Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospects for enhancing leaf photosynthetic capacity by manipulating mesophyll cell morphology

Leaves are beautifully specialized organs designed to maximize the use of light and CO2 for photosynthesis. Engineering leaf anatomy therefore brings great potential to enhance photosynthetic capacity. Here we review the effect of the dominant leaf anatomical traits on leaf photosynthesis and confirm that a high chloroplast surface area exposed to intercellular airspace per unit leaf area (Sc) is critical for efficient photosynthesis. The possibility of improving Sc through appropriately increasing mesophyll cell density is further analyzed. The potential influences of modifying mesophyll cell morphology on CO2 diffusion, light distribution within the leaf, and other physiological processes are also discussed. Some potential target genes regulating leaf mesophyll cell proliferation and expansion are explored. Indeed, more comprehensive research is needed to understand how manipulating mesophyll cell morphology through editing the potential target genes impact leaf photosynthetic capacity and related physiological processes. This will pinpoint the targets for engineering leaf anatomy to maximize photosynthetic capacity. Highlight Cell morphology in leaves affects photosynthesis by controlling CO2 diffusion and light distribution. Recent work has uncovered genes that control cell size, shape, and number paving the way improved photosynthesis.
The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

There is a growing interest in the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation for sleep disturbed populations. Our study sought to evaluate the effect of mindfulness meditation interventions on sleep quality. To assess for relative efficacy, comparator groups were restricted to specific active controls (such as evidenced‐based sleep treatments) and nonspecific active controls (such as time/attention‐matched interventions to control for placebo effects), which were analyzed separately. From 3303 total records, 18 trials with 1654 participants were included. We determined the strength of evidence using four domains (risk of bias, directness of outcome measures, consistency of results, and precision of results). At posttreatment and follow‐up, there was low strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation interventions had no effect on sleep quality compared with specific active controls (ES 0.03 (95% CI –0.43 to 0.49)) and (ES –0.14 (95% CI –0.62 to 0.34)), respectively. Additionally, there was moderate strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation interventions significantly improved sleep quality compared with nonspecific active controls at postintervention (ES 0.33 (95% CI 0.17–0.48)) and at follow‐up (ES 0.54 (95% CI 0.24–0.84)). These preliminary findings suggest that mindfulness meditation may be effective in treating some aspects of sleep disturbance. Further research is warranted.
The APETALA2-Like Transcription Factor SUPERNUMERARY BRACT Controls Rice Seed Shattering and Seed Size

The APETALA2-like transcription factor SUPERNUMERARY BRACT confers seed shattering by positively regulating qSH1 and SH5, while altering seed size by modulating longitudinal cell elongation in rice glumes. The elimination of seed shattering was a crucial event during crop domestication. Improving and fine-tuning the regulation of this process will further enhance grain yield by avoiding seed losses during crop production. In this work, we identified the loss-of-shattering mutant suppression of shattering1 (ssh1) through a screen of mutagenized wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) introgression lines with naturally high shattering. Using the MutMap approach and transformation experiments, we isolated a genetic factor for seed shattering, SSH1, which is an allele of SUPERNUMERARY BRACT (SNB), a gene encoding a plant-specific APETALA2-like transcription factor. A C-to-A point mutation in the ninth intron of SNB altered the splicing of its messenger RNA, causing the reduced shattering of the ssh1 mutant by altering the development of the abscission layer and vascular bundle at the junction between the seed and the pedicel. Our data suggest that SNB positively regulates the expression of two rice REPLUMLESS orthologs, qSH1 and SH5. In addition, the ssh1 mutant had larger seeds and a higher grain weight, resulting from its increased elongation of the glume longitudinal cells. The further identification of favorable SNB alleles will be valuable for improving rice seed shattering and grain yield using molecular breeding strategies.
Future perspectives of the pharmacological management of diabetic dyslipidemia

ABSTRACT Introduction: Diabetic dyslipidemia is frequent among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is characterized by an increase in triglycerides (TGs), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and small-dense (atherogenic) particles, and by a decrease in low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein (Apo) A1 that are strongly related to insulin resistance. The increased flux of free fatty acids from adipose tissue to the liver aggravates hepatic insulin resistance and promotes all of aspects of the dyslipidemic state. Areas covered: Statins are the first-line agents for treatment while other lipid-lowering drugs (ezetimibe, fibrate and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) or novel anti-diabetic agents (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is), glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is)) or nutraceuticals (berberine, omega 3 fatty acid, red yeast rice) can be used alone or in combination. Expert commentary: In patients with T2DM, lipid abnormalities should be identified and treated as part of the overall diabetic treatment, in order to prevent cardiovascular disease. The choice of drugs to be used is mainly based on the lipid profile and on the characteristic lipoprotein abnormalities; the use of new drugs for the treatment of hyperglycemia and lipids alteration in these patients can improve diabetic dyslipidemia.
Heart Rate Variability Changes From Traditional vs. Ultra-Short-Term Recordings in Relation to Preseason Training Load and Performance in Futsal Players.

