Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combination of Dichloroacetate and Atorvastatin Regulates Excessive Proliferation and Oxidative Stress in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Development via p38 Signaling

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a lethal disease generally characterized by pulmonary artery remodeling. Mitochondrial metabolic disorders have been implicated as a critical regulator of excessively proliferative- and apoptosis-resistant phenotypes in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Dichloroacetate (DCA) is an emerging drug that targets aerobic glycolysis in tumor cells. Atorvastatin (ATO) is widely used for hyperlipemia in various cardiovascular diseases. Considering that DCA and ATO regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, respectively, we hypothesized that the combination of DCA and ATO could be a potential treatment for PAH. A notable decrease in the right ventricular systolic pressure accompanied by reduced right heart hypertrophy was observed in the DCA/ATO combination treatment group compared with the monocrotaline treatment group. The DCA/ATO combination treatment alleviated vascular remodeling, thereby suppressing excessive PASMC proliferation and macrophage infiltration. In vitro, both DCA and ATO alone reduced PASMC viability by upregulating oxidative stress and lowering mitochondrial membrane potential. Surprisingly, when combined, DCA/ATO was able to decrease the levels of reactive oxygen species and cell apoptosis without compromising PASMC proliferation. Furthermore, suppression of the p38 pathway through the specific inhibitor SB203580 attenuated cell death and oxidative stress at a level consistent with that of DCA/ATO combination treatment. These observations suggested a complementary effect of DCA and ATO on rescuing PASMCs from a PAH phenotype through p38 activation via the regulation of mitochondrial-related cell death and oxidative stress. DCA in combination with ATO may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for PAH treatment.
Response of the recalcitrant seeds of Avicennia marina to hydrated storage: events occurring at the root primordia

Abstract This study was undertaken to test the hypotheses that germinative metabolism of recalcitrant seeds in storage induces a requirement for additional water, which may result in the development of mild water stress, and that a reduction of the rate of this germinative metabolism will increase the storage lifespan of recalcitrant seeds. Studies were undertaken on seeds of Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. and concentrated on root primordia as these constitute the tissue that undergoes most change during storage. Encapsulating seeds from which the pericarp had been removed (naked seeds) in an alginate gel increased storage lifespan fourfold compared with naked seeds. Measures of metabolic rate such as time to first germination in storage and rate of protein synthesis did not indicate differences between alginate-coated and naked seeds, although ultrastructural observations indicated that both germinative and deteriorative processes were occurring more slowly in the alginate-coated seeds. Measures of water content and water and turgor potentials did not reveal signs of a mild water stress in either treatment. However, the number of seeds visibly contaminated with fungi and the rapidity with which this contamination became apparent were much reduced in alginate-coated seeds. It is suggested that fungal contamination constitutes a major cause of deterioration in stored, hydrated seeds of A. marina (and possibly other recalcitrant seed species) and the main effect of the alginate coating was to reduce the incidence of fungal contamination.
No trade-off between trichome production and tolerance to leaf and inflorescence damage in a natural population of Arabidopsis lyrata

Aims Early models of plant defense conceived resistance and tolerance to herbivore damage as mutually exclusive strategies. Support for this idea has been equivocal and studies on these two strategies are still needed to understand the evolution of defenses in natural populations. In Arabidopsis lyrata, the production of trichomes, a documented resistance trait, has been associated with a fitness cost in the absence of herbivores. We examined whether trichome production is also associated with reduced tolerance to simulated herbivore damage. Methods We conducted a field experiment in a natural Swedish population of A. lyrata where we inflicted leaf (0 vs. 50% of the area of each leaf removed) and inflorescence damage (0 vs. 50% of inflorescences removed) to trichome-producing and glabrous plants in a factorial design. We examined the response (survival, growth and reproduction) of the plants to the imposed damage over 2 years. Important Findings Trichome-producing plants were not less tolerant than glabrous plants to simulated herbivore damage (no significant morph × leaf damage or morph × inflorescence damage interactions). Inflorescence and leaf damage had independent negative effects on the performance of damaged plants. Leaf damage reduced rosette size the year of damage, but effects on reproductive output in the year of damage, and on survival and reproductive performance the following year were weak and not statistically significant. Inflorescence damage significantly reduced the number of flowers, fruits and seeds the year of damage, but not in the following year. Irrespective of morph, the study population was more tolerant to leaf than to inflorescence damage. The results indicated no trade-off between trichome production and tolerance, suggesting that these two defense mechanisms have the potential to evolve independently in this A. lyrata population.
Willingness to work in assisted living facilities: The Ghanaian nurses perspectives

