Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Revision of the subgenus Euryglossa Smith (Apoidea : Colletidae : Euryglossinae)

The subgenus Euryglossa Smith, sensu stricto, is revised. Thirty-six species are recognized including 15 which are described as new: E. (E.) calaina, E. (E.) homora, E. (E.) millstreamensis, E. (E.) trichoda, E. (E.) capitata, E. (E.) liopa, E. (E.) glabra, E. (E.) angelesi, E. (E.) alincia, E. (E.) noosae, E. (E.) tolgae, E. (E.) limata, E. (E.) myrrhina, E. (E.) hardyi and E. (E.) pammicta. All but one species have been described. The following are considered to be synonyms: E. bicolor Smith, E. occipitalis Cockerell and E. longicornis Cockerell of E. depressa Smith; E. aureomaculata (Rayment) of E. aureopilosa Rayment; E. tricolor Smith of E. rubricata Smith; E. murrayensis (Rayment) and E. scutellata Rayment of E. victoriae Cockerell; E. tenuicornis Cockerell of E. schomburgki Cockerell; E. nubilipennis Cockerell, E. extrema Rayment, E. proxima (Rayment) and E. punctata (Rayment) of E. nigrocaerulea Cockerell; E. nigra Smith, E. cincticornis Cockerell, E. polysticta Cockerell and E. obscura Cockerell of E. ephippiata Smith; Halictus oxleyi Cockerell, E. chrysoceras Cockerell, E. leptospermi Cockerell, E. myrtacearum Cockerell, E. variabilis Perkins, E. sanguinosa Cockerell, E. variegata (Friese), E. lateralis (Friese), E. picea (Friese), E. albosignata Cockerell, E. coventryi Rayment and E. punctata Rayment of E. adelaidae Cockerell; E. ruficauda (Rayment) of E. terminata Smith; E. ruberrima Cockerell, E. apicalis Cockerell and E. sparsa Cockerell of E. edwardsii Cockerell; E. reginae Cockerell, E. aurescens Cockerell, E. thoracica (Friese), E. turneri (Friese) and E. ventralis (Friese) of E. subsericea Cockerell. Keys, line drawings and scanning electron micrographs that enable the separation of all species are presented.
Prevalence of Self-Reported Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use by County and Rural-Urban Classification — United States, 2017

In 2017, approximately one in three U.S. adults reported having been told by a health care professional that they had high blood pressure (hypertension) (1). Although hypertension prevalence is well documented at national and state levels, less is known about rural-urban variation and county-level prevalence. To examine prevalence of self-reported hypertension and antihypertensive medication use by rural-urban classification and county, CDC analyzed data reported by 442,641 adults aged ≥18 years who participated in the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). In rural (noncore) areas, 40.0% (unadjusted prevalence) of adults reported having hypertension, whereas in the most urban (large central metro) areas, 29.4% reported having hypertension. Age-standardized hypertension prevalence was significantly higher in the most rural areas, compared with the most urban areas within nearly all categories of age, sex, and other demographic characteristics. Model-based hypertension prevalence across counties ranged from 18.0% to 55.0% and was highest in Southeastern* and Appalachian† counties. Model-based county-level prevalence of antihypertensive medication use among adults with hypertension ranged from 54.3% to 84.7%. Medication use also was higher in rural areas compared with use in most urban areas, with prevalence highest in Southeastern and Appalachian counties as well as counties in the Dakotas and Nebraska. CDC is working with states to enhance hypertension awareness and management through a strategy of team-based care that involves physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and community health workers. The increased use of telemedicine to support this strategy might improve access to care among underserved populations.
Landscape genetic analyses reveal host association of mitochondrial haplotypes in the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis

Crop expansion often leads to high pest pressure. These pests may have fitness trade‐offs related to host use, and some host‐associated genotypes may benefit and increase in frequency. However, evidence concerning the effect of host availability on spatial distribution and frequency of mitochondrial haplotypes is scarce. We studied genetic variation of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), across a large area during 2 years (2016 and 2017). Mitochondrial sequence data were obtained from 530 individuals collected from 79 locations in Shandong Province, China. In total, 155 haplotypes were found based on the combined cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and COII genes. Three haplotypes (H2, H12, and H23) were dominant, whereas most of the other haplotypes occurred in low frequency. A haplotype network showed that the 155 haplotypes can be grouped into three clusters. Haplotype clusters seemed to be randomly distributed. The frequency of H12 (in Cluster 1) was positively correlated with maize crop proportion, but negatively correlated with other crops (primarily vegetables, oilseed crops, and cotton) at all spatial scales (1‐, 3‐, and 5‐km radius). Cluster 2 had haplotype H23, and this cluster was negatively correlated with semi‐natural habitats. Cluster 3 had no dominant haplotype and was not affected by landscape factors. We conclude that H12 may be a maize‐associated haplotype. Further study is needed to verify the possibility that the carriers of this haplotype may possess some fitness trade‐offs. Our study highlights the importance of host availability in O. furnacalis haplotype distribution and frequency.
Advancing Indigenous Mental Health Research

The articles in this issue of Transcultural Psychiatry point the way toward meaningful advances in mental health research pertaining to Indigenous peoples, illuminating the distinctive problems and predicaments that confront these communities as well as unrecognized or neglected sources of well-being and resilience. As we observe in this introductory essay, future research will benefit from ethical awareness, conceptual clarity, and methodological refinement. Such efforts will enable additional insight into that which is common to Indigenous mental health across settler societies, and that which is specific to local histories, cultures and contexts. Research of this kind can contribute to nuanced understandings of developmental pathways, intergenerational effects, and community resilience, and inform policy and practice to better meet the needs of Indigenous individuals, communities and populations.
Functional Role of Natriuretic Peptides in Risk Assessment and Prognosis of Patients with Mitral Regurgitation

The management of mitral valve regurgitation (MR), a common valve disease, represents a challenge in clinical practice, since the indication for either surgical or percutaneous valve replacement or repair are guided by symptoms and by echocardiographic parameters which are not always feasible. In this complex scenario, the use of natriuretic peptide (NP) levels would serve as an additive diagnostic and prognostic tool. These biomarkers contribute to monitoring the progression of the valve disease, even before the development of hemodynamic consequences in a preclinical stage of myocardial damage. They may contribute to more accurate risk stratification by identifying patients who are more likely to experience death from cardiovascular causes, heart failure, and cardiac hospitalizations, thus requiring surgical management rather than a conservative approach. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on the role of NPs in the management, risk evaluation, and prognostic assessment of patients with MR both before and after surgical or percutaneous valve repair. Despite largely positive evidence, a series of controversial findings exist on this relevant topic. Recent clinical trials failed to assess the role of NPs following the interventional procedure. Future larger studies are required to enable the introduction of NP levels into the guidelines for the management of MR.
The Time of Action of Genes, and Its Bearing on some Evolutionary Problems

(1) Genes can be classified according to their time of action. Not only can they act in diploid zygotes, endosperms or gametes carrying them, but their action can be manifested in the following organisms which do not carry them: mothers of zygotes carrying them, and gametes or embryos borne by zygotes carrying them. Their time of action is therefore distributed over more than one life-cycle. (2) It is contended that change in the time of action of genes has been an important factor in evolution, and that some cases of orthogenesis, including degeneration, can be explained by it. (3) In an organism undergoing metamorphosis the adaptive efficiency of a gene depends on the limitation in time of its action.
Draft Genome Sequence of Blautia luti DSM 14534T, Isolated from Human Stool

Here, we report the draft sequence of Blautia luti strain DSM 14534T, originally isolated from human feces. This draft contains 74 contigs, comprising 3,718,760 bp with a G+C content of 42.87%. The annotated draft contains 3,338 coding sequences (CDSs) and 110 RNA genes. ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft sequence of Blautia luti strain DSM 14534T, originally isolated from human feces. This draft contains 74 contigs, comprising 3,718,760 bp with a G+C content of 42.87%. The annotated draft contains 3,338 coding sequences (CDSs) and 110 RNA genes.
Liquid biopsy-based tumor profiling for metastatic colorectal cancer patients with ultra-deep targeted sequencing

