Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“My own corner of loneliness:” Social isolation and place among Mexican immigrants in Arizona and Turkana pastoralists of Kenya

This article explores the intersection of two growing health concerns: the rising incidence of loneliness and the negative health impacts of migration and displacement. To better evaluate loneliness across diverse populations, we emphasize the cultural shaping of expectations for social lives and the ways in which structural vulnerability and violence can undermine these expectations. We draw on ethnographic research with two groups of migrants: Mexican immigrants living in southern Arizona and Turkana pastoralists of Kenya who experience displacement and unpredictable mobility as a result of low intensity violence. For Mexican immigrants, feelings of loneliness intertwine with the emotions of fear, trauma, and sadness, all closely associated with social isolation. The Turkana describe loneliness associated with the loss of their animals, or the shifting social landscapes they must traverse to keep their families safe. The culturally salient experiences described by these two communities highlight the complexity of defining loneliness. Given the pace of global migration and the number of refugees and displaced persons, closer scrutiny of how cultural expectations and structural violence interact to produce feelings of loneliness seems overdue.
Palmatine-loaded electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds accelerate wound healing and inhibit hypertrophic scar formation in a rabbit ear model

Hypertrophic scar (HS) has been considered as a great concern for patients and a challenging problem for clinicians as it can cause functional debility, cosmetic disfigurement and psychological trauma. Although many methods have been developed to prevent and treat HS, the scarless healing is still a worldwide medical problem. In this study, palmatine-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds (PCL/GE/PALs) were fabricated by electrospinning, and their effects on wound healing and HS formation were investigated. These nanofiber mats exhibit good antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In vitro studies indicate PCL/GE/PAL scaffolds can facilitate the adhesion, spreading and proliferation of L929 fibroblasts. In vivo tests demonstrate the full-thickness wounds treated with PCL/GE/PAL scaffolds heal about 3.5 days earlier than those in the control group. Scar elevation index measurements and histological analyses reveal PCL/GE/PAL scaffolds significantly inhibit HS formation, with the decrease in the thickness of dermis and epidermis, the number of fibroblasts, as well as the density of collagen and microvascular. Accelerating wound healing and inhibiting HS formation of these scaffolds are contributed to the sustained release of palmatine. The present work validates the potential use of palmatine-loaded electrospun nanofibrous scaffold PCL/GE/PALs as a functional wound dressing for healing wounds and preventing HS formation.
‘Differences between the earth and the sky’: migrant parents’ experiences of child health services for pre-school children in the UK

Abstract Aim: To explore parents’ experiences of using child health services for their pre-school children post-migration. Background: Migrating between countries necessitates movement and adjustment between systems of healthcare. Children of migrants are known to have poorer health than local children on some measures and are less likely to access primary care. In the United Kingdom (UK), children are offered a preventive Healthy Child programme in addition to reactive services; this programme consists of health reviews and immunisations with some contacts delivered in the home by public health nurses. Methods: Five focus groups were held in a city in South West England. Participants were parents of pre-school children (n = 28) who had migrated to the UK from Romania, Poland, Pakistan or Somalia within the last 10 years. Groups selected included both ‘new migrants’ (from countries which acceded to the European Union in the 2000s) and those from communities long-established in the UK (Somali and Pakistani). One focus group consisted of parents of Roma ethnicity. Interpreters co-facilitated focus groups. Findings: Participants described profound differences between child health services in the UK and in their country of origin, with the extent of difference varying according to nationality and ethnic group. All appreciated services free at the point of delivery and an equitable service offered to all children. Primary care services such as treatment of minor illness and immunisation were familiar, but most parents expected doctors rather than nurses to deliver these. Proactive child health promotion was unfamiliar, and some perceived this service as intruding on parental autonomy. Migrants are not a homogenous group, but there are commonalities in migrant parents’ experiences of UK child health services. When adjusting to a new healthcare system, migrants negotiate differences in service provision and also a changing relationship between family and state.
Outer membrane vesicles produced by Burkholderia cepacia cultured with subinhibitory concentrations of ceftazidime enhance pro-inflammatory responses

