Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Origin and chromatin remodeling of young X/Y sex chromosomes in catfish with sexual plasticity

ABSTRACT Assembly of a complete Y chromosome is a significant challenge in animals with an XX/XY sex-determination system. Recently, we created YY-supermale yellow catfish by crossing XY males with sex-reversed XY females, providing a valuable model for Y-chromosome assembly and evolution. Here, we assembled highly homomorphic Y and X chromosomes by sequencing genomes of the YY supermale and XX female in yellow catfish, revealing their nucleotide divergences with only less than 1% and with the same gene compositions. The sex-determining region (SDR) was identified to locate within a physical distance of 0.3 Mb by FST scanning. Strikingly, the incipient sex chromosomes were revealed to originate via autosome–autosome fusion and were characterized by a highly rearranged region with an SDR downstream of the fusion site. We found that the Y chromosome was at a very early stage of differentiation, as no clear evidence of evolutionary strata and classical structure features of recombination suppression for a rather late stage of Y-chromosome evolution were observed. Significantly, a number of sex-antagonistic mutations and the accumulation of repetitive elements were discovered in the SDR, which might be the main driver of the initial establishment of recombination suppression between young X and Y chromosomes. Moreover, distinct three-dimensional chromatin organizations of the Y and X chromosomes were identified in the YY supermales and XX females, as the X chromosome exhibited denser chromatin structure than the Y chromosome, while they respectively have significantly spatial interactions with female- and male-related genes compared with other autosomes. The chromatin configuration of the sex chromosomes as well as the nucleus spatial organization of the XX neomale were remodeled after sex reversal and similar to those in YY supermales, and a male-specific loop containing the SDR was found in the open chromatin region. Our results elucidate the origin of young sex chromosomes and the chromatin remodeling configuration in the catfish sexual plasticity.
THE STATE OF STAR FORMATION AND THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM AT z ∼ 6

In the context of stellar reionization in the standard cold dark matter model, we analyze observations at z ∼ 6 and are able to draw three significant conclusions with respect to star formation and the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z ∼ 6. (1) An initial stellar mass function (IMF) more efficient, by a factor of 10–20, in producing ionizing photons than the standard Salpeter IMF is required at z ∼ 6. This may be achieved by having either (a) a metal-enriched IMF with a lower mass cutoff of ⩾30 M☉ or (b) 2%–4% of stellar mass being Population III massive metal-free stars at z ∼ 6. While there is no compelling physical reason or observational evidence to support (a), (b) could plausibly be fulfilled by continued existence of some pockets of uncontaminated, metal-free gas for star formation. (2) The volume-weighted neutral fraction of the IGM of at z = 5.8 inferred from the SDSS observations of QSO absorption spectra provides enough information to ascertain that reionization is basically complete with at most ∼0.1%–1% of IGM that is unionized at z = 5.8. (3) Barring some extreme evolution of the IMF, the neutral fraction of the IGM is expected to rise quickly toward high redshift from the point of H ii bubble percolation, with the mean neutral fraction of the IGM expected to reach 6%–12% at z = 6.5, 13%–27% at z = 7.7, and 22%–38% at z = 8.8.
Asprosin promotes feeding through SK channel–dependent activation of AgRP neurons

Asprosin, a recently identified adipokine, activates agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) via binding to protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor δ (Ptprd) to increase food intake. However, the intracellular mechanisms responsible for asprosin/Ptprd-mediated activation of AgRPARH neurons remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channel is required for the stimulatory effects of asprosin/Ptprd on AgRPARH neurons. Specifically, we found that deficiency or elevation of circulating asprosin increased or decreased the SK current in AgRPARH neurons, respectively. AgRPARH-specific deletion of SK3 (an SK channel subtype highly expressed in AgRPARH neurons) blocked asprosin-induced AgRPARH activation and overeating. Furthermore, pharmacological blockade, genetic knockdown, or knockout of Ptprd abolished asprosin’s effects on the SK current and AgRPARH neuronal activity. Therefore, our results demonstrated an essential asprosin-Ptprd-SK3 mechanism in asprosin-induced AgRPARH activation and hyperphagia, which is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity.
Acupuncture for autophagy in animal models of middle cerebral artery occlusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction Ischemic stroke has high morbidity, disability and mortality rates. The effective treatments recommended by guideline have considerable limitations due to their strict range of adaptation and narrow time window. Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for ischemic stroke, and the mechanism may be related to autophagy. In this systematic review, we aim to summarize and evaluate the evidence of autophagy in acupuncture therapy for animal models of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Methods Publications will be retrieved from the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, CVIP and Wanfang databases. We will include animal experimental studies of acupuncture for MCAO, and the control group will receive placebo/sham acupuncture or no treatment after model establishment. Outcome measures must include autophagy and will include neurologic scores and/or infarct size. The Systematic Review Center for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool will be used to assess the risk of bias. A meta-analysis will be performed if the included studies are sufficiently homogenous. Subgroup analyses will be conducted according to different intervention types and different types of outcomes. Sensitivity analyses will also performed to explore the heterogeneity and to assess the stability of the results. Publication bias will be assessed by funnel plots. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system will be applied to evaluate the quality of evidence in this systematic review. Discussion The results of this study may help to explain autophagy in acupuncture therapy for ischemic stroke. The limitation of this review is that all included studies will be retrieved from Chinese or English medical databases due to language barriers. Registration We registered in PROSPERO on May 31, 2022. (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php? RecordID=329917) (CRD42022329917).
Convergence properties of inexact projected gradient methods