Nakamura, FY, Antunes, P, Nunes, C, Costa, JA, Esco, MR, and Travassos, B. Heart rate variability changes from traditional vs. ultra-short-term recordings in relation to preseason training load and performance in futsal players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The aims of this study were to analyze heart rate variability (HRV) changes in futsal players during preseason training using both "criterion" (10-minute) and ultra-shortened (2-minute) measures, and to determine whether they were related to changes in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test, level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) performance and accumulated training load (TL). Eleven male competitive futsal players (age = 25.19 ± 4.70 years; body mass = 73.15 ± 11.70 kg; and height = 176.90 ± 5.01 cm) volunteered for the study. Data collection took place during the first to the fourth weeks of preseason training. Training load was monitored with session ratings of perceived exertion. The total distance (TD) covered during the Yo-Yo IR1 was recorded during week 1 and week 4. Heart rate variability was measured through the log-transformed root mean square of successive normal-to-normal interval differences using the ultra-short analysis, with its weekly mean (lnRMSSDM) and coefficient of variation (lnRMSSDCV) recorded, and by means of the criterion method (weeks 1 and 4). lnRMSSDM was likely higher at week 4 compared with week 1 using both criterion and ultra-short recordings. Moderate-to-large correlations were found between changes in the lnRMSSDM and lnRMSSDCV values and changes in TL and TD (r values ranged from -0.48 to 0.65). Changes in ultra-short HRV measures (i.e., increase in lnRMSSDM and decrease in lnRMSSDCV) during futsal preseason were associated with increased performance. The players who accumulated higher perceived TLs displayed smaller improvements in the Yo-Yo IR1 performance and HRV.
Review: Clinical, genetic and neuroimaging features of frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders causing neurodegeneration within a network of areas centred on the frontal and temporal lobes. Clinically, patients present with behavioural symptoms (behavioural variant FTD) or language disturbance (primary progressive aphasia), although there is an overlap with motor neurone disease and atypical parkinsonian disorders. Whilst neuroimaging commonly reveals abnormalities in the frontal and temporal lobes, a closer review identifies a more complex picture with variable asymmetry of neuronal loss, widespread subcortical involvement and in many cases more posterior cortical atrophy. An autosomal‐dominant genetic disorder is found in around a third of people with mutations in progranulin, C9orf72 and the microtubule‐associated protein tau being the commonest causes. In the other two‐thirds, the disorder is sporadic, although recent genome‐wide association studies have started to identify genetic risk factors within this group. Much of this knowledge has been understood only in the past 10 years and so this review will discuss the current knowledge about the clinical, genetic and neuroimaging features of FTD.
Dynamic balance performance varies by position but not by age group in elite Rugby Union players – a normative study