Analyzing cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a source of circulating tumor DNA is useful for diagnosing or monitoring patients with cancer. However, the concordance between cfDNA within liquid biopsy and genomic DNA (gDNA) within tumor tissue biopsy is still under debate. To evaluate the concordance in a clinical setting, we enrolled 54 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and analyzed their plasma cfDNA, gDNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and gDNA from available matched tumor tissues using ultra-deep sequencing targeting 10 genes (38-kb size) recurrently mutated in colorectal cancer. We first established a highly reliable cut-off value using reference material. The sensitivity of detecting KRAS hotspot mutations in plasma was calculated as 100%, according to digital droplet PCR. We could selectively detect clinically important somatic alterations with a variant allele frequency as low as 0.18%. We next compared somatic mutations of the 10 genes between cfDNA and genomic DNA from tumor tissues and observed an overall 93% concordance rate between the two types of samples. Additionally, the concordance rate of patients with the time interval between liquid biopsy and tumor tissue biopsy within 6 months and no prior exposure to chemotherapy was much higher than those without. The patients with KRAS mutant fragments in plasma had poor prognosis than those without the mutant fragments (33 months vs. 63 months; p<0.05). Consequently, the profiling with our method could achieve highly concordant results and may facilitate the surveillance of the tumor status with liquid biopsy in CRC patients.
Design and structural analysis of a thermostable nine-β-stranded immunoglobulin scaffold

Abstract A small and stable protein scaffold, consisting of nine β-strands and able to functionally present affinity peptide loops, was designed. Computational methods were used to predict sequences with low free energy derived from a naturally occurring single-chain camel antibody. Genes for two redesigned proteins (with respectively 88% and 76% identity with the original sequence) were synthesized and the proteins were expressed, purified, and subsequently characterized using circular dichroism (CD) and NMR experiments. The redesigned proteins appear to be monomeric and demonstrate CD and NMR spectra similar to the wild type, which is consistent with a well-packed immunoglobulin structure. These encouraging results indicate that the computational protein design method can identify amino acid sequences compatible with an immunoglobulin fold.
Development of an RNAi therapeutic for alpha-1-antitrypsin liver disease.

Autosomal co-dominant genetic disorder alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (AATD) causes pulmonary and liver disease. Individuals homozygous for the mutant Z allele accumulate polymers of Z-AAT protein in hepatocytes, where AAT is primarily produced. This accumulation causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, damage to mitochondria and inflammation, leading to fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The magnitude of AAT reduction and duration of response from first generation intravenously-administered RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic ARC-AAT and then with next generation subcutaneously-administered ARO-AAT were assessed by measuring AAT protein in serum of the PiZ transgenic mouse model and human volunteers. The impact of Z-AAT reduction by RNAi on liver disease phenotypes was evaluated in PiZ mice by measuring polymeric Z-AAT in the liver; expression of genes associated with fibrosis, autophagy, apoptosis and redox regulation; inflammation; Z-AAT globule parameters; and tumor formation. Ultrastructure of the ER, mitochondria and autophagosomes in hepatocytes were evaluated by electron microscopy. In mice, sustained RNAi treatment reduced hepatic Z-AAT polymer, restored ER and mitochondrial health, normalized expression of disease-associated genes, reduced inflammation and prevented tumor formation. RNAi therapy holds promise for the treatment of patients with AATD-associated liver disease. ARO-AAT is currently in Phase 2/3 clinical trials.
A Light and Electron Microscope Study of the Mature Central Cell and Egg Apparatus of Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae)

