Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Macroecology of Airborne Pollen in Australian and New Zealand Urban Areas

The composition and relative abundance of airborne pollen in urban areas of Australia and New Zealand are strongly influenced by geographical location, climate and land use. There is mounting evidence that the diversity and quality of airborne pollen is substantially modified by climate change and land-use yet there are insufficient data to project the future nature of these changes. Our study highlights the need for long-term aerobiological monitoring in Australian and New Zealand urban areas in a systematic, standardised, and sustained way, and provides a framework for targeting the most clinically significant taxa in terms of abundance, allergenic effects and public health burden.
Mne-X: MEG/EEG Real-Time Acquisition, Real-Time Processing, and Real-Time Source Localization Framework

Providing millisecond-temporal resolution for non-invasive mapping of human brain functions, Magneto/Electroencephalography (MEG/EEG) is predestined to monitor brain activity in real-time. While data analysis to date is mostly done subsequent to the acquistion process we introduce here an acquisition and real-time analysis application. Online feedback allows the adaption of the experiment to the subject’s reaction creating a whole set of new options and increasing time efficiency by shortening acquisition and offline analysis. To build a standalone application, we first designed MNE-CPP a cross-platform open source Qt5 C++ library, which implements the validated parts of our scripting toolboxes MNE-Python/MATLAB. Based on MNE-CPP we built MNE-X, which allows realtime acquisition, processing, and source localization.
Haploid, Diploid, and Triploid—Discrimination Ability Against Polyploid Mating Partner in the Parasitic Wasp, Bracon brevicornis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Abstract Because the quality of mating partners varies, females of several taxa have evolved the ability to discriminate against low-quality mates. Although males in the Hymenoptera are usually haploid, diploid males may occur in species with complementary sex determination. Diploid males are almost always sterile in most of the species studied so far. They are thus of very low quality as mating partners, especially when females mate only once in life. We hypothesize that hymenopteran females might have evolved the ability to discriminate against infertile diploid males and avoid mating with them. To test this hypothesis, we studied diploid male fitness in the parasitoid wasp Bracon brevicornis Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) by measuring survival rate and fertility and then estimated their chances of actually mating with a female. Flow cytometry was used to determine the ploidy level of wasps. The fitness costs of mating a diploid male are indeed high in this species: only 15% were able to sire daughters, of which 97% were triploid and hardly able to produce viable offspring. In contrast to the hypothesis of unsuitable mate discrimination though, no evidence was found for increased rejection of diploid males by females. Male discrimination against an unsuitable partner did also not occur: triploid females elicited the same intensity of courtship behavior in males than did diploid ones.
Dormancy-Related Seed Positional Effect in Two Populations of an Annual Grass from Locations of Contrasting Aridity

In grasses, variation in seed size and dormancy often results from a seed's position within a dispersal unit. In this paper, I asked whether seed positional effect within a spikelet contributes to ecotypic differentiation between two populations of Avena sterilis having different species range position and associated aridity. I created experimental seed banks in which germination of seeds (florets) having different positions within a spikelet was examined over three years. In addition, two germination tests were conducted under controlled conditions. The two populations were found to have a short-living soil seed bank due to sequential germination of the florets. Although positional seed dormancy effect in A. sterilis does not appear to be a specific desert adaptation against unpredictability of rainfall events, this trait does contribute to ecotypic differentiation between desert and Mediterranean populations. Consistent with bet hedging buffering against rainfall unpredictability, germination fractions in the first year were higher in the Mediterranean than in the desert population, while seeds of the desert origin had stronger dormancy and more sequential germination of florets.
CPT-cGMP Is A New Ligand of Epithelial Sodium Channels

Epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) are localized at the apical membrane of the epithelium, and are responsible for salt and fluid reabsorption. Renal ENaC takes up salt, thereby controlling salt content in serum. Loss-of-function ENaC mutations lead to low blood pressure due to salt-wasting, while gain-of-function mutations cause impaired sodium excretion and subsequent hypertension as well as hypokalemia. ENaC activity is regulated by intracellular and extracellular signals, including hormones, neurotransmitters, protein kinases, and small compounds. Cyclic nucleotides are broadly involved in stimulating protein kinase A and protein kinase G signaling pathways, and, surprisingly, also appear to have a role in regulating ENaC. Increasing evidence suggests that the cGMP analog, CPT-cGMP, activates αβγ-ENaC activity reversibly through an extracellular pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the parachlorophenylthio moiety and ribose 2'-hydroxy group of CPT-cGMP are essential for facilitating the opening of ENaC channels by this compound. Serving as an extracellular ligand, CPT-cGMP eliminates sodium self-inhibition, which is a novel mechanism for stimulating salt reabsorption in parallel to the traditional NO/cGMP/PKG signal pathway. In conclusion, ENaC may be a druggable target for CPT-cGMP, leading to treatments for kidney malfunctions in salt reabsorption.
Biomarker-predicted sugars intake compared with self-reported measures in US Hispanics/Latinos: results from the HCHS/SOL SOLNAS study

