Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Variants of Glycogen Metabolism Genes Were Associated With Liver PDFF Without Increasing NAFLD Risk

Background/Aims: The storage amount of liver glycogen could affect the liver fibrosis assessment made by MRI-based methods. However, it remained unclear whether glycogen amount could bias the estimation of liver fat content by proton density fat fraction. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether glycogen metabolism gene variants could contribute to the bias of PDFF by genetic association. Methods: We conducted an association study of the glycogen metabolism genes based on the PDFF data of 11,129 participants in the UK Biobank. The effect of the SNPs in these genes on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was estimated by a meta-analysis of the available NAFLD case-control studies. Results: We identified significant associations of the SNPs near the genes encoding glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM and PYGL) and synthase (GYS2) with PDFF (FDR-corrected p value < 0.05). The genes encoding the regulatory proteins of glycogenolysis (PHKB, CALM2/3), glucose transporter (SLC2A1), and glucose kinase (GCK) were also associated with PDFF. The SNP rs5402 of SLC2A2 and rs547066 of PYGM were associated with NAFLD (p < 0.05) with others being insignificant. Except for the PYGM gene, the PDFF-associated SNPs showed no associations with NAFLD. In addition, the burden tests of rare variants in these genes were not significant after FDR correction. Conclusion: Liver glycogen metabolism genes associated with PDFF were not associated with NAFLD, which implicated a potential bias effect of glycogen storage on the quantification of liver fat content by PDFF.
Epidemiological Investigation of Meningeal Worm-Induced Mortalities in Small Ruminants and Camelids Over a 19 Year Period

Meningeal worm, or Parelaphostrongylus tenuis (P. tenuis) is a nematode parasite that can invade the nervous system of small ruminant and camelid species such as alpaca, llama, goats and sheep. Limited reports exist on the epidemiology of disease caused by the nematode in susceptible livestock. We examined archived necropsy reports from small ruminant and camelid mortalities that were submitted, post mortem, to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (MNVDL) during 2001–2019 for gross necropsy, histopathology, and pathogen screening. We estimated P. tenuis-induced mortality over time and developed temporal models to better understand patterns and drivers of P. tenuis-induced mortalities in these animals. During the period under examination, 5,617 goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas were necropsied, revealing an overall P. tenuis-induced mortality rate of 1.14% in the necropsy submission pool for these species. P. tenuis-induced mortality rates were highest in llamas (9.91%) and alpacas (5.33%) compared to sheep and goats (<1%), with rates in llamas and alpacas significantly higher than in sheep and goats. P. tenuis-induced mortalities exhibited one seasonal peak, around October to December. P. tenuis-induced mortality rates varied greatly between years, and have significantly increased over time. We also observed a positive correlation between summer temperature (range 20.4–22.4°C) and P. tenuis-induced mortality rates (range 0–3.9%), but not precipitation. This study demonstrates seasonal patterns and differences in mortality between alpacas, goats, llamas and sheep and helps us to better understand the epidemiology of P. tenuis mortality.
Green Metallic Nanoparticles: Biosynthesis to Applications

Current advancements in nanotechnology and nanoscience have resulted in new nanomaterials, which may pose health and environmental risks. Furthermore, several researchers are working to optimize ecologically friendly procedures for creating metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. The primary goal is to decrease the adverse effects of synthetic processes, their accompanying chemicals, and the resulting complexes. Utilizing various biomaterials for nanoparticle preparation is a beneficial approach in green nanotechnology. Furthermore, using the biological qualities of nature through a variety of activities is an excellent way to achieve this goal. Algae, plants, bacteria, and fungus have been employed to make energy-efficient, low-cost, and nontoxic metallic nanoparticles in the last few decades. Despite the environmental advantages of using green chemistry-based biological synthesis over traditional methods as discussed in this article, there are some unresolved issues such as particle size and shape consistency, reproducibility of the synthesis process, and understanding of the mechanisms involved in producing metallic nanoparticles via biological entities. Consequently, there is a need for further research to analyze and comprehend the real biological synthesis-dependent processes. This is currently an untapped hot research topic that required more investment to properly leverage the green manufacturing of metallic nanoparticles through living entities. The review covers such green methods of synthesizing nanoparticles and their utilization in the scientific world.
A Qualitative Analysis of Clinical Year Veterinary Student Journal Entries for a Shelter Medicine Rotation

