Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electron Microscopic Observation of Branhamella catarrhalis

The hemagglutination (HA) test was done on 85 strains of Branhamella catarrhalis, isolated from sputum of patients with respiratory infections; 53% were HA positive strains. Three HA positive and three HA negative strains were selected and were observed under the electron microscope. The bacterial cell wall appeared to be lobulated and its total thickness was about 38 nm. The nuclear region consisted of whorls or fibrils and dense bodies. Five strains were fimbriated and one strain was nonfimbriated. The size of fimbriae was about 68 nm in length and 4.5 nm in width. The fimbriae of Branhamella catarrhalis were densely arranged and peritrichous in distribution. There was no change of fimbriation between broth and agar cultures.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage Induces Inflammatory Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood: Global Transcriptional Profiling in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients.

To perform global transcriptome profiling using RNA-seq in the peripheral blood of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. In 11 patients with ICH, peripheral blood was collected within 24 h of symptom onset or last known well, and a second blood draw occurred 72 h (±6) after the first. RNA-seq identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the first and second samples. Biological pathway enrichment analysis was performed with Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis (IPA). A total of 16,640 genes were identified and 218 were significant DEGs after ICH (false discovery rate <0.1). IPA identified 97 disease and functional categories that were significantly upregulated (z-score >2) post-ICH; 46 categories were specifically related to immune cell activation, 22 to general cellular activation processes, and 4 to other inflammation-related responses. In the canonical pathway and network analysis, inflammatory mediators of particular importance included interleukin-8, NF-κB, ERK1/2, and members of the integrin class. ICH induced peripheral blood gene expression at 72 to 96 h compared with 0 to 24 h from symptom onset. DEGs that were highly expressed included those related to inflammation and activation of the immune response. Further research is needed to determine whether these changes affect outcomes and may represent new therapeutic targets.
Controlling the Flight of a Drone and Its Camera for 3D Reconstruction of Large Objects

In this paper we present a simple stand-alone system performing the autonomous acquisition of multiple pictures all around large objects, i.e., objects that are too big to be photographed from any side just with a camera held by hand. In this approach, a camera carried by a drone (an off-the-shelf quadcopter) is employed to carry out the acquisition of an image sequence representing a valid dataset for the 3D reconstruction of the captured scene. Both the drone flight and the choice of the viewpoints for shooting a picture are automatically controlled by the developed application, which runs on a tablet wirelessly connected to the drone, and controls the entire process in real time. The system and the acquisition workflow have been conceived with the aim to keep the user intervention minimal and as simple as possible, requiring no particular skill to the user. The system has been experimentally tested on several subjects of different shapes and sizes, showing the ability to follow the requested trajectory with good robustness against any flight perturbations. The collected images are provided to a scene reconstruction software, which generates a 3D model of the acquired subject. The quality of the obtained reconstructions, in terms of accuracy and richness of details, have proved the reliability and efficacy of the proposed system.
What makes a fertile sperm? Unique molecular attributes of stallion fertility.

Stallions experience lower per cycle conception rates compared to other livestock species, largely because they are selected for breeding based on athletic prowess and not reproductive fitness. Mares are seasonal breeders, and pregnancies cannot be detected until 10-14 days post-cover via transrectal ultrasonography. This means the detection of stallion fertility fluctuations is delayed by at least two weeks, which within the short breeding season employed by the Thoroughbred horse breeding industry, can prove quite costly. For these reasons, there is increased demand for robust laboratory assays aimed at the accurate assessment of stallion fertility. This paper reviews our existing knowledge concerning the molecular mechanisms that underpin the functional competence of stallion spermatozoa, highlighting the relative importance of oxidative stress, DNA damage, sperm proteomics and RNA profile. We also consider the way in which fundamental improvements in our understanding of stallion sperm biology are informing the identification and development of possible biomarkers of fertility and thus avenues for the development of specific assays for fertility prediction.
Is visual imagery ability higher for orthodontic students than those in other disciplines? A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