Abstract Objective Measurement error in self-reported total sugars intake may obscure associations between sugars consumption and health outcomes, and the sum of 24 h urinary sucrose and fructose may serve as a predictive biomarker of total sugars intake. Design The Study of Latinos: Nutrition & Physical Activity Assessment Study (SOLNAS) was an ancillary study to the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) cohort. Doubly labelled water and 24 h urinary sucrose and fructose were used as biomarkers of energy and sugars intake, respectively. Participants’ diets were assessed by up to three 24 h recalls (88 % had two or more recalls). Procedures were repeated approximately 6 months after the initial visit among a subset of ninety-six participants. Setting Four centres (Bronx, NY; Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; San Diego, CA) across the USA. Subjects Men and women (n 477) aged 18–74 years. Results The geometric mean of total sugars was 167·5 (95 % CI 154·4, 181·7) g/d for the biomarker-predicted and 90·6 (95 % CI 87·6, 93·6) g/d for the self-reported total sugars intake. Self-reported total sugars intake was not correlated with biomarker-predicted sugars intake (r=−0·06, P=0·20, n 450). Among the reliability sample (n 90), the reproducibility coefficient was 0·59 for biomarker-predicted and 0·20 for self-reported total sugars intake. Conclusions Possible explanations for the lack of association between biomarker-predicted and self-reported sugars intake include measurement error in self-reported diet, high intra-individual variability in sugars intake, and/or urinary sucrose and fructose may not be a suitable proxy for total sugars intake in this study population.
Evaluating the Interacting Influences of Pollination, Seed Predation, Invasive Species and Isolation on Reproductive Success in a Threatened Alpine Plant

Reproduction in rare plants may be influenced and limited by a complex combination of factors. External threats such as invasive species and landscape characteristics such as isolation may impinge on both pollination and seed predation dynamics, which in turn can strongly affect reproduction. I assessed how patterns in floral visitation, seed predation, invasive ant presence, and plant isolation influenced one another and ultimately affected viable seed production in Haleakalā silverswords (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum) of Hawai’i. Floral visitation was dominated by endemic Hylaeus bees, and patterns of visitation were influenced by floral display size and number of plants clustered together, but not by floral herbivory or nearest flowering neighbor distance. There was also some indication that Argentine ant presence impacted floral visitation, but contradictory evidence and limitations of the study design make this result uncertain. Degree of seed predation was associated only with plant isolation, with the two main herbivores partitioning resources such that one preferentially attacked isolated plants while the other attacked clumped plants; total seed predation was greater in more isolated plants. Net viable seed production was highly variable among individuals (0–55% seed set), and was affected mainly by nearest neighbor distance, apparently owing to low cross-pollination among plants separated by even short distances (>10–20 m). This isolation effect dominated net seed set, with no apparent influence from floral visitation rates, percent seed predation, or invasive ant presence. The measured steep decline in seed set with isolation distance may not be typical of the entire silversword range, and may indicate that pollinators in addition to Hylaeus bees could be important for greater gene flow. Management aimed at maintaining or maximizing silversword reproduction should focus on the spatial context of field populations and outplanting efforts, as well as on conserving the widest possible range of pollinator taxa.
Image-Guided Predictions of Liposome Transport in Solid Tumours

Due to the ability to preferentially accumulate and deliver drug payloads to solid tumours, liposomes have emerged as an exciting therapeutic strategy for cancer therapy. Unfortunately, the initial excitement was dampened by limited clinical results, where only negligible increases in patient survival following liposome therapy have been observed. What are the reasons for the limited clinical efficacy? Is the nanoparticle formulation optimal? Is the enhanced permeability and retention effect overstated? What are the barriers limiting the delivery of drugs to cancer cells? What is the optimal dosing and treatment schedule? Addressing these questions requires developing quantitative tools to understand the behaviour of liposomes in vivo, such as pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, intra-tumoural accumulation, and drug release. Central to each of these questions is the concept of transport – the collection of biophysical processes responsible for the delivery of molecules to tissues. Understanding transport means understanding the crucial links between the spatio-temporal accumulation of liposomes, the physicochemical properties of liposomes, and properties of the tumour microenvironment. In this thesis, a biophysical mathematical transport model is developed that when used in combination with non-invasive imaging methods can predict liposome transport in solid tumours. The mathematical transport framework is validated in its ability to predict the bulk and intratumoural accumulation of liposomes based on biophysical transport properties of solid tumours. Furthermore, novel imaging methods are developed and used to elucidate the crucial links between transport barriers and spatial heterogeneity in liposome accumulation. Finally, methods are presented to integrate quantitative imaging and mathematical modelling such that an accurate prediction of liposome transport in solid tumours is possible. In summary, this thesis presents and validates an imageguided mathematical framework that can be used to guide the rational application of liposomes for the treatment of solid tumours.
Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment : Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes d 2018