Veterinary medical schools are tasked with not only providing experiences necessary to graduate veterinarians proficient in the skills and knowledge used most frequently in private practice, but also develop expertise in animal behavior, welfare, ethics, veterinary forensics, and cultural competency. Integrating all these knowledge areas into the curriculum can be challenging. Shelter medicine is increasingly identified by educators as an optimal learning environment to offer exposure to these topics. It can not only meet learning objectives in veterinary medical curriculum, but also provide students with authentic learning experiences to engage in and gain a deeper understanding of cultural humility, implicit bias, diversity, and inclusion. This includes documentation of international learning outcomes for shelter medicine in veterinary medical curriculum. There have been no studies evaluating authentic learning experiences specific to shelter medicine programs and their impacts on students. The aim of this study was to determine the individual activities and thematic categories on which veterinary students chose to reflect on and their potential impacts during a clinical rotation in shelter medicine at Penn Vet through qualitative content analysis of their journal entries. In our study, students found experiences on the shelter medicine rotation to be beneficial to their growth as a future veterinarian, provided them with takeaways that they found applicable and practical, helped them self-identify knowledge gaps, and changed their perspectives on several important topics related to collective human and animal welfare. These results speak to the value perceived by students of the rotation and suggest an authentic learning experience through a shelter medicine program can help cultivate more practice-ready and culturally competent veterinary graduates.
Shuxie-1 Decoction Alleviated CUMS -Induced Liver Injury via IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 Signaling

Introduction: Chronic stress has been shown to cause liver damage in addition to psychological depression. Besides, drug-induced liver injury is frequently caused by antidepressants. Shuxie-1 decoction (SX-1) is a formula of traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in nourishing liver blood, and relieving depression. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the effects and mechanisms of SX-1 in treating chronic stress-induced depression as well as liver injury. Methods: Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was applied to male Wistar rats for 4 weeks, with or without administration of SX-1 at low-dose and high-dose for 6 weeks, using Fluoxetine (Flu) as a positive control. Body weight was monitored once every 2 weeks. In the sixth week, the sugar preference test and open field test were carried out to evaluate the depression status. After that, the serum and liver tissues were collected. The quality control of SX-1 decoctions and drug-containing serum was controlled by UHPLC-QE-MS. The cell viability was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa), Western Blot and immunohistochemistrical staining was obtained to detect the protein levels in the plasma and the hepatic tissues, respectively. Results: CUMS led to decreased 1) body weight, 2) the preference for sugar water, 3) the desire to explore in open field, and increased serum levels of corticosterone. All these factors were completely reversed by SX-1 treatment. Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) showed that SX-1 improved the hepatocyte vacuolization in CUMS treated rats, decreased the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and the deposition of type I collagen (Col I) in hepatocytes as well. CUMS increased the levels of hepatic Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and provoked the activation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which was abrogated by SX-1 treatment. Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) increased the protein expression of IL-6 and p-STAT3 in AML12 cells. Besides, nuclear pyknosis was observed under electron microscope, which were recovered after rat SX serum. Conclusion: SX-1 effectively ameliorated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors as well as hepatic injuries, probably by the blockade of hepatic IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling.
Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a] Pyrazine Derivatives as Novel Dual c-Met/VEGFR-2 Inhibitors

