Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Common gardens in teosintes reveal the establishment of a syndrome of adaptation to altitude

In plants, local adaptation across species range is frequent. Yet, much has to be discovered on its environmental drivers, the underlying functional traits and their molecular determinants. Genome scans are popular to uncover outlier loci potentially involved in the genetic architecture of local adaptation, however links between outliers and phenotypic variation are rarely addressed. Here we focused on adaptation of teosinte populations along two elevation gradients in Mexico that display continuous environmental changes at a short geographical scale. We used two common gardens, and phenotyped 18 traits in 1664 plants from 11 populations of annual teosintes. In parallel, we genotyped these plants for 38 microsatellite markers as well as for 171 outlier single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that displayed excess of allele differentiation between pairs of lowland and highland populations and/or correlation with environmental variables. Our results revealed that phenotypic differentiation at 10 out of the 18 traits was driven by local selection. Trait covariation along the elevation gradient indicated that adaptation to altitude results from the assembly of multiple co-adapted traits into a complex syndrome: as elevation increases, plants flower earlier, produce less tillers, display lower stomata density and carry larger, longer and heavier grains. The proportion of outlier SNPs associating with phenotypic variation, however, largely depended on whether we considered a neutral structure with 5 genetic groups (73.7%) or 11 populations (13.5%), indicating that population stratification greatly affected our results. Finally, chromosomal inversions were enriched for both SNPs whose allele frequencies shifted along elevation as well as phenotypically-associated SNPs. Altogether, our results are consistent with the establishment of an altitudinal syndrome promoted by local selective forces in teosinte populations in spite of detectable gene flow. Because elevation mimics climate change through space, SNPs that we found underlying phenotypic variation at adaptive traits may be relevant for future maize breeding.
A Finger Grip Force Sensor with an Open-Pad Structure for Glove-Type Assistive Devices

This paper presents a fingertip grip force sensor based on custom capacitive sensors for glove-type assistive devices with an open-pad structure. The design of the sensor allows using human tactile sensations during grasping and manipulating an object. The proposed sensor can be attached on both sides of the fingertip and measure the force caused by the expansion of the fingertip tissue when a grasping force is applied to the fingertip. The number of measurable degrees of freedom (DoFs) are the two DoFs (flexion and adduction) for the thumb and one DoF (flexion) for the index and middle fingers. The proposed sensor allows the combination with a glove-type assistive device to measure the fingertip force. Calibration was performed for each finger joint angle because the variations in the expansion of the fingertip tissue depend on the joint angles. The root mean square error (RMSE) for fingertip force estimation ranged from 3.75% to 9.71% after calibration, regardless of the finger joint angles or finger posture.
The impact of gut microbiota manipulation with antibiotics on colon tumorigenesis in a murine model

It has been suggested that manipulation of gut microbiota using antibiotics can inhibit colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) in a mouse model. We investigated whether timing of gut microbial manipulation using antibiotics affects colon tumorigenesis in the azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced CAC model. CAC was induced in C57BL/6 mice by injection of 12.5 mg/kg AOM followed by three rounds of 1.7% DSS exposure. There were six groups based on timing of antibiotic administration. Colonic inflammation, proliferation, and tumorigenesis were evaluated after animal sacrifice. High-throughput sequencing of the mice feces was performed to characterize changes in gut microbiota. Full-time antibiotic treatment significantly decreased the number and size of tumors, histological scores, and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to the AOM/DSS group without antibiotic treatment. The early and late antibiotic groups, antibiotic administration from the first and second rounds of DSS to the end of the study, showed significantly lower histological scores and tumor burden. In contrast, the pretreatment antibiotic group, antibiotic administration from 3 weeks prior to AOM to the first round of DSS, did not exhibit decreased tumorigenesis. Principal coordinate analysis showed similar gut microbial community structures among the full-time, early, and late antibiotic groups, whereas other groups showed distinct gut microbial profiles. There was a positive correlation between number of tumors and number of operational taxonomic units. Colonic tumorigenesis was attenuated by antibiotic administration, except for that only prior to DSS administration, suggesting that gut microbial changes should be maintained throughout the entire period of inflammation to suppress tumorigenesis.
What is the evidence for beneficial effects of growth hormone treatment beyond height in short children born small for gestational age? A review of published literature

