Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grazer facilitation of fungal infection and the control of plant growth in south‐western Atlantic salt marshes

1 While great effort has been made in documenting the processes that drive plant‐induced susceptibility after herbivore attack and it is widely accepted that herbivores can facilitate plant diseases, the relative importance of this interaction in controlling plant growth in natural systems remains largely unexplored. 2 In south‐western Atlantic salt marshes, we investigated the importance of disease after herbivory by examining: (i) whether or not a herbivorous crab facilitates disease (i.e. fungus infection) in marsh plants (Spartina alterniflora and S. densiflora) when clipping off small portions of leaves and (ii) the separate and interactive effects of crab grazing but fungal infection in controlling marsh plant growth. 3 Our results show that crab grazing facilitates fungal infection in Spartina leaves. A factorial field experiment shows that both direct crab herbivory and fungal infection strongly suppress plant production (by more than 50%). 4 Synthesis. These experimental results demonstrate that fungal infection following herbivory attack can decrease salt marsh plant production and that increased disease susceptibility can be a fundamental factor in controlling plant production in natural ecosystems, even in cases where herbivores do not directly inoculate the pathogen but only damage plant tissue.
LIGNIFICATION AND IN VITRO CELL WALL DIGESTIBILITY OF PLANT PARTS

The in vitro cell wall digestibility and chemical composition were determined with a total of 56 forage samples. Two samples each of Dactylis glomerata L. , Bromus inermis Leyss. , Medicago sativa L. , and Lotus corniculatus L. were collected at three maturities. Two samples of Symphtum officinale L. were collected at two maturities. All samples were later separated into leaf and stem portions. Wide variation existed in chemical composition and digestibility. The range in cell wall constituents was 23.9 to 79.8%, in acid detergent fiber 16.9 to 52.3%, and in lignin 3.7 to 19.1%. The in vitro cell wall digestibility varied from 16.6 to 77.5%. Correlation coefficients between lignin content and cell wall digestibility were higher when lignin was expressed as a percentage of dry matter rather than as a percentage of cell walls. In grasses, the relationship between lignin in cell walls and cell wall digestibility was linear. However, cell wall digestibility of legumes and Russian comfrey was not as low as expect.
Studies on the reactions of animals to infestation with ticks. II. Tick toxins

Toxin has been shown to be present in the eggs of 17 species of ixodid ticks, and is probably present in the eggs of all species of this family. It was associated with the globulin fraction of the egg extract, and was thermolabile. Similar toxin was also present in the larvae of the only four species of ixodid ticks of which larvae were tested. The toxin was not present in the eggs of the five species of argasid ticks used in this study. Clinical syndrome and the pathological changes in the tissues of laboratory animals following injection of egg extracts were indicative of toxaemia. At a dose rate of 0.3 g/kg body weight, there was a rapid initial rise in rectal temperature, followed by subnormal temperature and death. At lower dose rates, there was loss of hair a t the site of injection, and usually the development of an indurated, sterile ulcer. The toxin appeared to be quite distinct from the one that causes tick paralysis, which, in Australia, results from infestation with Ixodes holocyclus Neumann.
A trend test for the analysis of multiple paternity

The aquatic warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola, is one of a few species in which nestlings from a single nest can be sired by up to four different fathers. Data from a DNA fingerprinting study suggest that there is a trend: the larger the number of fathers in a brood the larger is the number of nestlings. However, the number of young within a single nest cannot be smaller than the number of fathers. This restriction causes an inherent trend and, consequently, can lead to a false-positive trend test result. For this nonstandard situation, we propose a trend test that differentiates between the inherent trend and a “real” trend, that is, a larger brood size through multiple paternity. Using DNA fingerprinting data, we performed a randomization test using the proposed new trend test statistic and obtained a significant result (P=0.047). This indicates that a larger number of fathers per brood is associated with a larger brood size. In addition, we consider an umbrella alternative, that is, a downturn in effect may occur after the optimal number of fathers per brood is exceeded. An appropriate test for this alternative also leads to a significance (P=0.011).
External Validation of Equations to Estimate Resting Energy Expenditure in 2037 Children and Adolescents with and 389 without Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study

We performed an external cross-validation study of 10 equations to estimate resting energy expenditure (REE) in 2037 children with and 389 without obesity. Inclusion criteria were Caucasian ethnicity, age ≤ 18 years, and availability of REE. REE was measured using indirect calorimetry. The correct classification fraction (CCF) of an equation was defined as the fraction of subjects whose estimated REE was within 10% of measured REE. The Molnár equation was the most accurate REE prediction equation with CCFs of 0.70 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.76) in girls without obesity, 0.64 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.66) in girls with obesity, 0.76 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.83) in boys without obesity, and 0.66 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.69) in boys with obesity. The Mifflin equation was the second most accurate equation with CCFs of 0.67 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.73) in girls without obesity, 0.61 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.64) in girls with obesity, 0.75 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.82) in boys without obesity, and 0.66 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.69) in boys with obesity.
A Flexible Piezoresistive Sensor with Wide-Range Pressure Measurement based on a Graded Nest-Like Architecture.

