Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Resources on Hermetia illucens. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Larval Development

ABSTRACT Arthropod development can be used to determine the time of colonization of human remains to infer a minimum postmortem interval. The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucen. L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) is native to North America and is unique in that its larvae can consume a wide range of decomposing organic material, including carrion. Larvae development was observed on six resources: control poultry feed, liver, manure, kitchen waste, fruits and vegetables, and fish rendering. Larvae fed manure were shorter, weighed less, and took longer to develop. Kitchen waste produced longer and heavier larvae, whereas larvae fed fish had almost 100% mortality. Black soldier flies can colonize human remains, which in many instances can coincide with food and organic wastes. Therefore, it is necessary to understand black soldier fly development on different food resources other than carrion tissue to properly estimate their age when recovered from human remains.
Association Between Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and HIV-Risk Behaviors

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global health issue and has been associated with an increased HIV-related risk and vulnerability to HIV infection. This study examined the potential relationship between IPV and HIV-risk behaviors among women in Nepal. Our findings revealed that IPV against women was associated with the presence of HIV-risk behaviors, such as history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), multiple sex partners, inconsistent condom use, partner with known HIV risks, and inability to negotiate safer sexual practices. This highlights a need to develop effective interventions aimed at eliminating IPV to decrease the disproportionate burden of adverse health outcomes, including STIs/HIV among women.
Computerized prescriber order entry–related patient safety reports: analysis of 2522 medication errors

Objective: To examine medication errors potentially related to computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) and refine a previously published taxonomy to classify them. Materials and Methods: We reviewed all patient safety medication reports that occurred in the medication ordering phase from 6 sites participating in a United States Food and Drug Administration–sponsored project examining CPOE safety. Two pharmacists independently reviewed each report to confirm whether the error occurred in the ordering/prescribing phase and was related to CPOE. For those related to CPOE, we assessed whether CPOE facilitated (actively contributed to) the error or failed to prevent the error (did not directly cause it, but optimal systems could have potentially prevented it). A previously developed taxonomy was iteratively refined to classify the reports. Results: Of 2522 medication error reports, 1308 (51.9%) were related to CPOE. Of these, CPOE facilitated the error in 171 (13.1%) and potentially could have prevented the error in 1137 (86.9%). The most frequent categories of “what happened to the patient” were delays in medication reaching the patient, potentially receiving duplicate drugs, or receiving a higher dose than indicated. The most frequent categories for “what happened in CPOE” included orders not routed to or received at the intended location, wrong dose ordered, and duplicate orders. Variations were seen in the format, categorization, and quality of reports, resulting in error causation being assignable in only 403 instances (31%). Discussion and Conclusion: Errors related to CPOE commonly involved transmission errors, erroneous dosing, and duplicate orders. More standardized safety reporting using a common taxonomy could help health care systems and vendors learn and implement prevention strategies.
Experiment on a new synthetic material and its removal of ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus properties

The article investigated a new environment-friendly synthetic material which is made of natural zeolite,peat,cement and additive.Here natural zeolite,peat and cement are raw material,and the cement is also used as inorganic gelatinization.The synthetic material with good compression strength and tensile strength is effective in removing ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus.The experiment result showed that with a mass ratio for natural zeolite and peat is 7:1,the material achieves a compressive strength higher than that of solid concrete brick of national standards at level of MU15,and has a tensile strength at level of C15 for concrete.The synthetic material manifested the effective ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus removal capacities.The adsorption behavior of the synthetic material fitted well with pseudo second dynamic model,Langmuir and Freundlich models.
Evaluation of the Impact of the Revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Lifting Equation

Objective: The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of the Revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Lifting Equation (RNLE). Background: The RNLE has been used extensively as a risk assessment method for prevention of low back pain (LBP). However, the impact of the RNLE has not been documented. Methods: A systematic review of the literature on the RNLE was conducted. The review consisted of three parts: characterization of the RNLE publications, assessment of the impact of the RNLE, and evaluation of the influences of the RNLE on ergonomic standards. The literature for assessing the impact was categorized into four research areas: methodology, laboratory, field, and risk assessment studies using the Lifting Index (LI) or Composite LI (CLI), both of which are the products of the RNLE. Results: The impact of the RNLE has been both widespread and influential. We found 24 studies that examined the criteria used to define lifting capacity used by the RNLE, 28 studies that compared risk assessment methods for identifying LBP, 23 studies that found the RNLE useful in identifying the risk of LBP with different work populations, and 13 studies on the relationship between LI/CLI and LBP outcomes. We also found evidence on the adoption of the RNLE as an ergonomic standard for use by various local, state, and international entities. Conclusion: The review found 13 studies that link LI/CLI to adverse LBP outcomes. These studies showed a positive relationship between LI/CLI metrics and the severity of LBP outcomes.
Involvement of the Intrinsic/Default System in Movement-Related Self Recognition

