. aureus SA1119B and K2068, as well as molecular docking analysis, indicated that safrole inhibits the NorA and MepA efflux pumps in S. aureus. In conclusion, Ocotea odorifera and safrole presented promising antibacterial and antibiotic-enhancing properties, which should be explored in the development of drugs to combat antibacterial resistance, especially in strains bearing genes encoding efflux proteins.
Regulated changes in body mass and muscle mass in molting Blue-winged Teal for an early return to flight

During the breeding season, Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) undergo cyclic changes in body mass (Mb) and pectoral- and leg-muscle mass coincident with the simultaneous molt of all flight feathers. These conformational changes cannot be attributed to nutritional or metabolic demands, nor can they be a use-disuse phenomenon. A reduction of >>18% in body mass from premolt values produces wing loadings (Mb/wing area) nearly equal to those seen premolt, allowing these birds to regain flight capability, although the flight feathers are >30% in flight-muscle mass represents about half of the total reduction in Mb; however, the lowest power necessary for flight, calculated for five different periods during the breeding season, is found at 75% of feather regrowth. Reduction in Mb coupled with a >>40% increase in leg-muscle mass during the flightless period should permit these birds to achieve higher swimming speeds. The temporal and mechanical relationships of thes.
Corticosterone and testosterone treatment influence expression of gene pathways linked to meiotic segregation in preovulatory follicles of the domestic hen

Decades of work indicate that female birds can control their offspring sex ratios in response to environmental and social cues. In laying hens, hormones administered immediately prior to sex chromosome segregation can exert sex ratio skews, indicating that these hormones may act directly on the germinal disc to influence which sex chromosome is retained in the oocyte and which is discarded into an unfertilizable polar body. We aimed to uncover the gene pathways involved in this process by testing whether treatments with testosterone or corticosterone that were previously shown to influence sex ratios elicit changes in the expression of genes and/or gene pathways involved in the process of meiotic segregation. We injected laying hens with testosterone, corticosterone, or control oil 5h prior to ovulation and collected germinal discs from the F1 preovulatory follicle in each hen 1.5h after injection. We used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) followed by DESeq2 and gene set enrichment analyses to identify genes and gene pathways that were differentially expressed between germinal discs of control and hormone-treated hens. Corticosterone treatment triggered downregulation of 13 individual genes, as well as enrichment of gene sets related to meiotic spindle organization and chromosome segregation, and additional gene sets that function in ion transport. Testosterone treatment triggered upregulation of one gene, and enrichment of one gene set that functions in nuclear chromosome segregation. This work indicates that corticosterone can be a potent regulator of meiotic processes and provides potential gene targets on which corticosterone and/or testosterone may act to influence offspring sex ratios in birds.
Complex Analysis of Retroposed Genes’ Contribution to Human Genome, Proteome and Transcriptome

Gene duplication is a major driver of organismal evolution. One of the main mechanisms of gene duplications is retroposition, a process in which mRNA is first transcribed into DNA and then reintegrated into the genome. Most gene retrocopies are depleted of the regulatory regions. Nevertheless, examples of functional retrogenes are rapidly increasing. These functions come from the gain of new spatio-temporal expression patterns, imposed by the content of the genomic sequence surrounding inserted cDNA and/or by selectively advantageous mutations, which may lead to the switch from protein coding to regulatory RNA. As recent studies have shown, these genes may lead to new protein domain formation through fusion with other genes, new regulatory RNAs or other regulatory elements. We utilized existing data from high-throughput technologies to create a complex description of retrogenes functionality. Our analysis led to the identification of human retroposed genes that substantially contributed to transcriptome and proteome. These retrocopies demonstrated the potential to encode proteins or short peptides, act as cis- and trans- Natural Antisense Transcripts (NATs), regulate their progenitors’ expression by competing for the same microRNAs, and provide a sequence to lncRNA and novel exons to existing protein-coding genes. Our study also revealed that retrocopies, similarly to retrotransposons, may act as recombination hot spots. To our best knowledge this is the first complex analysis of these functions of retrocopies.
ARGONAUTE2 Enhances Grain Length and Salt Tolerance by Activating BIG GRAIN3 to Modulate Cytokinin Distribution in Rice[OPEN]

