Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two‐step nuclear centring by competing microtubule‐ and actin‐based mechanisms in 2‐cell mouse embryos

Microtubules typically promote nuclear centring during early embryonic divisions in centrosome‐containing vertebrates. In acentrosomal mouse zygotes, microtubules also centre male and female pronuclei prior to the first mitosis, this time in concert with actin. How nuclear centring is brought about in subsequent acentrosomal embryonic divisions has not been studied. Here, using time‐lapse imaging in mouse embryos, we find that although nuclei are delivered to the cell centre upon completion of the first mitotic anaphase, the majority do not remain stationary and instead travel all the way to the cortex in a microtubule‐dependent manner. High cytoplasmic viscosity in 2‐cell embryos is associated with non‐diffusive mechanisms involving actin for subsequent nuclear centring when microtubules again exert a negative influence. Thus, following the first mitotic division, pro‐centring actin‐dependent mechanisms work against microtubule‐dependent de‐centring forces. Disrupting the equilibrium of this tug‐of‐war compromises nuclear centring and symmetry of the subsequent division potentially risking embryonic development. This circuitous centring process exposes an embryonic vulnerability imposed by microtubule‐dependent de‐centring forces.
Comparisons of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Between Community Versus Hospital-Based Settings: A Multi-Site Study

Background Non-pharmacological interventions such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) have been shown to help persons living with dementia in improving cognitive function and recall. While previous CST interventions have been conducted largely with community populations, none have explored the outcomes of CST in larger healthcare settings. Our study explored differences of cognitive function, mood, and quality-of-life from CST groups both community and residential-based groups. Method Participants (N = 258) from academic and rural, hospital-based settings in Missouri engaged in 14-session psychosocial groups to aid reminiscence for enhanced cognitive function and recall. Results Post-intervention cognitive function improvements occurred for community (t = −7.48, p < .001) and residential samples (t = −2.46, p < .05). Community groups showed significant improvement in overall mood related to their dementia (t = 6.37, p < .001). Conclusion Healthcare providers should consider CST as a supplemental intervention for older patients receiving usual care for dementia-related symptoms.
Stress, coping and the acceptability of mindfulness skills among pregnant and parenting women living with HIV in the United States: A focus group study

Abstract Pregnant and parenting women living with HIV (WLWH) face high levels of psychological stress and mental illness but lack tailored and acceptable psychosocial treatments. The research team sought to inform the adaptation of a mindfulness intervention for pregnant and parenting WLWH through focus groups exploring psychosocial treatment needs and mindfulness intervention preferences. The research team conducted focus groups with pregnant and parenting WLWH (n = 16) and case managers (n = 6) recruited from a community‐based enhanced case management program. The research team utilised an iterative inductive approach to coding of the transcripts from these focus groups. Five themes emerged: stressors, signs of stress, coping, lack of access and acceptability of care, and motivation and trust in care engagement. These focus groups revealed a desire for a group intervention that could decrease isolation while protecting against involuntary disclosure of HIV status. Participants expressed openness to mindfulness skills for coping with stress. The focus group participants' preference for a non‐stigmatising group intervention supports the potential of a mindfulness‐based group intervention to reduce stress and improve the mental health of pregnant and parenting women living with HIV.
Long noncoding RNA HULC regulates the NF‐κB pathway and represents a promising prognostic biomarker in liver cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in a diverse array of biological processes. While lncRNAs are commonly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the specific regulatory roles they play in this oncogenic context require further study and clarification. Although HULC (lncRNA highly upregulated in liver cancer) is involved in disease pathogenesis, its precise role in this context remains unclear.
PFOA-Induced Ovotoxicity Differs Between Lean and Obese Mice With Impacts on Ovarian Reproductive and DNA Damage Sensing and Repair Proteins

