Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new perspective on the corneo‐scleral junction with three types of microscopy techniques

The conjunctions of the cornea and sclera in the eyes of donkeys, cattle, dogs, sheep, pigs and rabbits, regardless of gender, were examined in this study. No animals were specifically sacrificed for this investigation. Scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, and dissecting microscopy were used in this research. In the limbus of all the animals investigated, the cornea and sclera fused in accordance with a pattern. At the corneo‐scleral junction, the sclera was situated anteriorly and the cornea posteriorly in the dorsal and ventral sections of the bulbus oculi. In the medial and lateral parts of the eyeball, the cornea and sclera were facing each other and interlaced. Pigmentation and the sulcus scleralis externus could be used to identify the macro‐and micro‐anatomical boundaries of the limbus. In addition, the cytoplasm of basal epithelial cells shrank, signaling the end of the corneal epithelium and the start of the conjunctival epithelium. The presence of Bowman's membrane in cattle and sheep eyes was definitely determined in histological examinations. Bowman's membrane in these animals came to an end at the limbus, which is where the conjunctival epithelium starts and the corneal epithelium ends. In all areas of the cornea, Bowman's membrane revealed irregular, abrupt thickening and thinning. The corneal epithelium was thick in the vertex and thinner towards the limbus, whereas Descemet's membrane was thin in the center (vertex) and thick in the periphery (near the limbus). In this study, pictures and diagrams were used to illustrate the general anatomical, histological, and morphometric characteristics of the limbus in the species under investigation. The data from our study showed that the limbus region of the bulbus oculi was narrow in the lateral and medial parts and wide in the dorsal and ventral parts. This was confirmed in the studied animals as a general rule. The width value will undoubtedly affect the number of cells covered by the regions. It is conceivable that these cells will play a significant role in the decision of where to perform surgical procedures in order to promote wound healing, giving doctors an advantage. In this circumstances, we think that the limbus should be studied in terms of clinical methods because it has different shapes depending on the species and the position of the bulbus.
Pitch estimation and voicing detection based on a sinusoidal speech model

A technique for estimating the pitch of a speech waveform is developed. It fits a harmonic set of sine waves to the input data using a mean-squared-error (MSE) criterion. By exploiting a sinusoidal model for the input speech waveform, a pitch estimation criterion is derived that is inherently unambiguous, uses pitch-adaptive resolution, uses small-signal suppression to provide enhanced discrimination, and uses amplitude compression to eliminate the effects of pitch-formant interaction. The normalized minimum mean squared error proves to be a powerful discriminant for estimating the likelihood that a given frame of speech is voiced. <<ETX>>
Association of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number With Brain MRI Markers and Cognitive Function

Background and Objectives Previous studies suggest that lower mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (CN) is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether mtDNA CN in whole blood is related to endophenotypes of Alzheimer disease (AD) and AD-related dementia (AD/ADRD) needs further investigation. We assessed the association of mtDNA CN with cognitive function and MRI measures in community-based samples of middle-aged to older adults. Methods We included dementia-free participants from 9 diverse community-based cohorts with whole-genome sequencing in the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. Circulating mtDNA CN was estimated as twice the ratio of the average coverage of mtDNA to nuclear DNA. Brain MRI markers included total brain, hippocampal, and white matter hyperintensity volumes. General cognitive function was derived from distinct cognitive domains. We performed cohort-specific association analyses of mtDNA CN with AD/ADRD endophenotypes assessed within ±5 years (i.e., cross-sectional analyses) or 5–20 years after blood draw (i.e., prospective analyses) adjusting for potential confounders. We further explored associations stratified by sex and age (<60 vs ≥60 years). Fixed-effects or sample size-weighted meta-analyses were performed to combine results. Finally, we performed mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess causality. Results We included up to 19,152 participants (mean age 59 years, 57% women). Higher mtDNA CN was cross-sectionally associated with better general cognitive function (β = 0.04; 95% CI 0.02–0.06) independent of age, sex, batch effects, race/ethnicity, time between blood draw and cognitive evaluation, cohort-specific variables, and education. Additional adjustment for blood cell counts or cardiometabolic traits led to slightly attenuated results. We observed similar significant associations with cognition in prospective analyses, although of reduced magnitude. We found no significant associations between mtDNA CN and brain MRI measures in meta-analyses. MR analyses did not reveal a causal relation between mtDNA CN in blood and cognition. Discussion Higher mtDNA CN in blood is associated with better current and future general cognitive function in large and diverse communities across the United States. Although MR analyses did not support a causal role, additional research is needed to assess causality. Circulating mtDNA CN could serve nevertheless as a biomarker of current and future cognitive function in the community.
The importance of oxytocin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus for breastfeeding in mice