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes” includes ADA’s current clinical practice recommendations and is intended to provide the components of diabetes care, general treatment goals and guidelines, and tools to evaluate quality of care. Members of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, a multidisciplinary expert committee, are responsible for updating the Standards of Care annually, or more frequently as warranted. For a detailed description of ADA standards, statements, and reports, as well as the evidence-grading system for ADA’s clinical practice recommendations, please refer to the Standards of Care Introduction. Readers who wish to comment on the Standards of Care are invited to do so at professional.diabetes. org/SOC.
Integrated RNA and DNA sequencing reveals early drivers of metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer metastasis remains a clinical challenge, even within a single patient across multiple sites of the disease. Genome-wide comparisons of both the DNA and gene expression of primary tumors and metastases in multiple patients could help elucidate the underlying mechanisms that cause breast cancer metastasis. To address this issue, we performed DNA exome and RNA sequencing of matched primary tumors and multiple metastases from 16 patients, totaling 83 distinct specimens. We identified tumor-specific drivers by integrating known protein-protein network information with RNA expression and somatic DNA alterations and found that genetic drivers were predominantly established in the primary tumor and maintained through metastatic spreading. In addition, our analyses revealed that most genetic drivers were DNA copy number changes, the TP53 mutation was a recurrent founding mutation regardless of subtype, and that multiclonal seeding of metastases was frequent and occurred in multiple subtypes. Genetic drivers unique to metastasis were identified as somatic mutations in the estrogen and androgen receptor genes. These results highlight the complexity of metastatic spreading, be it monoclonal or multiclonal, and suggest that most metastatic drivers are established in the primary tumor, despite the substantial heterogeneity seen in the metastases.
Switching, Adverse Effects and Use of Over‐the‐Counter Analgesics among Users of Oral Anticoagulants: A Pharmacy‐based Survey

Oral anticoagulants are widely used but information on important aspects in that respect is not available from medical registers or clinical databases. Therefore, we conducted a survey including patients filling a prescription for oral anticoagulants at two large Danish community pharmacies. We collected information concerning the patients’ knowledge of their anticoagulant treatment including prior drug switching. Further, patients were asked about use of over‐the‐counter analgesics, adverse effects and how the treatment affected their everyday life. Among 335 eligible patients, 301 (90%) agreed to participate. Atrial fibrillation was the most common indication (65%), and most patients filled a prescription for a non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) (58%). Among the 12% (n = 35) of participants who had switched oral anticoagulant treatment, 69% had switched from a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) to a NOAC. Switching was most frequently caused by inconvenience (34%) and adverse effects (23%). Although half of all patients had recently bought over‐the‐counter analgesics, purchase of ibuprofen and aspirin was rare (6%). More VKA users than NOAC users felt limited in their everyday life because of anticoagulant treatment (18% versus 9%). Among non‐incident NOAC users, 21% had experienced adverse effects during their current treatment. Based on first‐hand information from a large sample of anticoagulant users, we conclude that the main drug‐related issues leading to anticoagulant switching and perceived limitations in everyday life were inconvenience and adverse effects. This varied between drug groups. Further, use of NSAIDs obtained over the counter was rare.
Comparison of the effects of ethanol and chlordiazepoxide on electrophysiological activity in the fascia dentata and hippocampus regio superior

