Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Species Separation within, and Preliminary Phylogeny for, the Leafhopper Genus Anoscopus with Particular Reference to the Putative British Endemic Anoscopus duffieldi (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

Simple Summary Anoscopus leafhoppers are a group of plant-feeding bugs that can be found in a range of grassland habitats. There are seven recognized species in the UK, some of which are difficult to tell apart. One species, Anoscopus duffieldi, has only been found at a single site, an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve at Dungeness in Kent. As Anoscopus leafhoppers can be quite variable in colour and pattern, and in the structure of their genitalia, our aim was to establish, using DNA, whether this ‘species’ is unique or whether it is simply a variant of one of the other species. If it is unique, found nowhere else, it should be afforded special protection. Samples of all UK species, as well as another from the Czech Republic, were collected from the field, and two genes were examined. The DNA sequences showed that three species, A. duffieldi, Anoscopus albifrons and Anoscopus limicola were so closely related that they should probably be considered a single species. However, A. duffieldi are distinctive in that they live only in one area of vegetated shingle. We suggest that, until other evidence is forthcoming, A. duffieldi could be considered a locally adapted subspecies of scientific interest. Abstract The subfamily Aphrodinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) contains ~33 species in Europe within four genera. Species in two genera in particular, Aphrodes and Anoscopus, have proved to be difficult to distinguish morphologically. Our aim was to determine the status of the putative species Anoscopus duffieldi, found only on the RSPB Nature Reserve at Dungeness, Kent, a possible rare UK endemic. DNA from samples of all seven UK Anoscopus species (plus Anoscopus alpinus from the Czech Republic) were sequenced using parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and 16S rRNA genes. Bayesian inference phylogenies were created. Specimens of each species clustered into monophyletic groups, except for Anoscopus albifrons, A. duffieldi and Anoscopus limicola. Two A. albifrons specimens grouped with A. duffieldi repeatedly with strong support, and the remaining A. albifrons clustered within A. limicola. Genetic distances suggest that A. albifrons and A. limicola are a single interbreeding population (0% divergence), while A. albifrons and A. duffieldi diverged by only 0.28%. Shared haplotypes between A. albifrons, A. limicola and A. duffieldi strongly suggest interbreeding, although misidentification may also explain these topologies. However, all A. duffieldi clustered together in the trees. A conservative approach might be to treat A. duffieldi, until other evidence is forthcoming, as a possible endemic subspecies.
Morphology and Molecular Identification of Echinostoma revolutum and Echinostoma macrorchis in Freshwater Snails and Experimental Hamsters in Upper Northern Thailand

Echinostome metacercariae were investigated in freshwater snails from 26 districts in 7 provinces of upper northern Thailand. The species identification was carried out based on the morphologies of the metacercariae and adult flukes harvested from experimental hamsters, and on nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) genes. Twenty-four out of 26 districts were found to be infected with echinostome metacercariae in freshwater snails with the prevalence of 40.4%. The metacercariae were found in all 6 species of snails, including Filopaludina martensi martensi (21.9%), Filopaludina doliaris (50.8%), F. sumatrensis polygramma (61.3%), Bithynia siamensis siamensis (14.5%), Bithynia pulchella (38.0%), and Anenthome helena (4.9%). The echinostome metacercariae found in these snails were identified as Echinostoma revolutum (37-collar-spined) and Echinostoma macrorchis (45-collar-spined) morphologically and molecularly. The 2-week-old adult flukes of E. revolutum revealed unique features of the cirrus sac extending to middle of the ventral sucker and smooth testes. E. macrorchis adults revealed the cirrus sac close to the right lateral margin of the ventral sucker and 2 large and elliptical testes with slight indentations and pointed posterior end of the posterior testis. The ITS2 and nad1 sequences confirmed the species identification of E. revolutum, and the sequences of E. macrorchis have been deposited for the first time in GenBank. The presence of the life cycle of E. macrorchis is a new record in Thailand and the snail F. doliaris as their second intermediate host seems to be new among the literature.
Dimensionamento amostral para estimação de coeficientes de correlação em híbridos de milho, safras e níveis de precisão

