Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive Effects of Tree Mixing and Drought on a Primary Forest Pest

Climate change and biodiversity erosion are two major threats to the vitality of the world's forests. However, it is difficult to predict the extent to which tree diversity and environmental conditions interact to modify forest health, and in particular resistance and/or tolerance to insect pests. We used a tree diversity experiment with an irrigation treatment to investigate the effect of mixing and diluting host pines (Pinus pinaster) amongst broadleaved trees on pine stem borer (Dioryctria sylvestrella) infestations under contrasting drought conditions. We further tested whether the attack patterns of this primary pest resulted from direct effects of tree diversity and drought, or was indirectly mediated by their combined effects on pine vigor. The total number of stem borer attacks per plot significantly decreased with tree species richness, i.e. increased with the density of pines, being maximum in pure plots. There were more attacks in irrigated plots. Mixing pines with birches resulted in lower plot infestations but only in irrigated plots. The probability of individual tree being attacked was higher in irrigated plots and decreased with increasing pine density. More vigorous trees, i.e. with higher radial growth, were more likely to be attacked. We suggest that the pine stem borer is attracted by the volatile organic compounds released by the resin exuding from bark cracks. Bark fissuring increases with radial growth, which is enhanced by irrigation and reduced intraspecific competition in low-density pine plots. The presence of birch limits plot infestation, probably because it disrupts host-finding behavior through repellence by non-host volatiles. This phenomenon is mainly observed when pines are vigorous, i.e. when they are irrigated, and particularly attractive to the stem borer. Our results confirm that more severe droughts decrease the attacks by primary pests feeding on tree trunks by reducing host tree vigor and that focal tree species can obtain protection against specialized insect pests when mixed with non-host species. The functional characteristics of herbivorous insects are therefore to be taken into account in predicting the interactive effects of climate change and loss of diversity on forest health.
Neurobehavioral Consequences of Traffic-Related Air Pollution

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is a major contributor to global air pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that air pollution due to gasoline and diesel emissions from internal combustion engines of automobiles, trucks, locomotives, and ships leads to 800,000 premature deaths annually due to pulmonary, cardiovascular, and neurological complications. It has been observed that individuals living and working in areas of heavy vehicle traffic have high susceptibility to anxiety, depression, and cognitive deficits. Information regarding the mechanisms that potentially lead to detrimental mental health effects of TRAP is gradually increasing. Several studies have suggested that TRAP is associated with adverse effects in the central nervous system (CNS), primarily due to increase in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Animal studies have provided further useful insights on the deleterious effects of vehicle exhaust emissions (VEEs). The mechanistic basis for these effects is unclear, although gasoline and diesel exhaust-induced neurotoxicity seems the most plausible cause. Several important points emerge from these studies. First, TRAP leads to neurotoxicity. Second, TRAP alters neurobehavioral function. Exactly how that happens remains unclear. This review article will discuss current state of the literature on this subject and potential leads that have surfaced from the preclinical work.
Stuttering Severity Modulates Effects of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Adults Who Stutter

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as frequent disruptions in the flow of speech, affecting 1% of adults. Treatments are limited to behavioral interventions with variable success and high relapse rates, particularly in adults. However, even in severe cases, fluency can be temporarily induced during conditions in which the speaker synchronizes his speech with external rhythmic cues, such as when reading in unison (choral speech) or with a metronome. Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown promise in augmenting the effects of behavioral treatment during motor and speech/language rehabilitation, but only one study to date has examined behavioral modulatory effects of tDCS in the context of stuttering. Using high-definition (HD)-tDCS electrodes, which improves focality of stimulation relative to conventional tDCS, we investigated the effects of tDCS on speech fluency and brain activation in 14 adults who stutter (AWS). Either anodal or sham stimulation was delivered on separate days over left supplementary motor area (SMA). During stimulation, participants read aloud in sync with a metronome. Measures of speech fluency and brain activity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were collected before and after stimulation. No significant differences in brain activity or speech fluency were found when comparing active and sham stimulation. However, stuttering severity significantly modulated the effect of stimulation: active stimulation attenuated the atypically strong association between stuttering severity and right thalamocortical network activity, especially in more severe speakers. These preliminary results warrant additional research into potential application of HD-tDCS to modulate speech motor networks to enhance fluency in stuttering.
Jellyfish-Inspired Soft Robot Driven by Fluid Electrode Dielectric Organic Robotic Actuators