Abstract Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an environmentally persistent perfluoroalkyl substance that is widely used in consumer products. Exposure to PFOA is associated with reproductive and developmental effects including endocrine disruption, delayed puberty in girls, and decreased fetal growth. In the United States, obesity affects 40% of women and 20% of girls, with higher rates in minority females. Obesity causes infertility, poor oocyte quality, miscarriage, and offspring defects. This study proposed that PFOA exposure would impact estrous cyclicity, ovarian steroid hormones, and the ovarian proteome and further hypothesized that obesity would impact PFOA-induced ovotoxicity. Female wild type (KK.Cg-a/a; lean) or KK.Cg-Ay/J mice (obese) received saline (CT) or PFOA (2.5 mg/kg) per os for 15 days beginning at 7 weeks of age. There were no effects on food intake, body weight, estrous cyclicity, serum progesterone, and heart, spleen, kidney, or uterus weight (p > .05). Ovary weight was decreased (p < .05) by PFOA exposure relative to vehicle control-treated mice in lean but not obese mice. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was performed on isolated ovarian protein and PFOA exposure altered the ovarian abundance of proteins involved in DNA damage sensing and repair pathways and reproduction pathways (p < .05) differentially in lean and obese mice. The data suggest that PFOA exposure alters ovary weight and differentially targets ovarian proteins in lean and obese females in ways that might reduce female fecundity.
Organizational Resources and Social Support Influences on Stress and Depression: A Comparison among Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Farmers

ABSTRACT Background Farmers are disproportionally affected by depression and suicide. Social connectedness has been shown to reduce depression and suicide among the general population but its impact on farmers is less well-known. Our previous research indicated that farmers who had cooperative resources and social support reported decreased symptoms of depression. However, it was unclear whether farmers who were not cooperative members or utilized resources from non-cooperative organizations differed from cooperative farmers in mental health. Methods A survey consisted of online self-completion and phone interviews was conducted among 307 participants (197 co-op, 110 non-co-op) to examine whether Midwest (north central United States) cooperative and non-cooperative farmers differ in perceived stress and symptoms of depression and whether potential differences were impacted by program use, program satisfaction, and social support. Results Cooperative farmers reported lower perceived stress and symptoms of depression than non-cooperative farmers and the difference was statistically significant for perceived stress. Use of educational programs, such as training and mentorship, was associated with decreased perceived stress but not symptoms of depression. Satisfaction with programs and social support were associated with decreased perceived stress and symptoms of depression. Program satisfaction was observed to have more associations with decreased perceived stress and symptoms of depression than program use. Conclusions Results reveal that organizational resources and social support can mitigate mental health risks among farmers. This study highlighted an opportunity for future investigation of social connectedness in addressing farmers’ mental health.
Bifurcations of periodic solutions and chaos in Duffing-van der Pol equation with one external forcing

The Duffing-Van der Pol equation withfifth nonlinear-restoring force and one external forcing term isinvestigated in detail: the existence and bifurcations of harmonicand second-order subharmonic, and third-order subharmonic,third-order superharmonic and $m$-order subharmonic under smallperturbations are obtained by using second-order averaging methodand subharmonic Melnikov function; the threshold values of existenceof chaotic motion are obtained by using Melnikov method. Thenumerical simulation results including the influences of periodicand quasi-periodic and all parameters exhibit more new complexdynamical behaviors. We show that the reverse period-doublingbifurcation to chaos, period-doubling bifurcation to chaos,quasi-periodic orbits route to chaos, onset of chaos, and chaossuddenly disappearing, and chaos suddenly converting to periodorbits, different chaotic regions with a great abundance of periodicwindows (periods:1,2,3,4,5,7,9,10,13,15,17,19,21,25,29,31,37,41, andso on), and more wide period-one window, and varied chaoticattractors including small size and maximum Lyapunov exponentapproximate to zero but positive, and the symmetry-breaking ofperiodic orbits. In particular, the system can leave chaotic regionto periodic motion by adjusting the parameters $p, \beta, \gamma, f$and $\omega$, which can be considered as a control strategy.
On the baryon acoustic oscillation amplitude as a probe of radiation density

The baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature in the distribution of galaxies has been widely studied as an excellent standard ruler for probing cosmic distances and expansion history, and hence dark energy. In contrast, the amplitude of the BAO feature has received relatively little study, mainly due to limited signal-to-noise, and complications due to galaxy biasing, effects of non-linear clustering and dependence on several cosmological parameters. As expected, the amplitude of the BAO feature is sensitive to the cosmic baryon fraction: for standard radiation content, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) acoustic peaks constrain this precisely and the BAO amplitude is largely a redundant cross-check. However, the CMB mainly constrains the redshift of matter-radiation equality, z_eq, and the baryon/photon ratio: if a non-standard radiation density N_eff is allowed, increasing N_eff while matching the CMB peaks leads to a reduced baryon fraction and a lower relative BAO amplitude. We construct an observable for the relative area of the BAO feature from the galaxy correlation function (Eq.~8); from linear-theory models, we find that this is mainly sensitive to N_eff and quite insensitive to other cosmological parameters. More detailed work from N-body simulations will be needed to constrain the effects of non-linearity and scale-dependent galaxy bias on this observable.
CuATSM effectively ameliorates ALS patient astrocyte‐mediated motor neuron toxicity in human in vitro models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Patient diversity and unknown disease cause are major challenges for drug development and clinical trial design for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Transgenic animal models do not adequately reflect the heterogeneity of ALS. Direct reprogramming of patient fibroblasts to neuronal progenitor cells and subsequent differentiation into patient astrocytes allows rapid generation of disease relevant cell types. Thus, this methodology can facilitate compound testing in a diverse genetic background resulting in a more representative population for therapeutic evaluation. Here, we used established co‐culture assays with motor neurons and reprogrammed patient skin‐derived astrocytes (iAs) to evaluate the effects of (SP‐4‐2)‐[[2,2’‐(1,2‐dimethyl‐1,2‐ethanediylidene)bis[N‐methylhydrazinecarbothioamidato‐κN2,κS]](2‐)]‐copper (CuATSM), currently in clinical trial for ALS in Australia. Pretreatment of iAs with CuATSM had a differential effect on neuronal survival following co‐culture with healthy motor neurons. Using this assay, we identified responding and non‐responding cell lines for both sporadic and familial ALS (mutant SOD1 and C9ORF72). Importantly, elevated mitochondrial respiration was the common denominator in all CuATSM‐responders, a metabolic phenotype not observed in non‐responders. Pre‐treatment of iAs with CuATSM restored mitochondrial activity to levels comparable to healthy controls. Hence, this metabolic parameter might allow selection of patient subpopulations best suited for CuATSM treatment. Moreover, CuATSM might have additional therapeutic value for mitochondrial disorders. Enhanced understanding of patient‐specific cellular and molecular profiles could help improve clinical trial design in the future.
Semiconductor detector developments for high energy space astronomy

The rise of high energy astrophysics and solar physics in the 20th century is linked to the development of space telescopes; since the 1960s they have given access to the X-ray and gamma-ray sky, revealing the most violent phenomena in the Universe. Research and developments in imaging concepts and sensing materials haven't stopped since yet to improve the sensitivity of the X-ray and gamma-ray observatories. The paper proposes an overview of instrument realizations and focuses on the innovative detection techniques and technologies for applications from 0.1 keV to 10 MeV energy range. Solid-state detectors are prominent solutions for space instrumentation because of their excellent imaging and spectroscopic capabilities with limited volume and power resources. Various detection concepts based on semiconductors (Compton camera, Cd(Zn)Te pixel hybrids, DePFET active pixel sensors) are under design or fabrication for the near-future missions like Astro-H, BepiColombo, Solar Orbiter. New technologies on sensing materials, front-end electronics, interconnect processes are under study for the next generation of instruments to push back our knowledge of star and galaxy formation and evolution.
Essential Functions of Calmodulin and Identification of Its Proximal Interacting Proteins in Tachyzoite-Stage Toxoplasma gondii via BioID Technology