The central cell and egg apparatus of Solanum nigrum L. were examined to determine the location and extent of wall ingrowth (WI) development as well as the type and distribution of storage products. Wall ingrowths are not found along the embryo sac wall but do project as a single, although interrupted, band of varying thickness from the synergid/central cell and egg/central cell walls. Wall ingrowths projecting from the surface of the synergids extend from just above the hook region to the level of the nucleus. A narrower band projects from the surface of the egg cell and is located opposite the egg vacuole. Mitochondria are closely associated with the wall ingrowths in both the central cell and synergids. The ultrastructural characteristics of the central cell and egg apparatus are similar to those reported for other species. However, the chalazal end of the egg cell is covered only by its plasmalemma: no islands of wall material occur. The plasmalemma of the central cell is consistently withdrawn from the chalazal end of the egg cell, forming one or two small electron-lucent spaces filled with small amounts of fibrillar material. The mature synergids resemble secretory cells and possess abundant dilated cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum and numerous mitochondria. No degeneration of the synergid cytoplasm occurred. In longitudinal section the filiform apparatus is anchor shaped and stains intensely for carbohydrates with an outer layer staining for proteins. The major repository for storage products is the central cell where numerous starch-filled amyloplasts accumulate. Small amounts of starch and lipid are present in the egg cell, but the synergids contain only minor amounts of storage lipid in the form of osmiophilic droplets. A hypostase with extensive wall ingrowth development surrounds the antipodal cells.
Waterbird Assemblages and Habitat Characteristics in Wetlands: Influence of Temporal Variability on Species-Habitat Relationships

Abstract. Patterns of spatial and temporal variation in species richness, abundance and diversity were evaluated in eight wetlands in Central-South Chile in relation to nine wetland characteristics. Twenty-six bird species were recorded, among the most representative families were Rallidae, Ardeidae and Anatidae with five species each. Stepwise regression analyses identified wetland area and water level fluctuations as the most important variables determining bird abundance. Variations in species richness were explained by wetland area, shoreline length, vegetation cover and water-level fluctuations. Shoreline development, shoreline length and wetland area lower than one-meter depth were especially important in determining species diversity. Cluster analyses showed similar results. Shoreline length was an important feature influencing total species number, but simple regression analysis showed that the species area relationship occurs in wetlands too. This study concludes that species richness, bird abundance and diversity reach higher values in larger and structurally more heterogeneous wetlands, but with important seasonal dynamics in waterbirds. The relationships between habitat characteristics and community structure did not remain unchanged throughout the year, suggesting that the birds respond differently to one or another habitat characteristic depending on the season. These results show the need for wetland conservation in Chile, paying special attention to the largest and most heterogeneous wetlands to conserve the greatest species richness and bird abundance.
Oncogenic properties and signaling basis of the PAX8‐GLIS3 fusion gene

Hyalinizing trabecular tumors of the thyroid are rare and mostly benign epithelial neoplasms of follicular cell origin, which have recently been shown to be underpinned by the PAX8‐GLIS3 fusion gene. In our study, we sought to investigate the potential oncogenic mechanisms of the PAX8‐GLIS3 fusion gene. Forced expression of PAX8‐GLIS3 was found to increase proliferation, clonogenic potential and migration of human nonmalignant thyroid (Nthy‐ori 3‐1) and embryonic kidney (HEK‐293) cells. Moreover, in xenografts, Nthy‐ori 3‐1 PAX8‐GLIS3 expressing cells generated significantly larger and more proliferative tumors compared to controls. These oncogenic effects were found to be mediated through activation of the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway. Targeting of smoothened (SMO), a key protein in the SHH pathway, using the small molecule inhibitor Cyclopamine partially reversed the increased proliferation, colony formation and migration in PAX8‐GLIS3 expressing cells. Our data demonstrate that the oncogenic effects of the PAX8‐GLIS3 fusion gene are, at least in part, due to an increased activation of the SHH pathway.
Complete Genome Sequence of Tetracycline-Resistant Serratia liquefaciens S1, Isolated from Mixed Greens, Obtained Using Illumina MiSeq and Oxford Nanopore MinION Sequencing

Serratia liquefaciens strain S1 was isolated from mixed greens and sequenced with short-read Illumina MiSeq technology and long-read MinION technology. Hybrid sequence assembly generated a complete single circular chromosome and two extrachromosomal contigs, which together encoded 5,098 proteins, 85 tRNAs, and 22 rRNAs. ABSTRACT Serratia liquefaciens strain S1 was isolated from mixed greens and sequenced with short-read Illumina MiSeq technology and long-read MinION technology. Hybrid sequence assembly generated a complete single circular chromosome and two extrachromosomal contigs, which together encoded 5,098 proteins, 85 tRNAs, and 22 rRNAs.
Factors Preventing the Recovery of a Historically Overexploited Shellfish Species, Ostrea lurida Carpenter 1864