In this article, we give a more comprehensive theoretical analysis of the inexact spectral projected gradient (ISPG) method introduced by Birgin et al. (Birgin, E.G., Martínez, J.M. and Raydan, M., 2003, Inexact spectral projected gradient methods on convex set. IMA Journal of Numerical Analysis, 23, 539–559) for the minimization of differentiable functions on closed convex sets. In doing so, we remove the boundedness of level sets of the objective function. Under weaker conditions, we establish the convergence theory. Moreover, we present a new inexact hybrid projection method based on the ISPG method. This new method has an encouraging convergence property which is that the whole sequence of iterates converges to a solution of the problem under no assumptions other than pseudoconvexity and continuous differentiability of f(·).
Dielectrophoretically structured piezoelectric composites with high aspect ratio piezoelectric particles inclusions

Piezoelectric composites were prepared by dielectrophoretic alignment of high aspect ratio piezoelectric particles in a thermosetting polymer matrix. A high level of alignment was achieved in the cured composite from a resin containing randomly oriented high aspect ratio particles. Upon application of an electric field during curing of the resin, the particles were found to rotate with their long axes in the direction of the electric field, before coalescing to form chains. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the structured composites are well described by an analytical model for composites containing particles arranged into chains. The influence of degree of rotation and aspect ratio of the individual particles as well as their spacing is described with this model. The results correlate with the experimental values for both permittivity and piezoelectric constants in the poling direction. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties were significantly improved with respect to randomly dispersed piezoelectric ceramic powder–polymer composites and the maximum g33 was shifted to a lower volume fraction. The results could have implications for development of dielectric and piezoelectric (nano-)fiber composites for dielectrics such as embedded capcitors, as well as piezoelectrics for sensing and energy harvesting applications.
Dynamic Stochastic Models for Time-Dependent Ordered Paired Comparison Systems

Abstract When paired comparisons are made sequentially over time as for example in chess competitions, it is natural to assume that the underlying abilities do change with time. Previous approaches are based on fixed updating schemes where the increments and decrements are fixed functions of the underlying abilities. The parameters that determine the functions have to be specified a priori and are based on rational reasoning. We suggest an alternative scheme for keeping track with the underlying abilities. Our approach is based on two components: a response model that specifies the connection between the observations and the underlying abilities and a transition model that specifies the variation of abilities over time. The response model is a very general paired comparison model allowing for ties and ordered responses. The transition model incorporates random walk models and local linear trend models. Taken together, these two components form a non-Gaussian state-space model. Based on recent results, rec.
Statistical Analysis of Aerosol Effects on Simulated Mixed-Phase Clouds and Precipitation in the Alps

AbstractIncreasing the aerosol number in warm-phase clouds is thought to decrease the rain formation rate, whereas the physical processes taking place in mixed-phase clouds are more uncertain. Increasing number concentrations of soluble aerosols may reduce the riming efficiency and therefore also decrease precipitation. On the other hand, the glaciation of a cloud by heterogeneous freezing of cloud droplets may enhance the formation of graupel and snow. Using a numerical weather prediction model with coupled aerosol microphysics, it is found, in a statistical framework with 270 clean and polluted 2D simulations of mixed-phase precipitation over an Alpine transect, that the presence of the ice phase determines the magnitude and the sign of the effect of an increasing aerosol number concentration on orographic precipitation. Immersion/condensation freezing is the only ice-nucleating process considered here. It is shown that this indirect aerosol effect is much less pronounced in cold simulations compared to.
Plasmid-encoded VCC-1 β-lactamase in a clinical isolate of Aeromonas caviae