Abstract Background An increasing body of evidence supports the view that both an adverse intrauterine milieu and rapid postnatal weight gain in children born small for gestational age (SGA) contribute towards the risk for the development of chronic diseases in adult life. Content The aim of this review was to identify and summarize the published evidence on metabolic and cardiovascular risk, as well as risk of impaired cardiac function, intellectual capacity, quality of life, pubertal development and bone strength among children born SGA. The review will then address whether growth hormone (GH) therapy, commonly prescribed to reduce the height deficit in children born SGA who do not catch up in height, increases or decreases these risks over time. Summary Overall, there are limited data in support of a modest beneficial effect of GH therapy on the adverse metabolic and cardiovascular risk observed in short children born SGA. Evidence to support a positive effect of GH on bone strength and psychosocial outcomes is less convincing. Outlook Further evaluation into the clinical relevance of any potential long-term benefits of GH therapy on metabolic and cardiovascular endpoints is warranted.
Maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of women with chronic hypertension: a population-based study

Abstract Background We aimed to study the maternal characteristics and obstetric and neonatal outcomes in pregnant mothers with chronic hypertension (CHTN) compared to non-CHTN. Methods The study was a population-based cohort study, and a PEARL-Peristat Study (PPS) for the year of 2017. There were 20,210 total births including 19,762 singleton and 448 multiple births. We excluded multiple gestations from the analysis as they differ in fetal growth, duration of gestation and have a higher rate of obstetric and neonatal complications. We compared the maternal characteristics of mothers with pre-existing HTN with non-hypertensive mothers and studied the obstetric and neonatal outcomes including cesarean section, stillbirths, prematurity, macrosomia and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Results We identified 223 births of mothers with essential HTN. The overall prevalence of CHTN in our population was 1.1% (223/20,210). In regard to maternal characteristics, women with CHTN were at or above 35 years of age at the time of delivery 58.9% compared to non-CHTN women 18.7%, P-value <0.001. Pre-existing diabetes was found more in women with CHTN 15.1% compared to non-CHTN women 1.9%, P-value <0.001; while obesity was found in 64% of women with CHTN compared to 32.5% in non-CHTN women, P-value <0.001. Preterm birth was noted in 26% compared to 8% in CHTN compared to non-CHTN women, respectively, P-value <0.001. The rate of stillbirth was similar between the two groups, 0.9% compared to 0.6% in CHTN compared to non-CHTN women, respectively, P-value 0.369. Conclusion Hypertensive mothers have multiple other comorbidities. When compared to the general population, they are older, parous, diabetic and obese with an increased risk of preterm birth and cesarean deliveries. Lifestyle modification, extensive pre-conceptional counseling and multidisciplinary antenatal care are required for such a high-risk group.
Homburgvirus LP-018 Has a Unique Ability to Infect Phage-Resistant Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria phage LP-018 is the only phage from a diverse collection of 120 phages able to form plaques on a phage-resistant Listeria monocytogenes strain lacking rhamnose in its cell wall teichoic acids. The aim of this study was to characterize phage LP-018 and to identify what types of mutations can confer resistance to LP-018. Whole genome sequencing and transmission electron microscopy revealed LP-018 to be a member of the Homburgvirus genus. One-step-growth curve analysis of LP-018 revealed an eclipse period of ~60–90 min and a burst size of ~2 PFU per infected cell. Despite slow growth and small burst size, LP-018 can inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes at a high multiplicity of infection. Ten distinct LP-018-resistant mutants were isolated from infected Listeria monocytogenes 10403S and characterized by whole genome sequencing. In each mutant, a single mutation was identified in either the LMRG_00278 or LMRG_01613 encoding genes. Interesting, LP-018 was able to bind to a representative phage-resistant mutant with a mutation in each gene, suggesting these mutations confer resistance through a mechanism independent of adsorption inhibition. Despite forming plaques on the rhamnose deficient 10403S mutant, LP-018 showed reduced binding efficiency, and we did not observe inhibition of the strain under the conditions tested. Two mutants of LP-018 were also isolated and characterized, one with a single SNP in a gene encoding a BppU domain protein that likely alters its host range. LP-018 is shown to be a unique Listeria phage that, with additional evaluation, may be useful in biocontrol applications that aim to reduce the emergence of phage resistance.
Diabetes and Fatty Liver.