Objective This study explored nurses willing to work in assisted living institutions for the aged. Background Assisted living institutions are multifunctional facilities that provide clinical and ambulatory (day hospital) care for somatic and psychogeriatric elderly with multiple pathology, disability, and handicaps. Methods The study used a mixed-methods approach in which qualitative data was collected first before the quantitative data. Data was collected through focused group discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires from 248 respondents with age ranging from 20 to 58 years from October 2016 to January 2017 with 8 missing from the quantitative data. Four pertinent questions were sked both in the study. Sampling was convenient and purposive from 4 different health institutions in the metropolis. Data from the FGDs were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Quantitative data was entered in SPSS version 23 and cleaned. Both sets of data were coded and analysed. Result The nurses appreciate the increase in the number of the aged in their communities; they think community members prepare towards their ageing by using their children as security, and the idea of assisted living was enthusiastically supported, but with the proviso that it would need to be run by a private entrepreneur. Almost all the 240 respondents said that the government should establish an institution for the aged and they would be willing to work in such an institution, if only it will run by a private entrepreneur. Conclusion The nurses also think that families are now becoming more nuclear; that is why caring for the aged has become a problem, thus creating a need for assisted living facilities. Keyword: aged, assisted living/care, care, nurse, willingness to work
Extracellular traps formation and visualization methods

A unique cell death called ETosis has been recently described. Neutrophils, mast cells and eosinophils creates a unique web-like structure outside the cell. These webs, initially named extracellular traps (ETs), ensnare and kill microorganisms. This paper present a brief review of extracellular traps formation and their visualization.
A translational multiplex serology approach to profile the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in home-sampled blood

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a tremendous challenge for the global community. We established a translational approach combining home blood sampling by finger-pricking with multiplexed serology to assess the exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a general population. The developed procedure determines the immune response in multiplexed assays against several spike (S, here denoted SPK), receptor binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid (NCP) proteins in eluates from dried capillary blood. The seroprevalence was then determined in two study sets by mailing 1000 blood sampling kits to random households in urban Stockholm during early and late April 2020, respectively. After receiving 55% (1097/2000) of the cards back within three weeks, 80% (878/1097) were suitable for the analyses of IgG and IgM titers. The data revealed diverse pattern of immune response, thus seroprevalence was dependent on the antigen, immunoglobulin class, stringency to include different antigens, as well as the required analytical performance. Applying unsupervised dimensionality reduction to the combined IgG and IgM data, 4.4% (19/435; 95% CI: 2.4%-6.3%) and 6.3% (28/443; 95% CI: 4.1%-8.6%) of the samples clustered with convalescent controls. Using overlapping scores from at least two SPK antigens, prevalence rates reached 10.1% (44/435; 95% CI: 7.3%-12.9%) in study set 1 and 10.8% (48/443; 95% CI: 7.9%-13.7%). Measuring the immune response against several SARS-CoV-2 proteins in a multiplexed workflow can provide valuable insights about the serological diversity and improve the certainty of the classification. Combining such assays with home-sampling of blood presents a viable strategy for individual-level diagnostics and towards an unbiased assessment of the seroprevalence in a population and may serve to improve our understanding about the diversity of COVID-19 etiology.
Beyond Traditional Hardiness Zones: Using Climate Envelopes to Map Plant Range Limits

ABSTRACT Traditional plant hardiness zone maps identify areas that are relatively homogeneous with respect to climatic conditions that affect plant survival. Plants are typically categorized according to the most northerly, and sometimes the most southerly, zone in which they can successfully grow. This approach suffers from a number of limitations, including the coarse spatial nature of the zones and the relatively unsystematic assignment of plants to zones. Here we propose using climate envelopes to map the potential ranges of plant species in North America in wild and cultivated settings. We have initiated a major data-gathering effort that currently includes over 1.8 million georeferenced observations for more than 4100 plant species. We demonstrate the approach using sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and show the ease with which predicted climate-change impacts can be incorporated into the models.
Resting heart rate as a biomarker for tracking change in cardiorespiratory fitness of UK adults: The Fenland Study