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o tamanho de amostra necessario para a estimacao de coeficientes de correlacao linear de Pearson para hibridos simples, triplo e duplo de milho em safras e niveis de precisao. Em 361, 373 e 416 plantas, respectivamente, dos hibridos simples, triplo e duplo da safra 2008/2009 e em 1.777, 1.693 e 1.720 plantas, respectivamente, dos hibridos simples, triplo e duplo da safra 2009/2010 foram mensurados 12 caracteres: altura de planta; altura de insercao e peso de espiga; numero de fileiras de graos por espiga; comprimento e diâmetro de espiga; peso e diâmetro de sabugo; massa de 100 graos; numero de graos por espiga; comprimento de graos; e produtividade de graos. Em cada hibrido e safra foram estimados os coeficientes de correlacao para os 66 pares de caracteres e determinou-se o tamanho de amostra para estimacao de coeficientes de correlacao em quatro niveis de precisao [amplitudes do intervalo de confianca de 95% (AIC95%) de 0,15, 0,25, 0,35 e 0,45] por meio de reamostragem com reposicao. O tamanho de amostra varia entre hibridos, safras e pares de caracteres. Maior tamanho de amostra e necessario para a estimacao do coeficiente de correlacao entre caracteres fracamente correlacionados e menor tamanho de amostra e necessario para a estimacao do coeficiente de correlacao entre caracteres altamente correlacionados. Independentemente do hibrido, da safra e do par de caracteres, 375, 195 e 120 plantas sao suficientes, respectivamente, para a estimacao de coeficientes de correlacao com AIC95% maximas de 0,25, 0,35 e 0,45.
Pathogenicity and immune response against porcine circovirus type 3 infection in caesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs.

Recently, a novel PCV species (PCV3) has been detected in cases associated with sow mortality, lesions consistent with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, reproductive failure and multisystemic inflammation. The pathogenesis and clinical significance of PCV3 is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the immunopathogenesis of PCV3 in CD/CD pigs. Four treatment groups, PCV3 (n=6), PCV3-KLH (n=6), control (n=3) and control-KLH (n=3), were included with PCV3-positive tissue homogenate (gc=3.38×1012 ml-1 and gc=1.04×1011 ml-1), confirmed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and next-generation sequencing. Clinical signs, viremia, viral shedding, systemic cytokines, humoral (IgG) and T-cellular response were evaluated for 42 days. At necropsy, tissues were collected for histological evaluation and PCV3 detection by qPCR and in situ hybridization. No significant clinical signs were observed through the study. Viremia was detected in both PCV3-inoculated groups from 3 days post-inoculation (p.i.) until the end of the study. Nasal shedding was detected from 3 to 28 days p.i. and faecal shedding was transient. PCV3 induced an early (7 days p.i.) and sustained (42 days p.i.) IgG response. No significant T-cell response was observed. Histological evaluation demonstrated lesions consistent with multisystemic inflammation and perivasculitis. All tissues evaluated were positive by qPCR and virus replication was confirmed by positive in situ hybridization. This study demonstrated the potential role of PCV3 in subclinical infection, producing a mild, multisystemic inflammatory response, prolonged viremia detectable for 42 days p.i. , presence of IgG humoral response and viral shedding in nasal secretions. More research is required to understand and elucidate potential co-factors necessary in the manifestation and severity of clinical disease.
Widespread Repression of Gene Expression in Cancer by a Wnt/β-Catenin/MAPK Pathway

