Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acid-active proteases to optimize dietary protein digestibility: a step towards sustainable nutrition

Introduction Historically, prioritizing abundant food production often resulted in overlooking nutrient quality and bioavailability, however, environmental concerns have now propelled sustainable nutrition and health efficacy to the forefront of global attention. In fact, increasing demand for protein is the major challenge facing the food system in the 21st century with an estimation that 70% more food is needed by 2050. This shift has spurred interest in plant-based proteins for their sustainability and health benefits, but most alternative sources of protein are poorly digestible. There are two approaches to solve digestibility: improve the digestibility of food proteins or improve the digestive capacity of consumers. Enhancing nutrient digestibility and bioavailability across diverse protein sources is crucial, with proteases presenting a promising avenue. Research, inspired by the proteases of human breast milk, has demonstrated that exogenous microbial proteases can activate within the human digestive tract and substantially increase the digestion of targeted proteins that are otherwise difficult to fully digest. Methods Here, we introduce the use of an acid-active family of bacterial proteases (S53) to improve the digestibility and nutritional quality of a variety of protein sources, evaluated using the INFOGEST 2.0 protocol. Results Results from in vitro digestibility indicate that the most effective protease in the S53 family substantially improves the digestibility of an array of animal and plant-derived proteins—soy, pea, chickpea, rice, casein, and whey. On average, this protease elevated protein digestibility by 115% during the gastric phase and by 15% in the intestinal phase, based on the degree of hydrolysis. Discussion The widespread adoption of these proteases has the potential to enhance nutritional value and contribute to food security and sustainability. This approach would complement ongoing efforts to improve proteins in the food supply, increase the quality of more sustainable protein sources and aid in the nourishment of patients with clinically compromised, fragile intestines and individuals like older adults and high-performance athletes who have elevated protein needs.
Interfacial Layer Selection Methodology for Customized Ferroelectric Memories

This study presents a material selection strategy for the interfacial layer (IL) in ferroelectric (FE) memory stacks. The nucleation-limited switching (NLS) model was applied to analyze the switching kinetics of the metal/FE/insulator/metal (MFIM) structure, where Hf0.5Zr0. 5O2 (HZO) was used as the FE. Activation field (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}_{a}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and characteristic switching time (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tau $ </tex-math></inline-formula>) were extracted for various 1-nm-thick ILs, including those of SiO2, La2O3 (LaO), AlN, and Hf3N4 (HfN). The adaptation of HZO/LaO reduced the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}_{a}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> by ~44% in relation to that of HZO without an IL (MFM-HZO), resulting in considerably faster switching in the low-electric-field (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) region (< 4 MV<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{-{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>)—a highly suitable criterion for applications in 1-bit nonvolatile memories. In contrast, HZO/AlN showed the broadest <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\tau $ </tex-math></inline-formula> distribution due to the large <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}_{a}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula>200% of MFM-HZO), which led to the stabilization of multiple-intermediate polarization states. Promising potentiation and depression characteristics were obtained for multibit synapse applications when an incremental pulse time scheme with a step size of 10 ns was used.
Lightweight YOLOv7 Algorithm for Multi-Object Recognition on Contrabands in Terahertz Images

With the strengthening of worldwide counter-terrorism initiatives, it is increasingly important to detect contrabands such as controlled knives and flammable materials hidden in clothes and bags. Terahertz (THz) imaging technology is widely used in the field of contraband detection due to its advantages of high imaging speed and strong penetration. However, the terahertz images are of poor qualities and lack texture details. Traditional target detection methods suffer from low detection speeds, misdetection, and omission of contraband. This work pre-processes the original dataset using a variety of image processing methods and validates the effect of these methods on the detection results of YOLOv7. Meanwhile, the lightweight and multi-object detection YOLOv7 (LWMD-YOLOv7) algorithm is proposed. Firstly, to meet the demand of real-time for multi-target detection, we propose the space-to-depth mobile (SPD_Mobile) network as the lightweight feature extraction network. Secondly, the selective attention module large selective kernel (LSK) network is integrated into the output of the multi-scale feature map of the LWMD-YOLOv7 network, which enhances the effect of feature fusion and strengthens the network’s attention to salient features. Finally, Distance Intersection over Union (DIOU) is used as the loss function to accelerate the convergence of the model and to have a better localisation effect for small targets. The experimental results show that the YOLOv7 algorithm achieves the best detection results on the terahertz image dataset after the non-local mean filtering process. The LWMD-YOLOv7 algorithm achieves a detection accuracy P of 98.5%, a recall R of 97.5%, and a detection speed of 112.4 FPS, which is 26.9 FPS higher than that of the YOLOv7 base network. The LWMD-YOLOv7 achieves a better balance between detection accuracy and detection speed. It provides a technological reference for the automated detection of contraband in terahertz images.
Genomic Analysis of Romanian Lycium Genotypes: Exploring BODYGUARD Genes for Stress Resistance Breeding

