Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post‐epizootic microbiome associations across communities of neotropical amphibians

Microbiome–pathogen interactions are increasingly recognized as an important element of host immunity. While these host‐level interactions will have consequences for community disease dynamics, the factors which influence host microbiomes at larger scales are poorly understood. We here describe landscape‐scale pathogen–microbiome associations within the context of post‐epizootic amphibian chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the panzootic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We undertook a survey of Neotropical amphibians across altitudinal gradients in Ecuador ~30 years following the observed amphibian declines and collected skin swab‐samples which were metabarcoded using both fungal (ITS‐2) and bacterial (r16S) amplicons. The data revealed marked variation in patterns of both B. dendrobatidis infection and microbiome structure that are associated with host life history. Stream breeding amphibians were most likely to be infected with B. dendrobatidis. This increased probability of infection was further associated with increased abundance and diversity of non‐Batrachochytrium chytrid fungi in the skin and environmental microbiome. We also show that increased alpha diversity and the relative abundance of fungi are lower in the skin microbiome of adult stream amphibians compared to adult pond‐breeding amphibians, an association not seen for bacteria. Finally, stream tadpoles exhibit lower proportions of predicted protective microbial taxa than pond tadpoles, suggesting reduced biotic resistance. Our analyses show that host breeding ecology strongly shapes pathogen–microbiome associations at a landscape scale, a trait that may influence resilience in the face of emerging infectious diseases.
Early‐stage oxidation behavior of Co‐rich high‐temperature alloys

The long‐term oxidation performance of an alloy is critically linked to the early‐stage oxidation behavior of high‐temperature alloys. This study investigates early‐stage oxidation behavior in terms of oxidation kinetics, scale evolution, and residual stresses developed within a scale of the commercially available cobalt‐rich alloys: HAYNES® 188, 6B, 25, and HR‐160® and a newly developed nitride‐dispersion strengthened NS‐163® alloy (HAYNES®, HR‐160®, NS‐163® are registered trademarks of Haynes International, Inc). Short‐term isothermal oxidation exposures were conducted in flowing air at 982 °C for durations of 1–50 h. Oxidation kinetics was assessed by weight‐change behavior, which showed that 188 alloy exhibited the lowest weight‐gain, while for similar times HR‐160 alloy underwent weight‐loss. SEM/EDS analysis was performed to characterize oxides formed in these alloys, while stresses developed in the oxides of different alloys were measured using synchrotron X‐ray radiation. The results in this paper clearly demonstrated the effects of alloy composition on the scale evolution and the amount of stresses developed in oxides.
The interplay of emotional and social conceptual processes during moral reasoning in frontotemporal dementia.

Cooperative social behaviour in humans hinges upon our unique ability to make appropriate moral decisions in accordance with our ethical values. The complexity of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying moral reasoning is revealed when this capacity breaks down. Patients with the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) display striking moral transgressions in the context of atrophy to frontotemporal regions supporting affective and social conceptual processing. Developmental studies have highlighted the importance of social knowledge to moral decision making in children, yet the role of social knowledge in relation to moral reasoning impairments in neurodegeneration has largely been overlooked. Here, we sought to examine the role of affective and social conceptual processes in personal moral reasoning in bvFTD, and their relationship to the integrity and structural connectivity of frontotemporal brain regions. Personal moral reasoning across varying degrees of conflict was assessed in 26 bvFTD patients and compared with demographically matched Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 14), and healthy older adults (n = 22). Following each moral decision, we directly probed participants' subjective emotional experience as an index of their affective response, while social norm knowledge was assessed via an independent task. While groups did not differ significantly in terms of their moral decisions, bvFTD patients reported feeling 'better' about their decisions than healthy control subjects. In other words, although bvFTD patients could adjudicate between different courses of action in the moral scenarios, their affective responses to these decisions were highly irregular. This blunted emotional reaction was exclusive to the personal high-conflict condition, with 61.5% of bvFTD patients reporting feeling 'extremely good' about their decisions, and was correlated with reduced knowledge of socially acceptable behaviour. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed a distributed network of frontal, subcortical, and lateral temporal grey matter regions involved in the attenuated affective response to moral conflict in bvFTD. Crucially, diffusion-tensor imaging implicated the uncinate fasciculus as the pathway by which social conceptual knowledge may influence emotional reactions to personal high-conflict moral dilemmas in bvFTD. Our findings suggest that altered moral behaviour in bvFTD reflects the dynamic interplay between degraded social conceptual knowledge and blunted affective responsiveness, attributable to atrophy of, and impaired information transfer between, frontal and temporal cortices. Delineating the mechanisms of impaired morality in bvFTD provides crucial clinical information for understanding and treating this challenging symptom, which may help pave the way for targeted behavioural interventions.
Impact of Community-Based Clinical Breast Examinations in Botswana