ABSTRACT Burkholderia cepacia is an opportunistic pathogen that infects patients with debilitating underlying diseases. This study investigated the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) by B. cepacia cultured with sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibiotics and examined their pathogenic roles both in vitro and in vivo. B. cepacia ATCC 25416 produced more OMVs under antibiotic stress conditions than controls. OMVs isolated from B. cepacia cultured in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth (OMVs/LB) induced cytotoxicity and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Host cell cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory responses were significantly higher in A549 cells treated with B. cepacia OMVs cultured with 1/4 MIC of ceftazidime (OMVs/CAZ) than in the cells treated with OMVs/LB, OMVs cultured with 1/4 MIC of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (OMVs/SXT), or OMVs cultured with 1/4 MIC of meropenem. Intratracheal injection of B. cepacia OMVs also induced histopathology in vivo in mouse lungs. Expressions of IL-1β and TNF-α genes were significantly up-regulatedin the lungs of mice treated with OMVs/CAZ compared to mice administered other OMVs; the expression of the GRO-α gene, however, was significantly up-regulated in OMVs/SXT. In conclusion, OMVs produced by B. cepacia under different antibiotic stress conditions induce different host responses that may contribute to the pathogenesis of B. cepacia.
Effect of Glucose as Cosubstrate on 1,3-Propanediol Fermentation by Klebsiella pneumoniae

The effect of glucose as cosubstrate for the seed culture and fermentation of 1,3-propanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae with glycerol as substrate was investigated. The results showed that the mixed substrate of glycerol and glucose for the seed culture could shorten the seed culture period. When adding glucose as cosubstrate, the productivity and yield of 1,3-propanediol were increased greatly in batch and fed-batch fermentation, but different glucose feed strategies could lead to different results. Compared with the 1,3-propanediol fed-batch fermentation production with glycerol as the only substrate, the 1,3-propanediol concentration, productivity and yield increased by 41.2%, 38.6% and 8.3% respectively when 5 g/L glucose was added to the initial fermentation media and a mixture of glycerol and glucose was fed during 4~40 h.
The Effect of Nigella Sativa on Renal Oxidative Injury in Diabetic Rats

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the evolution of diabetes complications. The current study looked into the potential effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Nigella sativa on the oxidative injury of the rat kidneys in diabetic animals. The animals were placed into five study groups in a random manner as follows: (1) control, (2) diabetic, (3 and 4) treatment with two doses of N. sativa extract (200 and 400 mg/kg), and (5) treatment with metformin (300 mg/kg). The time course of administration was six weeks. The malondialdehyde (MD A) and total thiol groups, as well as the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, were also assessed in the renal tissue and lipid profile in serum. In the diabetic groups, the level of MDA significantly increased (P < 0.01) and antioxidant levels decreased compared to the control (P < 0.05). In treated rats with N. sativa, the antioxidant status of renal tissue was improved (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001). The lipid profile also improved in the rats treated with the extract (P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that long-term administration of N. sativa in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin can improve the status of the oxidative stress in kidney tissue.
Genetic relationship between Coptotermes heimi and Coptotermes gestroi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Coptotermes heimi (Wasmann) is a destructive subterranean termite species commonly found on the Indian subcontinent. Using partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes rRNA small subunit 12S, rRNA large subunit 16S and cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (COII), together with morphometric measurements, we determined the relationship between C. heimi and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann). Gene sequences obtained from 13 populations of C. heimi from Pakistan and one population of C. gestroi from Malaysia, along with other sequences of C. heimi, C. gestroi, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and other Coptotermes spp. from GenBank, were used in the analysis. Seventeen morphometric measurements of C. gestroi and C. heimi revealed numerous overlaps. The morphological analysis using Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) failed to differentiate C. heimi from C. gestroi. Individuals from both species were clustered together in the scatter plots. Phylogenetic analysis of 12S, 16S, and COII gene sequences suggested that both species are likely conspecific. Based on the molecular phylogenetics and morphometric data, we propose that C. heimi is a junior synonym of C. gestroi.
From conception to COVID‐19: an arduous journey of tribulations of racism and triumphs

Summary Growing up in a densely wooded tropical forest enhanced my curiosity in plants and reading biography of Marie Curie profoundly influenced pursuit of my research career. Early in my career, I developed in vitro functional chloroplasts, capable of expressing foreign genes and this laid the foundation for the chloroplast genetic engineering field. Four decades of research has advanced chloroplast bioreactors for production of industrial enzymes or biopharmaceuticals by small or large companies. Because I experienced firsthand horrors of expensive vaccines or medicines, I devoted most of my career to develop affordable therapeutics. During this long journey, I suffered institutional racial discrimination but was rescued by several guardian angels. This biography gives readers a glimpse of tribulations and triumphs of my journey and recognizes important contributions made by my mentees.
A roadmap for precision medicine research recruitment: empirical assessment of the public's willingness to participate.