The question of how people recognize themselves and separate themselves from the environment and others has long intrigued philosophers and scientists. Recent findings have linked regions of the ‘default brain’ or ‘intrinsic system’ to self-related processing. We used a paradigm in which subjects had to rely on subtle sensory-motor synchronization differences to determine whether a viewed movement belonged to them or to another person, while stimuli and task demands associated with the “responded self” and “responded other” conditions were precisely matched. Self recognition was associated with enhanced brain activity in several ROIs of the intrinsic system, whereas no differences emerged within the extrinsic system. This self-related effect was found even in cases where the sensory-motor aspects were precisely matched. Control conditions ruled out task difficulty as the source of the differential self-related effects. The findings shed light on the neural systems underlying bodily self recognition.
HDL Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Newly Diagnosed HIV and Effects of Antiretroviral Therapy

Context: In the general population, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol efflux capacity (HCEC) relates inversely to incident cardiovascular events. Previous studies have suggested that HCEC is decreased in HIV and that antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation might improve HCEC. Objective: To evaluate HCEC in the context of ART initiation and immune activation in HIV. Design and Outcome Measures: Baseline HCEC from 10 ART‐naive HIV‐infected males and 12 prospectively matched non‐HIV‐infected males were analyzed. In the HIV cohort, HCEC 6 months after elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (E/C/F/TDF) therapy was evaluated. HCEC served as the primary outcome and was measured by the ability of J774 mouse macrophages to efflux cholesterol. Our ex vivo assay used two cholesterol acceptors [apolipoprotein B (apoB)‐depleted sera or purified HDL] and modulation of cellular efflux pathways using a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist. Results: The median age was 34 years [interquartile range (IQR), 27 to 51], and baseline HDL was 46 mg/dL (IQR, 38 to 61). HCEC was significantly greater in the non‐HIV‐infected subjects than in the HIV‐infected subjects at baseline. HCEC, assessed using apoB‐depleted sera, significantly increased after ART (no LXR agonist, baseline: median, 8.1%; IQR, 7.0% to 11.9%; after ART: median, 12.9%; IQR, 10.4% to 21.1%; P = 0.006; LXR agonist, baseline, 1.3% ± 1.3%; after ART, 2.5% ± 1.0%; P = 0.02), although not to the levels in the non‐HIV‐infected subjects (no LXR agonist: median, 14.9%; IQR, 11.5% to 19.1%; LXR agonist: 5.8% ± 1.3%). HCEC, assessed using purified HDL, did not significantly increase after ART. The change in HCEC with ART related inversely to the change in the percentage of CD14−CD16+ (nonclassical) monocytes (&rgr; = −0.74, P = 0.04) and directly to the change in the percentage of CD14+CD16− (classical) monocytes (&rgr; = 0.72, P = 0.045). Conclusions: Our data suggest improvement of HCEC with E/C/F/TDF and a relationship between the ART‐induced decrease in immune activation and ART‐induced improvement in HCEC.
Comparative Developmental Toxicity of Flavonoids Using an Integrative Zebrafish System.

Flavonoids are a large, structurally diverse class of bioactive naturally occurring chemicals commonly detected in breast milk, soy based infant formulas, amniotic fluid, and fetal cord blood. The potential for pervasive early life stage exposures raises concerns for perturbation of embryogenesis, though developmental toxicity and bioactivity information is limited for many flavonoids. Therefore, we evaluated a suite of 24 flavonoid and flavonoid-like chemicals using a zebrafish embryo-larval toxicity bioassay-an alternative model for investigating developmental toxicity of environmentally relevant chemicals. Embryos were exposed to 1-50 µM of each chemical from 6 to 120 h postfertilization (hpf), and assessed for 26 adverse developmental endpoints at 24, 72, and 120 hpf. Behavioral changes were evaluated in morphologically normal animals at 24 and 72 hpf, at 120 hpf using a larval photomotor response (LPR) assay. Gene expression was comparatively evaluated for all compounds for effects on biomarker transcripts indicative of AHR (cyp1a) and ER (cyp19a1b, esr1, lhb, vtg) pathway bioactivity. Overall, 15 of 24 flavonoids elicited adverse effects on one or more of the developmental or behavioral endpoints. Hierarchical clustering and principle component analyses compared toxicity profiles and identified 3 distinct groups of bioactive flavonoids. Despite robust induction of multiple estrogen-responsive biomarkers, co-exposure with ER and GPER antagonists did not ameliorate toxicity, suggesting ER-independence and alternative modes of action. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that development is sensitive to perturbation by bioactive flavonoids in zebrafish that are not related to traditional estrogen receptor mode of action pathways. This integrative zebrafish platform provides a useful framework for evaluating flavonoid developmental toxicity and hazard prioritization.
Bio-adaptive Social VR to Evoke Affective Interdependence: DYNECOM