Robots for underwater exploration are typically comprised of rigid materials and driven by propellers or jet thrusters, which consume a significant amount of power. Large power consumption necessitates a sizeable battery, which limits the ability to design a small robot. Propellers and jet thrusters generate considerable noise and vibration, which is counterproductive when studying acoustic signals or studying timid species. Bioinspired soft robots provide an approach for underwater exploration in which the robots are comprised of compliant materials that can better adapt to uncertain environments and take advantage of design elements that have been optimized in nature. In previous work, we demonstrated that frameless DEAs could use fluid electrodes to apply a voltage to the film and that effective locomotion in an eel-inspired robot could be achieved without the need for a rigid frame. However, the robot required an off-board power supply and a non-trivial control signal to achieve propulsion. To develop an untethered soft swimming robot powered by DEAs, we drew inspiration from the jellyfish and attached a ring of frameless DEAs to an inextensible layer to generate a unimorph structure that curves toward the passive side to generate power stroke, and efficiently recovers the original configuration as the robot coasts. This swimming strategy simplified the control system and allowed us to develop a soft robot capable of untethered swimming at an average speed of 3.2 mm/s and a cost of transport of 35. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using DEAs with fluid electrodes for low power, silent operation in underwater environments.
Schizophrenia symptom dimensions in correlation to patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics

Background Schizophrenia symptom dimensions could vary with clinical and demographic variables. Materials and methods A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia were diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and statistical manual criteria of the American Psychiatric association. Positive and negative symptom scale was used to assess schizophrenia symptoms. The search for possible correlations between dimensions and demographic and clinical variables was done by Pearson correlation coefficient. Results and conclusion Symptom dimensions showed a correlation with age, onset, duration, hospitalization, compliance to medication, duration without treatment, and family history of schizophrenia.
The Rocky Road From Fed-Batch to Continuous Processing With E. coli

Escherichia coli still serves as a beloved workhorse for the production of many biopharmaceuticals as it fulfills essential criteria, such as having fast doubling times, exhibiting a low risk of contamination, and being easy to upscale. Most industrial processes in E. coli are carried out in fed-batch mode. However, recent trends show that the biotech industry is moving toward time-independent processing, trying to improve the space–time yield, and especially targeting constant quality attributes. In the 1950s, the term “chemostat” was introduced for the first time by Novick and Szilard, who followed up on the previous work performed by Monod. Chemostat processing resulted in a major hype 10 years after its official introduction. However, enthusiasm decreased as experiments suffered from genetic instabilities and physiology issues. Major improvements in strain engineering and the usage of tunable promotor systems facilitated chemostat processes. In addition, critical process parameters have been identified, and the effects they have on diverse quality attributes are understood in much more depth, thereby easing process control. By pooling the knowledge gained throughout the recent years, new applications, such as parallelization, cascade processing, and population controls, are applied nowadays. However, to control the highly heterogeneous cultivation broth to achieve stable productivity throughout long-term cultivations is still tricky. Within this review, we discuss the current state of E. coli fed-batch process understanding and its tech transfer potential within continuous processing. Furthermore, the achievements in the continuous upstream applications of E. coli and the continuous downstream processing of intracellular proteins will be discussed.
An Emergent Discriminative Learning Is Elicited During Multifrequency Testing

In auditory-conditioned fear learning, the freezing response is independent of the sound frequencies used, but the frequency of the conditioned sound is considered distinct from those of unrelated sounds based on electrophysiological responses in the auditory system. Whether an emergent discriminative learning underlies auditory fear conditioning and which nuclei and pathways are involved in it remain unclear. Using behavioral and electrophysiological assays, we found that the response of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons to a conditioned auditory stimulus (CS) was enhanced relative to the response to unrelated frequencies (UFs) after auditory fear conditioning, and mice could distinguish the CS during multifrequency testing, a phenomenon called emergent discriminative learning. After silencing the mPFC with muscimol, emergent discriminative learning was blocked. In addition, the pure tone responses of mPFC neurons were inhibited after injection of lidocaine in the ipsilateral primary auditory cortex (A1), and the emergent discriminative learning was blocked by silencing both sides of A1 with muscimol. This study, therefore, provides evidence for an emergent discriminative learning mediated by mPFC and A1 neurons after auditory fear conditioning.
Thiazide Diuretics and the Incidence of Osteoporotic Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

Background: Thiazide diuretics may improve bone mineral density. However, results are inconsistent for studies evaluating the association between thiazides and risk of osteoporotic fracture. We performed an updated meta-analysis of cohort studies to determine the association between thiazides use and fracture risk. Methods: Relevant studies were identified via systematic search of PubMed and Embase. A random-effect model was used for meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore the potential influences of study characteristics on the outcome. Results: Seventeen cohort studies with 3,537,504 participants were included. The pooled results showed that use of thiazide diuretics at baseline did not significantly affect the risk of overall osteoporotic fracture incidence as compared with controls (risk ratio [RR]: 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.83 to 1.09, p = 0.51) with significant heterogeneity (p for Cochrane’s Q test < 0.001, I2 = 90%). Results of subgroup analyses indicated that general status of the participants may be an important determinant for the association between thiazide diuretics and subsequent risk of osteoporotic fracture. Use of thiazide diuretics was associated with significantly reduced risk of fracture in patients with acute status including new-onset stroke or spinal cord injury (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.86, p < 0.001), but not in those with good conditions such as community-dwelling population or hypertensive patients (p for subgroup difference = 0.02). Conclusions: Use of thiazide diuretics is not associated with significantly affected risk of overall osteoporotic fracture. However, the association may be different according to the general status of the participants.
Who Needs a Contractile Actomyosin Ring? The Plethora of Alternative Ways to Divide a Protozoan Parasite