PURPOSE We evaluated a clinical breast examination (CBE) screening program to determine the prevalence of breast abnormalities, number examined per cancer diagnosis, and clinical resources required for these diagnoses in a middle-income African setting. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of a CBE screening program (2015-2018) by Journey of Hope Botswana, a Botswana-based nongovernmental organization (NGO). Symptomatic and asymptomatic women were invited to attend. Screening events were held in communities throughout rural and periurban Botswana, with CBEs performed by volunteer nurses. Individuals who screened positive were referred to a private tertiary facility and were followed by the NGO. Data were obtained from NGO records. RESULTS Of 6,120 screened women (50 men excluded), 452 (7.4%) presented with a symptom and 357 (5.83%) were referred for further evaluation; 257 ultrasounds, 100 fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), 58 mammograms, and 31 biopsies were performed. In total, 6,031 were exonerated from cancer, 78 were lost to follow-up (67 for ≤ 50 years and 11 for > 50 years), and 11 were diagnosed with cancer (five for 41-50 years and six for > 50 years, 10 presented with symptoms). Overall breast cancer prevalence was calculated to be 18/10,000 (95% CI, 8 to 29/10,000). The number of women examined per breast cancer diagnosis was 237 (95% CI, 126 to 1910) for women of age 41-50 years and 196 (95% CI, 109 to 977) for women of age > 50 years. Median time to diagnosis for all women was 17.5 [1 to 32.5] days. CBE-detected tumors were not different than tumors presenting through standard care. CONCLUSION In a previously unscreened population, yield from community-based CBE screening was high, particularly among symptomatic women, and required modest diagnostic resources. This strategy has potential to reduce breast cancer mortality.
Rural School Nurses Face Challenges in Colorado: A Qualitative Study

Rural school nurses are on the front lines of providing health care for children and families in rural Colorado, but there is little research from their perspective. To fill this gap, a descriptive phenomenological study examined the experiences of nine rural school nurses through in-person audiotaped interviews. Analysis of data revealed three main themes: (1) rural school nurses’ efforts to meet students’ extensive physical and mental health issues, (2) school nurses struggle to help rural students in extreme poverty, and (3) communication challenges experienced by rural school nurses. The findings of this study give voice to the experiences and challenges faced by rural school nurses in southern Colorado.
Chaotic analysis of partial discharge (CAPD) as a novel approach to investigate insulation degradation caused by the various defects

In connection with the monitoring of insulation degradation of large power apparatus in order to predict their unexpected service failures, a statistical treatment, such as phase resolved partial discharge analysis (PRPDA), has been established for the on-line monitoring system during the past decades. However, this method has shown some inconveniences to distinguish the nature of the PD source in power apparatus. In this regard, a novel approach based on the chaotic analysis (CAPD) is proposed describing the fundamental ideas, outcomes and different viewpoints from the conventional PRPDA. As a model for the possible defects causing sudden failures in service, several types of specimen were prepared. Partial discharge signals, originated from those samples, were measured and analyzed by means of PRPDA and CAPD respectively. Throughout this paper, it seems that the correlation between the consecutive PD pulses, depending on the nature of PD, could be clarified by CAPD. Therefore, it could be considered that the nature of PD source can be distinguished more distinctively when the PRPDA is combined with CAPD.
ENaC expression correlates with the acute furosemide‐induced K+ excretion