Acute intoxicating doses of ethanol‐producing blood alcohol levels of 120–200 mg% increase paired‐pulse (PP) inhibition in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats suggesting that ethanol increases recurrent inhibitory processes (Wiesner, J. B., and S. J. Henriksen (1987) Ethanol enhances recurrent inhibition in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Neurosci. Lett. 79:169–173). To further understanding of the neuronal mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, the authors studied the effects of the benzodiazepine (BZ), chlordiazepoxide, and acute intoxicating levels of ethanol on extracellular field potential recordings and single‐unit activity in the dentate gyrus and area CA1 of the hippocampus. In the dentate, ethanol had no effect on population excitatory postsynaptic potential (pEPSP) amplitudes or slopes; decreased population spike (PS) amplitudes (25%); increased PP inhibition; decreased dentate granule cell (DGC) spontaneous activity (58%); had no effect on putative interneuron spontaneous activity; and markedly increased post field potential‐evoked interneuron discharges (IDs, 218%). Chlordiazepoxide had no effect on pEPSP amplitudes or slopes or PS amplitudes; increased PP inhibition; decreased DGC (62%) and interneuron (72%) spontaneous activity; and markedly decreased IDs (89%). In CA1, ethanol had no effect on pEPSP amplitudes or slopes; decreased PS amplitudes (26%); had no effect on PP responses; decreased pyramidal cell (PC) spontaneous activity (39%); had no effect on interneuron spontaneous activity; and markedly increased IDs (97%). Chlordiazepoxide had no effect on pEPSP amplitudes or slopes or PS amplitudes; had no effect on PP responses; decreased PC spontaneous activity (41%); and had no effect on interneuron spontaneous activity or IDs. The results suggest that the BZs decrease principal cell excitability by postsynaptic facilitation of inhibitory processes, whereas ethanol decreases principal cell excitability by postsynaptic facilitation of inhibitory processes, whereas ethanol decreases principal cell excitability indirectly by increasing the excitability of inhibitory interneurons.
Breastfeeding and the Risk of Maternal Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Study of 300 000 Chinese Women

Background Breastfeeding confers substantial benefits to child health and has also been associated with lower risk of maternal cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in later life. However, the evidence on the effects of CVD is still inconsistent, especially in East Asians, in whom the frequency and duration of breastfeeding significantly differ from those in the West. Methods and Results In 2004–2008, the nationwide China Kadoorie Biobank recruited 0.5 million individuals aged 30 to 79 years from 10 diverse regions across China. During 8 years of follow‐up, 16 671 incident cases of coronary heart disease and 23 983 cases of stroke were recorded among 289 573 women without prior CVD at baseline. Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for incident CVD by breastfeeding. Overall, ≈99% of women had given birth, among whom 97% reported a history of breastfeeding, with a median duration of 12 months per child. Compared with parous women who had never breastfed, ever breastfeeding was associated with a significantly lower risk of CVD, with adjusted HRs of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.84–0.99) for coronary heart disease and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.85–0.99) for stroke. Women who had breastfed for ≥24 months had an 18% (HR, 0.82; 0.77–0.87) lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 17% (HR, 0.83; 0.79–0.87) lower risk of stroke compared with women who had never breastfed. Among women who ever breastfed, each additional 6 months of breastfeeding per child was associated with an adjusted HR of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.98) for coronary heart disease and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96–0.98) for stroke. Conclusions Among Chinese women, a history of breastfeeding was associated with an ≈10% lower risk of CVD in later life and the magnitude of the inverse association was stronger among those with a longer duration of breastfeeding.
Relationship between the Rumen Microbiome and Residual Feed Intake-Efficiency of Brahman Bulls Stocked on Bermudagrass Pastures

Residual feed intake (RFI) testing has increased selection pressure on biological efficiency in cattle. The objective of this study was to assess the association of the rumen microbiome in inefficient, positive RFI (p-RFI) and efficient, negative RFI (n-RFI) Brahman bulls grazing ‘Coastal’ bermudagrass [Cynodondactylon (L.) Pers. ]under two levels of forage allowance (high and low stocking intensity). Sixteen Brahman bulls were previously fed in confinement for 70 d to determine the RFI phenotype. Bulls were then allotted 60 d stocking on bermudagrass pastures to estimate RFI using the n-alkane technique. At the conclusion of the grazing period, rumen liquid samples were collected from each bull by stomach tube to evaluate the rumen microbiome. Extraction of DNA, amplification of the V4-V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene, and 454 pyrosequencing were performed on each sample. After denoising the sequences, chimera checking, and quality trimming, 4,573 ± 1,287 sequences were generated per sample. Sequences were then assigned taxonomy from the Greengenes database using the RDP classifier. Overall, 67.5 and 22.9% of sequences were classified as Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, respectively. Within the phylum Bacteroidetes, Prevotella was the most predominant genus and was observed in greater relative abundance in p-RFI bulls compared with n-RFI bulls (P = 0.01). In contrast, an unidentified Bacteroidales family was greater in relative abundance for n-RFI bulls than p-RFI (26.7 vs. 19.1%; P = 0.03). Ruminococcaceae was the third most abundant family in our samples, but it was not affected by RFI phenotype. No effect of stocking intensity was observed for bacterial taxa, but there was a tendency for alpha diversity and operational taxonomic unit richness to increase with lower stocking intensity. Results suggested the rumen microbiome of p-RFI Brahman bulls has greater levels of Prevotella, but the bacterial community composition was unaffected by stocking intensity.