Aims Resting heart rate (RHR) is inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) but few studies have investigated the nature of this relationship in large population samples. We examined the association between RHR and CRF in UK adults and explored factors that may influence this relationship. Methods and Results In a population-based sample of 5,143 men and 5,722 women (aged 29-65 years), mean (SD) RHR while seated, supine, and during sleep was 67.6 (9.8), 63.5 (8.9), and 56.9 (6.9) bpm, respectively. The age- and sex-adjusted association with CRF as assessed by submaximal treadmill testing was -0.26 (95%CI -0.27; -0.24), -0.31 (95%CI -0.33; -0.29), and -0.31 (95%CI -0.34; -0.29) ml O2*kg-1*beat-1. Sequential adjustment for objectively measured obesity and physical activity attenuated the RHR coefficient by 10% and 50%, respectively. In longitudinal analyses of 6,589 participants re-examined after 6 years, each 1 bpm increase in supine RHR was associated with 0.23 (95%CI 0.20; 0.25) ml O2*min-1*kg-1 decrease in CRF. Conclusions Across all measures, RHR is inversely associated with CRF; half of this association is explained by obesity and physical activity, suggesting CRF changes achieved through altered behaviour could be tracked through changes in RHR, a notion supported by longitudinal results. As well as its utility as a biomarker of CRF at population-level, serial measurements of RHR may facilitate personal goal setting/evaluation and remote patient monitoring.
Revision of the genus Pseudabris Fairmaire (Coleoptera, Meloidae), an endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, with biogeographical comments

The mylabrine genus Pseudabris is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and includes seven species with overlapping or disjunct ranges. The genus is revised: three new species, P. brevipilosasp.n. ,P. latimaculatasp.n. ,P. regularissp.n. , are described and illustrated, and a key to the species is provided. Molecular evidence supports the placement of Pseudabris within the tribe Mylabrini. Results of a morphology‐based cladistic analysis support the existence of two lineages, one centred mainly on the south central plateau, and the second in the eastern area. Faunistics and bionomics of the genus are summarized, focusing on phenology, elevation, habitat preference and host plants. The endemism of the Tibetan Plateau is discussed, with a special focus on the genus Pseudabris.
Exploring Automated Q&A Support System for Maternal and Child Health in Rural India

Providing effective and efficient maternal and child healthcare is a challenge across the world. The challenge is even higher in developing countries, like India, where the doctor-to-patient ratio does not meet WHO prescribed numbers. Inadequate access to medical experts means that even simple queries about healthcare are not answered. In this work, we present our initial findings of using state-of-the-art Q&A systems, like IBM Watson, Rasa, and custom retrieval-based model, for answering simple queries related to maternal and child health. The query database, formed of short questions, is obtained from a real-world experiment where a medical expert answered the questions. The initial results are encouraging and indicate that further research in this area can help to answer a large number of queries thus reducing the work-load on a human medical expert.
RoadCare: A Deep-learning Based Approach to Quantifying Road Surface Quality

Roads form a critical part of any region's infrastructure. Their constant monitoring and maintenance is thus essential. Traditional monitoring mechanisms are heavy-weight, and hence have insufficient coverage. In this paper, we explore the use of crowd-sourced intelligent measurements from commuters' smart-phone sensors. Specifically, we propose a deep-learning based approach to road surface quality monitoring, using accelerometer and GPS sensor readings. Through extensive data collection of over 36 hours on different kinds of roads, and subsequent evaluation based on this, we show that the approach can achieve high accuracy (98.5%) in a three-way classification of road surface quality. We also show how the classification can be extended to a finer grained 11-point scale of road quality. The model is also efficient: it can be implemented on today's smart-phones, thus making it practical. Our approach, called RoadCare, enables several useful smart-city applications such as spatio-temporal monitoring of the city's roads, early warning of bad road conditions, as well as choosing the "smoothest" road route to a destination.
Distribution of C20 Polyenoic Fatty Acids in Red Macrophytic Algae

The fatty acid composition of 28 species of red algae was studied. Rhodophyta typically have high levels of C2o polyunsaturated fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid was predominant in the majority of algal species examined. Eight species of the algae had approximately equal eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acid content. Arachidonic acid was the main polyenoic acid in Grateloupia divaricata only. The relationship between eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acid content of the red algae is discussed in relation to their systematic position and the influence of environmental conditions.
Distribution of Ih Channels and their Function in the Stomatogastric Ganglion

Generation of rhythmic patterns in the absence of descending commands is an essential and powerful trait of many motor networks. Cyclic rhythmic discharges of motoneurons in repeated motor activities like locomotion, mastication and respiration require underlying circuits of neurons, which are called central pattern generators (CPG). This study examined the possible roles of Ih cation channels in the pyloric network of the stomatogastric nervous system, a rhythmically active network of motoneurons that controls movements of the lobster foregut. Of specific interest were the H-current�s involvement in maintaining firing properties, the distribution of Ih channels within the stomatogastric ganglion, and a potential role for Ih in regulation of synaptic strength. I was able to confirm a homeostatic interaction of Ih with A-type potassium channels, where the over-expression of the IA shal gene after RNA injection evoked a compensatory increase of Ih in different motoneuron types. I observed an additional, non-Ih component of the hyperpolarization activated current, which was more likely to occur in shal-RNA and gfp-RNA injected neurons, compared to untreated neurons. Further, I showed that the homeostatic response of Ih increase is unidirectional; overexpression of the Ih protein PIIH did not lead to an increase of IA. In an immunocytochemical study, I found high concentrations of Ih protein localized in the fine neuropil of the stomatogastric ganglion, an area which is rich in synaptic contacts. Finally, I demonstrate a potential role for Ih in regulating synaptic transmission, for which I found evidence in electrophysiological experiments, where the amplitude of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials decreased with increasing activation of Ih.
Population Dynamics and Neuronal Polyploidy in the Developing Neocortex