Goji berries, long valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Asian cuisine for their wide range of medicinal benefits, are now considered a ‘superfruit’ and functional food worldwide. Because of growing demand, Europe and North America are increasing their goji berry production, using goji berry varieties that are not originally from these regions. European breeding programs are focusing on producing Lycium varieties adapted to local conditions and market demands. By 2023, seven varieties of goji berries were successfully registered in Romania, developed using germplasm that originated from sources outside the country. A broader project focused on goji berry breeding was initiated in 2014 at USAMV Bucharest. In the present research, five cultivated and three wild L. barbarum genotypes were compared to analyse genetic variation at the whole genome level. In addition, a case study presents the differences in the genomic coding sequences of BODYGUARD (BDG) 3 and 4 genes from chromosomes 4, 8, and 9, which are involved in cuticle-related resistance. All three BDG genes show distinctive differences between the cultivated and wild-type genotypes at the SNP level. In the BDG 4 gene located on chromosome 8, 69% of SNPs differentiate the wild from the cultivated genotypes, while in BDG 3 on chromosome 4, 64% of SNPs could tell the difference between the wild and cultivated goji berry. The research also uncovered significant SNP and InDel differences between cultivated and wild genotypes, in the entire genome, providing crucial insights for goji berry breeders to support the development of goji berry cultivation in Romania.
Regional Anesthesia for Arthroscopic Knee Repair in a Patient With Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) Under Monitored Anesthesia Care With Dexmedetomidine Infusion

Patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) who are scheduled for elective, noncardiac surgery present a distinctive challenge for perioperative healthcare providers. The use of general anesthesia and neuraxial anesthesia carries the risk of unpredictable hemodynamic changes and potential complications. Regional anesthesia (RA) emerges as a prudent and effective option for HOCM patients. RA provides advantages such as minimizing hemodynamic fluctuations, avoiding intubation, reducing pharmacologic side effects, facilitating enhanced recovery after surgery, and contributing to greater patient satisfaction. We share the case of a 15-year-old individual diagnosed with HOCM and exercise intolerance, undergoing arthroscopic repair for right patellar instability. In this instance, the patient received preoperative peripheral nerve blocks for surgical anesthesia and underwent repair utilizing monitored anesthesia care (MAC) with a dexmedetomidine (DEX) infusion.
Soil Physical and Environmental Conditions Controlling Patterned‐Ground Variability at a Continuous Permafrost Site, Svalbard

This study examines soil physical and environmental conditions controlling patterned‐ground variability on an alluvial fan in a continuous permafrost landscape, at Adventdalen, Svalbard. On‐site monitoring of ground temperature, soil moisture and snow depth, laboratory analyses of soil physical properties and principal component analysis indicate that the distribution of patterned ground depends primarily on soil texture, soil moisture and the winter ground thermal regime associated with snow cover. Mudboils and composite patterns (mudboils surrounded by small polygons) occupy well‐drained areas composed of clay‐rich aeolian sediments. Compared to mudboils, composite patterns show a sharper contrast in soil texture between barren centres and vegetated rims. Hummocks filled with organic materials develop on poorly drained lowlands associated with a shallow water table. Ice‐wedge polygons are dominant on sandy loess‐covered areas where the local wind regime minimises snow cover, enhancing ground cooling that promotes thermal contraction cracking. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biologic monitoring of environmental contaminants in marine (killer whale) and terrestrial (caribou, moose, and wolf) wildlife populations using scat samples