These findings show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling causes widespread gene repression via inhibition of MAPK signaling, thus fine tuning the RAS-MAPK pathway to optimize proliferation in cancer. Aberrant Wnt signaling drives a number of cancers through regulation of diverse downstream pathways. Wnt/β-catenin signaling achieves this in part by increasing the expression of proto-oncogenes such as MYC and cyclins. However, global assessment of the Wnt-regulated transcriptome in vivo in genetically distinct cancers demonstrates that Wnt signaling suppresses the expression of as many genes as it activates. In this study, we examined the set of genes that are upregulated upon inhibition of Wnt signaling in Wnt-addicted pancreatic and colorectal cancer models. Decreasing Wnt signaling led to a marked increase in gene expression by activating ERK and JNK; these changes in gene expression could be mitigated in part by concurrent inhibition of MEK. These findings demonstrate that increased Wnt signaling in cancer represses MAPK activity, preventing RAS-mediated senescence while allowing cancer cells to proliferate. These results shift the paradigm from Wnt/β-catenin primarily as an activator of transcription to a more nuanced view where Wnt/β-catenin signaling drives both widespread gene repression and activation. Significance: These findings show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling causes widespread gene repression via inhibition of MAPK signaling, thus fine tuning the RAS-MAPK pathway to optimize proliferation in cancer.
Phytotherapy Perspectives for Treating Fungal Infections, Migraine, Sebhorreic Dermatitis and Hyperpigmentations with the Plants of the Centaureinae Subtribe (Asteraceae)

Sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, phytoecdysones and phenolic compounds are characteristic of the species from the subtribe Centaureinae (Asteraceae). Many of the compounds isolated from plants of the Centaureinae subtribe have strong pharmacological properties. It may be suggested that these compounds’ chemical structure might be an indicator of these pharmacological properties. The aim of the study was to describe recent studies in the field of phytotherapy, focusing on compounds isolated from chosen plants of Centaureinae and the possibilities of using them to treat antifungal infections, inhibit serotonin and ease symptoms of seborrhea dermatitis and hyperpigmentation. The results of these biological studies have shown that in the future, extracts from the above-mentioned plant material may be used as active substances in new safe and effective drugs.
Periostin and Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin—Potential Crosstalk in Obstructive Airway Diseases

Periostin and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) are newly described markers of obstructive airway diseases and the mechanism by which both markers participate in immune response remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine periostin and TSLP concentration in serum and induced sputum (IS) in patients with atopic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and controls, as well as to evaluate the potential link between periostin, TSLP, and Th2 immune response. Serum and IS levels of periostin, TSLP, IL-4, and IL-13 were determined in 12 atopic asthmatics, 16 COPD sufferers, and 10 controls. We noticed a significantly higher IS periostin and TSLP concentration at protein and mRNA level in asthmatics compared to the two other groups; additionally, periostin and TSLP were correlated positively with IS eosinophil count. A strong positive correlation between IS periostin and TSLP protein levels (r = 0.96) as well as mRNA expression level (r = 0.95) was found in patients with asthma. The results of our study show that periostin and TSLP are associated with eosinophilic airway inflammation and seem to be important drivers of atopic asthma but not COPD pathobiology. Very strong correlations between local periostin, TSLP, eosinophils, and IL-4 in asthma point to the link between periostin–TSLP and Th2 response.
An Automated System for Classification of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Pneumonia Patients Using Lung Sound Analysis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia are two of the few fatal lung diseases which share common adventitious lung sounds. Diagnosing the disease from lung sound analysis to design a noninvasive technique for telemedicine is a challenging task. A novel framework is presented to perform a diagnosis of COPD and Pneumonia via application of the signal processing and machine learning approach. This model will help the pulmonologist to accurately detect disease A and B. COPD, normal and pneumonia lung sound (LS) data from the ICBHI respiratory database is used in this research. The performance analysis is evidence of the improved performance of the quadratic discriminate classifier with an accuracy of 99.70% on selected fused features after experimentation. The fusion of time domain, cepstral, and spectral features are employed. Feature selection for fusion is performed through the back-elimination method whereas empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based techniques are used to denoise and segment the pulmonic signal. Class imbalance is catered with the implementation of the adaptive synthetic (ADASYN) sampling technique.
Heterogeneity in social and epidemiological factors determines the risk of measles outbreaks