Objective: To investigate the effect visual imagery may have on career choice among current university students across a range of subjects and disciplines. Setting: University College London (UCL), UK. Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Participants: The study compared four main groups of UCL students: current students at the Slade School of Fine Art; UCL Eastman Dental Institute; UCL Bartlett School of Architecture; and the Faculty of Laws. Method: A questionnaire based on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) was distributed along with questions regarding demographic information. Results: There were no significant differences between the VVIQ scores across the four included Schools/Faculty: The Slade School of Fine Art; UCL Bartlett School of Architecture; Faculty of Laws; and UCL Eastman Dental Institute, F(3,219) = 2.160, P = 0.094. There were also no significant differences in the scores for the Eastman (M = 60.21, SD = 13.58) and the three other Schools/Faculty (M = 62.87, SD = 10.96); t(–1.317) = 221, P = 0.189, and no significant difference in the scores for the Orthodontic students (M = 60.80, SD = 13.39) and the remaining other included students (M = 61.44, SD = 9.68); t(–0.232) = 221, P = 0.817. Aphantasia was uncommon in this sample, with a prevalence of 0.9%. A positive correlation was found between age group and total VVIQ score, with older participants scoring higher on the VVIQ. Women were significantly more likely to say that their ability to visualise had affected their career choice than male respondents. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between the VVIQ scores across the four included Schools/Faculty. Visual imagery ability did not differ in dental or orthodontic students in comparison to other student groups. Further work is needed to replicate these findings in more diverse samples.
Salidroside inhibits migration and invasion of poorly differentiated thyroid cancer cells

No effective treatment is currently available for poorly differentiated thyroid cancer which is resistant to radioiodine, especially with migration and invasion. A great number of researches have revealed the anticancer effects of salidroside, but none have studied the effects of salidroside on thyroid cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of salidroside on migration and invasion of poorly differentiated thyroid cancer cells.
Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Associated with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) can cause orthostatic headache. However, it is difficult to differentiate POTS from spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) caused by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. We herein report a 53-year-old woman who presented with SIH associated with POTS. A cervicothoracic and lumbar epidural blood patch rapidly improved not only the headache but also the orthostatic tachycardia, suggesting POTS secondary to SIH. This case suggests that a CSF leak can cause secondary POTS. Therefore, POTS should be considered in patients with orthostatic headaches, even in the presence of a CSF leak.
The Chemistry, Biology and Modulation of Ammonium Nitrification in Soil.

One to two percent of the world's energy is consumed for the production of ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen gas. Ammonia is used as a fertilizer ingredient for agriculture and distributed in the environment on an enormous scale to promote crop growth in intensive farming. Only 30-50% of the nitrogen applied is assimilated by crop plants; the remaining 50-70% goes into biological processes such as nitrification by soil-microbial metabolism. This leads to an imbalance in the global nitrogen cycle and higher nitrous oxide emissions (a potent and significant greenhouse gas) as well as nitrate contamination of ground- and surface waters from the nitrogen fertilized farmland. In this paper we critically review the current knowledge of soil microbes involved in the chemistry of ammonia nitrification, the thermodynamic driving forces for the most important transformations and the structures and mechanisms of the enzymes involved. In addition, we review important aspects of nitrogen-uptake by plant roots. We summarize the current understanding of certain plant metabolites present in tissue and root exudates which are capable of inhibiting bacterial nitrification processes in soil (biological nitrification inhibition) as well as several synthetic nitrification inhibitors which are co-applied with nitrogen fertilizers to promote nitrogen use efficiency by crops and thus reduce the environmental footprint of industrial agricultural farming practice.
Role of Volatile Fatty Acids in Development of the Cecal Microflora in Broiler Chickens during Growth

ABSTRACT It is known that volatile fatty acids can inhibit growth of species of the family Enterobacteriaceae in vitro. However, whether these volatile fatty acids affect bacterial populations in the ceca of chickens is unknown. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate if changes in volatile fatty acids in ceca of broiler chickens during growth affect bacterial populations. Results showed that members of theEnterobacteriaceae and enterococci are present in large numbers in 3-day-old broilers and start to decrease when broilers grow older. Lactobacilli are present in large numbers as well in 3-day-old broilers, but they remain stable during the growth of broilers. Acetate, butyrate, and propionate increase from undetectable levels in 1-day-old broilers to high concentrations in 15-day-old broilers, after which they stabilize. Significant negative correlations could be calculated between numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and concentrations of undissociated acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Furthermore, pure cultures of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from the ceca were grown in the presence of volatile fatty acids. Growth rates and maximal optical density decreased when these strains grew in the presence of increasing volatile fatty acid concentrations. It is concluded that volatile fatty acids are responsible for the reduction in numbers of Enterobacteriaceae in the ceca of broiler chickens during growth.
Hierarchical Development of Frailty and Cognitive Impairment: Clues into Etiological Pathways.