ABSTRACT This cohort study aimed to provide normative Y Balance Test scores for an elite Rugby Union population, while investigating the effect player age groups (senior/under-20), playing positions (forwards/backs) and anthropometrics (height and body mass) had on performance. Two-hundred and sixty-one elite male under-20 (n = 50) and senior (n = 211) players completed baseline Y Balance Test during the 2015/2016 season. One-way ANCOVA and post-hoc t-tests were used to investigate the effect playing position, player group, height and weight had on performance. The cohort was then stratified into groups (age group and/or playing position), and normative percentiles were presented. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in Y Balance Test performance between playing positions, when controlling for age group. This difference did not remain when controlling for player body mass. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that backs had a longer normalised reach distance, with medium-large and small-medium effect sizes for the under-20 and senior cohorts respectively. The one-way ANCOVA analysis suggests that this difference is likely due to the larger differences in player body mass between forward and back playing positions. The normative values presented in this paper may be used by clinicians and researchers to aid injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
Highly-integrated programs for the prevention of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Since overweight and obesity has become epidemic in children and adolescents, the aim of this study was to determine the role of highly-integrated programs in preventing and reducing prevalence of children and adolescent obesity and overweight, even evaluating if this approach has properly been effective in communities with different determinants as in the Pacific Area. METHODS According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of literature was conducted and a meta-analysis was performed to compare obese/overweight prevalence between the intervention and the control group. RESULTS We identified 23 studies describing 14 programs. For 11 out of 14 programs, obese/overweight prevalence changing from baseline were definable and meta-analysis of them showed a significant change of obese/overweight prevalence (-0.03; 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.01; P < 0.0001). Secondary outcomes as dietary (such as vegetable intake, carbonated beverages, fruit juice, drinks, healthful food consumption), physical activity and TV-time-spent was analyzed in many of the studies to define community readiness and behavioral changes. Macro-interventions, based on what was observed in our systematic review have a high potential to reach the entire population. CONCLUSION Adoption of coordinated cross-sectoral, multi-component and multi-stakeholder initiatives to oppose obesity remains a challenge, but it is also desirable as one of the possible solutions to this major public health issue.
The Role of Lipids in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons from the nigrostriatal pathway, formation of Lewy bodies, and microgliosis. During the past decades multiple cellular pathways have been associated with PD pathology (i.e., oxidative stress, endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and immune response), yet disease-modifying treatments are not available. We have recently used genetic data from familial and sporadic cases in an unbiased approach to build a molecular landscape for PD, revealing lipids as central players in this disease. Here we extensively review the current knowledge concerning the involvement of various subclasses of fatty acyls, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols, and lipoproteins in PD pathogenesis. Our review corroborates a central role for most lipid classes, but the available information is fragmented, not always reproducible, and sometimes differs by sex, age or PD etiology of the patients. This hinders drawing firm conclusions about causal or associative effects of dietary lipids or defects in specific steps of lipid metabolism in PD. Future technological advances in lipidomics and additional systematic studies on lipid species from PD patient material may improve this situation and lead to a better appreciation of the significance of lipids for this devastating disease.
Statistically Segregated k-Space Sampling for Accelerating Multiple-Acquisition MRI

A central limitation of multiple-acquisition magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the degradation in scan efficiency as the number of distinct datasets grows. Sparse recovery techniques can alleviate this limitation via randomly undersampled acquisitions. A frequent sampling strategy is to prescribe for each acquisition a different random pattern drawn from a common sampling density. However, naive random patterns often contain gaps or clusters across the acquisition dimension that, in turn, can degrade reconstruction quality or reduce scan efficiency. To address this problem, a statistically segregated sampling method is proposed for multiple-acquisition MRI. This method generates multiple patterns sequentially while adaptively modifying the sampling density to minimize k-space overlap across patterns. As a result, it improves incoherence across acquisitions while still maintaining similar sampling density across the radial dimension of k-space. Comprehensive simulations and in vivo results are presented for phase-cycled balanced steady-state free precession and multi-echo $\text{T}_{\text{2}}$ -weighted imaging. Segregated sampling achieves significantly improved quality in both Fourier and compressed-sensing reconstructions of multiple-acquisition datasets.
Epitranscriptomic Signatures in lncRNAs and Their Possible Roles in Cancer

In contrast to the amazing exponential growth in knowledge related to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in cell homeostasis or dysregulated pathological states, little is known so far about the links between the chemical modifications occurring in lncRNAs and their function. Generally, ncRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, but RNA modifications occurring in lncRNAs generate an additional layer of gene expression control. Chemical modifications that have been reported in correlation with lncRNAs include m6A, m5C and pseudouridylation. Up to date, several chemically modified long non-coding transcripts have been identified and associated with different pathologies, including cancers. This review presents the current level of knowledge on the most studied cancer-related lncRNAs, such as the metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), the Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), or the X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), as well as more recently discovered forms, and their potential roles in different types of cancer. Understanding how these RNA modifications occur, and the correlation between lncRNA changes in structure and function, may open up new therapeutic possibilities in cancer.
Role of CT-guided transthoracic biopsy in the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection

Mycobacterial infection(MI) is sometimes diagnosed using CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB). However, the exact role of CT-guided TNB in this diagnostic process is not clearly known. The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of CT-guided TNB in patients with MI who present with a focal lung lesion. Of 1233 patients who underwent CT-guided TNB from January 2010 through February 2016 at our institution, patients with a final diagnosis of MI were included for analysis. Clinical characteristics and biopsy-related factors were compared between patients whose diagnosis could be established using TNB samples alone (group 1) and those whose samples from additional tests were necessary for diagnosis (group 2). We also analyzed the possible benefit of CT-guided TNB as compared with bronchoscopy in a subgroup who underwent both procedures. 47 patients with MI were included in the study, with 37 patients (78.7%) in group 1 and 10 patients (21.2%) in group 2. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical characteristics or biopsy-related factors between the two groups. Of 41 patients with MI who underwent both bronchoscopy and TNB, success in diagnosis was solely attributable to TNB in 16 (39.0%) patients; in 19 (46.0%) patients, diagnosis could be made based on bronchoscopy results alone. MI can be successfully diagnosed by CT-guided TNB in about 80% of patients with MI who underwent TNB, but 46% of the patients could have been diagnosed with bronchoscopy results alone. CT-guided TNB is inferior to bronchoscopy in the differentiation of Mycobacterium species even in peripheral lung lesions.
Désoccultation de cartes de profondeurs pour la synthèse de vues virtuelles

Dans cet article, nous proposons de nous attaquer au pro-bleme specifique de la desoccultation de cartes de profondeur lors de la synthese de vue virtuelles d'images RGB-D. Issues d'un processus de transformation (warping), les cartes de profondeur synthetisees contiennent des trous (occultations) qu'il est necessaire de restaurer (desoccultation). Une analyse detaillee de la problematique liee a la desoccultation de cartes de profondeur nous permet de proposer un algorithme intuitif de restauration de cartes de profondeur, permettant en particulier de restaurer les structures manquantes des objets, ce qui est essentiel pour la coherence visuelle finale de la vue virtuelle. Les comparaisons de notre approche aux methodes de l'etat de l'art sur des images difficiles confirment la pertinence de notre methode.
Toward a Model of Porn Literacy: Core Concepts, Rationales, and Approaches

Although some positive outcomes for pornography engagement have been highlighted, researchers and educators have also expressed concerns about youth pornography engagement and have called for porn literacy education to be incorporated into sex education programs. As yet, there is lack of agreement regarding intervention development. This study aimed to engage participants in the identification of relevant curriculum content. Participatory methods of data collection were used with 54 young adults aged 18 to 29 to generate core concepts for porn literacy education, and these concepts were subsequently explored in group interviews. Findings suggest that the proposed learning outcomes should focus on reducing shame regarding pornography engagement and improving critical thinking skills regarding the following sexual health topics: body image comparisons and dissatisfaction; sexual and gender-based violence; fetishising of gay and transgender communities; and setting unrealistic standards for sex. Methods of engagement for porn literacy, gendered differences, and important findings that are specific to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus (LGBT+) persons are discussed, and recommendations regarding future research and intervention development are outlined.
Unconscious Semantic Priming Influences Performance of Visuomotor Tasks Differently but the Effects are Similar in Young and Older Adults

Abstract We examined the effects of semantic priming of attention on two sequentially presented visuomotor tasks, traffic judgments and saccadic adaptation. Priming was accomplished with the scrambled sentence task: participants formed meaningful sentences from a list of words where a word denoting wide attention focus was involved. The results showed that semantic priming influenced positively saccade adaptation (its’ benefit increased) while it attenuated visuomotor performance in the traffic task (RT of hand movements increased). We found the effects of priming on both tasks’ performance to be comparable in young and older participants. It was suggested that semantic priming effect on visuomotor tasks depended on the cognitive resources which were needful as for the priming as for the primed task.
A manual corpus of annotated main findings of clinical case reports

Abstract Clinical case reports are the `eyewitness reports’ of medicine and provide a valuable, unique, albeit noisy and underutilized type of evidence. Generally a case report has a single main finding that represents the reason for writing up the report in the first place. In the present study, we present the results of manual annotation carried out by two individuals on 500 randomly sampled case reports. This corpus contains main finding sentences extracted from title, abstract and full-text of the same article that can be regarded as semantically related and are often paraphrases. The final reconciled corpus of 416 articles comprises an open resource for further study. This is the first step in establishing text mining models and tools that can identify main finding sentences in an automated fashion, and in measuring quantitatively how similar any two main findings are. We envision that case reports in PubMed may be automatically indexed by main finding, so that users can carry out information queries for specific main findings (rather than general topics)—and given one case report, a user can retrieve those having the most similar main findings. The metric of main finding similarity may also potentially be relevant to the modeling of paraphrasing, summarization and entailment within the biomedical literature.