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae carbapenemase (VCC-1) is a chromosomal encoded class A carbapenemase thus far reported in environmental Vibrio cholerae isolates. Here, we report the first isolation of a blaVCC-1 -carrying Aeromonas caviae from a clinical sample in Israel. The isolate was resistant to all β-lactam agents, including carbapenems. The blaVCC-1 was located on a large plasmid. GC content suggests that the origin of the blaVCC-1 gene is neither Aeromonas nor Vibrio spp. but an unknown progenitor.
The role of parity in the relationship between endometriosis and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Graphical Abstract Abstract Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition which can affect the entire reproductive life course of women with a potentially detrimental effect on pregnancy. Pregnancy (and increasing parity) can affect endometriosis by modulating disease severity and suppressing symptoms. Multiparous women could be less likely to suffer from endometriosis-related pregnancy complications than primiparous women. We aimed to systematically review the evidence examining the role of parity in the relationship between pregnancy outcomes and endometriosis. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library was performed from inception to May 2022. We searched for experimental and observational studies. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation was used to assess the quality of evidence with the risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions tool incorporated. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Primiparous women with endometriosis had almost double the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.50–2.63, P < 0.001) compared to multiparous women with endometriosis. Primiparous women with endometriosis were at significantly increased risk of preterm delivery, caesarean delivery, and placenta praevia compared to primiparous women without endometriosis. There were no significant differences in outcomes when multiparous women with endometriosis were compared to multiparous women without endometriosis. There is limited evidence to suggest that primiparous women with endometriosis may be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to multiparous women. The modulatory role of parity in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and its impact on pregnancy outcomes should be investigated. Lay summary Endometriosis can adversely affect pregnancy and cause complications that can affect both mother and baby. The severity and symptoms of endometriosis are lessened in pregnancy and with increasing births. Women who have previously given birth could experience fewer pregnancy complications than women giving birth for the first time. We reviewed the literature to compare pregnancy outcomes in women with endometriosis by whether they had given birth before or not. Our review included 11 studies. More women with endometriosis giving birth for the first time had blood pressure disorders in pregnancy than women with endometriosis who had given birth before. First-time mothers with endometriosis tended to have a baby born early, caesarean delivery, and an abnormally located placenta compared to those without endometriosis. This study supports the theory that women with endometriosis in their first pregnancy are at higher risk of complications and may benefit from additional monitoring.
Multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis of human-metronome phasing

Perception-action coordination (also known as sensorimotor synchronization, SMS) is often studied by analyzing motor coordination with auditory rhythms. The current study assesses phasing—a compositional technique in which two people tap the same rhythm at varying phases by adjusting tempi—to explore how SMS is impacted by individual and situational factors. After practice trials, participants engaged in the experimental phasing task with a metronome at tempi ranging from 80–140 beats per minute (bpm). Multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis (MdRQA) was used to compare nonlinear dynamics of phasing performance. Varying coupling patterns emerged and were significantly predicted by tempo and linguistic experience. Participants who successfully phased replicated findings from an original case study, demonstrating stable tapping patterns near in-phase and antiphase, while those unsuccessful at phasing showed weaker attraction to in-phase and antiphase.
Glucocorticoid exposure and the risk of serious infections in rheumatoid arthritis: a marginal structural model application

Abstract Objective Observational studies have reported an increased risk of infections associated with glucocorticoids in RA, not supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials. Inappropriately accommodating time-varying exposure and confounding in observational studies might explain the conflicting results. Therefore, we compared the incidence of serious infections between different oral glucocorticoid dose patterns over three years in a prospective inception cohort, adjusting for time-varying confounders in marginal structural models. Methods We included 9654 newly diagnosed RA patients from the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register between 2007–2018 and followed them for three years after the first rheumatology visit. Follow-up was divided into 90-day periods. A mean oral prednisone daily dose was calculated for each period and categorized into ‘no use’, ‘low’ (≤10 mg/day) and ‘high’ (>10 mg/day) doses. The incidence of serious infections (hospitalization for infection) over follow-up periods was modelled by pooled logistic regression allowing separate effects for recent and past exposure. Results An increased incidence of serious infections was associated with higher compared with lower doses and with more recent compared with past glucocorticoid exposure. Over 3 years of follow-up, the marginal structural models predicted one additional serious infection for every 83 individuals treated with low GC doses for the first 6 months, and for every 125 individuals treated with high GC doses for the first 3 months, compared with no GC use. Conclusion Our results broadly agree with previous observational studies showing a dose dependent increased risk of infection associated with (recent) use of oral glucocorticoids.
CD11c+ macrophages are proangiogenic and necessary for experimental choroidal neovascularization