The effects of bio-adaptation-based visual cues in conveying affective information was studied while conducting social meditation in a virtual reality (VR) environment. In a laboratory study, 22 dyads practiced a short duration, modified version of empathy-evoking compassion meditation. The immersive VR provided electroencephalography (EEG) -based real-time visual feedback, as changing color, on the user's brain activation; the breathing rate of the users was visualized as a movement cue. In addition, the synchronization of the feedback signals between the users was also visualized. Initial results suggest that the perceived affective interdependence, a component of social presence, was increased when both of the bio-adaptive visual feedbacks were presented to the users, compared to when there was no visual feedback. Also, the EEG-based visual feedback led to higher affective interdependence than the respiration based visual feedback. The findings suggest that affective contagion may occur by mediated adaptive cues that are based on physiological signals.
FunGAP: Fungal Genome Annotation Pipeline using evidence‐based gene model evaluation

Motivation: Successful genome analysis depends on the quality of gene prediction. Although fungal genome sequencing and assembly have become trivial, its annotation procedure has not been standardized yet. Results: FunGAP predicts protein‐coding genes in a fungal genome assembly. To attain high‐quality gene models, this program runs multiple gene predictors, evaluates all predicted genes, and assembles gene models that are highly supported by homology to known sequences. To do this, we built a scoring function to estimate the congruency of each gene model based on known protein or domain homology. Availability and implementation: FunGAP is written in Python script and is available in GitHub (https://github.com/CompSynBioLab‐KoreaUniv/FunGAP). This software is freely available only for noncommercial users. Contact: igchoi@korea.ac. kr Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Probiotics as a Promising Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

SUMMARY Treatment of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is difficult due to the ambiguity surrounding their precise etiology. Complex interaction of genetic, microbial and environmental factors leads to sustained activation of the mucosal immune system resulting in active inflammation. Despite the efficacy of conventional therapy, significant side effects can occur, highlighting the need for novel treatment approaches to IBD. Since gut microflora appears to play a significant role in IBD, manipulation of its composition and activity by administering beneficial bacteria - probiotics, has been identified as a potential therapeutic option. Probiotic bacteria are able to modify and improve the intestinal environment and subsequently reduce the severity of intestinal inflammation associated with IBD. Clinical evidence suggest that probiotics can maintain remission in Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) but there are no convincing reports on the effectiveness in patients with more severe active forms of IBD. This review will explore various mechanisms how probiotics may affect IBD and summarize the current knowledge regarding the role of probiotics in IBD.
Anthrax Toxin Receptor Drives Protective Antigen Oligomerization and Stabilizes the Heptameric and Octameric Oligomer by a Similar Mechanism

Background Anthrax toxin is comprised of protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). These proteins are individually nontoxic; however, when PA assembles with LF and EF, it produces lethal toxin and edema toxin, respectively. Assembly occurs either on cell surfaces or in plasma. In each milieu, PA assembles into a mixture of heptameric and octameric complexes that bind LF and EF. While octameric PA is the predominant form identified in plasma under physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37°C), heptameric PA is more prevalent on cell surfaces. The difference between these two environments is that the anthrax toxin receptor (ANTXR) binds to PA on cell surfaces. It is known that the extracellular ANTXR domain serves to stabilize toxin complexes containing the PA heptamer by preventing premature PA channel formation—a process that inactivates the toxin. The role of ANTXR in PA oligomerization and in the stabilization of toxin complexes containing octameric PA are not understood. Methodology Using a fluorescence assembly assay, we show that the extracellular ANTXR domain drives PA oligomerization. Moreover, a dimeric ANTXR construct increases the extent of and accelerates the rate of PA assembly relative to a monomeric ANTXR construct. Mass spectrometry analysis shows that heptameric and octameric PA oligomers bind a full stoichiometric complement of ANTXR domains. Electron microscopy and circular dichroism studies reveal that the two different PA oligomers are equally stabilized by ANTXR interactions. Conclusions We propose that PA oligomerization is driven by dimeric ANTXR complexes on cell surfaces. Through their interaction with the ANTXR, toxin complexes containing heptameric and octameric PA oligomers are similarly stabilized. Considering both the relative instability of the PA heptamer and extracellular assembly pathway identified in plasma, we propose a means to regulate the development of toxin gradients around sites of infection during anthrax pathogenesis.
Glucose transporters (GLUT and SGLT): expanded families of sugar transport proteins