Significance The recent increase in large-scale migration trends generates several concerns about public health in destination countries, especially in the presence of massive incoming human flows from countries with a disrupted healthcare system. Here, we analyze the flow of 3.5 M Syrian refugees toward Turkey to quantify the risk of measles outbreaks. Our results suggest that heterogeneity in immunity, population distribution, and human-mobility flows is mostly responsible for such a risk: In fact, adequate policies of social integration and vaccine campaigns provide the most effective strategies to reduce measles disease risks for both migrant and hosting populations. Political and environmental factors—e.g., regional conflicts and global warming—increase large-scale migrations, posing extraordinary societal challenges to policymakers of destination countries. A common concern is that such a massive arrival of people—often from a country with a disrupted healthcare system—can increase the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks like measles. We analyze human flows of 3.5 million (M) Syrian refugees in Turkey inferred from massive mobile-phone data to verify this concern. We use multilayer modeling of interdependent social and epidemic dynamics to demonstrate that the risk of disease reemergence in Turkey, the main host country, can be dramatically reduced by 75 to 90% when the mixing of Turkish and Syrian populations is high. Our results suggest that maximizing the dispersal of refugees in the recipient population contributes to impede the spread of sustained measles epidemics, rather than favoring it. Targeted vaccination campaigns and policies enhancing social integration of refugees are the most effective strategies to reduce epidemic risks for all citizens.
Increasing Perceived Risk of Opioid Misuse: The Effects of Concrete Language and Image

ABSTRACT Risk perception is a critical determinant for individuals’ health behavior change, especially for behaviors with distal future consequences. Building on construal-level theory, this study investigates if and how thinking concretely about the negative consequences of opioid misuse influences people’s risk perception toward opioid misuse. Two message cues – images and concrete (vs. abstract) language – are proposed to influence concrete thinking and perceived temporal distance, which in turn influence risk perception directly and through negative affect. Using a factorial online experiment with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers (N = 220), this study found that messages using concrete language made people think more concretely about the negative consequences of opioid misuse. Perceived concreteness, in turn, increased risk perception and negative affect. Negative affect also increased risk perception. The use of images decreased perceived temporal distance, which in turn, changed risk perception through its influence on negative affect. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
In Vitro Destruction of Pathogenic Bacterial Biofilms by Bactericidal Metallic Nanoparticles via Laser-Induced Forward Transfer

A novel, successful method of bactericidal treatment of pathogenic bacterial biofilms in vitro by laser-induced forward transfer of metallic nanoparticles from a polyethylene terephthalate polymeric substrate was suggested. Transferred nanoparticles were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray and Raman spectroscopy. The antibacterial modality of the method was tested on Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas Aeruginosa) bacterial biofilms in vitro, revealing their complete destruction. The proposed simple, cost-effective and potentially mobile biofilm treatment method demonstrated its high and broad bactericidal efficiency.
Timing and Frequency of Daily Energy Intake in Adults with Prediabetes and Overweight or Obesity and Their Associations with Body Fat

Knowledge on how energy intake and macronutrients are distributed during the day and the role of daily eating patterns in body composition among adults with overweight/obesity and prediabetes is lacking. Therefore, we evaluated the diurnal dietary intake and studied the associations of daily eating patterns with body fat percentage. A total of 119 adults with prediabetes were included (mean (SD) HbA1c 41 (2.3) mmol/mol, BMI 31.5 (5.0) kg/m2, age 57.8 (9.3) years, 44% men). Information on dietary intake was obtained from self-reported food records for three consecutive days. All foods and beverages (except water) were registered with information on time of ingestion. Body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A total of 60.5% of the participants reported a daily eating window of 12 or more hours/day, and almost half of the daily total energy intake was reported in the evening. In analyses adjusted for age, gender, and total daily energy intake, having the first daily energy intake one hour later was associated with slightly higher body fat percentage (0.64% per hour, 95% CI: 0.28; 1.01; p < 0.001), whereas higher meal frequency was associated with slightly lower body fat percentage (0.49% per extra daily meal, 95% CI: −0.81; −0.18; p = 0.002). Prospective studies are warranted to address the clinical implications of daily eating patterns on body fat and cardiometabolic health.
Time-of-Day-Dependent Gating of the Liver-Spinal Axis Initiates an Anti-Inflammatory Reflex in the Rat