In the aldosterone‐sensitive distal nephron (ASDN), epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)‐mediated Na+ absorption drives K+ excretion. K+ excretion depends on the delivery of Na+ to the ASDN and molecularly activated ENaC. Furosemide is known as a K+ wasting diuretic as it greatly enhances Na+ delivery to the ASDN. Here, we studied the magnitude of acute furosemide‐induced kaliuresis under various states of basal molecular ENaC activity.
Identification of KIF20A as a tumor biomarker and forwarder of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

To the Editor: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the top 10 major cancer types in adults. Current research shows that clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains a deadly tumor disease and is associated with most cancerrelated deaths. Timely diagnosis is extremely important for the treatment of tumor patients. Adjusting the treatment plan based on the results of clinical diagnostic markers has a positive effect on patient prognosis. There is still a high risk of local recurrence or distant metastasis after nephrectomy. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) has shown encouraging efficacy in advanced ccRCC patients. Unfortunately, TKI resistance still develops and can lead to poor progression in cancer. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore more effective prognostic biomarkers and to identify novel drug targets for ccRCC therapies.
Tuber Locations Associated with Infantile Spasms Map to a Common Brain Network

Approximately 50% of patients with tuberous sclerosis complex develop infantile spasms, a sudden onset epilepsy syndrome associated with poor neurological outcomes. An increased burden of tubers confers an elevated risk of infantile spasms, but it remains unknown whether some tuber locations confer higher risk than others. Here, we test whether tuber location and connectivity are associated with infantile spasms.
Application of Spectroscopy in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly expanding material production technique that brings new opportunities in various fields as it enables fast and low-cost prototyping as well as easy customisation. However, it is still hindered by raw material selection, processing defects and final product assessment/adjustment in pre-, in- and post-processing stages. Spectroscopic techniques offer suitable inspection, diagnosis and product trouble-shooting at each stage of AM processing. This review outlines the limitations in AM processes and the prospective role of spectroscopy in addressing these challenges. An overview on the principles and applications of AM techniques is presented, followed by the principles of spectroscopic techniques involved in AM and their applications in assessing additively manufactured parts.
Dendrimer–Palladium Complex Catalyzed Oxidation of Terminal Alkenes to Methyl Ketones

Silica-supported polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with different spacer lengths were prepared. After the introduction of diphenylphosphino groups, complexation to dibenzylidenepalladium(0) gave the desired silica-supported dendrimer–palladium catalyst complexes G0 to G4-C2-Pd. These catalysts showed activity towards the oxidation of terminal alkenes to methyl ketones. A dependence of catalytic activity on the spacer length of the diamine in PAMAM was observed.
High voltage AlGaN/GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor high-electron mobility transistors with regrown In0.14Ga0.86N contact using a CMOS compatible gold-free process

We report the fabrication and characterization of high voltage AlGaN/GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor high-electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs) with selectively regrown In0.14Ga0. 86N contact using a CMOS compatible gold-free process. Device with the regrown InGaN contact with a gate-to-drain spacing LGD of 5 µm achieves an off-state breakdown voltage VBR of 800 V and on-state resistance Ron of 2 mΩ·cm2. The VBR achieved in this work is higher than those of gold-free GaN MOSHEMTs with gate-to-drain spacing LGD below 10 µm.
Kinetic energy density dependent approximations to the exchange energy

Two nonempirical kinetic energy density dependent approximations are introduced. First, the local τ approximation (LTA) is proposed in which the exchange energy Ex depends only on a kinetic energy density τ. This LTA scheme appears to be complementary to the local spin density (LSD) approximation in the sense that its exchange contribution to the atomization energy ΔEx=Exatoms−Exmolecule is fairly accurate for systems where LSD fails. On the other hand, in cases where LSD works well LTA results for ΔEx are worse. Secondly, the τPBE approximation to Ex is developed which combines some of the advantages of LTA and of the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange functional. Like the PBE exchange functional, τPBE is free of empirical parameters. Furthermore, it yields improved atomization energies compared to the PBE approximation.
Normative Aortic Valvar Measurements in Adults Using Cardiac Computed Tomography　- A Potential Guide to Further Sophisticate Aortic Valve-Sparing Surgery.