The number of known glucose transporters has expanded considerably over the past 2 years. At least three, and up to six, Na+-dependent glucose transporters (SGLT1–SGLT6; gene name SLC5A) have been identified. Similarly, thirteen members of the family of facilitative sugar transporters (GLUT1–GLUT12 and HMIT; gene name SLC2A) are now recognised. These various transporters exhibit different substrate specificities, kinetic properties and tissue expression profiles. The number of distinct gene products, together with the presence of several different transporters in certain tissues and cells (for example, GLUT1, GLUT4, GLUT5, GLUT8, GLUT12 and HMIT in white adipose tissue), indicates that glucose delivery into cells is a process of considerable complexity.
Acute kidney injury following orthotopic liver transplantation: incidence, risk factors, and effects on patient and graft outcomes.

BACKGROUND Liver transplant recipients frequently develop acute kidney injury (AKI), but the predisposing factors and long-term consequences of AKI are not well understood. The aims of this study were to identify predisposing factors for early post-transplant AKI and the impact of AKI on patient and graft survival and to construct a model to predict AKI using clinical variables. METHODS In this 5-year retrospective study, we analysed clinical and laboratory data from 424 liver transplant recipients from our centre. RESULTS By 72 h post-transplant, 221 patients (52%) had developed AKI [according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria]. Predisposing factors for development of AKI were female sex, weight (>100 kg), severity of liver disease (Child-Pugh score), pre-existing diabetes mellitus, number of units of blood or fresh frozen plasma transfused during surgery, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis as the aetiology of end-stage liver disease (P≤0.05). Notably, preoperative serum creatinine (SCr) was not a significant predisposing factor. After fitting a forward stepwise regression model, female sex, weight >100 kg, high Child-Pugh score, and diabetes remained significantly associated with the development of AKI within 72 h (P≤0.05). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for the final model was 0.71. The incidence of new chronic kidney disease and requirement for dialysis at 3 months and 1 yr post-transplant were significantly higher among patients who developed AKI. CONCLUSIONS Development of AKI within the first 72 h after transplant impacted short-term and long-term graft survival.
Wireless Service Provider Selection and Bandwidth Resource Allocation in Multi-Tier HCNs

In this paper, we study the inter-linked problems of wireless service provider (WSP) selection of users and bandwidth allocation of WSPs in multi-tier heterogeneous cellular networks employing the approach combining stochastic geometry and game theory. In particular, the expected average user achievable rate is calculated by modeling the distributions of users and base stations (BSs) as independent homogeneous Poisson point processes. Moreover, a hierarchical game framework is presented to model the complicated interactions among users and WSPs. Wherein, the evolutionary game, non-cooperative game, and multi-leader multi-follower Stackelberg game models are, respectively, adopted to formulate the competition among users, competition among WSPs, and cyclic dependence between users and WSPs. According to backward induction, the formulated Stackelberg game would be solved after the formulated evolutionary game and non-cooperative game are sequentially studied. For the evolutionary game, both the closed-form expression and the asymptotically stability of its evolutionary equilibrium (EE) were analyzed. Then, conditioned on the obtained EE, the existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) for the non-cooperative bandwidth allocation game is established; furthermore, a sufficient condition for the uniqueness of the NE is derived. Finally, extensive simulation results verify both the validity of our analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
An insect anti-antiaphrodisiac

Passive mechanisms of mate guarding are used by males to promote sperm precedence with little cost, but these tactics can be disadvantageous for their mates and other males. Mated females of the plant bug Lygus hesperus are rendered temporarily unattractive by seminal fluids containing myristyl acetate and geranylgeranyl acetate. These antiaphrodisiac pheromones are gradually released from the female’s gonopore, declining until they no longer suppress male courtship. Because starting quantities of these compounds can vary widely, the repellant signal becomes less reliable over time. Evidence was found of a complimentary mechanism that more accurately conveys female mating status. Once inside the female, geranylgeranyl acetate is progressively converted to geranylgeraniol then externalized. Geranylgeraniol counteracts the antiaphrodisiac effect despite having no inherent attractant properties of its own. This is the first evidence for such an anti-antiaphrodisiac pheromone, adding a new element to the communication mechanisms regulating reproductive behaviors. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.24063. 001