Visual Abstract The autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulates the immune response through the engagement of an anti-inflammatory reflex. There is controversy regarding which efferent branch of the ANS, sympathetic or parasympathetic, downregulates the intensity of the inflammatory response. Furthermore, how information about the immune status of the body reaches the CNS to engage this reflex remains unclear. The present study demonstrates the existence of a liver-spinal axis that conveys early circulating inflammatory information to the CNS in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and serves as the afferent arm of a sympathetic anti-inflammatory reflex. Furthermore, brainstem and spinal cord visceral sensory neurons show a time-of-day-dependent sensitivity to the incoming inflammatory information, in particular, prostaglandins (PG). Consequentially, the liver-spinal axis promotes the retention of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in the liver and spleen during the resting period, resulting in low plasmatic TNFα levels. Consistently, low sensitivity for LPS during the active period promotes the release of TNFα from the organs into the circulation, resulting in high plasmatic TNFα levels. The present novel findings illustrate how the time-of-day-dependent activation of the liver-spinal axis contributes to the daily fluctuations of the inflammatory response.
Spatial Information Encoding across Multiple Neocortical Regions Depends on an Intact Hippocampus

There has been considerable research showing populations of neurons encoding for different aspects of space in the brain. Recently, several studies using two-photon calcium imaging and virtual navigation have identified “spatially” modulated neurons in the posterior cortex. We enquire here whether the presence of such spatial representations may be a cortex-wide phenomenon and, if so, whether these representations can be organized in the absence of the hippocampus. To this end, we imaged the dorsal cortex of mice running on a treadmill populated with tactile cues. A high percentage (40–80%) of the detected neurons exhibited sparse, spatially localized activity, with activity fields uniformly localized over the track. The development of this location specificity was impaired by hippocampal damage. Thus, there is a substantial population of neurons distributed widely over the cortex that collectively form a continuous representation of the explored environment, and hippocampal outflow is necessary to organize this phenomenon. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Increasing evidence points to the role of the neocortex in encoding spatial information. Whether this feature is linked to hippocampal functions is largely unknown. Here, we systematically surveyed multiple regions in the dorsal cortex of the same animal for the presence of signals encoding for spatial position. We described populations of cortical neurons expressing sequential patterns of activity localized in space in primary, secondary, and associational areas. Furthermore, we showed that the formation of these spatial representations was impacted by hippocampal lesion. Our results indicate that hippocampal inputs are necessary to maintain a precise cortical representation of space.
Evolution of Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) Genes Reflecting the Evolutionary and Life Histories of Fig Wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)

Fig wasps are a peculiar group of insects which, for millions of years, have inhabited the enclosed syconia of fig trees. Considering the relatively closed and dark environment of fig syconia, we hypothesize that the fig wasps’ oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway, which is the main oxygen consumption and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production system, may have adaptively evolved. In this study, we manually annotated the OXPHOS genes of 11 species of fig wasps, and compared the evolutionary patterns of OXPHOS genes for six pollinators and five non-pollinators. Thirteen mitochondrial protein-coding genes and 30 nuclear-coding single-copy orthologous genes were used to analyze the amino acid substitution rate and natural selection. The results showed high amino acid substitution rates of both mitochondrial and nuclear OXPHOS genes in fig wasps, implying the co-evolution of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Our results further revealed that the OXPHOS-related genes evolved significantly faster in pollinators than in non-pollinators, and five genes had significant positive selection signals in the pollinator lineage, indicating that OXPHOS genes play an important role in the adaptation of pollinators. This study can help us understand the relationship between gene evolution and environmental adaptation.