ABSTRACT The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida Carpenter 1864,† in estuaries along the Pacific coast of North America, experienced overexploitation throughout its range in the late 1800s, resulting in commercial extinction before 1930. Significant harvest restrictions and marine reserves were established in Washington State by 1897 to protect new recruits, and harvest pressure has been negligible for the past 80 y. Nevertheless, O. lurida remains locally rare. This study focuses on the contemporary dynamics of the remnant population of O. lurida in Willapa Bay, Washington, historically home to the largest native oyster fishery on the coast, with a broad focus on factors preventing recovery. Failed recovery could be because of reproductive limitation, or to poor postrecruitment performance. In this case, reproductive limitation seems unlikely, because historical (1947 to 1983) and modern (2002 to 2006) records reveal 5-fold higher annual spatfall for O. lurida than introduced Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas.) However, O. lurida remains rare and C. gigas is commercially exploited from natural recruitment. To evaluate the effects of abundant C. gigas in intertidal areas on O. lurida settlement patterns, strings of C. gigas shell were placed at two tidal elevations in three habitat types—open mud, eelgrass beds of Zoster a marina, and C. gigas reefs. Settlement of O. lurida was significantly higher on the shell strings placed in the C. gigas reefs at both tidal heights. To evaluate postrecruitment demography, juvenile O. lurida were outplanted at three tidal elevations at five sites, and fouling organisms were manipulated to test for competition. Short emersion times (8% greater exposure) reduced survival by 80% relative to subtidal treatments, but did not affect growth rates of survivors. Naturally-setting competitors, mostly nonindigenous, depressed survival by 50% and growth by 20%. In a third experiment, manipulating the density and stability of shell substrate, O. lurida was easily moved or buried when outplanted in a thin, unconsolidated layer. These results indicate that recovery has been hampered by the removal of dense subtidal native oyster shell accumulations during exploitation, by direct competition from exotic species, and by the appearance of novel introduced oyster shell settlement substrate in the intertidal zone. This altered web of interactions influencing O. lurida serves as a model for beginning to explore the failed recovery of overfished species in rapidly changing coastal systems.
A biallelic pathogenic variant in the OGDH gene results in a neurological disorder with features of a mitochondrial disease

2‐Oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) is a rate‐limiting enzyme in the mitochondrial TCA cycle, encoded by the OGDH gene. α‐Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) deficiency was previously reported in association with developmental delay, hypotonia, and movement disorders and metabolic decompensation, with no genetic data provided. Using whole exome sequencing, we identified two individuals carrying a homozygous missense variant c.959A>G (p.N320S) in the OGDH gene. These individuals presented with global developmental delay, elevated lactate, ataxia and seizure. Fibroblast analysis and modeling of the mutation in Drosophila were used to evaluate pathogenicity of the variant. Skin fibroblasts from subject # 2 showed a decrease in both OGDH protein and enzyme activity. Transfection of human OGDH cDNA in HEK293 cells carrying p.N320S also produced significantly lower protein levels compared to those with wild‐type cDNA. Loss of Drosophila Ogdh (dOgdh) caused early developmental lethality, rescued by expressing wild‐type dOgdh (dOgdhWT) or human OGDH (OGDHWT) cDNA. In contrast, expression to the mutant OGDH (OGDHN320S) or dOgdh carrying homologous mutations to human OGDH p.N320S variant (dOgdhN324S) failed to rescue lethality of dOgdh null mutants. Knockdown of dOgdh in the nervous system resulted in locomotion defects which were rescued by dOgdhWT expression but not by dOgdhN324S expression. Collectively, the results indicate that c.959A>G variant in OGDH leads to an amino acid change (p.N320S) causing a severe loss of OGDH protein function. Our study establishes in the first time a genetic link between an OGDH gene mutation and OGDH deficiency.