Flexible pressure sensors present great potential in the application of human health monitoring, tactile function of prothesis, and electronic skin for robotics. These applications require a different trade-off between sensitivity and sensing range; therefore, it is imperative to develop multidimensional sensitivities in a single sensor. In this paper, a bioinspired strategy for a 3D pressure sensor using a graded porous resistive material is proposed to measure pressures from several Pa to MPa. Its fabrication is based on an easily accessible template method. The nest-architecture-based wide-range pressure sensor (NWPS) exhibits an adequately high sensitivity under an extensive pressure regime (20 Pa to 1.2 MPa). In addition, with rational structural design and subtle engineering of the material properties, the sensor achieves remarkable mechanical stability. To prove the concept, sensors were attached on a bicycle wheel to monitor tire-pavement pressure, and on human skin to detect biosignals such as venous and arterial blood pressure pulses.
Preparation and characterization of borosilicate-bioglass-incorporated sodium alginate composite wound dressing for accelerated full-thickness skin wound healing

Full-thickness skin injury is a serious and intractable clinical problem. Wound dressing is urgently needed to treat serious skin defects or induce skin reconstruction. For the first time, we demonstrated a borosilicate bioglass (BBG)-incorporated sodium alginate (SA) wound dressing by a simple and effective technique for accelerated wound healing. The physical and chemical properties, in vitro and in vivo properties of SA-BBG composite wound dressing have been investigated. The results show that the SA-BBG composite dressing possesses good water absorption performance. The boron and silicon ions in BBG can maintain stable and sustained release. Most importantly, the SA-BBG composite wound dressing shows outstanding wound healing ability in full-thickness skin defects in rats. The wounds treated with SA-BBG composite dressing groups had almost closed at day 15. When the ratio of sodium alginate to bioglass in the sponge is 3:1, the wound healing effect is the best. In conclusion, the SA-BBG composite dressing shows great potential for application in skin wound healing and SA3BBG works best.
Proliferative control of leaf cells through inter-cell-layer AN3 signaling

Summary: Cells in clonally different lineages coordinate proliferation within a developing organ to ensure species-specific organ size and shape, and signaling between cells generally plays a pivotal role in this process. In the field of developmental biology, examining the molecular details and dynamics of the signaling remains a challenge. Previous studies have suggested that the size and shape of a leaf are determined through coordinated proliferation between epidermal and mesophyll cells, possibly through inter-cell- layer signaling. However, the signaling mechanism remains largely unexplored because, until recently, little was known regarding the signaling molecules involved in this process. ANGUSTIFOLIA3 ( AN3 ) in Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a transcriptional co-activator with homology to human synovial sarcoma translocation protein. Kawade et al. (2013) reported that AN3 is a signaling molecule that mediates inter-cell-layer signaling for the coordinated proliferation of leaf cells. AN3 is produced specifically in mesophyll cells and moves into epidermal cells, where it participates in transcriptional control for cell proliferation in destination cells. The identification of the signaling molecule involved in coordinated proliferation of leaf cells allows us to directly investigate the functional impact of inter-cell-layer signaling on leaf development. Interfering with AN3 movement across cell layers disrupts the coordinated proliferation of leaf cells. Leaf size and shape are also impaired in this situation, demonstrating that AN3 signaling itself is indispensable for normal leaf development. Based on these findings, Kawade et al. (2013) presented a novel model emphasizing the role of mesophyll cells as a signaling source for coordinated proliferation of leaf cells, as well as the regulation of leaf size and shape.
Effect of coronavirus infection on the human heart: A scoping review

Background The global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding the cardiovascular implications of coronavirus infections, with more severe disease in those with cardiovascular co-morbidities, and resulting cardiac manifestations such as myocardial injury, arrhythmias, and heart failure. Design A systematic review of the current knowledge on the effects of coronavirus infection on the cardiovascular system in humans was performed and results were summarized. Methods Databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, Chinese Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched on 20 March 2020. Results In total, 135 studies were included, involving severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, coronavirus disease 2019 and other coronaviruses. Most were case reports, case series and cohort studies of poor to fair quality. In post-mortem examinations of subjects who died from infection, around half had virus identified in heart tissues in severe acute respiratory syndrome, but none in Middle East respiratory syndrome and coronavirus disease 2019. Cardiac manifestations reported include tachycardia, bradycardia, arrhythmias, and myocardial injury, secondary to both systemic infection and treatment. Cardiac injury and arrhythmias are more prevalent in coronavirus disease 2019, and elevated cardiac markers are associated with intensive care unit admission and death. In severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019, comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease are associated with intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. There were cases of misdiagnosis due to overlapping presentations of cardiovascular diseases and coronavirus infections, leading to hospital spread and delayed management of life-threatening conditions. Conclusion This review highlighted the ways in which coronaviruses affect cardiovascular function and interacts with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.
The responses of the cabbage seed weevil (Ceutorhynchus assimilis) to the odour of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and to some volatile isothiocyanates