In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of novel [1,2,4]triazolo [4,3-a]pyrazine derivatives, and evaluated them for their inhibitory activities toward c-Met/VEGFR-2 kinases and antiproliferative activities against tested three cell lines in vitro. Most of the compounds showed satisfactory activity compared with lead compound foretinib. Among them, the most promising compound 17l exhibited excellent antiproliferative activities against A549, MCF-7, and Hela cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 0.98 ± 0.08, 1.05 ± 0.17, and 1.28 ± 0.25 µM, respectively, as well as excellent kinase inhibitory activities (c-Met IC50 = 26.00 nM and VEGFR-2 IC50 = 2.6 µM). Moreover, compound 17l inhibited the growth of A549 cells in G0/G1 phase in a dose-dependent manner, and induced the late apoptosis of A549 cells. Its intervention on intracellular c-Met signaling of A549 was verified by the result of Western blot. Fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that compound 17l inhibited the growth of A549 cells by inhibiting the expression of c-Met and VEGFR-2, and its hemolytic toxicity was low. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation indicated that compound 17l could bind to c-Met and VEGFR-2 protein, which was similar to that of foretinib.
Left Ventricle Biomechanics of Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis: A Patient-Specific Computational Model

This study aimed to create an imaging-derived patient-specific computational model of low-flow, low-gradient (LFLG) aortic stenosis (AS) to obtain biomechanics data about the left ventricle. LFLG AS is now a commonly recognized sub-type of aortic stenosis. There remains much controversy over its management, and investigation into ventricular biomechanics may elucidate pathophysiology and better identify patients for valve replacement. ECG-gated cardiac computed tomography images from a patient with LFLG AS were obtained to provide patient-specific geometry for the computational model. Surfaces of the left atrium, left ventricle (LV), and outflow track were segmented. A previously validated multi-scale, multi-physics computational human heart model was adapted to the patient-specific geometry, yielding a model consisting of 91,000 solid elements. This model was coupled to a virtual circulatory system and calibrated to clinically measured parameters from echocardiography and cardiac catheterization data. The simulation replicated key physiologic parameters within 10% of their clinically measured values. Global LV systolic myocardial stress was 7.1 ± 1.8 kPa. Mean stress of the basal, middle, and apical segments were 7.7 ± 1.8 kPa, 9.1 ± 3.8 kPa, and 6.4 ± 0.4 kPa, respectively. This is the first patient-specific computational model of LFLG AS based on clinical imaging. Low myocardial stress correlated with low ejection fraction and eccentric LV remodeling. Further studies are needed to understand how alterations in LV biomechanics correlates with clinical outcomes of AS.
A Relevant Wound-Like in vitro Media to Study Bacterial Cooperation and Biofilm in Chronic Wounds

Biofilm on the skin surface of chronic wounds is an important factor in the pathology, inhibiting wound healing. The polymicrobial nature of these infected wounds and bacterial interactions inside this pathogenic biofilm are the keys for understanding chronic infection. The aim of our work was to develop an innovative in vitro medium that closely mimics the chronic wound emphasizing the microbiological, cellular, and inflammatory environment of chronic wounds but also focusing on the pH found at the wound level. This new medium, called chronic wound medium (CWM), will thus facilitate the study of pathogenic biofilm organization. Clinical Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains coisolated from diabetic foot infection were collected and cultivated in this new medium for 24 h in monoculture and coculture. Bacterial growth (growth curves), presence of small colony variant (SCV), biofilm formation (BioFilm Ring Test® assay, biofilm biomass quantification), and virulence (survival curve in a Caenorhabditis elegans model) were evaluated. After 24 h in the in vitro conditions, we observed that P. aeruginosa growth was not affected, compared with a control bacterial medium, whereas for S. aureus, the stationary phase was reduced by two logs. Interestingly, S. aureus growth increased when cocultured with P. aeruginosa in CWM. In coculture with P. aeruginosa, SCV forms of S. aureus were detected. Biofilm studies showed that bacteria, alone and in combination, formed biofilm faster (as soon as 3 h) than the bacteria exposed in a control medium (as soon as 5 h). The virulence of all strains decreased in the nematode model when cultivated in our new in vitro medium. Taken together, our data confirmed the impact of the chronic wound environment on biofilm formation and bacteria virulence. They indicated that P. aeruginosa and S. aureus cooperated in coinfected wounds. Therefore, this in vitro model provides a new tool for bacterial cooperation investigation and polymicrobial biofilm formation.
Processing Self-Related Information Under Non-attentional Conditions Revealed by Visual MMN