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular pathogen that threatens human and animal health. This unicellular parasite is active in many biological processes, such as egress and invasion. ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a pathogen belonging to the apicomplexan phylum, and it threatens human and animal health. Calcium ions, a critical second messenger in cells, can regulate important biological processes, including parasite invasion and egress. Calmodulin (CaM) is a small, highly conserved, Ca2+-binding protein found in all eukaryotic cells. After binding to Ca2+, CaM can be activated to interact with various proteins. However, little is known about CaM’s function and its interacting proteins in T. gondii. In this study, we successfully knocked down CaM in the T. gondii parent strain TATI using a tetracycline-off system with the Toxoplasma CaM promoter. The results indicated that CaM was required for tachyzoite proliferation, invasion, and egress and that CaM depletion resulted in apicoplast loss, thus threatening parasite survival in the next lytic cycle. In the tachyzoite stage, CaM loss caused significant anomalies in the parasite’s basal constriction, motility, and parasite rosette-like arrangement in the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). These phenotypic defects caused by CaM depletion indicate the importance of CaM in T. gondii. Therefore, it is important to identify the CaM-interacting proteins in T. gondii. Applying BioID technology, more than 300 CaM’s proximal interacting proteins were identified from T. gondii. These CaM partners were broadly distributed throughout the parasite. Furthermore, the protein interactome and transcriptome analyses indicated the potential role of CaM in ion binding, cation binding, metal ion binding, calcium ion binding, and oxidation-reduction. Our findings shed light on the CaM function and CaM-interactome in T. gondii and other eukaryotes. IMPORTANCE Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular pathogen that threatens human and animal health. This unicellular parasite is active in many biological processes, such as egress and invasion. The implementation efficiency of T. gondii biological processes is dependent on signal transmission. Ca2+, as a second messenger, is essential for the parasite’s life cycle. Calmodulin, a ubiquitous Ca2+ receptor protein, is highly conserved and mediates numerous Ca2+-dependent events in eukaryotes. Few CaM functions or regulated partners have been characterized in T. gondii tachyzoites. Here, we reported the essential functions of calmodulin in T. gondii tachyzoite and the identification of its interacting partners using BioID technology, shedding light on the CaM function and CaM-interactome in Toxoplasma gondii and other eukaryotes.
Sexual and Gender Minority Victimization: Base Rates of Assault in College Students Across Sexual and Gender Identities

Past findings have indicated that sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience disproportionate rates of emotional, physical, and sexual assault compared to their heterosexual/cisgender counterparts. While these findings are robust, many studies report homogenous groupings of SGM participants. This practice likely masks important between-group differences. We sought to address this issue by examining reported base rates of emotional, physical, and sexual assault within 12 months of data collection, split across specific sexual (heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual, questioning, queer, pansexual, asexual, and demisexual) and gender (cisgender men, cisgender women, gender nonconforming female assigned at birth [FAB], and gender nonconforming male assigned at birth) identity groups. Our data came from 2020 to 2021 Healthy Minds Study, a large survey of college students living in the United States (N = 119,181). Results indicated most forms of assault were higher in SGM groups compared to heterosexual and cisgender individuals, both on univariate and multivariate (e.g., one or more type of assault) levels. Demisexual individuals reported the highest base rates for emotional assault (45.7%), whereas pansexual individuals reported highest rates of physical assault (12.5%) and sexual assault (17.3%). Demisexual individuals reported the highest multivariate base rate of experiencing at least one form of assault (49.5%), and pansexual individuals reported the highest multivariate base rate of experiencing all three forms of assault (4.7%) within the past 12 months. Gender nonconforming FAB individuals reported the highest univariate and multivariate base rates across assault types compared to all other gender identity groups. With few exceptions, compared to heterosexual and cisgender men (referents), all other sexual and gender identity groups reported significantly higher adjusted odds of experiencing each assault type. These data suggest SGM individuals experience disproportionate levels of assault.
Chrysanthemum MAF2 regulates flowering by repressing gibberellin biosynthesis in response to low temperature