Cytokinesis, or the division of the cytoplasm, following the end of mitosis or meiosis, is accomplished in animal cells, fungi, and amoebae, by the constriction of an actomyosin contractile ring, comprising filamentous actin, myosin II, and associated proteins. However, despite this being the best-studied mode of cytokinesis, it is restricted to the Opisthokonta and Amoebozoa, since members of other evolutionary supergroups lack myosin II and must, therefore, employ different mechanisms. In particular, parasitic protozoa, many of which cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans and animals as well as considerable economic losses, employ a wide diversity of mechanisms to divide, few, if any, of which involve myosin II. In some cases, cell division is not only myosin II-independent, but actin-independent too. Mechanisms employed range from primitive mechanical cell rupture (cytofission), to motility- and/or microtubule remodeling-dependent mechanisms, to budding involving the constriction of divergent contractile rings, to hijacking host cell division machinery, with some species able to utilize multiple mechanisms. Here, I review current knowledge of cytokinesis mechanisms and their molecular control in mammalian-infective parasitic protozoa from the Excavata, Alveolata, and Amoebozoa supergroups, highlighting their often-underappreciated diversity and complexity. Billions of people and animals across the world are at risk from these pathogens, for which vaccines and/or optimal treatments are often not available. Exploiting the divergent cell division machinery in these parasites may provide new avenues for the treatment of protozoal disease.
The Effects of Alcoholism Pharmacotherapy on Immune Responses in Alcohol-Dependent Patients

Chronic alcohol use has profound modulatory effects on the immune system. Both the innate and the acquired immunity are compromised. The use of pharmacotherapy is increasingly applied to enhance the percentage of success in maintaining alcoholic patients in remission. Disulfiram, naltrexone and gamma hydroxybutiric acid are the drugs used for this purpose in Italian Addiction Services. In this study we analyze the effect of pharmacotherapy of alcohol dependence on immune responses in alcoholics. Six groups were studied. Group A included 10 patients who were still using alcohol. Group B consisted of 10 patients abstinent from alcohol in treatment only with group therapy. Groups C, D and E were composed of 10 patients each, treated for at least 6 months with oral doses of gamma hydroxybutiric acid, naltrexone or disulfiram respectively. Ten age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers who never misused alcohol were included as a control group. Lymphoproliferation and peripheral mononuclear cell production of the Th1 cytokines IL-2 and IFN-γ, the Th2 cytokine IL-4, and of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF-α were evaluated in all the patients and controls. The level of activity of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis was assessed. Both ACTH and cortisol levels in plasma were elevated in alcoholic patients with no treatment. In this group a significant alteration of cytokine production was observed. TNF and IFN-γ were lower than controls, while the Th2 cytokine IL-4 was increased. These altered levels state for a Th1/Th2 unbalance characterized by decreased Th1 response in the presence of Th2 predominance. In patients undergoing pharmacological treatment, none of the immune parameters were different from those observed in healthy controls, independently of the type of drug administered. These data indicate that pharmacotherapy more than group therapy treatment is able to ameliorate the immune system functioning in alcoholic patients.
Radiation protection mechanism of extractive from aged black garlic on colon cancer Ht29-implanted tumor in mice

The study was to investigate the radiation protection mechanism of extractive from aged black garlic (EABG). Methods: Establish the model of 60 Co-γ radiation damage model tumor-bearing mice, and when the subcutaneous immunization tumors in mice grow to 8~10mm, we divided these 40 mice into four groups: control group, radiotherapy group, EABG group, EABG combined radiotherapy group. Intraperitoneal injection for 14d, respectively receive the dosage of 3 Gy
Functional and immunologic protein S levels are decreased during pregnancy

