Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dose-Effect of Zearalenone on the Localization and Expression of Growth Hormone, Growth Hormone Receptor, and Heat Shock Protein 70 in the Ovaries of Post-weaning Gilts

Zearalenone (ZEA) has an estrogen-like effect, which can injure the reproductive system of animals, causing infertility, and abortion in sows. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not clear. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ZEA on the localization and expression of growth hormone (GH), growth hormone receptor (GHR), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in the ovaries of post-weaning gilts. Forty healthy post-weaning gilts were randomly provided one of four diets: normal basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5 (ZEA0.5), 1.0 (ZEA1.0), and 1.5 (ZEA1.5) mg ZEA/kg. Gilts were housed and fed individually for 35 days; the ovaries were collected after euthanasia for antioxidant index, relative mRNA and protein expression, and immunohistochemical analyses of GH, GHR, and Hsp70. The results revealed that the glutathione peroxidase and total superoxide dismutase levels decreased (p < 0.05), whereas the malondialdehyde level increased (p < 0.05) with increasing ZEA content. The localization pattern of GH, GHR, and Hsp70 in ZEA-treated gilts was the same as that in the control; however, the localization of yellow and brown immunoreactive substances of GH, GHR, and Hsp70 was stronger in the ZEA groups than in the control. The relative mRNA and protein expression of GHR and Hsp70 was the highest in the ZEA1.0 group (p < 0.05), whereas that of GH was the highest in the ZEA0.5 group (p < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of GH was lower in the ZEA1.5 group than in the control (p < 0.05). Hsp70 results showed adverse responses to increasing ZEA levels in gilt ovaries, suggesting that Hsp70 played an important role in alleviating ZEA-induced oxidative stress.
Identification of Tick Ixodes ricinus Midgut Genes Differentially Expressed During the Transmission of Borrelia afzelii Spirochetes Using a Transcriptomic Approach

Lyme borreliosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by spirochetes Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. In Europe, Lyme borreliosis is predominantly caused by Borrelia afzelii and transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Although Borrelia behavior throughout tick development is quite well documented, specific molecular interactions between Borrelia and the tick have not been satisfactorily examined. Here, we present the first transcriptomic study focused on the expression of tick midgut genes regulated by Borrelia. By using massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE), we searched for tick transcripts expressed differentially in the midgut of unfed, 24h-fed, and fully fed I. ricinus nymphs infected with B. afzelii. In total, we identified 553 upregulated and 530 downregulated tick genes and demonstrated that B. afzelii interacts intensively with the tick. Technical and biological validations confirmed the accuracy of the transcriptome. The expression of five validated tick genes was silenced by RNA interference. Silencing of the uncharacterized protein (GXP_Contig_30818) delayed the infection progress and decreased infection prevalence in the target mice tissues. Silencing of other genes did not significantly affect tick feeding nor the transmission of B. afzelii, suggesting a possible role of these genes rather in Borrelia acquisition or persistence in ticks. Identification of genes and proteins exploited by Borrelia during transmission and establishment in a tick could help the development of novel preventive strategies for Lyme borreliosis.
The Positive Spiral Between Problem-Solving Management and Trust: A Study in Organizations for Individuals With Intellectual Disability

To achieve their goals, organizations for individuals with intellectual disability have to stimulate high-quality relationships between professionals and family members. Therefore, achieving professionals’ trust in family members has become a challenge. One relevant factor in explaining professional’s trust in families is the degree to which family members use the “problem-solving” conflict management strategy (high concern for oneself but also for the other party) in their disputes–disagreements with professionals. It is reasonable to argue that when family members use problem-solving conflict management, professionals’ trust increases. Professionals’ trust, in turn, stimulates the use of problem-solving strategies by family members. However, it is also plausible that professionals are the initiators of this positive spiral (professionals’ trust–problem-solving conflict management by family members–professionals’ trust). To examine this relationship between problem solving and trust over time, we conducted a longitudinal survey study in which 329 professionals reported on these two constructs three times (with 4 weeks between the measurements). Using structural equation modeling, we compared four nested models: (a) stability, (b) causality (where the problem-solving strategy by familiar members is the initiator of the spiral), (c) reversed causation (where the professional’s trust is the initiator of the spiral), and (d) reciprocal (where problem-solving conflict management and trust reinforce each other). The results of the χ2 difference tests, regarding the comparison of the models, showed that the reciprocal model was significantly superior to the alternative proposals. Our findings supported a complex view of the relationships between problem-solving conflict management and trust, based on dynamic reciprocal relationships over time.
Radial dependence of surface streamer-channel luminosity: experimental evidence of Gaussian radiative profiles in Ar and N2