Biologic monitoring of environmental contaminants in marine (killer whale) and terrestrial (caribou, moose, and wolf) wildlife populations using scat samples Jessica I. Lundin Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Samuel K. Wasser, PhD Department of Biology Wildlife are intimately associated with contaminated waters and polluted landscapes, serving as sentinels to the health of our shared environment. This project optimized trace analytic techniques for measuring toxicants in scat samples and evaluated contamination levels among Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs; Orcinus orca) in the Salish Sea and Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), moose (Alces americanus), and Grey wolf (Canis lupus) in the Alberta Oil Sands (AOS). Scat sampling provides an unprecedented opportunity to noninvasively monitor marine and terrestrial wildlife across broad geographic landscapes. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is a primary risk factor for the endangered SRKWs. POPs are lipophilic toxicants associated with adverse health effects including endocrine disruption and reproductive toxicity. Scat samples collected from 2010-2013 demonstrated that contaminant levels are highest, from endogenous lipid stores, and have the greatest potential for toxicity when the whales are nutritionally compromised. Toxicant exposures may contribute to increased mortality and decreased fecundity previously associated with limited prey abundance. Accumulation patterns showed an expected age-related increase, excepting nulliparous females that may have toxicant offloading from unrecorded neonate loss. Mobilization from endogenous lipid stores for milk production and associated transfer of POPs iv was apparent, particularly for first-born calves with diminished transfer to subsequent calves. POPs were not associated with disruption of thyroid hormone levels as expected. The AOS are third largest international oil reserve; oil production is projected to more than double from 2008-2018. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), well-established carcinogens and mutagens, are a component of crude oil (petrogenic) and form during combustion events (pyrogenic). Scat samples collected in 2009 from areas of the AOS with varying degrees of in situ oil production activity were evaluated for PAH levels. Samples were from Woodland caribou, moose, and Grey wolf, terrestrial species with markedly different dietary preferences and resource utilizations. The high oil production area demonstrated petrogenic (oil) source PAH ratios in moose samples and increased PAHs in wolf samples. Caribou samples from the area of historical forest fire indicated pyrogenic (combustion) source PAHs. The results from these studies should help promote conservation goals to keep our marine and terrestrial environments healthy.
Environmental determinants of patterns and trends of the occurrence of unstable malaria in Kericho District, Kenya

This study investigated environmental determinants of patterns and trends of occurrences of unstable malaria burdens in Kericho district of Kenya, a formerly malaria free highland district in early 1960s but classified by Kenya government in 2001 as malaria epidemic prone district where fatal malaria epidemics have reemerged seasonally each year since 1980s and represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the district. To achieve this objective patterns and trends of malaria burdens; malaria hospital admissions, morbidity and mortality, climatic elements; and households' characteristics and district health delivery system were investigated. Secondary data on malaria burdens and climatic element were obtained from Kericho district health facilities and Kericho meteorological station respectively for the synoptic period 1988-2005. Primary households' characteristics were obtained using questionnaires from a randomly sampled households (N=301) apportioned to all four Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) study sites in seven administrative divisions based on 1999 national population census. Useful information on health efficiency delivery system in the district was obtained from key medical professionals respondents to questionnaires in Kericho district health facilities. The data were analysed displayed and interpreted using statistical methods; . tables, graphs, means, percentages, ranges, correlation, regression analysis and tests of significance (t-test) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Tables and time series graphs, were used to study emerging patterns and trends in malaria burdens and climatic elements over time. Correlation and regression methods were used to determine the relationship between malaria burden and climatic and socio-economic data. The t-test was used to establish the significance of computed correlation coefficients between malaria morbidity and each of the household's variables. Archview Geographic Information System (GIS) software was used to create a malaria zonation map of the distribution of incidences of malaria morbidity in the district and SWOT analysis was used to analyse the effectiveness of malaria control, prevention and management algorithms in the district. Findings emerging from this study showed that outpatient malaria cases grew from 19643 cases in 1989 to 124408 cases in 1994 or a growth rate of 106.7% per annum and growth rate of 101.9% per annum in 1995-2002. Malaria hospital admissions grew from 10.27% per annum and a growth rate of 42.8% per annum in 1988-1994 and 1995-2002 respectively. Malaria deaths in Kericho district main hospital grew from 23 cases in 1988 to 34 in 1994, a growth rate of 6.9% per annum and in 1995-2002 malaria deaths grew from 84 to 160 cases or an annual increase of 18.1%.
Benzene Exposure and Lung Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Studies

Lung cancer is a leading cause of death with nearly 1.8 million deaths estimated worldwide in 2020. Although benzene is classified as a human carcinogen (Group 1) on the basis of its association with acute myeloid/non-lymphocytic leukaemia, there is still limited evidence that it may influence lung cancer risk. This study examined the potential link between benzene exposure and risk of lung cancer using a systematic review of epidemiological studies and meta-analysis. We searched through PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases up to 10 February 2023 to identify all articles on the association between benzene exposure and lung cancer (incidence or prevalence) and/or mortality. We extracted the risk estimates of the highest and the lowest reported categories of benzene exposure and conducted a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were analysed using an I2 test and funnel plots asymmetry, respectively. Twenty-one studies were included in the final analysis, with a total of 10,750 lung cancer cases and 2899 lung cancer deaths. Overall, risk estimates of lung cancer prevalence and mortality in association with benzene exposure were 1.20 (n = 14; 95% CI 1.05–1.37) and 1.15 (n = 13; 95% CI 1.02–1.30), respectively. In all cases, heterogeneity was quite large, while no significant publication bias was observed. When only studies that adjusted for smoking habit were selected, the risk for lung cancer increased by up to 34% (n = 9; 95% CI 1.10–1.64). Our data, which show a strong association between benzene exposure and lung cancer risk, may have important public health implications. However, further studies are needed to identify the lung cancer risk associated with benzene exposure considering different smoking conditions.
Mutation in the 26S proteasome regulatory subunit rpn2 gene in Plasmodium falciparum confers resistance to artemisinin

