Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic Revision of Acanthiophilus (Diptera: Tephritidae), with a Description of Three New Species and a Discussion of Zoogeography

ABSTRACT Acanthiophilus Becker (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a fruit fly genus currently with 10 species, all of which restricted to flowerheads of plants in the family Asteraceae. Most species in the genus are limited to the Afrotropical Region, but Acanthiophilus helianthi (Rossi) is also widespread in the Palearctic Region, where it is considered to be a major pest of safflower. No information on the life history of any of the species other than A. helianthi has been available so far, and the phylogeny and geographic origin of the genus have never been investigated. In this work, we revised Acanthiophilus based on a thorough morphological and cladistic study of the 10 described and three undescribed species and provide a key and illustrations for all of them.We describe Acanthiophilus minor, n. sp. , Acanthiophilus summissus, n. sp. , and Acanthiophilus unicus, n. sp. , and reassign Acanthiophilus astrophorus Hering, Acanthiophilus coarctatus Hering, Acanthiophilus kohleri Hering, Acanthiophilus melanoxanthus Hering, and Acanthiophilus trypaneodes Hering to other genera. The immature stages of Acanthiophilus brunneus Munro are described and illustrated for the first time, and new host plants are recorded for A. brunneus, A. ciconia Munro, A. helianthi, Acanthiophilus lugubris Hering, and A. minor n. sp. Our cladistic analysis supports the taxonomic conclusions and actions, as well as the monophyly of Acanthiophilus as defined here. A dispersal-vicariance analysis suggests that the genus originated in Africa and dispersed from it to other parts of the world following climate changes and the dispersal of its host plants.
Chitosan-Based Bioactive Glass Gauze: Microstructural Properties, In Vitro Bioactivity, and Biological Tests

Passive commercial gauzes were turned into interactive wound dressings by impregnating them with a chitosan suspension. To further improve healing, and cell adhesion and proliferation, chitosan/bioactive glass wound dressings were produced with the addition of (i) 45S5, (ii) a Sr- and Mg-containing bioactive glass, and (iii) a Zn-containing bioactive glass to the chitosan suspension. SEM and FTIR analyses evidenced positive results in terms of incorporation of bioactive glass particles. Bioactivity was investigated by soaking chitosan-based bioactive glass wound dressings in simulated body fluid (SBF). Cell viability, proliferation, and morphology were investigated using NIH 3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast) cells by neutral red (NR) uptake and MTT assays. Furthermore, the wound-healing rate was evaluated by means of the scratch test, using NIH 3T3. The results showed that bioactive glass particles enhance cell adhesion and proliferation, and wound healing compared to pure chitosan. Therefore, chitosan-based bioactive glass wound dressings combine the properties of the organic matrix with the specific biological characteristics of bioactive glasses to achieve chitosan composites suitable for healing devices.
LepR-Expressing Stem Cells Are Essential for Alveolar Bone Regeneration

Stem cells play a critical role in bone regeneration. Multiple populations of skeletal stem cells have been identified in long bone, while their identity and functions in alveolar bone remain unclear. Here, we identified a quiescent leptin receptor–expressing (LepR+) cell population that contributed to intramembranous bone formation. Interestingly, these LepR+ cells became activated in response to tooth extraction and generated the majority of the newly formed bone in extraction sockets. In addition, genetic ablation of LepR+ cells attenuated extraction socket healing. The parabiosis experiments revealed that the LepR+ cells in the healing sockets were derived from resident tissue rather than peripheral blood circulation. Further studies on the mechanism suggested that these LepR+ cells were responsive to parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH/PTH1R) signaling. Collectively, we demonstrate that LepR+ cells, a postnatal skeletal stem cell population, are essential for alveolar bone regeneration of extraction sockets.
Emotion-induced attentional bias: does it modulate the spatial Simon effect?

ABSTRACT Schlaghecken, F. , Blagrove, E. , Mantantzis, K. , Maylor, E. A. , & Watson, D. G. [(2017). Look on the bright side: Positivity bias modulates interference effects in the Simon task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 146(6), 763–770] found larger spatial Simon effects for happy than sad faces. Unexpectedly, this enhancement was also observed for nonvalenced objects requiring the same response as happy faces. We examined whether the increase of the spatial Simon effect is location- or object-based. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants pressed a left/right key in response to a happy/sad face or a left-/right-pointing arrow. These stimuli appeared on the left/right side of fixation, with location being task-irrelevant. Consistent with Schlaghecken et al., the spatial Simon effect was numerically larger for happy than sad faces regardless of whether faces and arrows were presented in different blocks (Experiment 1) or intermixed within blocks (Experiment 2). However, the spatial Simon effect for arrows was not modulated by the faces’ emotional valence. Similar findings were observed with pointing hands in Experiment 3. Our results imply that attentional bias is associated with specific objects (e.g. faces) not locations.
Elevated V–ATPase Activity Following PTEN Loss Is Required for Enhanced Oncogenic Signaling in Breast Cancer