The responses of the cabbage seed weevil, Ceutorhynchus assimilis Payk. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to volatiles from oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) were tested using a linear track olfactometer. Weevils were attracted towards the odour of rape during a short period before diapause and for most of their post‐diapause life. Odours from both the flowering and green parts of the plant were attractive, but the odour of a non‐host plant (Bellis perennis L.) was not. An entrainment extract of flowering rape volatiles in pentane was attractive, but significantly less so than the odour of flowering rape itself. Attraction was found to 3‐butenyl and 4‐pentenyl isothiocyanate (NCS), but not to 2‐phenylethyl isothiocyanate. A mixture of the three NCSs was more attractive than the individual NCSs. However, the concentration required to produce a response was still relatively high. Isothiocyanates, along with other volatiles from rape, probably play a role in host plant recognition by the seed weevil.
DISCUSSION PAPER: INDUCTION, EVOLUTION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The problem seems to have to d o with the process called “induction. ” Let us adopt a simple definition and let intuition supply the rest. Induction involves the extraction of information from certain inputs. It involves real time, a n initial state in which certain information is demonstrably absent, and a final state in which the information is demonstrably present. In between is something very like trial and error. The extent to which this trial and error is constrained by factors other than pure chance is determined by initial conditions. Furthermore, the extent to which induction is constrained by factors other than pure chance is precisely the extent to which it is not induction. So anyone speaking about “pure” induction must have something else in mind, because according to the present definition, some sort of structurally constrained initial conditions must obtain if an initial state is to be specified at all. There is no question but that the above definition strongly equates inductive processes with statistical processes. Alternative contenders will have to come forward and be equally specific. Now, the central question that motivates such close scrutiny of induction: When is it incumbent upon a scientist to give an inductive explanation of an empirical phenomenon? Otherwise stated, what must be explained in terms of “how it got that way” (as opposed to what can be accounted for by a state description simpliciter)? Of course, “a statedescription simpliciter“ is usually neither a simple nor a simplistic matter. For example, if such a description is not t o be just an empty phenomenology, it must make reference to certain alternative states, not actual but “possible” ones, and the state description must specify the constraints that generate the actual states rather than the possible states. It is the rules that exclude or forbid the alternative-states which give power and substance t o a generative state description. Now to return to the question of what demands an inductive explanation rather than a “mere” (possibly generative) state description. Perhaps it would be simpler to state what does not demand an inductive explanation, for I claim that what does demand such an explanation constitutes by far the larger class. As an example of what does not require inductive explanation, 1 offer a reductio in the form of an absurd question: Surely it makes no sense to ask, in general, “how the universe ‘learned’ its laws”! The primary laws of physics (whatever they will ultimately turn out to be), as well as cosmological initial conditions, are the structural constraints on the “initial state” of the universe, and they are not t o be accounted for inductively; and this for totally nonmysterious, logical, and methodological (if one can speak of a methodology of theoretical explanation) reasons. Second, the “laws” of logic are themselves not to be accounted for inductively. They too are “givens. ”
The Effects of Obesity on Anti-Cancer Immunity and Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Traditional treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and more recently targeted therapies including immunotherapy are becoming routine care for some cancers. Immunotherapy aims to upregulate the patient’s own immune system, enabling it to destroy cancerous cells. Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by significant weight that is an important contributor to many different diseases, including cancers. Obesity impacts the immune system and causes, among other things, a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. This is hypothesized to impact the efficacy of the immunotherapies. This review discusses the effects of obesity on the immune system and cancer immunotherapy, including the current evidence on the effect of obesity on immune checkpoint blockade, something which currently published reviews on this topic have not delved into. Data from several studies show that even though obesity causes a state of chronic low-grade inflammation with reductions in effector immune populations, it has a beneficial effect on patient survival following anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 treatment. However, research in this field is just emerging and further work is needed to expand our understanding of which cancer patients are likely to benefit from immunotherapy.
Eficiência de utilização de nutrientes em novilhas das raças Canchim e Nelore e cruzadas Canchim-Nelore