Affiliations 1 German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Germany 2 Heisenberg Professorship and Chair of Clinical Experimental Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine IV, Endocrinology, Diabetology, and Nephrology, University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany 3 Department of Pathophysiology of Prediabetes of the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of Helmholtz Centre Munich, at the University of Tübingen, Germany 4 Division for Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich Heine University and University Clinics, Düsseldorf, Germany 5 Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research and Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
The MAPK-like protein 1 positively regulates maize seedling drought sensitivity by suppressing ABA biosynthesis.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play vital roles in regulating plant growth, development, and stress responses. MAPK-like (MPKL) proteins are a group of kinases containing the MAPK signature TxY motif and showing sequence similarity to MAPKs. However, the functions of plant MPKL proteins are currently unknown. The maize (Zea mays) genome contains four genes encoding MPKL proteins, here named ZmMPKL1 to ZmMPKL4. In this study, we show that ZmMPKL1 possesses kinase activity and that drought induced ZmMPKL1 expression. ZmMPKL1 overexpression and knockout maize seedlings exhibited no visible morphological difference from wild-type B73 seedlings when grown under normal conditions. By contrast, under drought conditions, ZmMPKL1-overexpressing seedlings showed increased stomatal aperture, water loss, and leaf wilting and knockout seedlings showed the opposite phenotypes. Moreover, these drought-sensitive phenotypes in ZmMPKL1-overexpressing seedlings were restored by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). ZmMPKL1 overexpression reduced drought-induced ABA production in seedlings and the knockout showed enhanced ABA production. Drought-induced transcription of ABA biosynthetic genes were suppressed and ABA catabolic genes were enhanced in ZmMPKL1-overexpressing seedlings, while their transcription were reversely regulated in knockout seedlings. These results suggest that ZmMPKL1 positively regulates seedlings drought sensitivity by altering the transcription of ABA biosynthetic and catabolic genes, and ABA homeostasis.
knowledge discovering in Portuguese language texts in the Web

This paper describes the development and implementation of a practical and efficient methodology to construct a knowledge extraction environment that contemplates the search of information from Portuguese language Web sites. The application includes some text mining facilities, such as similarity and difference identification between pages and sites, content classification and document clustering. The application conception has its origin on the evaluation environment of competitive intelligence tasks over the Web. The increasing availability of information in the Web has motivated the proposal of an environment that presents the solutions in an integrated form, supplying results analysis according to the user indication.
The processing of the Dutch masculine generic zijn #_#x2018;his#_#x2019; across stereotype contexts: An eye-tracking study

Language users often infer a person’s gender when it is not explicitly mentioned. This information is included in the mental model of the described situation, giving rise to expectations regarding the continuation of the discourse. Such gender inferences can be based on two types of information: gender stereotypes (e.g., nurses are female) and masculine generics, which are grammatically masculine word forms that are used to refer to all genders in certain contexts (e.g., To each his own). In this eye-tracking experiment (N = 82), which is the first to systematically investigate the online processing of masculine generic pronouns, we tested whether the frequently used Dutch masculine generic zijn ‘his’ leads to a male bias. In addition, we tested the effect of context by introducing male, female, and neutral stereotypes. We found no evidence for the hypothesis that the generically-intended masculine pronoun zijn ‘his’ results in a male bias. However, we found an effect of stereotype context. After introducing a female stereotype, reading about a man led to an increase in processing time. However, the reverse did not hold, which parallels the finding in social psychology that men are penalized more for gender-nonconforming behavior. This suggests that language processing is not only affected by the strength of stereotype contexts; the associated disapproval of violating these gender stereotypes affects language processing, too.
Analysis of the Sedimentation Characteristics of Ultrafine Tailings Based on an Orthogonal Experiment