Mismatch negativity (MMN) of event-related potentials (ERPs) is a biomarker reflecting the preattentional change detection under non-attentional conditions. This study was performed to explore whether high self-related information could elicit MMN in the visual channel, indicating the automatic processing of self-related information at the preattentional stage. Thirty-five participants were recruited and asked to list 25 city names including the birthplace. According to the difference of relevance reported from the participants, we divided names of the different cities into high (birthplace as deviants), medium (Xi’an, where participants’ university is located, as deviants), and low (totally unrelated cities as standard stimuli) self-related information. Visual MMN (vMMN) was elicited by high self-related information but not by medium self-related information, with an occipital–temporal scalp distribution, indicating that, under non-attentional condition, high self-related information can be effectively processed automatically in the preattentional stage compared with low self-related information. These data provided new electrophysiological evidence for self-related information processing.
A Flexible Electrochemiluminescence Sensor Equipped With Vertically Ordered Mesoporous Silica Nanochannel Film for Sensitive Detection of Clindamycin

Fast, convenient, and highly sensitive detection of antibiotic is essential to avoid its overuse and the possible harm. Owing to enrichment effect and antifouling ability of ultrasmall nanochannels, the vertically ordered mesoporous silica nanochannel film (VMSF) has great potential in the development of the facile electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for direct and sensitive analysis of antibiotics in complex samples. In this study, we demonstrated a flexible ECL sensor based on a cost-effective electrode covered with a VMSF for sensitive detection of clindamycin. Polyethylene terephthalate coated with indium tin oxide (PET-ITO) is applied as a flexible electrode to grow VMSF using the electrochemically assisted self-assembly (EASA) method. The negatively charged VMSF nanochannels exhibit significant enrichment toward the commonly used cationic ECL luminophores, tris(2,2-bipyridyl) dichlororuthenium (II) (Ru (bpy)3 2+). Using the enhanced ECL of Ru (bpy)3 2+ by clindamycin, the developed VMSF/PET-ITO sensor can sensitively detect clindamycin. The responses were linear in the concentration range of 10 nM–25 μM and in the concentration range of 25–70 μM. Owing to the nanoscale thickness of the VMSF and the high coupling stability with the electrode substrate, the developed flexible VMSF/PET-ITO sensor exhibits high signal stability during the continuous bending process. Considering high antifouling characteristic of the VMSF, direct analysis of clindamycin in a real biological sample, human serum, is realized.
Comparison of Pulegone and Estragole Chemotypes Provides New Insight Into Volatile Oil Biosynthesis of Agastache rugosa