The hormone oxytocin, secreted from oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular (PVH) and supraoptic (SO) hypothalamic nuclei, promotes parturition, milk ejection, and maternal caregiving behaviors. Previous experiments with whole-body oxytocin knockout mice showed that milk ejection was the unequivocal function of oxytocin, whereas parturition and maternal behaviors were less dependent on oxytocin. Whole-body knockout, however, could induce the enhancement of expression of related gene(s), a phenomenon called genetic compensation, which may hide the actual functions of oxytocin. In addition, the relative contributions of oxytocin neurons in the PVH and SO have not been well documented. Here, we show that females with conditional knockout of oxytocin gene in both the PVH and SO undergo grossly normal parturition and maternal caregiving behaviors, while dams with a smaller number of remaining oxytocin-expressing neurons exhibit severe impairments in breastfeeding, leading to the death of their pups within 24 hours after birth. We also found that the growth of pups is normal even under oxytocin conditional knockout in PVH and SO as long as pups survive the next day of delivery, suggesting that the reduced oxytocin release affects the onset of lactation most severely. These phenotypes are largely recapitulated by SO-specific oxytocin conditional knockout, indicating the unequivocal role of oxytocin neurons in the SO in successful breastfeeding. Given that oxytocin neurons not only secrete oxytocin but also non-oxytocin neurotransmitters or neuropeptides, we further performed cell ablation of oxytocin neurons in the PVH and SO. We found that cell ablation of oxytocin neurons leads to no additional abnormalities over the oxytocin conditional knockout, suggesting that non-oxytocin ligands expressed by oxytocin neurons have negligible functions on the responses measured in this study. Collectively, our findings confirm the dispensability of oxytocin for parturition or maternal behaviors, as well as the importance of SO-derived oxytocin for breastfeeding.
The prevalence of internet gaming disorders and the associated psychosocial risk factors among adolescents in Malaysian secondary schools

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been placed under the conditions for further study segment in DSM-5. The purpose of the current study was to develop a preliminary psychosocial model as a reference for providing appropriate intervention, particularly for adolescents with IGD. A total of 5290 adolescents from secondary schools in seven states in Malaysia were recruited by using proportionate random sampling. A standardized set of validated questionnaires such as DASS-21, BIS-11, and IGDS9-SF were distributed to participants that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of IGD among Malaysian adolescents was 3.5%. The bivariate analysis summarized that factors such as stress, impulsivity, gender, time spent using the internet, and relationship with parents and friends; have statistically significant associations with IGD. The logistic regression model revealed that adolescents with IGD were 9 times more likely to experience extremely severe stress (p < 0.001). Several psychosocial factors were associated strongly with IGD in the current study, however, mental health shows the most significant issues among adolescents with IGD. Immediate intervention through a psychological approach to internet gaming is needed from parents, schools, and also respective stakeholders. IGD may become one of the addictions diseases that cause deterioration in many aspects of an adolescent’s future life without serious intervention.
Effects of Wolbachia on Transposable Element Expression Vary Between Drosophila melanogaster Host Genotypes

Abstract Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA sequences capable of changing position in host genomes, thereby causing mutations. TE insertions typically have deleterious effects but they can also be beneficial. Increasing evidence of the contribution of TEs to adaptive evolution further raises interest in understanding what factors impact TE activity. Based on previous studies associating the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia with changes in the abundance of piRNAs, a mechanism for TE repression, and to transposition of specific TEs, we hypothesized that Wolbachia infection would interfere with TE activity. We tested this hypothesis by studying the expression of 14 TEs in a panel of 25 Drosophila melanogaster host genotypes, naturally infected with Wolbachia and annotated for TE insertions. The host genotypes differed significantly in Wolbachia titers inside individual flies, with broad-sense heritability around 20%, and in the number of TE insertions, which depended greatly on TE identity. By removing Wolbachia from the target host genotypes, we generated a panel of 25 pairs of Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-negative lines in which we quantified transcription levels for our target TEs. We found variation in TE expression that was dependent on Wolbachia status, TE identity, and host genotype. Comparing between pairs of Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-negative flies, we found that Wolbachia removal affected TE expression in 21.1% of the TE-genotype combinations tested, with up to 2.3 times differences in the median level of transcript. Our data show that Wolbachia can impact TE activity in host genomes, underscoring the importance this endosymbiont can have in the generation of genetic novelty in hosts.
Post‐activation depression from primary afferent depolarization (PAD) produces extensor H‐reflex suppression following flexor afferent conditioning