Optimizing cytokinin distribution patterns is a promising strategy for simultaneously enhancing grain yield, grain quality, and stress resistance in plants, as observed in ARGONAUTE2-overexpressing rice. Maintaining stable, high yields under fluctuating environmental conditions is a long-standing goal of crop improvement but is challenging due to internal trade-off mechanisms, which are poorly understood. Here, we identify ARGONAUTE2 (AGO2) as a candidate target for achieving this goal in rice (Oryza sativa). Overexpressing AGO2 led to a simultaneous increase in salt tolerance and grain length. These benefits were achieved via the activation of BIG GRAIN3 (BG3), encoding a purine permease potentially involved in cytokinin transport. AGO2 can become enriched on the BG3 locus and alter its histone methylation level, thus promoting BG3 expression. Cytokinin levels decreased in shoots but increased in roots of AGO2-overexpressing plants. While bg3 knockout mutants were hypersensitive to salt stress, plants overexpressing BG3 showed strong salt tolerance and large grains. The knockout of BG3 significantly reduced grain length and salt tolerance in AGO2-overexpressing plants. Both genes were transcriptionally suppressed by salt treatment. Salt treatment markedly increased cytokinin levels in roots but decreased them in shoots, resulting in a hormone distribution pattern similar to that in AGO2-overexpressing plants. These findings highlight the critical roles of the spatial distribution of cytokinins in both stress responses and grain development. Therefore, optimizing cytokinin distribution represents a promising strategy for improving both grain yield and stress tolerance in rice.
Intelligent System of Visualization and Creation of Choreographic Setting

The purpose of this tusk is creation of an intelligent system for visualization and creation of choreographic performances, which would enable the user to perform his tasks related to dance performances quickly and conveniently. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set: to carry out researches of the literary sources concerning a subject of work; to carry out the analysis of similar systems and to prove the development of the studied system; to carry out systematic analysis and substantiate the problem; to make the choice of methods and means for solving the problem; implement software implementation of the mobile application to solve the problem; - to test the developed sys-tem. Object of study is the process of visualizing and creating choreographic productions. Subject of study is methods and tools for building an intelligent visualization system and creating choreographic productions. Research methods is application of system analysis methods. The obtained results enable the cho-reographers to visualize their productions quickly and effectively. With the help of a developed system, they can overlay music on their production and arranged pictures. This information will be accessible to them from any device as the data will be stored on the server.
Roles of the clip domains of two protease zymogens in the coagulation cascade in horseshoe crabs

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered coagulation cascade in horseshoe crabs comprises three protease zymogens: prochelicerase C (proC), prochelicerase B (proB), and the proclotting enzyme (proCE). The presence of LPS results in autocatalytic activation of proC to α-chelicerase C, which, in turn, activates proB to chelicerase B, converting proCE to the clotting enzyme (CE). ProB and proCE contain an N-terminal clip domain, but the roles of these domains in this coagulation cascade remain unknown. Here, using recombinant proteins and kinetics and binding assays, we found that five basic residues in the clip domain of proB are required to maintain its LPS-binding activity and activation by α-chelicerase C. Moreover, an amino acid substitution at a potential hydrophobic cavity in proB's clip domain (V55A-proB) reduced both its LPS-binding activity and activation rate. WT proCE exhibited no LPS-binding activity, and the WT chelicerase B-mediated activation of a proCE variant with a substitution at a potential hydrophobic cavity (V53A-proCE) was ∼4-fold slower than that of WT proCE. The kcat/Km value of the interaction of WT chelicerase B with V53A-proCE was 7-fold lower than that of the WT chelicerase B-WT proCE interaction. The enzymatic activities of V55A-chelicerase B and V53A-CE against specific peptide substrates were indistinguishable from those of the corresponding WT proteases. In conclusion, the clip domain of proB recruits it to a reaction center composed of α-chelicerase C and LPS, where α-chelicerase C is ready to activate proB, leading to chelicerase B–mediated activation of proCE via its clip domain.
Intervention Adherence and Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Child Outcomes in School Nurse–Delivered Interventions for Anxiety