Due to continuous improvements in the beneficiation process, the size of tailings has decreased. In many mines, more than 50% of the total tailings are finer than 74 μm. Ultrafine tailings exhibit a slow settling velocity and uneven settling, which pose new challenges to the safety and stability of tailings dams. In this paper, ultrafine iron tailings from the Makeng Iron Mine in Longyan City, Fujian Province, were used as the research object. A four-factor, three-level orthogonal test method was used to study the sedimentation characteristics of ultrafine tailings with four common curing agent materials, including polyacrylamide, polyaluminum chloride, polyaluminum sulfate, and polyferric sulfate. The results show that when the pulp concentration is 30%, the polyacrylamide is cationic and the molecular weight is 10 million, the optimal content of the flocculant is 3‰, the optimum dose of the polyaluminum chloride with a content of 28 is 0.1‰, the optimum dose of polyaluminum sulfate is 1‰, and the optimum dose of polymeric ferric sulfate is 1‰. When the flocculant is mixed according to the proportion of 2‰ polyacrylamide, 0.05‰ polyaluminum chloride, 1‰ polyaluminum sulfate, and 1.0‰ polyferric sulfate, the sedimentation speed of the ultrafine tailings is fast, and the supernatant liquid is clear. The results of multivariate nonlinear regression analysis of the sedimentation curve show that the primary and secondary factors affecting sedimentation are polyacrylamide > polyaluminum sulfate > polyaluminum chloride > polyferric sulfate. When the optimal ratio is applied, the cohesion (c) of ultrafine tailings increases from 27 kPa to 68.75 kPa and the internal friction angle (φ) increases from 25.53° to 27.53°, which shows that the shear strength improves and the stability of the tailings dam increases. The economic analysis of the composite flocculant with the optimal ratio shows that the flocculant with the optimal proportion has an obvious economic advantage over polyacrylamide alone.
1 The East African Rift System : Tectonics , climate and biodiversity

The East African Rift System (EARS) is one of the most prominent rift systems on Earth and transects the high-elevation East African Plateau. The EARS is famous for its tectonics and geology and has also been suggested to be the ‘cradle of mankind’ making it a natural laboratory for interdisciplinary research straddling the Earth and life sciences. Rifting commenced as a result of mantle plume activity under East Africa. Two distinct rift branches are observed: an older, volcanically active Eastern Branch and a younger, much less volcanic Western Branch. The Eastern Branch is generally characterized by high elevation, whereas the Western Branch comprises a number of deep rift lakes (e.g. Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malaŵi). The onset of topographic uplift in the EARS is poorly dated but has preceded graben development, which commenced at ~24 Ma in the Ethiopian Rift, at ~12 Ma in Kenya, and at ~10 Ma in the Western Branch. Pronounced uplift of the East African Plateau since ~10 Ma might be connected to climate change in East Africa and floral and faunal— including human—evolution. But linking global climate changes to biodiversity in East Africa is difficult as long-term global climate records are from marine cores off the African coast, while faunal and floral evidence from the late Miocene onwards comes from local rift valley sediments. East Africa experienced cooling starting at 15.6-12.5 Ma that heralded profound faunal changes at 8-5 Ma, when modern taxa began to take shape and the hominin lineage split from the chimpanzee lineage. The Pliocene can be divided into a period of long-term environmental stability between 5.3 and 3.3 Ma, transitioning into a period of cooler and more arid conditions after ~2.8 Ma. The end of the Pliocene warm period coincides with the earliest known stone tools at ~3.3 Ma and earliest known fossils of the hominin genus Homo at 2.8 Ma.
The associations between MDM4 rs4245739 A>C polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Recent studies have reported that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4245739 in MDM4 is associated with cancer risk. However, published studies have shown inconsistent results. Therefore, an up to date meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between rs4245739 and cancer risk in the literature. 10 relevant studies involving 19,915 cases and 61,135 controls were included in this meta-analysis. We observed that rs4245739 was significantly associated with a decreased cancer risk in genetic models (AC vs. AA: OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75-0.96; AC+CC vs. AA: OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.74-0.95); C vs. A: OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.78-0.96). Moreover, in the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism was significantly associated with cancer isk in the Asian population. Additionally, an increased ESCC (Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma) risk was found in the recessive and homozygous genetic models after stratification of cancer types. In conclusion, these meta-analysis results suggest that MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism was associated with a significantly decreased risk of cancer, especially in Asian populations. However, a trend of increased risk of cancer was observed in ESCC.
Interactive Computer Simulation and Computer Simulation Video: Comparative Perspective in Cognitive Achievement in Petrol Engine