Aim: Precision medicine research recruitment poses challenges. To better understand factors impacting recruitment, this study assessed hypothetical willingness, public opinions of and familiarity with precision medicine research. Materials & methods: Adult attendees (n = 942) at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair completed an electronic survey. Results: Few respondents had heard of 'precision medicine' (18%), and familiarity came mostly from media (43%). Fifty-six percent expressed hypothetical willingness to participate in precision medicine research. Significant predictors of willingness were: comfort with unconditional research; perceiving precision medicine research as beneficial, trustworthy and confidential; having a graduate degree; comfort with self- but not family-participation; and familiarity with precision/personalized medicine. Conclusion: This study identified predictors of hypothetical willingness to participate in precision medicine research. Alternative recruitment strategies are needed.
CMG helicase disassembly is controlled by replication fork DNA, replisome components and a ubiquitin threshold

The eukaryotic replisome assembles around the CMG helicase, which stably associates with DNA replication forks throughout elongation. When replication terminates, CMG is ubiquitylated on its Mcm7 subunit and disassembled by the Cdc48/p97 ATPase. Until now, the regulation that restricts CMG ubiquitylation to termination was unknown, as was the mechanism of disassembly. By reconstituting these processes with purified budding yeast proteins, we show that ubiquitylation is tightly repressed throughout elongation by the Y-shaped DNA structure of replication forks. Termination removes the repressive DNA structure, whereupon long K48-linked ubiquitin chains are conjugated to CMG-Mcm7, dependent on multiple replisome components that bind to the ubiquitin ligase SCFDia2. This mechanism pushes CMG beyond a ‘5-ubiquitin threshold’ that is inherent to Cdc48, which specifically unfolds ubiquitylated Mcm7 and thereby disassembles CMG. These findings explain the exquisite regulation of CMG disassembly and provide a general model for the disassembly of ubiquitylated protein complexes by Cdc48.
Enhanced yeast feeding following mating facilitates control of the invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii.

Summary The highly invasive spotted wing Drosophila Drosophila suzukii is a key pest of soft fruit and berries in Europe and North America, and development of control techniques is an urgent research challenge. Drosophila suzukii is widely associated with the yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum. Yeasts are symbionts of drosophilid flies and communicate with insects through volatile metabolites for spore dispersal. Accordingly, yeasts and behaviour-modifying chemicals produced by yeasts are prospective tools for environmentally sound insect management. We first bioassayed flight attraction, feeding and oviposition of D. suzukii females in response to H. uvarum yeast and blueberries, which are a preferred host fruit. We then investigated the combined effect of yeast and insecticide on adult female oviposition behaviour and mortality towards the development of a yeast-based control method. Following mating, attraction of female flies to blueberry and yeast odour cues was strongly enhanced. Yeast feeding significantly increased in mated females, while yeast did not increase oviposition on blueberries. This observation suggests that mated flies become attracted to yeast for feeding and to fruit for egg laying. A combined feeding–oviposition assay demonstrated different roles and interference between yeast and fruit stimuli: during the day after mating, females laid fewer eggs when yeast was available. The post-mating yeast-feeding response is an opportunity for the development of an attract-and-kill technique for population control of D. suzukii. Exposing flies to a blend of yeast and insecticide reduced oviposition and greatly enhanced adult fly mortality compared with an insecticide treatment alone. Synthesis and applications. Mated females are the key life stage for Drosophila suzukii population control. Egg-laying females perforate fruit skin and fungal infestations ensue, even when eggs and larvae are killed off by insecticide sprays. Behaviour-modifying chemicals, including yeast metabolites, enable environmentally safe insect management via manipulation of olfactory-mediated reproductive behaviour. Our results highlight that yeast and yeast semiochemicals hold potential for D. suzukii management and that response modulation to olfactory stimuli following mating is a vital element for the development of D. suzukii control methods. Yeast feeding is enhanced in mated D. suzukii females, and this change in post-mating behaviour can be exploited by an attract-and-kill strategy, combining a fly-associated yeast with an insecticide. Furthermore, using the D. suzukii yeast mutualist, H. uvarum, may reduce non-target effects and increase species specificity, which further contributes to the development of an efficient and safe control method.
Bromodomain 4 is a potent prognostic marker associated with immune cell infiltration in breast cancer

Bromodomain 4 (BRD4), a member of the bromodomain and extra‐terminal domain protein family, has become a promising epigenetic target in cancer and inflammatory diseases; however, the detailed biological role of BRD4 in breast cancer (BRCA) remains undetermined. We analysed the BRD4 expression levels using the Oncomine and TIMER databases and evaluated the clinical impact of BRD4 on BRCA prognosis using Kaplan‐Meier plot and PrognoScan. The correlation between BRD4 and tumour‐infiltrating immune cells was investigated using TIMER. Furthermore, the correlation between BRD4 expression levels was also analysed using TIMER in addition to the GEPIA database for immune cell gene markers. BRD4 expression was significantly higher in BRCA tissues than in normal tissues, which was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (OS). Specifically, high BRD4 expression was correlated with worse OS and progression‐free survival in patients with BRCA. In addition, BRD4 expression was correlated with levels of infiltrating monocytes (CSF1R, cor = 0.204, P = 9.19e−12), tumour‐associated macrophages (CD68, cor = 0.129, P = 1.81e−05), M1/M2 macrophages and different effector T cells (including Th1/Th2/Treg) in BRCA. These findings suggest that BRD4 could be used as a prognostic biomarker for determining prognosis and immune cell infiltration levels in BRCA.
The Effect of Male Sexual Abstinence Periods on the Clinical Outcomes of Fresh Embryo Transfer Cycles Following Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Meta-Analysis