BACKGROUND A thorough understanding of the anatomy of the aortic valve is necessary for aortic valve-sparing surgery. Normal valvar dimensions and their relationships in the living heart, however, have yet to be fully investigated in a 3-dimensional fashion.Methods and Results:In total, 123 consecutive patients (66±12 years, Men 63%) who underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography were enrolled. Mid-diastolic morphology of the aortic roots, including height of the interleaflet triangles, geometric height, free margin length of each leaflet, effective height, and coaptation length were measured using multiplanar reconstruction images. Average height of the interleaflet triangle, geometric height, free margin length, effective height, and the coaptation length were 17.3±1.8, 14.7±1.3, 32.6±3.6, 8.6±1.4, and 3.2±0.8 mm, respectively. The right coronary aortic leaflet displayed the longest free margin length and shortest geometric height. Geometric height, free margin length, and effective height showed positive correlations with aortic root dimensions. Coaptation length, however, remained constant regardless of aortic root dimensions. CONCLUSIONS Diversities, as well as characteristic relationships among each value involving the aortic root, were identified using living-heart datasets. The aortic leaflets demonstrated compensatory elongation along with aortic root dilatation to maintain constant coaptation length. These measurements will serve as the standard value for revealing the underlying mechanism of aortic regurgitation to plan optimal aortic valve-sparing surgery.
In Search of a Better Equation - Performance and Equity in Estimates of Kidney Function.

Grassroots activism and the resurgent focus on racism in the United States have led medical centers to revisit their approaches to estimating and reporting kidney function. Although many experts agree that we should reconsider the use of race in equations for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and in medicine more generally, 1,2 precisely how eGFR equations should remove race remains unclear. In August 2020, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) formed a joint task force to provide recommendations. Various changes to eGFR reporting have already materialized, with diverse implications for Black patients, including new diagnoses and reclassifications of chronic kidney disease (CKD), contraindications and dose reductions for prescription drugs, increased eligibility for specialist care and kidney transplantation, and decreased eligibility for kidney donation and clinical trials. 2 Some observers argue that applying clinical judgment while bearing in mind the imprecision of the eGFR may lessen these effects. Still, the magnitude of changes generated by using current coefficients (16 to 21%) suggests that removing race may substantively
Experimental assessment of powerfeed chromatography

The PowerFeed process is a modification of the simulated moving bed (SMB) technique, where the flow rates in the unit are allowed to change during a switching period following a predefined pattern. Through multiobjective optimization, using a genetic algorithm, it is shown that PowerFeed achieves better performances than SMB in several cases of interest for applications. Moreover, its experimental feasibility and effectiveness is assessed by running and comparing SMB and PowerFeed separations of the enantiomers of α-ionone, on a cyclodextrin based chiral stationary phase.
Sample preparation procedures for accurate and precise isotope analysis of Pb in peat by multiple collector (MC)-ICP-MS