The objective of this work was to study the efficiency of nutrient utilization by Canchim (CA), Nellore (NE) and crossbreed 1/2 Canchim + 1/2 Nelore (CANE) growing heifers, in three diets: maintenance, forage:concentrate ratio (RFC) of 75:25 (test 1), diet for weight gains up to 700 g/animal/day, RFC of 60:40 (test 2) and diet for weight gains up to 1200 g/animal/day, RFC of 40:60 (test 3). Twenty-four heifers were used in each test, eight of each genetic group. Each test had by three phases: a) performance, of 90 days,where the dry matter intake and daily weight gains were determined; b) coefficients of apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance of animals; and c) liquid phase digesta passage rates. The heifers from CA, NE and CANE showed similar results, within each diet, for all analyzed variables.
Prévention de l’oxydation des acides gras dans un produit cosmétique : mécanismes, conséquences, moyens de mesure, quels antioxydants pour quelles applications ?

To recall the general mechanism of fatty acid oxidation, a focus is made on the different degradation product families and their impact on the quality of blend or formulated fats and oils. Because of the importance of the analytical method choice to assess the oxidative status of the products, a review underlines the precautions required to interpret the results. Another important point concerns the Good Manufacturing Practices to reduce the oxidative risk, and the respective advantages and drawbacks of a selection of synthetic or natural antioxidants in cosmetic applications, conclude this short review.
COVID-19: Pandemic Risk, Resilience and Possibilities for Aging Research

Abstract The COVID-19 global crisis is reshaping Canadian society in unexpected and profound ways. The significantly higher morbidity and mortality risks by age suggest that this is largely a “gero-pandemic,” which has thrust the field of aging onto center stage. This editorial emphasizes that vulnerable older adults are also those most affected by COVID-19 in terms of infection risk, negative health effects, and the potential deleterious outcomes on a range of social, psychological, and economic contexts – from ageism to social isolation. We also contend that the pathogenic analysis of this pandemic needs to be balanced with a salutogenic approach that examines the positive adaptation of people, systems and society, termed COVID-19 resilience. This begs the question: how and why do some older adults and communities adapt and thrive better than others? This examination will lead to the identification and response to research and data gaps, challenges, and innovative opportunities as we plan for a future in which COVID-19 has become another endemic infection in the growing list of emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
Bariatric surgery in patients with psychiatric comorbidity: Significant weight loss and improvement of physical quality of life

Patients that have psychiatric comorbidity are thought to lose less weight than the general bariatric population and are therefore sometimes denied surgery. However, there is no scientific evidence for this assumption. The aim of this study is to evaluate the weight loss and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with psychiatric disorders who undergo bariatric surgery and compare these patients with a general bariatric population.
Non-Invasive Delivery of Therapeutics into the Brain: The Potential of Aptamers for Targeted Delivery

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialised network of blood vessels that effectively separates the brain environment from the circulatory system. While there are benefits, in terms of keeping pathogens from entering the brain, the BBB also complicates treatments of brain pathologies by preventing efficient delivery of macromolecular drugs to diseased brain tissue. Although current non-invasive strategies of therapeutics delivery into the brain, such as focused ultrasound and nanoparticle-mediated delivery have shown various levels of successes, they still come with risks and limitations. This review discusses the current approaches of therapeutic delivery into the brain, with a specific focus on non-invasive methods. It also discusses the potential for aptamers as alternative delivery systems and several reported aptamers with promising preliminary results.
Description of Schistonchus superbus n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae), an associate of Ficus superba in China

A new nematode species was recovered from the syconia of Ficus superba from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, during a survey of nematode biodiversity from 2007 to 2012. It is described herein as Schistonchus superbus n. sp. and is characterised by possessing the combined characters of a short post-uterine sac and digitate tail without a mucron in females, excretory pore located near the metacorpus, amoeboid sperm, a unique wedge-shaped male tail with variable tip and two pairs of subventral papillae, absence of a gubernaculum and possession of sickle-shaped spicules without a cucullus and with a thorn-shaped rostrum. Schistonchus superbus n. sp. is typologically differentiated from all other described species in this genus by the possession of a wedge-shaped tail in males and a digitate tail without mucron in females. Schistonchus superbus n. sp. was easily differentiated from other sequenced species by the partial small subunit rRNA gene (SSU), D3 expansion segment of the large subunit rRNA gene (LSU) and mitochondrial DNA subunit I (mtCOI). Phylogenetic analysis with partial SSU sequences suggests that S. superbus n. sp. is sister to S. caprifici and S. hirtus, and is a polyphyletic relative to other Schistonchus species that have been sequenced. Based on inferences using LSU D3 sequence data, S. superbus n. sp. is in a well-supported monophyletic clade with S. caprifici, S. hirtus and S. macrophylla.