A sexual abstinence period (SAP) lasting for 2–7 days is recommended before undertaking semen analyses. However, there is no consensus regarding the length of the SAP for couples using assisted reproductive technology (ART). Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to compare the effect of short SAPs (less than 4 days) and long SAPs (4–7 days) on the clinical outcomes of fresh embryo transfer cycles after ART. A total of four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Although the fertilization rate in short SAP couples was higher than that in long SAP couples, a pooled analysis demonstrated that it was not statistically significant (p = .09). The implantation rate was, however, significantly higher in short SAP couples (p = .0001). The pooled analysis revealed that the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in short SAP couples than that in long SAP couples. The overall odds ratio (OR) for the pregnancy rate was 1.44 (p = .0006). No significant difference in miscarriage rates between the short and long SAP couples was found (p = .88). The meta-analysis indicates that a shorter abstinence period could result in higher implantation and pregnancy rates for patients undertaking ART treatments.
Large-scale simulation of ground motion amplification considering 3D topography and subsurface soils

Amplification of seismic waves due to surface topography and subsurface soils has often been observed to cause intensive damage in past earthquakes. However, due to its complexity, topographic amplification has not yet been considered in most seismic design codes. In this study, we simulate ground-motion amplification based on 3D Spectral Element Method, using Hong Kong island as a local testbed site. The analyses revealed that topography amplification of ground motions is frequency dependent. By assuming the site is made of homogenous rock, the amplification factor can be parameterized using a scale-dependent topographic feature -the smoothed curvature. Amplification of high frequency wave is correlated with curvature smoothed over a small length scale. On the other hand, amplification of long-period waves is correlated with large-scale topography features. The maximum topography amplification generally ranges from 1.6 to 2.0 in the protruded areas. Moreover, the influence of subsurface soils on the ground-motion amplification is studied. It is found that the ground-motion amplification pattern is significantly influenced by the thickness of the soil layer. Compared with the homogeneous rock case, the amplification pattern becomes closely correlated to smaller-scale topographic features as well as slope angles. Finally, a unified prediction model is proposed to account for different soil depths and input wave frequencies. Out study shows that the prediction model can give accurate results with a standard deviation of residuals less than 0.15.
Supplementation of a low-protein diet with tryptophan, threonine, and valine and its impact on growth performance, blood biochemical constituents, immune parameters, and carcass traits in broiler chickens

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of protein reduction with supplementation of limiting amino acids (AA, tryptophan, threonine, and valine) on growth performance, blood biochemical, immunity parameters, and carcass traits in broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: Three hundred one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted into three treatment groups, with five replicates per treatment and 20 broiler chickens per replicate. The three experimental diets were formulated with different dietary crude protein (CP) %, (control [CON] and CON with 1% [CP-1%] or 2% [CP-2%] less CP units) during the starter, grower, and finisher phases. The CP of the experimental diets were 22, 21, and 20% for the starting period (day 1-14); 20, 19, and 18% CP for the growing period (day 15-28); and 18, 17, and 16% CP for the finishing period (day 29-35) in CON, CP-1%, and CP-2%, respectively. The low-CP diets (CP-1% and CP-2%) were supplemented with combined AA, threonine+tryptophan+valine, to meet the respective levels of the CON diet. Results: The CP-2% group had greater (p<0.05; linear, p<0.05) final body weight and gain and better feed conversion ratio. The combined AA inclusion in the low-CP diet (CP-1% and CP-2%) increased (p<0.001; linear, p<0.001) carcass and breast meat yield as well as CP% of breast meat. The reduction of CP% with AA supplementation (CP-2%) decreased (p<0.05; linear, p<0.05) serum triglycerides, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase, while increased (p<0.01; linear, p<0.01) phagocytic activity and phagocytic index. The mRNA expression of splenic and cecal tonsil interleukin 4 and interferon gamma was upregulated (p<0.001; linear, p<0.001) in the low-CP diets supplemented with AA (CP-1% and CP-2%). Dietary supplementation with AA to low-protein diets improved (p<0.01; linear, p<0.01) the economic returns of broiler chickens. Conclusion: A reduction of dietary CP and increased synthetic AA such as threonine, valine, and tryptophan should be considered to improve performance, health, and immunity in broiler chickens.