A need exists in geochemistry to develop a peat sample preparation procedure for Pb isotope analysis by MC-ICP-MS that can isolate Pb within a wide range of concentrations (200 ng g−1–250 µg g−1) and digest both the large organic and the highly variable inorganic fractions. Dry ashing was followed by a tailored microwave acid digestion procedure, to avoid excessive HF addition, with 6 ml of HNO3, 4 ml of H2O and 0.16 ml HF found to be the optimal acid mixture for 50 mg of ash. The influences of dry and wet ashing sample preparation methods on isotope ratio measurements made by MC-ICP-MS were compared. No significant differences were found between the method results. Dry ashed samples, however, had slightly larger errors. We suggest that the main sources of imprecision in our procedure are sample preparation and sample heterogeneity. There was good agreement between samples prepared using our developed dry ashing/optimised microwave digestion procedure compared with TIMS, demonstrating its accuracy. The method reproducibility, based on multiple sample preparations, was generally <0.09%. The long-term reproducibility based on replicate NIST-SRM 981 measurements was a more conservative estimate of precision compared with short-term (or session) reproducibilities.
Simplified Chinese TRPO Process to Extract and Recover Transuranium Elements from High‐Level Liquid Waste

Abstract The Chinese trialkyl phosphine oxides (TRPO) process is effective for recovery of transuranium elements from high‐level liquid waste (HLLW). Integration of the TRPO process with the current Purex process will simplify both processes. With this viewpoint, a simplified TRPO process is proposed in this paper. The original process with two strip sections for U and Np + Pu has been changed to one (NH4)2CO3 strip section. The simplified process was tested with simulated HLLW. The strip ratios of U(VI), Np(IV) and Pu(IV) are above 99.8% in 3‐stage countercurrent strip experiment with 80 g/L (NH4)2CO3. The cross‐contamination of U, Np, Pu, and Nd in other process streams is quite low. In the whole of the process experiments, no precipitation or third phase occurs in any process stream. After convenient conversion treatment with 15 mol/L HNO3 the recovered U, Np, and Pu can be extracted with 30% TBP/kerosene, indicating the feasibility to return them to the Purex process for further purification.
Far‐infrared spectroscopy, the wavenumbers of metal–ligand vibrations and the characterisation of inorganic pigments

Extensive far-infrared studies of inorganic materials and pigments in the early 1960s are highlighted and related to the many subsequent Raman studies of the same materials, studies which led to the formulation of Raman spectral libraries for use in conservation science. The need for complementary infrared/far-infrared libraries is recognised. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Spatial and Functional Interaction of a Heterotetramer Survivin–DNA-PKcs Complex in DNA Damage Response

These findings provide insight into survivin-mediated regulation of DNA–PKcs kinase and broaden our knowledge of the impact of survivin in modulating the cellular radiation response. Substantial evidence has shown that overexpression of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) survivin in human tumors correlates significantly with treatment resistance and poor patient prognosis. Survivin serves as a radiation resistance factor that impacts the DNA damage response by interacting with DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs). However, the complexity, molecular determinants, and functional consequences of this interrelationship remain largely unknown. By applying coimmunoprecipitation and flow cytometry-based Förster resonance energy transfer assays, we demonstrated a direct involvement of the survivin baculovirus IAP repeat domain in the regulation of radiation survival and DNA repair. This survivin-mediated activity required an interaction of residues S20 and W67 with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) domain of DNA-PKcs. In silico molecular docking and dynamics simulation analyses, in vitro kinase assays, and large-scale mass spectrometry suggested a heterotetrameric survivin–DNA-PKcs complex that results in a conformational change within the DNA-PKcs PI3K domain. Overexpression of survivin resulted in enhanced PI3K enzymatic activity and detection of differentially abundant phosphopeptides and proteins implicated in the DNA damage response. The survivin–DNA-PKcs interaction altered the S/T-hydrophobic motif substrate specificity of DNA-PKcs with a predominant usage of S/T-P phosphorylation sites and an increase of DNA-PKcs substrates including Foxo3. These data demonstrate that survivin differentially regulates DNA-PKcs-dependent radiation survival and DNA double-strand break repair via formation of a survivin–DNA-PKcs heterotetrameric complex. Significance: These findings provide insight into survivin-mediated regulation of DNA-PKcs kinase and broaden our knowledge of the impact of survivin in modulating the cellular radiation response. See related commentary by Iliakis, p. 2270 Graphical Abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals. org/content/canres/81/9/2304/F1.large. jpg. Graphical Abstract