This study compared two groups of four technical college classes studying automobile engine. One group learned using interactive computer simulation; the other group learned using computer simulation video. The study adopted a pretest, posttest, control group, quasi-experimental research design. There were three weeks (of 45 minutes each) of treatment for the study. Cognitive achievement test was used to obtain data. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was computed to establish a correlation coefficient of 0.82 after testretest of cognitive achievement test. The area of the study is Enugu State of Nigeria. 526 NTC 1 (average of 1617 years old) students of Motor Vehicle Mechanics’ Work formed the population of the study; while 120 students were sampled from 4 schools out of the 22 schools managed by Science Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board (STVSMB), Enugu. Arithmetic mean was utilised to answer the research question, while the hypothesis was tested, at . 05 level of significance, using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study found that the group taught using interactive computer simulation performed better than those using computer simulation video. It was also found that the difference was not significant. Based on the findings, one of the recommendations made is that interactive computer simulation teaching technique should be incorporated in the teaching of Motor Vehicle Mechanics’ Work.
Chronic heart failure in a long-standing methamphetamine abuser

Background: Amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) often damages cardiomyocytes through its sympathomimetic properties. Here, we present an autopsy case report describing ATSassociated cardiomyopathy (ATSAC) in an individual with a history of methamphetamine abuse of over 30 years. Case report: A 50-year-old man was found deceased at his home. Just 3 days before his death, he had been released from prison after serving a 3-year sentence, during which period he had stopped drug use. Although the hearts of patients with ATSAC are generally hypertrophic or dilated, his heart showed a normal appearance. Histologically, heart failure cells were evident in the lungs. The myocardium consisted of a mixture of hypertrophic and atrophic cardiomyocytes. Contraction band necrosis and lipofuscin accumulation were evident. Immunostaining for tenascin C was negative. These findings indicated extensive damage to the cardiomyocytes. We diagnosed the cause of his death as pulmonary edema due to chronic heart failure, despite the normal appearance of the heart. ATSAC is generally reversible after cessation of drug use. However, in this case, extreme long-standing abuse of methamphetamines resulted in severe damage to cardiomyocytes and consequent loss of recovery capacity. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing atrophic cardiomyocytes in a long-standing ATS abuser. The present findings highlight the importance of histopathological examination in such cases, regardless of external tissue appearance.
Toward Learning High-Level Semantic Frames from Definitions

We describe work toward learning semantic frames from definitions in WordNet. Our ultimate purpose is to build a resource of common sense knowledge with at least the depth of FrameNet but with wider coverage. The approach uses the TRIPS parser to identify relationships between concepts which we evaluate with human judges. From those relations we generate a very small domain of frames with encouraging results. We discuss how the relationships can be further exploited in the future and identify obstacles and possible solutions.