Radial distributions of electronically excited species produced during surface streamer propagation were obtained by applying the Abel inverse transform to projected luminosities of single streamers. The streamers were generated in an argon and nitrogen surface coplanar dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure and their magnified microscopic images were registered with high time resolution. Selected regions of the projected luminosities were processed by the Abel inverse transform procedure based on the Hankel–Fourier method assuming cylindrical symmetry of the streamer channel. Projected as well as Abel-inverted profiles were fitted by Gaussian functions. It is shown that the projected profiles, in addition to the Abel-inverted ones, can be well approximated by the sum of two coaxial Gaussians with two different half-widths and weights. The sharper Gaussian component with higher weight characterizes the radial dependence of the primary cathode-directed streamer-channel luminosity. The second (broader) Gaussian component probably originates either from the pre-breakdown Townsend phase or from the second wave propagating towards the anode.
Functional Analysis of the Phosphate Transporter Gene MtPT6 From Medicago truncatula

Phosphorus is one of the essential macronutrients required by plant growth and development, but phosphate resources are finite and diminishing rapidly because of the huge need in global agriculture. In this study, 11 genes were found in the Phosphate Transporter 1 (PHT1) family of Medicago truncatula. Seven genes of the PHT1 family were available by qRT-PCR. Most of them were expressed in roots, and almost all genes were induced by low-phosphate stress in the nodule. The expression of MtPT6 was relatively high in nodules and induced by low-phosphate stress. The fusion expression of MtPT6 promoter-GUS gene in M. truncatula suggested that the expression of MtPT6 was induced in roots and nodules by phosphate starvation. In roots, MtPT6 was mainly expressed in vascular tissue and tips, and it was also expressed in cortex under low-phosphate stress; in nodules, it was mainly expressed in vascular bundles, cortical cells, and fixation zone cells. MtPT6 had a close relationship with other PHT1 family members according to amino acid alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Subcellular localization analysis in tobacco revealed that MtPT6 protein was localized to the plasma membrane. The heterologous expression of MtPT6 in Arabidopsis knockout mutants of pht1.1 and pht1.4 made seedlings more susceptible to arsenate treatment, and the phosphate concentrations in pht1.1 were higher in high phosphate condition by expressing MtPT6. We conclude that MtPT6 is a typical phosphate transporter gene and can promote phosphate acquisition efficiency of plants.
The Relationship Between Family Support and e-Learning Engagement in College Students: The Mediating Role of e-Learning Normative Consciousness and Behaviors and Self-Efficacy

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have implemented network teaching. E-learning engagement is the most important concern of educators and parents because this will directly affect student academic performance. Hence, this study focuses on students’ perceived family support and their e-learning engagement and analyzes the effects of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy on the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement in college students. Prior to this study, the relationship between these variables was unknown. Four structural equation models revealed the multiple mediating roles of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy in the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement. A total of 1,317 college students (mean age=19.51; 52.2% freshman) voluntarily participated in our study. The results showed that e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy played significant and mediating roles between students’ perceived family support and e-learning engagement. Specifically, these two individual variables fully mediated the relationship between students’ perceived family support and e-learning engagement. The multiple mediation model showed that family members can increase family support of their children by creating a household environment conducive to learning, displaying positive emotions, demonstrating the capability to assist their children, advocating the significance of learning normative consciousness and behaviors, and encouraging dedicated and efficient learning. The findings complement and extend the understanding of factors influencing student e-learning engagement.
Self-Perceived Mental Health Status, Digital Activity, and Physical Distancing in the Context of Lockdown Versus Not-in-Lockdown Measures in Italy and Croatia: Cross-Sectional Study in the Early Ascending Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020

The novelty of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is that it is occurring in a globalized society enhanced by digital capabilities. Our aim was to analyze the psychological and emotional states of participants in different pandemic-related contexts, with a focus on their digital and physical distancing behaviors. The online survey was applied during the ascending phase of the pandemic in March 2020 in two neighboring EU countries: Italy and Croatia. The study subjects involved four groups, two directly affected by epidemiological measures and two serving as controls—(1) participants from Italy who were in lockdown (Italy group), (2) participants from Croatia who were not in lockdown but who were in direct contact with an infected person and underwent epidemiological measures (CRO-contact group), (3) participants from Croatia who were in an analogous situation but not near the same infected person (CRO-no contact group), and (4) participants from Croatia who were not aware of any infected person (CRO-unrelated group). The survey consisted of validated scales of psychological and emotional states, and custom-made questionnaires on the digital (online) and physical (off-line) behavior of the participants. The Italy group in lockdown had higher self-perceived scores for depression, stress, post-traumatic intrusion, and avoidance, as well as the highest digital activity and physical distancing than the not-in-lockdown Croatian groups. The insight into the extent of online activities and off-line isolation allowed for the introduction of Digital Activity and Physical Distancing Scores. Self-perceived post-traumatic avoidance was higher in both the Italy and CRO-contact groups than the control CRO-no contact and CRO-unrelated groups, and higher avoidance correlated with higher Digital Activity and Physical Distancing Scores. Being in direct contact with the infected person, the CRO-contact group had no other alterations than unexpectedly lower post-traumatic hyperarousal when compared with the Italy group. The Italy group in lockdown demonstrated higher self-perceived psychological toll together with higher digital activity and physical distancing than Croatian groups not in lockdown, even when compared with the affected CRO-contact group. The study outcomes suggest that the general emergency measures influenced citizens in lockdown more than exposure to the virus through direct contact with an infected person.
Multivariate Correlation Measures Reveal Structure and Strength of Brain–Body Physiological Networks at Rest and During Mental Stress