BACKGROUND Frailty and cognitive impairment (CI) are associated and often coexist in older adults. Whether temporal patterns of occurrence reflect different etiologies remain unknown. METHODS Participants from the National Health and Aging Trends Study were assessed annually (2011-2016) for frailty (Fried's criteria) and CI (bottom quintile of clock drawing test or immediate and delayed recall; proxy-report of dementia diagnosis or AD8>=2). We used the Fine & Gray model to identify correlates of frailty onset before CI, CI onset before frailty, and frailty-CI co-occurrence, accounting for death as a competing risk. RESULTS Of 3,848 free of frailty, CI, and dementia at baseline, 2,183 (61.2%) developed neither frailty nor CI during the 5-year follow-up; 343 (8.3%) developed frailty first; 1,014 (24.4%) developed CI first; and 308 (6.0%) developed frailty-CI co-occurrence. Incident dementia, as a marker of underlying neuropathologies, was associated with greater likelihood of CI onset first (SHR=2.60, 95%CI 2.09 to 3.24), and frailty-CI co-occurrence (SHR=8.77, 95%CI 5.79 to 13.28), but lower likelihood of frailty onset first (SHR=0.38, 95%CI 0.21 to 0.68). Number of comorbidities was only associated with frailty occurrence first (1 comorbidity: SHR=2.51, 95%CI 1.15 to 5.47; 4+ comorbidities: SHR=6.48, 95%CI 2.78 to 15.48). CONCLUSIONS Different patterns of frailty and CI occurrence exist, and dementia-related pathologies and comorbidities may be important correlates of order of emergence, potentially reflecting different etiologies. Future investigation into relationships between these patterns and dementia subtypes and related pathologies is needed to elucidate etiologic pathways and to provide new targets for prevention, intervention, and risk screening.
The Huxley crossbridge model as the basic mechanism for airway smooth muscle contraction.

The cyclic interaction between myosin crossbridges and actin filaments underlies smooth muscle contraction. Phosphorylation of the 20-kDa myosin light chain (MLC20) is a crucial step in activating the crossbridge cycle. Our current understanding of smooth muscle contraction is based on observed correlations among MLC20 phosphorylation, maximal shortening velocity (Vmax), and isometric force over the time course of contraction. However during contraction there are changes in the extent of phosphorylation of many additional proteins as well as changes in activation of enzymes associated with the signaling pathways. As a consequence, the mechanical manifestation of muscle contraction is likely to change with time. To simplify the study of these relationships, we measured the mechanical properties of airway smooth muscle at different levels of MLC20 phosphorylation at a fixed time during contraction. A simple correlation emerged when time-dependent variables were fixed. MLC20 phosphorylation was found to be directly and linearly correlated with the active stress, stiffness, and power of the muscle; the observed weak dependence of Vmax on MLC20 phosphorylation could be explained by the presence of an internal load in the muscle preparation. These results can be entirely explained by the Huxley crossbridge model. We conclude that, when the influence of time-dependent events during contraction is held constant, the basic crossbridge mechanism in smooth muscle is the same as that in striated muscle.
Intracellular trafficking of prohormones and proneuropeptides: cell type‐specific sorting and targeting

Introduction 609 Post-translational processing of proneuropeptides and prohormones 610 Cell type-specific translocation of neuropeptides and hormones within eukaroyotic cells 613 Targeting and secretion of neuropeptides and hormones 613 Translocation of neuropeptides and hormones to more than one subcellular compartment 616 Alternative transcription initiation 617 Alternative translation initiation 617 Alternative splicing 618 Use of specific targeting sequences 619 Nuclear localization signals 619 Conclusion 620 References 621
Defining Microbiome Health through a Host Lens

We are walking ecosystems, inoculated at birth with a unique set of microbes that are integral to the functioning of our bodies. The physiology of our commensal microbiota is intertwined with our metabolism, immune function, and mental state. ABSTRACT We are walking ecosystems, inoculated at birth with a unique set of microbes that are integral to the functioning of our bodies. The physiology of our commensal microbiota is intertwined with our metabolism, immune function, and mental state. The specifics of this entanglement remain largely unknown and are somewhat unique to individuals, and when any one piece of this complex system breaks, our health can suffer. There appear to be many ways to build a healthy, functional microbiome and several distinct ways in which it can break. Despite the hundreds of associations with human disease, there are only a handful of cases where the exact contribution of the microbiome to the etiology of disease is known. Our laboratory takes a systems approach, integrating dynamic high-throughput host phenotyping with eco-evolutionary dynamics and metabolism of gut microbiota to better define health and disease for each individual at the ecosystem level.
Insect genomes: progress and challenges

In the wake of constant improvements in sequencing technologies, numerous insect genomes have been sequenced. Currently, 1219 insect genome‐sequencing projects have been registered with the National Center for Biotechnology Information, including 401 that have genome assemblies and 155 with an official gene set of annotated protein‐coding genes. Comparative genomics analysis showed that the expansion or contraction of gene families was associated with well‐studied physiological traits such as immune system, metabolic detoxification, parasitism and polyphagy in insects. Here, we summarize the progress of insect genome sequencing, with an emphasis on how this impacts research on pest control. We begin with a brief introduction to the basic concepts of genome assembly, annotation and metrics for evaluating the quality of draft assemblies. We then provide an overview of genome information for numerous insect species, highlighting examples from prominent model organisms, agricultural pests and disease vectors. We also introduce the major insect genome databases. The increasing availability of insect genomic resources is beneficial for developing alternative pest control methods. However, many opportunities remain for developing data‐mining tools that make maximal use of the available insect genome resources. Although rapid progress has been achieved, many challenges remain in the field of insect genomics.
Envirobot: A bio-inspired environmental monitoring platform

