Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mangiferin Inhibits Apoptosis and Autophagy Induced by Staphylococcus aureus in RAW264.7 Cells

Purpose Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an important bacterial pathogen, which creates infective inflammation to human being and animals. Mangiferin (MG) is one of the natural flavonoids with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidative properties. However, the anti-apoptosis and anti-autophagy of MG are unknown. Hence, this study was aimed to research the inhibition of MG on S. aureus-induced apoptosis and autophagy in RAW264.7 cells. Methods The RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with MG, or pretreated with SP600125 or anisomycin synchronously, and then infected with S. aureus (MOI=100:1). The viability and proliferation status of RAW264.7 cells were detected by MTT and EdU assay. The relative expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 protein was tested with ELISA. The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK), p38, LC3, Beclin-1, p62, phosphorylated JNK, phosphorylated p38 and phosphorylated ERK in cells were detected by Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of RAW264.7 cells was analyzed by flow cytometric assay. Results The study showed that MG significantly attenuated RAW264.7 cells apoptosis and autophagy caused by S. aureus. MG alleviated S. aureus-induced apoptosis by down-regulating the protein level of active caspase-3 and Bax and up-regulating the level of Bcl-2. MG also inhibited S. aureus-induced autophagy via decreasing the protein level of LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1 or increasing the protein expression of p62. This protective role was dependent on the up-regulation of JNK signal pathway, which was confirmed by using JNK agonist and inhibitor. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that MG might protect RAW264.7 cells from S. aureus-induced apoptosis and autophagy via inhibiting JNK/Bax-dependent signal pathway. Therefore, MG may be a potential agent against pathological cell damage induced by S. aureus infection.
Clinical outcomes of MED and iLESSYS® Delta for the treatment of lumbar central spinal stenosis and lateral recess stenosis: A comparison study

Microendoscopic discectomy (MED) is an established procedure used to treat lumbar central spinal stenosis (LCSS) and lateral recess stenosis (LRS). The Interlaminar Endoscopic Surgical System iLESSYS® Delta approach has been developed from the traditional interlaminar endoscopic technique for the treatment of LCSS and LRS. In the present study, MED was used as a reference to evaluate this newly developed approach. A total of 82 and 52 patients with radicular leg pain and/or neurogenic claudication symptoms were treated by spinal canal decompression using the MED or iLESSYS® Delta approach, respectively. The clinical outcomes of the patients were analyzed using the Modified MacNab's criteria, visual analogue scale (VAS) leg pain score, VAS back pain score and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score. Finally, the effectiveness of the decompression was evaluated on a cross-sectional area of the dural sac (CSAD) at the disc level. The incision length in the iLESSYS® Delta group was significantly decreased compared with the MED group (P<0.05); however, the duration of the operation in the iLESSYS® Delta group was significantly longer compared with the MED group (P<0.05). The VAS score of the back and ODI score in the iLESSYS® Delta group were significantly decreased compared with the MED group at the 1-week follow-up (P<0.0125). The postoperative CSAD was also significantly increased in both groups compared with before the operation (P<0.05); however, there were no significant differences in the postoperative CSAD between the two groups. The good-to-excellent rates of the MED and iLESSYS® Delta approach were 89.0 and 90.4%, respectively, whereas the complication rates of the MED and iLESSYS® Delta system were 3.66 and 3.85% in the two groups, respectively. In conclusion, the iLESSYS® Delta approach was identified to be comparable with the MED approach for treating LCSS and LRS, demonstrating both precise and limited decompression. In addition, the iLESSYS® Delta approach may reduce the short-term back pain and promote faster recovery compared with the MED.
A strategy to digitise natural history collections with limited resources

Abstract The present work is a contribution towards accelerating the digitisation process of natural history collections, usually a slow process. A two-stage process was developed at the herbarium of the University of Coimbra: (i) a new workflow was established to automatically create records in the herbarium master database with minimum information, while capturing digital images; (ii) these records are then used to populate a web-based crowdsourcing platform where citizens are involved in the transcription of specimen labels from the digital images. This approach simplifies and accelerates databasing, reduces specimen manipulation and promotes the involvement of citizens in the scientific goals of the herbarium. The novel features of this process are: (i) the validation method of the crowdsourcing contribution that ensures quality control, enabling the data to integrate the master database directly and (ii) the field-by-field integration in the master database enables immediate corrections to any record in the catalogue.
Internetbasierte Interventionen bei chronischen