The aerial parts of Agastache rugosa are rich in essential oils containing monoterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and aromatic compounds. These are used as herbs, perfume plants, and ornamental plants. Based on the difference in the constituents of the essential oil, A. rugosa is divided into pulegone and estragole chemotypes, but the mechanism of key metabolite biosynthesis in these two A. rugosa chemotypes remains unclear. In this study, we compared the morphological differences, metabolite constituents, and transcriptomic data between the two chemotypes of A. rugosa. Monoterpenoid was the main compound in the pulegone chemotype, and phenylpropanoid was the main compound in the estragole chemotype; however, limonene was detected in both chemotypes. Furthermore, 46 genes related to pulegone and estragole biosynthesis were identified. Limonene synthase, limonene-3-hydroxylase, and isopiperitenol dehydrogenase were upregulated in the pulegone chemotype, while phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, 4-coumarate: CoA ligase, CYP73A, coumaroyl-aldehyde dehydrogenase, and eugenol synthase were downregulated in the pulegone chemotype. We identified chavicol methyl transferase and limonene-3-hydroxylase in A. rugosa. This work not only provides the difference in morphology and metabolites in pulegone and estragole chemotypes, but also offers a molecular mechanism of volatile oil biosynthesis, which could be a basis for specialized metabolites in specialized chemotypes.
H2S Protects Against Immobilization-Induced Muscle Atrophy via Reducing Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are major triggers of the imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation during the pathogenesis of immobilization-induced muscle atrophy. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gas transmitter with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, on immobilization-induced muscle atrophy. Mice were allocated to control and immobilization (IM) groups, which were treated with slow (GYY4137) or rapid (NaHS) H2S releasing donors for 14 days. The results showed that both GYY4137 and NaHS treatment reduced the IM-induced muscle loss, and increased muscle mass. The IM-induced expressions of Muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1) and atrogin-1, two muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases, were decreased by administration of GYY4137 or NaHS. Both GYY4137 and NaHS treatments alleviated the IM-induced muscle fibrosis, as evidenced by decreases in collagen deposition and levels of tissue fibrosis biomarkers. Moreover, administration of GYY4137 or NaHS alleviated the IM-induced infiltration of CD45 + leukocytes, meanwhile inhibited the expressions of the pro-inflammatory biomarkers in skeletal muscles. It was found that administration of either GYY4137 or NaHS significantly attenuated immobilization-induced oxidative stress as indicated by decreased H2O2 levels and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) immunoreactivity, as well as increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and NRF2 downstream anti-oxidant targets levels in skeletal muscles. Collectively, the present study demonstrated that treatment with either slow or rapid H2S releasing donors protected mice against immobilization-induced muscle fibrosis and atrophy. The beneficial effects of H2S on immobilization-induced skeletal muscle atrophy might be due to both the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of H2S.
The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Affective Organizational Commitment and Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

This study investigated the impact of transformational leadership on affective organizational commitment and job performance with the mediating role of employee engagement. This study gathered data from 845 hotel employees in China and the structural equation modeling technique was used to verify the results. The findings indicated that transformational leadership has a positive effect on affective organizational commitment and job performance. Meanwhile, results showed that employee engagement partially mediates in the relationship between transformational leadership, affective organizational commitment, and job performance. This study contributes to the research on transformational leadership in the Chinese hospitality sector and analyzes its effects on work performance metrics. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications were also discussed in this article.
iSDF: Real-Time Neural Signed Distance Fields for Robot Perception

We present iSDF, a continual learning system for real-time signed distance field (SDF) reconstruction. Given a stream of posed depth images from a moving camera, it trains a randomly initialised neural network to map input 3D coordinate to approximate signed distance. The model is self-supervised by minimising a loss that bounds the predicted signed distance using the distance to the closest sampled point in a batch of query points that are actively sampled. In contrast to prior work based on voxel grids, our neural method is able to provide adaptive levels of detail with plausible filling in of partially observed regions and denoising of observations, all while having a more compact representation. In evaluations against alternative methods on real and synthetic datasets of indoor environments, we find that iSDF produces more accurate reconstructions, and better approximations of collision costs and gradients useful for downstream planners in domains from navigation to manipulation. Code and video results can be found at our project page: https://joeaortiz.github. io/iSDF/ .
Snowmass White Paper: String Theory and Particle Physics

We review recent developments and outstanding questions regarding connecting the top-down UV complete physical framework of string theory with the observed physics of the Standard Model and beyond the Standard Model physics, emphasizing the global nonperturbative framework of F-theory and general lessons from UV physics. This paper, prepared for the TF01 conveners of the Snowmass 2022 process, provides a brief synopsis of this important area, focusing on ongoing developments and opportunities.