Introduction Malaria parasites increasingly develop resistance to all drugs available in the market, hampering the goal of reducing malaria burden. Methods Herein, we evaluated the impact of a single-nucleotide variant, E738K, present in the 26S proteasome regulatory subunit rpn2 gene, identified in Plasmodium chabaudi resistant parasites. Plasmids carrying a functional rpn2 interspecies chimeric gene with 5’ recombination region from P. falciparum and 3’ from P. chabaudi were constructed and transfected into Dd2 P. falciparum parasites. Results and discussion The 738K variant parasite line presented increased parasite survival when subjected to dihydroartemisinin (DHA), as well as increased chymotrypsin-like activity and decreased accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins. We thus conclude that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, including the 738K variant, play an important role in parasite response to DHA, being the first report of a mutation in a potential DHA drug target enhancing parasite survival and contributing to a significant advance in the understanding the biology of artemisinin resistance.
Effect of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Inflammatory and Metabolic Function in an Obese Skeletal Muscle Cell Culture Model

The fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have been shown to impact both skeletal muscle metabolic and inflammatory function; however, their effects within the obese skeletal muscle microenvironment are unknown. In this study, we developed a skeletal muscle in vitro model to mimic the critical features of the obese skeletal muscle microenvironment using L6 myotubes co-treated with 10 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 500 µM palmitic acid (PA) for 24 h ± individual SCFAs, namely acetate, propionate and butyrate at 0.5 mM and 2.5 mM. At the lower SCFA concentration (0.5 mM), all three SCFA reduced the secreted protein level of RANTES, and only butyrate reduced IL-6 protein secretion and the intracellular protein levels of activated (i.e., ratio of phosphorylated–total) NFκB p65 and STAT3 (p < 0.05). Conversely, at the higher SCFA concentration (2.5 mM), individual SCFAs exerted different effects on inflammatory mediator secretion. Specifically, butyrate reduced IL-6, MCP-1 and RANTES secretion, propionate reduced IL-6 and RANTES, and acetate only reduced RANTES secretion (p < 0.05). All three SCFAs reduced intracellular protein levels of activated NFκB p65 and STAT3 (p < 0.05). Importantly, only the 2.5 mM SCFA concentration resulted in all three SCFAs increasing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake compared to control L6 myotube cultures (p < 0.05). Therefore, SCFAs exert differential effects on inflammatory mediator secretion in a cell culture model, recapitulating the obese skeletal muscle microenvironment; however, all three SCFAs exerted a beneficial metabolic effect only at a higher concentration via increasing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, collectively exerting differing degrees of a beneficial effect on obesity-associated skeletal muscle dysfunction.
Emotion regulation and heart rate variability may identify the optimal posttraumatic stress disorder treatment: analyses from a randomized controlled trial

Introduction High variability in response and retention rates for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment highlights the need to identify "personalized" or "precision" medicine factors that can inform optimal intervention selection before an individual commences treatment. In secondary analyses from a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial, behavioral and physiological emotion regulation were examined as non-specific predictors (that identify which individuals are more likely to respond to treatment, regardless of treatment type) and treatment moderators (that identify which treatment works best for whom) of PTSD outcome. Methods There were 85 US Veterans with clinically significant PTSD symptoms randomized to 6 weeks of either cognitive processing therapy (CPT; n = 44) or a breathing-based yoga practice (Sudarshan kriya yoga; SKY; n = 41). Baseline self-reported emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed prior to treatment, and self-reported PTSD symptoms were assessed at baseline, end-of-treatment, 1-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-up. Results Greater baseline deficit in self-reported emotional awareness (similar to alexithymia) predicted better overall PTSD improvement in both the short- and long-term, following either CPT or SKY. High self-reported levels of emotional response non-acceptance were associated with better PTSD treatment response with CPT than with SKY. However, all significant HRV indices were stronger moderators than all self-reported emotion regulation scales, both in the short- and long-term. Veterans with lower baseline HRV had better PTSD treatment response with SKY, whereas Veterans with higher or average-to-high baseline HRV had better PTSD treatment response with CPT. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine both self-reported emotion regulation and HRV, within the same study, as both non-specific predictors and moderators of PTSD treatment outcome. Veterans with poorer autonomic regulation prior to treatment had better PTSD outcome with a yoga-based intervention, whereas those with better autonomic regulation did better with a trauma-focused psychological therapy. Findings show potential for the use of HRV in clinical practice to personalize PTSD treatment. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02366403