Suppression of the extensor H‐reflex by flexor afferent conditioning is thought to be produced by a long‐lasting inhibition of extensor Ia afferent terminals via GABAA receptor‐activated primary afferent depolarization (PAD). Given the recent finding that PAD does not produce presynaptic inhibition of Ia afferent terminals, we examined in 28 participants if H‐reflex suppression is instead mediated by post‐activation depression of the extensor Ia afferents triggered by PAD‐evoked spikes and/or by a long‐lasting inhibition of the extensor motoneurons. A brief conditioning vibration of the flexor tendon suppressed both the extensor soleus H‐reflex and the tonic discharge of soleus motor units out to 150 ms following the vibration, suggesting that part of the H‐reflex suppression during this period was mediated by postsynaptic inhibition of the extensor motoneurons. When activating the flexor afferents electrically to produce conditioning, the soleus H‐reflex was also suppressed but only when a short‐latency reflex was evoked in the soleus muscle by the conditioning input itself. In mice, a similar short‐latency reflex was evoked when optogenetic or afferent activation of GABAergic (GAD2+) neurons produced a large enough PAD to evoke orthodromic spikes in the test Ia afferents, causing post‐activation depression of subsequent monosynaptic EPSPs. The long duration of this post‐activation depression and related H‐reflex suppression (seconds) was similar to rate‐dependent depression that is also due to post‐activation depression. We conclude that extensor H‐reflex inhibition by brief flexor afferent conditioning is produced by both post‐activation depression of extensor Ia afferents and long‐lasting inhibition of extensor motoneurons, rather than from PAD inhibiting Ia afferent terminals.
Shedding light on latent pathogenesis and pathophysiology of mental disorders: The potential of iPS cell technology

Mental disorders are considered as one of the major healthcare issues worldwide owing to their significant impact on the quality of life of patients, causing serious social burdens. However, it is hard to examine the living brain—a source of psychiatric symptoms—at the cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels, which poses difficulty in determining the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of mental disorders. Recently, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has been used as a novel tool for research on mental disorders. We believe that the iPSC‐based studies will address the limitations of other research approaches, such as human genome, postmortem brain study, brain imaging, and animal model analysis. Notably, studies using integrated iPSC technology with genetic information have provided significant novel findings to date. This review aimed to discuss the history, current trends, potential, and future of iPSC technology in the field of mental disorders. Although iPSC technology has several limitations, this technology can be used in combination with the other approaches to facilitate studies on mental disorders.
Transformable optical dipole trap using a phase-modulated standing wave

We demonstrate a new type of a cavity-enhanced optical trap whose standing-wave potential well can be transformed by using phase modulation. When the modulation frequency is matched to the free spectral range of the cavity, the potential well can be changed continuously from a corrugated form of a standing wave to a flattened form of a traveling wave depending on the modulation index. With the phase modulation, more atoms are trapped due to the increase in the trap volume, and there is a pronounced increase by a factor of 1.9 when an optimal modulation is applied. From the increase in number of trapped atoms we also infer that the temperature associated with longitudinal motion is strongly affected by the transformation of the potential well. This technique can be used to study collective behavior of trapped atoms and to manipulate atomic distribution for quantum information processing.
Overweight, obesity and risk of multimorbidity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies

This study aimed to review and quantify the association between overweight and obesity in the risk of multimorbidity among the general population. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis in the databases of Pubmed, Lilacs, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase. We included cohort studies that assessed the association between overweight and/or obesity with the risk of multimorbidity. The Newcastle‐Ottawa assessed the studies' individual quality. A random‐effect model meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate the association between overweight and obesity with the relative risk (RR) of multimorbidity; the I2 test evaluated heterogeneity. After excluding duplicates, we found 1.655 manuscripts, of which eight met the inclusion criteria. Of these, seven (87.5%) evidenced an increased risk of multimorbidity among subjects with overweight and/or obesity. Overall, we observed an increased risk of multimorbidity among subjects with overweight (RR: 1.26; CI95%: 1.12; 1.40, I2 = 98%) and obesity (RR: 1.99; CI95%: 1.45;2.72, I2 = 99%) compared to normal weight. According to the I2 test, the heterogeneities of the meta‐analyses were high. The Newcastle‐Ottawa scale showed that all studies were classified as high quality. Further longitudinal studies are needed, including different populations and stratifications by sex, age, and other variables.
TRPV1 is a risk factor for sleep disturbance in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a case control study