Patients with neovascular AMD (nAMD) suffer vision loss from destructive angiogenesis, termed choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Macrophages are found in CNV lesions from patients with nAMD. Additionally, Ccr2–/– mice, which lack classical monocyte–derived macrophages, show reduced CNV size. However, macrophages are highly diverse cells that can perform multiple functions. We performed single-cell RNA-Seq on immune cells from WT and Ccr2–/– eyes to uncover macrophage heterogeneity during the laser-induced CNV mouse model of nAMD. We identified 12 macrophage clusters, including Spp1+ macrophages. Spp1+ macrophages were enriched from WT lasered eyes and expressed a proangiogenic transcriptome via multiple pathways, including vascular endothelial growth factor signaling, endothelial cell sprouting, cytokine signaling, and fibrosis. Additionally, Spp1+ macrophages expressed the marker CD11c, and CD11c+ macrophages were increased by laser and present in CNV lesions. Finally, CD11c+ macrophage depletion reduced CNV size by 40%. These findings broaden our understanding of ocular macrophage heterogeneity and implicate CD11c+ macrophages as potential therapeutic targets for treatment-resistant patients with nAMD.
LOCATION OF ZEROS AND ASYMPTOTICS OF POLYNOMIALS SATISFYING THREE- TERM RECURRENCE RELATIONS WITH COMPLEX COEFFICIENTS

Under very general conditions on the complex coefficients of a three-term recurrence relation, it is proved that "almost all" zeros of the polynomials generated by these relations "accumulate" on a certain segment in the complex plane. From this result follow the convergence of diagonal Pade approximants and a generalization of Van Vleck's theorem on the convergence of S-fractions. Another interesting application is an extension of the so-called Nevai-Blumenthal class of polynomials to the case when , . Bibliography: 14 titles.
E-cigarettes and asthma in adolescents

Purpose of review E-cigarettes have been long purported to be a mechanism of harm reduction in current smokers. However, market expansion to adolescents has been aggressive, despite government interventions. Research examining the adverse effects of e-cigarettes in teens with asthma has been limited. We discuss the most recent data on the pulmonary manifestations of e-cigarettes use and exposure in adolescents with asthma. Recent findings Adolescents with asthma are more likely to be e-cigarette users than those without asthma and more likely to have asthma exacerbations. Increased pulmonary inflammatory cytokines have been seen in e-cigarette users and mouse models. Yet, providers are not confident in e-cigarette screening and counselling despite acknowledging adolescents are using e-cigarettes regularly. Summary Since the introduction of e-cigarettes into the United States market in 2007, adolescents use of these products has risen, even after a brief decline during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This review will describe the most recent studies on e-cigarette use trends, cytotoxicity of e-cigarette aerosol and associations with the diagnosis and symptoms of asthma. Knowledge gaps, advocacy efforts, evidence on e-cigarette cessation will be highlighted.
Realization of Fast InGaAs Photoconductive Response by Ion Implantation and Annealing with No Degradation of Peak Responsivity

Fast and efficient InGaAs photoconductive responses were obtained by B-ion implantation and subsequent rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Undoped, n-type (n=5×1015 / cm3), 0.5 µm thick InGaAs layers were epitaxially grown on semi-insulating InP:Fe substrates. These layers were homogeneously implanted with B ions at multiple energies. Thereafter, they were subjected to RTA in a halogen lamp furnace. The photoconductive impulse response of these layers to a 1.3 µm light pulse showed an improved FWHM (full width at half-maximum) of 0.7 ns at a dose of 1.9×1013 B/cm2 and RTA at 800°C with scarcely degraded responsivity, in contrast to the FWHM of more than 1.6 ns for original samples. It was interpreted that this improvement might be obtained due to both hole trap annihilation by the implantation itself, resulting in a removal of the long tail, and the recovery of degraded carrier mobilities by post-implantation annealing.
Radial velocities of planetary nebulae

On presente un catalogue de toutes les vitesses radiales connues et de leurs incertitudes pour 524 nebuleuses planetaires. Cent deux sources ont ete consultees, comprenant 920 mesures de vitesse distinctes. On discute des diverses sources d'erreurs dans les mesures et on explique les techniques utilisees pour leur evaluation. On presente quelques considerations statistiques sur les vitesses radiales de la population des nebuleuses planetaires