PTEN loss-of-function contributes to hyperactivation of the PI3K pathway and to drug resistance in breast cancer. Unchecked PI3K pathway signaling increases activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), which promotes tumorigenicity. Several studies have suggested that vacuolar (H+)–ATPase (V–ATPase) complex activity is regulated by PI3K signaling. In this study, we showed that loss of PTEN elevated V–ATPase activity. Enhanced V–ATPase activity was mediated by increased expression of the ATPase H+ transporting accessory protein 2 (ATP6AP2), also known as the prorenin receptor (PRR). PRR is cleaved into a secreted extracellular fragment (sPRR) and an intracellular fragment (M8.9) that remains associated with the V–ATPase complex. Reduced PTEN expression increased V–ATPase complex activity in a PRR-dependent manner. Breast cancer cell lines with reduced PTEN expression demonstrated increased PRR expression. Similarly, PRR expression became elevated upon PTEN deletion in a mouse model of breast cancer. Interestingly, concentration of sPRR was elevated in the plasma of patients with breast cancer and correlated with tumor burden in HER2-enriched cancers. Moreover, PRR was essential for proper HER2 receptor expression, localization, and signaling. PRR knockdown attenuated HER2 signaling and resulted in reduced Akt and ERK 1/2 phosphorylation, and in lower mTORC1 activity. Overall, our study demonstrates a mechanism by which PTEN loss in breast cancer can potentiate multiple signaling pathways through upregulation of the V–ATPase complex. Implications: Our study contributed to the understanding of the role of the V–ATPase complex in breast cancer cell tumorigenesis and provided a potential biomarker in breast cancer.
Conservation and Divergence in Duplicated Fiber Coexpression Networks Accompanying Domestication of the Polyploid Gossypium hirsutum L

Gossypium hirsutum L. (Upland cotton) has an evolutionary history involving inter-genomic hybridization, polyploidization, and subsequent domestication. We analyzed the developmental dynamics of the cotton fiber transcriptome accompanying domestication using gene coexpression networks for both joint and homoeologous networks. Remarkably, most genes exhibited expression for at least one homoeolog, confirming previous reports of widespread gene usage in cotton fibers. Most coexpression modules comprising the joint network are preserved in each subgenomic network and are enriched for similar biological processes, showing a general preservation of network modular structure for the two co-resident genomes in the polyploid. Interestingly, only one fifth of homoeologs co-occur in the same module when separated, despite similar modular structures between the joint and homoeologous networks. These results suggest that the genome-wide divergence between homoeologous genes is sufficient to separate their co-expression profiles at the intermodular level, despite conservation of intramodular relationships within each subgenome. Most modules exhibit D-homoeolog expression bias, although specific modules do exhibit A-homoeolog bias. Comparisons between wild and domesticated coexpression networks revealed a much tighter and denser network structure in domesticated fiber, as evidenced by its fewer modules, 13-fold increase in the number of development-related module member genes, and the poor preservation of the wild network topology. These results demonstrate the amazing complexity that underlies the domestication of cotton fiber.
Identifying Important Foraging Habitat for Colonial Waterbirds in an Urban Estuary: a Stable Isotope Approach

Abstract. Foraging habitat use by colonial waterbirds breeding in New York Harbor was examined to identify resources that were particularly important for the provisioning of young. Stable isotope values of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were measured in nestling waterbird feathers to determine the habitat type (ranging from marine to freshwater and anthropogenic) in which adults primarily foraged. Six species were investigated: Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Egrets (Ardea alba), Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus), Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus), and Herring Gulls (L. argentatus). Waterbird populations exhibited both inter- and intra-specific variation in stable isotope values (P < 0.001), indicating variation in foraging habitat use among focal species across the estuary. Therefore, depending on the species-and region-specific conservation goal, management strategies would potentially need to target very different foraging habitats for protection and remediation. For instance, habitat use by Double-crested Cormorants closely reflected available habitat near nesting colonies, while Glossy Ibises used primarily freshwater resources at one colony and marine resources at another, despite the fact that both colonies were located in marine environments. Great Egrets and Double-crested Cormorants both showed significant regional variation in isotopic niche size, and both species of gulls (considered to be generalist scavengers) were found to have isotopic niche sizes reflecting a specialist diet. Stable isotope analysis of nestling feathers provided novel information about the foraging resources that were most important to waterbirds in regions across the harbor.
How affinity of the ELT-2 GATA factor binding to cis-acting regulatory sites controls Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal gene transcription