Autonomous marine vehicles are becoming essential tools in aquatic environmental monitoring systems, and can be used for instance for data acquisition, remote sensing, and mapping of the spatial extent of pollutant spills. In this work, we present an unconventional bio-inspired autonomous robot aimed for execution of such tasks. The Envirobot platform is based on our existing segmented anguilliform swimming robots, but with important adaptations in terms of energy use and efficiency, control, navigation, and communication possibilities. To this end, Envirobot has been designed to have more endurance, flexible computational power, long range communication link, and versatile flexible environmental sensor integration. Its low level control is powered by an ARM processor in the head unit and micro processors in each active module. On top of this, integration of a computer-on-module enables versatile high level control methods. We present some preliminary results and experiments done with Envirobot to test the added navigation and control strategies.
AAEM minimonograph #14: The influence of temperature in clinical neurophysiology

AAEM MINIMONOGRAPH #14Temperature affects biologic and neurophysiologic processes and is, therefore, always well controlled in in vitro experiments. Its role is equally important in the clinical laboratory but has often been neglected. Lower temperatures cause slower nerve conduction velocities (NCVs), and increased amplitudes of muscle and nerve potentials. Fibrillations may disappear, and muscle contraction will be slower and weaker. Neuromuscular transmission improves. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) are similarly vulnerable in the peripheral segments, or with changes in central temperature. As a result, abnormalities are artificially created or existing defects are not detected, resulting in false or missed diagnoses. Control of temperature, albeit somewhat time consuming, will result in greater diagnostic accuracy.
Are mothers less likely to breastfeed in harsh environments? Physical environmental quality and breastfeeding in the Born in Bradford Study.

We use the UK's Born in Bradford study to investigate whether women in lower-quality environments are less likely to breastfeed. We use measures of physical environmental quality (water disinfectant by-products (DBPs), air pollution, passive cigarette smoke, and household condition) alongside socioeconomic indicators, to explore in detail how different exposures influence breastfeeding. Drawing on evolutionary life history theory, we predict that lower environmental quality will be associated with lower odds of initiating, and higher hazards of stopping, breastfeeding. As low physical environmental quality may increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes, which may in turn affect breastfeeding chances, we also test for mediation by gestational age, birthweight, baby's head circumference and abdominal circumference. Our sample is comprised of mothers who gave birth at the Bradford Royal Infirmary in West Yorkshire between March 2007 and December 2010 for whom breastfeeding initiation data was available. Analyses were stratified by the two largest ethnic groups: White British (n=3,951) and Pakistani-origin (n=4,411) mothers. After controlling for socioeconomic position, Pakistani-origin mothers had lower chances of initiating, and higher chances of stopping breastfeeding with increased water DBP exposure (e.g. OR for 0.03-0.61 vs <0.02μg/day dibromochloromethane exposure 0.70 [0.58-0.83], HR 1.16 [0.99-1.36]; greater air pollution exposure predicted lower chances of initiation for both ethnic groups (e.g. OR for 10μg/m3 increase in nitrogen dioxide 0.81 [0.66-0.99] for White British mothers and 0.79 [0.67-0.94] for Pakistani-origin mothers) but also a reduced hazard of stopping breastfeeding for White British mothers (HR 0.65 [0.52-0.80]); and exposure to household damp/mould predicted higher chances of breastfeeding initiation amongst White British mothers (OR 1.66 [1.11-2.47]). We found no evidence that physical environmental quality effects on breastfeeding were mediated through birth outcomes amongst Pakistani-origin mothers, and only weak evidence (p<0.10) amongst White British mothers (exposure to passive cigarette smoke was associated with having lower birthweight infants who were in turn less likely to be breastfed whereas greater air pollution exposure was associated with longer gestations and in turn reduced hazards of stopping breastfeeding). Overall, our findings suggest that there is differential susceptibility to environmental exposures according to ethnicity. Whilst the water DBP results for Pakistani-origin mothers and air pollution-initiation results for both ethnic groups support our hypothesis that mothers exhibit reduced breastfeeding in poorer-quality environments, several physical environmental quality indicators showed null or positive associations with breastfeeding outcomes. We consider physiological explanations for our findings, and their implications for life history theory and public health policy.