Protein S, is a natural anticoagulant protein which serves as a cofactor for activated protein C. During pregnancy and in the postpartum period, functional protein S levels are significantly reduced (38% +/- 17.3%, mean +/- 1 SD) when compared to nonpregnant females (97% +/- 31.6%) (P less than 0.001). In plasma an equilibrium exists between functionally active free protein S and protein S complexed with C4b-binding protein, which is functionally inactive. As a result of this equilibrium either a decreased level of total protein S antigen or an elevation of C4b-binding protein could lead to reduced protein S activity. C4b-binding protein levels measured by enzyme- linked immunoassay are not significantly different in pregnant women versus nonpregnant controls (103.5% +/- 21.2% v 100% +/- 16.9%). However, during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, total protein S levels are reduced (68% +/- 10.7%) compared to nonpregnant controls (100% +/- 17.0%). This difference is significant at P less than 0.001. These data demonstrated that the reduction in protein S activity observed during pregnancy is a result of reduced total protein S antigen.
Xerostomia e Outros Efeitos Colaterais da Radioterapia de Cabeça e Pescoço em uma População sem Tratamento Odontológico Prévio

O presente estudo avaliou a ocorrencia de xerostomia a outros efeitos colaterais da radioterapia (RT) de cabeca e pescoco em pacientes oncologicos. A partir de um grupo de 113 pacientes oncologicos com câncer de cabeca e pescoco, 50 completaram os procedimentos radioterapicos previstos. Dados a respeito dos aspectos socioeconomicos, caracteristicas etnico-raciais, enfermidades sistemicas, qualidade de vida, habitos e queixas dos pacientes foram obtidos. Exames clinicos intra e extrabucais foram realizados e as condicoes de higiene dos pacientes foram avaliadas. Os exames clinicos foram realizados imediatamente antes da RT (estagio 1), entre 15 e 22 dias do inicio da RT (estagio 2), imediatamente apos a ultima sessao da RT (estagio 3), 30 dias apos a conclusao da RT (estagio 4), 6 meses apos a RT (estagio 5) e, para os pacientes ainda contataveis, 12 meses apos a conclusao do tratamento radioterapico. Os pacientes receberam de 5040 a 7020 cGy de radiacao fracionados em doses de 180 cGy. Os resultados foram submetidos ao teste de Qui-quadrado, teste de Mann-Whitney e teste exato de Fisher. A maioria dos pacientes era do genero masculino, fumante, etilista e portadora de protese total. A ocorrencia de mucosite, dermatite, xerostomia, disgeusia, disfagia e, em menor grau, candidose foi generalizada e se manteve elevada ao longo de todos os periodos de avaliacoes. A grande maioria dos pacientes com mucosite Grau III e IV apresentava higiene precaria e nao recebeu quaisquer procedimentos odontologicos preventivos. Apos um ano da conclusao da radioterapia, a xerostomia pode ser observada em 57,1% dos pacientes. Esse estudo evidenciou a necessidade de maior atencao as condicoes bucais dos irradiados, em particular a xerostomia e a mucosite, que sao os principais fatores que levam a desistencia do tratamento.
Familial LCAT deficiency: from pathology to enzyme replacement therapy

Abstract Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) synthesizes most of the plasma cholesteryl esters, and plays a major role in HDL metabolism. Mutations in the LCAT gene cause two syndromes, familial LCAT deficiency and fish-eye disease, both characterized by severe alterations in plasma lipoprotein profile. Renal disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in familial LCAT deficiency cases, but an established therapy is not currently available. The present therapy of LCAT deficiency is mainly aimed at correcting the dyslipidemia associated with the disease and at delaying evolution of chronic nephropathy. LCAT deficiency represents a candidate disease for enzyme replacement therapy. In vitro and in vivo studies proved the efficacy of recombinant human LCAT in correcting dyslipidemia, and recombinant human LCAT is presently under development.
Clinical Course and Computed Tomography Abnormalities Associated without and with Concomitant Infection in Patients with Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Virus Infection

The goal was to evaluate the imaging findings in patients infected primarily with the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus and secondarily with a bacterium.Between October 2009 and March 2010, thirteen patients were included in this study. Five patients had H1N1 pneumonia without evidence of co-infection and their CT images showed diffuse or patchy areas of ground glass opacities and/or consolidations, lower lung zone predominant, without cyst/cavity lesion or newly developing pleural effusion. Another eight patients had H1N1 pneumonia with co-infections. The following organisms were identified: Oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (2), Pneumocystis jiroveci (1), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (3), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1), Streptococcus pneumoniae (2), and multiple-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (1), Their CT scans showed diffuse or patchy areas of ground-glass attenuation mixed with consolidation but also revealed cyst/cavity lesions (3), centrilobular nodules (3), tree-in-bud opacity (4), mediastinal lymphadenopathy (6), and pleural effusion (4), These CT changes are definitely different from H1N1 monoinfection. The secondary infectious process may cause additional CT abnormalities.The possibility of H1N1 pneumonia with co-infections should be considered if there are CT findings other than pure H1N1 pneumonia.