Abstract Background/aims Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic high-morbidity disease with a bidirectional relationship with sleep disturbance (SD) that may occur via the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 receptor (TRPV1) in the oesophageal mucosa. Yet the related mechanism was still unclear, the aim of this study is to investigate whether TRPV1 is associated with the presence of SD in GORD patients. Methods A case-control study was performed. After the screening, A total of 88 subjects were assigned to GORD without sleep disturbance (GORD + NOSD, n = 28), GORD comorbid sleep disturbance (GORD + SD, n = 30) and matched healthy controls (n = 30). Mucosal tissue was obtained from the participants by digestive endoscopy, the levels of TRPV1 expressed in the oesophageal mucosa were detected via RT-qPCR and western blot in different groups, and the correlation between GORD and SD were also analysed. Results In this study, we found that the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Diagnostic Questionnaire (GerdQ) scores was positively correlated with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores but negatively correlated with total sleep time (TST). We also found that the level of TRPV1 expressed in the oesophageal mucosa of GORD + SD was significantly higher than GORD + NOSD patients, and they were all higher than healthy controls. Conclusion The current study suggested a closer link exists between GORD and sleep disturbance, and TRPV1 in oesophageal mucosa may be a crucial factor affecting sleep in GORD patients.
Confinement of ‘improved H-modes’ in the all-tungsten ASDEX Upgrade with nitrogen seeding

In ASDEX Upgrade the compatibility of improved H-modes with an all-W wall has been demonstrated. Under boronized conditions light impurities and the radiated power fraction in the divertor were reduced, requiring N seeding to cool the divertor plasma. The impurity seeding does not only protect the divertor tiles but also considerably improves the performance of improved H-mode discharges by up to 25%. The energy confinement increases to H98-factors up to 1.3 and thereby exceeds the best values in the carbon-dominated AUG at the same density and collisionality. This improvement is due to higher edge temperatures rather than to peaking of the electron density profile. Higher temperatures are reached at the pedestal top leading, via profile stiffness, to an increase in the total plasma pressure. There is no change to in the plasma core. The dilution at the plasma edge by nitrogen seems to play an important role since it allows higher ion temperatures at the same edge ion pressure as in the unseeded case. The dilution of the core plasma remains moderate.
An α7 nAChR approach for the baseline-dependent modulation of deviance detection in schizophrenia: A pilot study assessing the combined effect of CDP-choline and galantamine

Background: Cognitive operations including pre-attentive sensory processing are markedly impaired in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) but evidence significant interindividual heterogeneity, which moderates treatment response with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists. Previous studies in healthy volunteers have shown baseline-dependency effects of the α7 nAChR agonist cytidine 5′-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline) administered alone and in combination with a nicotinic allosteric modulator (galantamine) on auditory deviance detection measured with the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential (ERP). Aim: The objective of this pilot study was to assess the acute effect of this combined α7 nAChR-targeted treatment (CDP-choline/galantamine) on speech MMN in patients with SCZ (N = 24) stratified by baseline MMN responses into low, medium, and high baseline auditory deviance detection subgroups. Methods: Patients with a stable diagnosis of SCZ attended two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and counter-balanced testing sessions where they received a placebo or a CDP-choline (500 mg) and galantamine (16 mg) treatment. MMN ERPs were recorded during the presentation of a fast multi-feature speech MMN paradigm including five speech deviants. Clinical measures were acquired before and after treatment administration. Results: While no main treatment effect was observed, CDP-choline/galantamine significantly increased MMN amplitudes to frequency, duration, and vowel speech deviants in low group individuals. Individuals with higher positive and negative symptom scale negative, general, and total scores expressed the greatest MMN amplitude improvement following CDP-choline/galantamine. Conclusions: These baseline-dependent nicotinic effects on early auditory information processing warrant different dosage and repeated administration assessments in patients with low baseline deviance detection levels.
School life in COVID-19 post-lockdown: differential effects of socio-demographics and adjustments on mental health indicators among university students

ABSTRACT We examined the differential effects of some socio-demographic; and the separate and interactive effects of types of adjustments on university students’ mental health indicators (somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and depression). In a cross-sectional approach, we selected 603 undergraduates (Mage = 21.88, SD = 2.25) from a Nigerian university who answered a structured questionnaire that included measures of studied variables from June to August 2021. No gender difference was observed in students’ mental health indicators. Social dysfunction was most reported by 3rd year students; while those from separated homes reported both anxiety and depression most. Somatic symptoms, social dysfunction, anxiety, and depression were higher among students with poor academic, social, emotional, or attachment adjustments. Students who struggled academically and socially reported more social symptoms; whereas those who struggled academically and emotionally were more depressed. Additionally, students with low social and attachment adjustments reported higher social dysfunction and depression; while those with low academic, emotional, and attachment adjustments reported higher anxiety and depression. Adjustment mechanisms are essential for students to enjoy good mental health during COVID-19 post-lockdown irrespective of their gender; especially those from broken homes. Psychological supports are regularly required to improve students’ mental health during COVID-19 post-lockdown.