The mammalian neocortex is composed of different subtypes of neurons which are generated during embryogenesis by sequential differentiation of neural progenitors. While molecular mechanisms that control neuronal production in the developing neocortex have been extensively studied, the dynamics and absolute numbers of the different progenitor and neuronal populations are still poorly characterized. Here we describe a medium throughput approach based on flow cytometry and well known identity markers of cortical subpopulations to collect quantitative data over the course of mouse neocortex development. We collected a complete dataset in a physiological developmental context on two progenitor and two neuron populations, including relative proportions and absolute numbers. Our study reveals unexpected numbers of progenitors. In addition, we discovered that a fraction of neurons in the developing mouse neocortex are polyploid.
A Parallel Ratchet-Stroke Mechanism Leads to an Optimum Force for Molecular Motor Function

Molecular motors convert chemical potential energy into mechanical work and perform a great number of critical biological functions. Examples include the polymerization and manipulation of nucleic acids, the generation of cellular motility and contractility, the formation and maintenance of cell shape, and the transport of materials within cells. The mechanisms underlying these molecular machines are routinely divided into two categories: Brownian ratchet and power stroke. While a ratchet uses chemical energy to bias thermally activated motion, a stroke depends on a direct coupling between chemical events and motion. However, the multi-dimensional nature of protein energy landscapes allows for the possibility of multiple reaction paths connecting two states. Here, we investigate the properties of a hypothetical molecular motor able to utilize parallel ratchet and stroke translocation mechanisms. We explore motor velocity and force-dependence as a function of the energy landscape of each path and reveal the potential for such a mechanism to result in an optimum force for motor function. We explore how the presence of this optimum depends on the rates of the individual paths and show that the distribution of stepping times characterized by the randomness parameter may be used to test for parallel path mechanisms. Lastly, we caution that experimental data consisting solely of measurements of velocity as a function of ATP concentration and force cannot be used to eliminate the possibility of such a parallel path mechanism. SIGNIFICANCE Molecular motors perform various mechanical functions in cells allowing them to move, replicate and perform various housekeeping functions required for life. Biophysical studies often aim to determine the molecular mechanism by which these motors convert chemical energy to mechanical work by fitting experimental data with kinetic models that fall into one of two classes: Brownian ratchets or power strokes. However, nothing a priori requires that a motor function via a single mechanism. Here, we consider a theoretical construct where a motor has access to both class of mechanism in parallel. Combining stochastic simulations and analytical solutions we describe unique signatures of such a mechanism that could be observed experimentally. We also show that absence of these signatures does not formally eliminate the existence of such a parallel mechanism. These findings expand our theoretical understanding of the potential motor behaviors with which to interpret experimental results.
Size Matters: Digital Social Networks and Language Change

Social networks play a role in language variation and change, and the social network theory has offered a powerful tool in modeling innovation diffusion. Networks are characterized by ties of varying strength which influence how novel information is accessed. It is widely held that weak-ties promote change, whereas strong ties lead to norm-enforcing communities that resist change. However, the model is primarily suited to investigate small ego networks, and its predictive power remains to be tested in large digital networks of mobile individuals. This article revisits the social network model in sociolinguistics and investigates network size as a crucial component in the theory. We specifically concentrate on whether the distinction between weak and strong ties levels in large networks over 100 nodes. The article presents two computational methods that can handle large and messy social media data and render them usable for analyzing networks, thus expanding the empirical and methodological basis from small-scale ethnographic observations. The first method aims to uncover broad quantitative patterns in data and utilizes a cohort-based approach to network size. The second is an algorithm-based approach that uses mutual interaction parameters on Twitter. Our results gained from both methods suggest that network size plays a role, and that the distinction between weak ties and slightly stronger ties levels out once the network size grows beyond roughly 120 nodes. This finding is closely similar to the findings in other fields of the study of social networks and calls for new research avenues in computational sociolinguistics.