In this work, we extend to the multivariate case the classical correlation analysis used in the field of network physiology to probe dynamic interactions between organ systems in the human body. To this end, we define different correlation-based measures of the multivariate interaction (MI) within and between the brain and body subnetworks of the human physiological network, represented, respectively, by the time series of δ, θ, α, and β electroencephalographic (EEG) wave amplitudes, and of heart rate, respiration amplitude, and pulse arrival time (PAT) variability (η, ρ, π). MI is computed: (i) considering all variables in the two subnetworks to evaluate overall brain–body interactions; (ii) focusing on a single target variable and dissecting its global interaction with all other variables into contributions arising from the same subnetwork and from the other subnetwork; and (iii) considering two variables conditioned to all the others to infer the network topology. The framework is applied to the time series measured from the EEG, electrocardiographic (ECG), respiration, and blood volume pulse (BVP) signals recorded synchronously via wearable sensors in a group of healthy subjects monitored at rest and during mental arithmetic and sustained attention tasks. We find that the human physiological network is highly connected, with predominance of the links internal of each subnetwork (mainly η−ρ and δ−θ, θ−α, α−β), but also statistically significant interactions between the two subnetworks (mainly η−β and η−δ). MI values are often spatially heterogeneous across the scalp and are modulated by the physiological state, as indicated by the decrease of cardiorespiratory interactions during sustained attention and by the increase of brain–heart interactions and of brain–brain interactions at the frontal scalp regions during mental arithmetic. These findings illustrate the complex and multi-faceted structure of interactions manifested within and between different physiological systems and subsystems across different levels of mental stress.
Determination of Volatile Compounds of Illicium verum Hook. f. Using Simultaneous Distillation-Extraction and Solid Phase Microextraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Purpose : To determine the characteristic aromatic constituents of star anise ( Illicium verum Hook. f.) and identify its main aroma compounds for sensory evaluation. Methods : The volatile compounds of star anise were prepared by simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) and the compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The flavor compounds were confirmed by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). Their flavor dilution factor (FD) values were determined using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Finally, standard samples that meet the requirements for sensory evaluation were extracted by the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to further validate characteristic aroma molecules. Results : Forty seven compounds were confirmed, with trans-anethole, estragole, and anisaldehyde the main aroma components. The content of trans-anethole was the highest (75.76 %), followed by linalool (1.44 %). Limonene (1.01 %) and 4’- ethoxypropiophenone (0.72 %) were the lowest. Conclusion : Combining SDE coupled with AEDA and SPME coupled with GC-MS is beneficial for identifying characteristic aroma compounds for star anise, such as trans-anethole, linalool and limonene in terms of FD value. The findings may be useful for star anise quality control in the food industry. Keywords : Aroma, Flavor dilution factor (FD value), Gas chromatography-olfactometry, Simultaneous distillation-extraction, Sensory evaluation, Star anise, Illicium verum, Trans-anethole, Linaloo, Limonene
Elavl1 Impacts Osteogenic Differentiation and mRNA Levels of Genes Involved in ECM Organization

Posttranscriptional gene regulation by Adenylate Uridylate (AU) rich element RNA binding protein, Elavl1 has been implicated in embryonic development as well as progenitor cell differentiation. Elavl1 binds to hundreds of cellular messenger RNAs predominantly through interactions with AU-rich elements (AREs) found in the untranslated regions (UTRs) and functions by regulating their stability. Biological functions of Elavl1 during osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells is not well-understood. Here we report that specific knockdown of nuclear localized Elavl1 by RNA interference in multipotent BMSCs led to increased osteogenic differentiation. Differential gene expression analysis following unbiased total RNA sequencing upon Elavl1 depletion during osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs showed increased levels of multiple mRNAs that are involved in extracellular matrix organization. We further show that many of these mRNAs contain Elavl1 binding consensus motifs that are preserved in their 3′ UTRs. RNA stability analyses indicated that depletion of Elavl1 prolongs the steady state RNA levels of several of these mRNAs. Together, our data points to Elavl1 mediated negative regulation of multiple genes involved in ECM organization that play a functional role in MSC osteogenic differentiation.
Seeking Meaning: Examining a Cross-situational Solution to Learn Action Verbs Using Human Simulation Paradigm