SUMMARY Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) is well known as a photoperiod‐sensitive flowering plant. However, it has also evolved into a temperature‐sensitive ecotype. Low temperature can promote the floral transition of the temperature‐sensitive ecotype, but little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we identified MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING 2 (CmMAF2), a putative MADS‐box gene, which induces floral transition in response to low temperatures independent of day length conditions in this ecotype. CmMAF2 was shown to bind to the promoter of the GA biosynthesis gene CmGA20ox1 and to directly regulate the biosynthesis of bioactive GA1 and GA4. The elevated bioactive GA levels activated LEAFY (CmLFY) expression, ultimately initiating floral transition. In addition, CmMAF2 expression in response to low temperatures was directly activated by CmC3H1, a CCCH‐type zinc‐finger protein upstream. In summary, our results reveal that the CmC3H1–CmMAF2 module regulates flowering time in response to low temperatures by regulating GA biosynthesis in the temperature‐sensitive chrysanthemum ecotype.
The Development of a Neutron Evaporation Theory Code for the Thermal Fission of Uranium-235

Abstract : The thermal fission of Uranium-235 has been studied by developing a computer code that used evaporation theory based on the Weisskopf model for neutron emission from individual fission fragments. This computer code calculates a prompt neutron spectrum for the thermal fission of Uranium-235, calculates the total gamma ray energy for the fission of Uranium-235, and calculates the average prompt neutron kinetic energy. Until now, evaporation theory codes used average values of mass and energy in determining prompt neutron spectra, and this code was developed to use all possible fission fragment combinations in order to eliminate this averaging. This approach is necessary to compute certain measured data such as the probability that 0,1,2,. neutrons are emitted per fission. This code uses subroutines to calculate rest masses, corrects the calculated rest mass to agree with experiment, and to determine the emitted neutron kinetic energies. Evaporation theory codes have predicted low total gamma energy release in fission, but agree quite favorably with experiments in predicting the average prompt neutron kinetic energy. The prompt neutron spectrum obtained in this code has a high tail region, that is, below 0.5 MeV. The average kinetic energy of the neutrons agree very well with experiment, and the total gamma energy is lower than experiment, as previous evaporation theory codes have been. Keywords: Fission; Prompt neutron spectrum; Uranium-235, Liquid drop model; Semi-empirical mass formula. (Theses)
Evolutionary rescue of phosphomannomutase deficiency in yeast models of human disease

The most common cause of human congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are mutations in the phosphomannomutase gene PMM2, which affect protein N-linked glycosylation. The yeast gene SEC53 encodes a homolog of human PMM2. We evolved 384 populations of yeast harboring one of two human-disease-associated alleles, sec53-V238M and sec53-F126L, or wild-type SEC53. We find that after 1000 generations, most populations compensate for the slow-growth phenotype associated with the sec53 human-disease-associated alleles. Through whole-genome sequencing we identify compensatory mutations, including known SEC53 genetic interactors. We observe an enrichment of compensatory mutations in other genes whose human homologs are associated with Type 1 CDG, including PGM1, which encodes the minor isoform of phosphoglucomutase in yeast. By genetic reconstruction, we show that evolved pgm1 mutations are dominant and allele-specific genetic interactors that restore both protein glycosylation and growth of yeast harboring the sec53-V238M allele. Finally, we characterize the enzymatic activity of purified Pgm1 mutant proteins. We find that reduction, but not elimination, of Pgm1 activity best compensates for the deleterious phenotypes associated with the sec53-V238M allele. Broadly, our results demonstrate the power of experimental evolution as a tool for identifying genes and pathways that compensate for human-disease-associated alleles.