ABSTRACT We define a quantitative relationship between the affinity with which the intestine-specific GATA factor ELT-2 binds to cis-acting regulatory motifs and the resulting transcription of asp-1, a target gene representative of genes involved in Caenorhabditis elegans intestine differentiation. By establishing an experimental system that allows unknown parameters (e.g. the influence of chromatin) to effectively cancel out, we show that levels of asp-1 transcripts increase monotonically with increasing binding affinity of ELT-2 to variant promoter TGATAA sites. The shape of the response curve reveals that the product of the unbound ELT-2 concentration in vivo [i.e. (ELT-2free) or ELT-2 ‘activity’] and the largest ELT-XXTGATAAXX association constant (Kmax) lies between five and ten. We suggest that this (unitless) product [Kmax×(ELT-2free) or the equivalent product for any other transcription factor] provides an important quantitative descriptor of transcription-factor/regulatory-motif interaction in development, evolution and genetic disease. A more complicated model than simple binding affinity is necessary to explain the fact that ELT-2 appears to discriminate in vivo against equal-affinity binding sites that contain AGATAA instead of TGATAA. Summary: Transcript levels of the C. elegans asp-1 gene are controlled by the affinity with which the intestine-specific GATA-type transcription factor ELT-2 binds to promoter XXTGATAAXX sites.
Insights into the growing popularity of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology

Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is the use of computer-algorithms in analyzing complex medical data to detect associations and provide diagnostic support outputs. AI and deep learning (DL) find obvious applications in fields like ophthalmology wherein huge amount of image-based data need to be analyzed; however, the outcomes related to image recognition are reasonably well-defined. AI and DL have found important roles in ophthalmology in early screening and detection of conditions such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), glaucoma, and other ocular disorders, being successful inroads as far as early screening and diagnosis are concerned and appear promising with advantages of high-screening accuracy, consistency, and scalability. AI algorithms need equally skilled manpower, trained optometrists/ophthalmologists (annotators) to provide accurate ground truth for training the images. The basis of diagnoses made by AI algorithms is mechanical, and some amount of human intervention is necessary for further interpretations. This review was conducted after tracing the history of AI in ophthalmology across multiple research databases and aims to summarise the journey of AI in ophthalmology so far, making a close observation of most of the crucial studies conducted. This article further aims to highlight the potential impact of AI in ophthalmology, the pitfalls, and how to optimally use it to the maximum benefits of the ophthalmologists, the healthcare systems and the patients, alike.
Molecular systematics of the enigmatic 'phascolosoricine' marsupials of New Guinea

Previous analyses of DNA sequences for mitochondrial cytochrome-b and 12S rRNA, along with the nuclear protamine P1 genes, suggested that the New Guinean dasyurid genera Phascolosorex and Neophascogale (phascolosoricines) form the sister groups of quolls (Dasyurus) and Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus). This runs counter to a common perception that phascolosoricines are anatomically primitive and only distantly related to other dasyurids. We report the DNA sequences of two additional mitochondrial loci (tRNAVal and 16S rRNA) and nuclear loci (interphotoreceptor binding protein exon 1, beta-fibrinogen intron 7) from Phascolosorex dorsalis, Neophascogale lorentzii, and all but three other dasyurid species. These sequences, along with those previously published, comprise a dataset of 7053 nucleotides. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that phascolosoricines form a clade that is highly resolved as sister to Dasyurus + Sarcophilus. This result is obtained independently by mitochondrial and nuclear genes, and cannot be attributed to taxon- or gene-sampling bias, compositional heterogeneity, or the use of overly simplistic phylogenetic estimation procedures. A re-evaluation of published morphological data bearing on the relationships of phascolosoricines demonstrates that, although the conflict with molecular results is significant, it is limited to a small number of correlated dental features that show considerable homoplasy in their evolution.
Marker assisted selection ‐ an overview

Abstract The main force driving gene mapping in domestic animals, is the potential for using gene maps as a means of identifying and mapping the genetic loci responsible for genetic variation in traits of economic importance. The ultimate objective is utilizing this information for marker‐assisted selection (MAS) using DNA level polymorphisms. This overview considers: (1) The need for MAS, (2) The relationship of gene mapping to MAS, (3) Implementing MAS. Examples illustrating the potential contribution of MAS to animal genetic improvement are presented, including (I) Preselection of candidate bulls for progeny testing in dairy cattle improvement, (2) Introgression of trypanotolerance from N'Dama to other cattle breeds, and (3) Improvement of a successful layer cross.
A New Sauropod: Tastavinsaurus Sanzi Gen. Et Sp. Nov. from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of Spain