To acquire the meaning of a verb, language learners not only need to find the correct mapping between a specific verb and an action or event in the world, but also infer the underlying relational meaning that the verb encodes. Most verb naming instances in naturalistic contexts are highly ambiguous as many possible actions can be embedded in the same scenario and many possible verbs can be used to describe those actions. To understand whether learners can find the correct verb meaning from referentially ambiguous learning situations, we conducted three experiments using the Human Simulation Paradigm with adult learners. Our results suggest that although finding the right verb meaning from one learning instance is hard, there is a statistical solution to this problem. When provided with multiple verb learning instances all referring to the same verb, learners are able to aggregate information across situations and gradually converge to the correct semantic space. Even in cases where they may not guess the exact target verb, they can still discover the right meaning by guessing a similar verb that is semantically close to the ground truth.
What I Like Is What I Remember: Memory Modulation and Preferential Choice

Memory is a crucial component of everyday decision making, yet little is known about how memory and choice processes interact and whether or not established memory regularities persist during memory-based decision making. In this paper, we introduce a novel experimental paradigm to study the differences between memory processes at play in standard list recall versus in preferential choice. Using computational memory models, fit to data from 2 preregistered experiments, we find that some established memory regularities (primacy, recency, semantic clustering) emerge in preferential choice, whereas others (temporal clustering) are significantly weakened relative to standard list recall. Notably, decision-relevant features, such as item desirability, play a stronger role in guiding retrieval in choice. Our results suggest memory processes differ across preferential choice and standard memory tasks, and that choice modulates memory by differentially activating decision-relevant features such as what we like. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
An Investigation of the Multilingual and Bi-dialectal Advantage in Executive Control

We examined the effect of speaking more than one language (multilingualism) or two dialects of the same language (bidialectalism) on executive control (EC) by administering seven EC tasks to 46 multilingual, 72 bi-dialectal and 47 monolingual young adults. We used the EC model of Miyake, Friedman, Emerson, Witzki, Howerter and Wager (2000) according to which EC comprises three components: working memory, task-switching and inhibition. We also tested two theoretical views regarding the locus of the bilingual advantage: first, that bilingualism affects specific EC components and, second, that bilingualism has a more general effect on the whole EC network. Miyake et al.’s (2000) model was a good fit to our EC data. We also found that both multilinguals and bi-dialectals had significantly higher EC scores than monolinguals. Moreover, both the multilingual and the bi-dialectal advantage was found in overall EC ability and could not be attributed to a specific EC component.
Knowledge Representations in Health Judgments

In the present paper, we introduce a novel computational approach for uncovering mental representations underlying healthiness judgments for food items. Using semantic vector representations derived from large-scale natural language data, we quantify the complex representations that people hold about foods, and use these representations to predict how both lay decision makers and experts (trained dietitians) judge the healthiness of food items. We also successfully predict the impact of behavioral interventions (e.g. the provision of nutrient content information or “trafﬁc-light labels”) on healthiness judgments for food items. Our models are highly general, and are capable of making predictions for nearly any food item. Finally, these models outperform competing models based on factual nutritional content, suggesting that health judgments depend more on complex (semantic) knowledge representations than on quantiﬁed nutritional information. The results in this paper illustrate how methods from cognitive science and computational linguistics can be combined with existing theories in psychology, to better predict, understand, and inﬂuence health behavior.
"Take the Middle" - Averaging Prior and Evidence as Effective Heuristic in Bayesian Reasoning

When humans revise their assumptions based on evidence, they process information on the (un)certainties of the situation. This process can be modeled by a (mathematically optimal) Bayesian reasoning strategy. Humans typically deviate from this norm and apply heuristic strategies, often by only partially processing the available information (e.g., neglecting base rates). From a perspective of ecological rationality, such heuristics possibly constitute viable cognitive strategies in certain situations. We investigate the adequacy of a cognitively plausible heuristic strategy, which amounts to approximately averaging the probability information on prior hypotheses and evidence. We compare this strategy to optimal Bayesian reasoning and to information-neglecting strategies by exploring the situational parameter space (number of hypotheses, prior and likelihood values). Finally, we frame this in the context of teachers’ diagnostic judgments on students’ potential misconceptions (priors) based on students’ solutions (evidence) and interpret the resulting accuracy of decisions within the ecology of informal student assessment.