This study examined the association between two implementation factors, nurse-reported intervention adherence and self-efficacy, and children’s outcomes in school nurse–delivered anxiety interventions. Data were collected in a pilot randomized controlled effectiveness trial with 54 children and 21 school nurses. Nurses implemented either a cognitive behavioral or relaxation-skills-only intervention. Nurse questionnaires assessed implementation factors. Independent evaluators assessed changes in children’s anxiety symptoms at postintervention and at 3-month follow-up using clinical improvement and global functioning scales. Regression analyses indicated that greater intervention adherence was associated with greater anxiety symptom improvement at follow-up. Nurse self-efficacy interacted with intervention group, such that nurses with higher self-efficacy who implemented the cognitive behavioral intervention tended to have children show improvement and higher postintervention functioning. The impact of implementation factors on children’s outcomes may differ depending on intervention type. Self-efficacy may be important for nurses using relatively complex interventions. Intervention adherence should be supported through training and consultation.
The Transcription Factor EB Reduces the Intraneuronal Accumulation of the Beta-Secretase-Derived APP Fragment C99 in Cellular and Mouse Alzheimer’s Disease Models

Brains that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are characterized by the overload of extracellular amyloid β (Aβ) peptides, but recent data from cellular and animal models propose that Aβ deposition is preceded by intraneuronal accumulation of the direct precursor of Aβ, C99. These studies indicate that C99 accumulation firstly occurs within endosomal and lysosomal compartments and that it contributes to early-stage AD-related endosomal-lysosomal-autophagic defects. Our previous work also suggests that C99 accumulation itself could be a consequence of defective lysosomal-autophagic degradation. Thus, in the present study, we analyzed the influence of the overexpression of the transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis, on C99 accumulation occurring in both AD cellular models and in the triple-transgenic mouse model (3xTgAD). In the in vivo experiments, TFEB overexpression was induced via adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), which were injected either into the cerebral ventricles of newborn mice or administrated at later stages (3 months of age) by stereotaxic injection into the subiculum. In both cells and the 3xTgAD mouse model, exogenous TFEB strongly reduced C99 load and concomitantly increased the levels of many lysosomal and autophagic proteins, including cathepsins, key proteases involved in C99 degradation. Our data indicate that TFEB activation is a relevant strategy to prevent the accumulation of this early neurotoxic catabolite.
Risk Factors for Severe Disease and Efficacy of Treatment in Patients Infected With COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression Analysis

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spread globally in the beginning of 2020. At present, predictors of severe disease and the efficacy of different treatments are not well understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published studies up to 15 March 2020, which reported COVID-19 clinical features and/or treatment outcomes. Forty-five studies reporting 4203 patients were included. Pooled rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mortality, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were 10.9%, 4.3%, and 18.4%, respectively. On meta-regression, ICU admission was predicted by increased leukocyte count (P < .0001), alanine aminotransferase (P = .024), and aspartate transaminase (P = .0040); elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < .0001); and increased procalcitonin (P < .0001). ARDS was predicted by elevated LDH (P < .0001), while mortality was predicted by increased leukocyte count (P = .0005) and elevated LDH (P < .0001). Treatment with lopinavir-ritonavir showed no significant benefit in mortality and ARDS rates. Corticosteroids were associated with a higher rate of ARDS (P = .0003).
Effects of Chlorine Dioxide on Oral Hygiene - A Systematic Review and  Meta-analysis

Background Effective and selective oral rinses are required in the daily medical and dental practice. Currently mouthwashes used have substantial side effects. Objectives Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of chlorine dioxide-containing mouthwashes in comparison with other previously established mouth rinses in healthy adults using oral hygiene indices. Methods This work was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018099059) and carried out using multiple databases and reported according to the PRISMA statement. The search terms used were “chlorine dioxide” AND “oral”, and only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The primary outcome was the alteration of the plaque index (PI), while the secondary outcomes were the gingival index (GI) and bacterial counts. For the risk of bias assessment, the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was used. Statistical analysis for data heterogeneity was performed by Q-value and I2-tests. Results 364 articles were found in the databases. After the selection process, only five RCTs were eligible for meta-analysis. Data heterogeneity was low. There were no statistical differences in effectiveness between chlorine dioxide and other effective mouth rinses in PI (0.720±0.119 vs 0.745±0.131; 95%; confidence intervals (CIs): 0.487-0.952 vs 0.489-1.001, respectively) and GI (0.712±0.130 vs 0.745±0.131; 95% CIs: 0.457–0.967 vs 0.489–1.001, respectively) and also in bacterial counts. Conclusion Chlorine dioxide reduces both plaque and gingival indices and bacterial counts in the oral cavity similar to other routinely used oral rinses, however, the evidence supporting this outcome is very limited. Therefore, further large scale RCTs are needed to decrease the risk of bias.