Abstract The new sauropod dinosaur Tastavinsaurus sanzi, gen. et sp. nov., from the early Aptian of Spain is described. The holotype is a partially articulated skeleton of an adult individual recovered from the Arsis-1 site in Peñarroya de Tastavins (Teruel) at the base of the marine Xert Formation. It is one of the most complete and best-preserved sauropod dinosaur skeletons from the European Early Cretaceous. The fossil remains comprise the three caudalmost thoracic vertebrae, part of a fourth, nine thoracic rib fragments, sacrum, 25 caudal vertebrae, 21 chevrons, both ilia, pubes, ischia and femora, right tibia, right fibula, six metatarsals, and seven pedal phalanges (including four unguals). The new taxon is defined by 19 autapomorphies. In our cladistic analysis, Tastavinsaurus is the sister-taxon of the North American Venenosaurus within Titanosauriformes, which includes the Brachiosauridae, Somphospondyli, and Titanosauria. The new taxon provides new information about the diversity of non-brachiosaurid titanosauriforms during the Early Cretaceous in Europe and paleobiogeographic relationships between Europe and North America.
Educational Inequalities in Self-Rated Health in Europe and South Korea

While numerous comparative works on the magnitude of health inequalities in Europe have been conducted, there is a paucity of research that encompasses non-European nations such as Asian countries. This study was conducted to compare Europe and Korea in terms of educational health inequalities, with poor self-rated health (SRH) as the outcome variable. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2017 were used (31 countries). Adult men and women aged 20+ years were included (207,245 men and 238,007 women). The age-standardized, sex-specific prevalence of poor SRH by educational level was computed. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated. The prevalence of poor SRH was higher in Korea than in other countries for both low/middle- and highly educated individuals. Among highly educated Koreans, the proportion of less healthy women was higher than that of less healthy men. Korea’s SII was the highest for men (15.7%) and the ninth-highest for women (10.4%). In contrast, Korea’s RII was the third-lowest for men (3.27), and the lowest among women (1.98). This high-SII–low-RII mix seems to have been generated by the high level of baseline poor SRH.
Group Processing of Multiple k-Farthest Neighbor Queries in Road Networks

Advances in mobile technologies and map-based applications enables users to utilize sophisticated spatial queries, including <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-nearest neighbor and shortest path queries. Often, location-based servers are used to handle multiple simultaneous queries because of the popularity of map-based applications. This study focuses on the efficient processing of multiple concurrent <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-farthest neighbor (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>FN) queries in road networks. For a positive integer <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, query point <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and set of data points <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$P$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>FN query returns <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$ </tex-math></inline-formula> data points farthest from the query point <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. For addressing multiple concurrent spatial queries, traditional location-based servers based on one-query-at-a-time processing are unsuitable owing to high redundant computation costs. Therefore, we propose a group processing of multiple <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>FN (GMP) algorithm to process multiple <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>FN queries in road networks. The proposed GMP algorithm uses group computation to avoid the redundant computation of network distances between the query and data points. The experiments using real-world roadmaps demonstrate the proposed solution’s effectiveness and efficiency.
Emerging role of nanocarriers based topical delivery of anti‐fungal agents in combating growing fungal infections

The incidences of fungal infections have greatly increased over the past few years, particularly in humid and industrialized areas. The severity of such infections ranges from being asymptomatic‐mild to potentially life‐threatening systemic infections. There are limited classes of drugs that are approved for the treatment of such infections like polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins. Some fungi have developed resistance to these drugs. Therefore, to counter drug resistance, intensive large scale studies on novel targeting strategies and formulations are being conducted, which have gained impetus lately. Conventional formulations have limitations such as higher doses, frequent dosing, and several side effects. Such limiting factors have paved the path for the emergence of nanotechnology and its applications. This further gave formulation scientists the possibility of encapsulating the existing potential drug moieties into nanocarriers, which when loaded into gels or creams provided prolonged release and improved permeation, thus giving on‐target effect. This review thus discusses the newer targeting strategies and the role of nanocarriers that could be administered topically for the treatment of various fungal infections. Furthermore, this approach opens newer avenues for continued and sustained research in pharmaceuticals with much more effective outcomes.
Evaluation of Cognitive Impairment in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis with Machine Learning: An Exploratory Study of miRNA Expressions

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease that usually affects young adults; however, recently some symptoms of cognitive impairment have been recognized as early signs of MS onset in pediatric patients (PedMS). The underlying relationships between these two conditions, as well as their molecular markers, have not been fully understood yet. In this work, we analyze microRNAs (miRNAs) expression profiles of PedMS patients with machine learning algorithms in order to create effective models able to detect the presence of cognitive impairment. In particular, we compare three different classification algorithms, fed with features automatically selected by a feature selection strategy. Experimental results show that linear support vector machines achieved the best performance. Moreover, we discuss the importance of ten of the most discriminant automatically selected miRNAs. A graphical analysis of these features highlights the relationships among miRNAs and the two classes the patients belongs to.