R und 70 % der erwachsenen Weltbevölkerung sterben an chronischen körperlichen Erkrankungen und deren Folgen (1). Dazu zählen koronare Herzerkrankung, Herzinsuffizienz, Krebs, Asthma, chronisch obstruktive Lungenerkrankung, Diabetes mellitus oder HIV. Menschen mit solchen Erkrankungen können in eine Situation kommen, in der sie ihr Existentsein, ihre Autonomie sowie ihre Lebensziele, Zukunftspläne, Beziehungen und finanzielle Sicherheit bedroht sehen (2). Häufig fordert die Erkrankung das Selbstmanagement der Betroffenen auf vielfältige Weise heraus. Zu den Herausforderungen gehört es, komplexe Behandlungspläne einzuhalten, mit alltäglichen Erfordernissen durch die Erkrankung umzugehen oder auch psychische Belastungen wie Depression, Wut oder Angst auszuhalten (2). Aus der Versorgungsforschung ist bekannt, dass die Einhaltung von Behandlungsplänen häufig suboptimal ist (3). Zudem existieren zahlreiche Barrieren für die Nutzung psychosozialer Unterstützungsangebote, wie zum Beispiel eingeschränkte Mobilität oder Zeit, Stigmatisierung oder eine begrenzte Verfügbarkeit evidenzbasierter Interventionen (4). Internetund mobilebasierte Interventionen (IMIs) könnten ein innovativer und kostengünstiger Ansatz sein, um derartige Barrieren zu reduzieren und die Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden von Menschen mit chronischen körperlichen Erkrankungen zu verbessern (5). Die vorliegende Übersichtsarbeit umfasst die Evidenz zu psychosozialen IMIs für Menschen mit chronischen körperlichen Erkrankungen. Außerdem beinhaltet die Arbeit Schlussfolgerungen und Zukunftsperspektiven für die Anwendbarkeit von IMIs bei dieser Patientengruppe.
LINEARLY IMPLICIT SPECTRAL SCHEMES FOR THE DISPERSIVELY MODIFIED KS EQUATION

We analyze fully discrete schemes for periodic initial value problems for the dispersively modified Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation. In space we discretize by spectral methods and in time by linearly implicit schemes. In the general case we use first– and second–order time–stepping schemes; in the case of low order dispersive terms, we can also use appropriate high order time–stepping schemes. We derive optimal order error estimates.
Contrasted histories of organelle and nuclear genomes underlying physiological diversification in a grass species

C4 photosynthesis evolved multiple times independently in angiosperms, but most origins are relatively old so that the early events linked to photosynthetic diversification are blurred. The grass Alloteropsis semialata is an exception, as this species encompasses C4 and non-C4 populations. Using phylogenomics and population genomics, we infer the history of dispersal and secondary gene flow before, during and after photosynthetic divergence in A. semialata. We further analyse the genome composition of individuals with varied ploidy levels to establish the origins of polyploids in this species. Detailed organelle phylogenies indicate limited seed dispersal within the mountainous region of origin and the emergence of a C4 lineage after dispersal to warmer areas of lower elevation. Nuclear genome analyses highlight repeated secondary gene flow. In particular, the nuclear genome associated with the C4 phenotype was swept into a distantly related maternal lineage probably via unidirectional pollen flow. Multiple intraspecific allopolyploidy events mediated additional secondary genetic exchanges between photosynthetic types. Overall, our results show that limited dispersal and isolation allowed lineage divergence, with photosynthetic innovation happening after migration to new environments, and pollen-mediated gene flow led to the rapid spread of the derived C4 physiology away from its region of origin.
Fruit flies can learn non-elemental olfactory discriminations

Associative learning allows animals to establish links between stimuli based on their concomitance. In the case of Pavlovian conditioning, a single stimulus A (the conditional stimulus, CS) is reinforced unambiguously with an unconditional stimulus (US) eliciting an innate response. This conditioning constitutes an ‘elemental’ association to elicit a learnt response from A+ without US presentation after learning. However, associative learning may involve a ‘complex’ CS composed of several components. In that case, the compound may predict a different outcome than the components taken separately, leading to ambiguity and requiring the animal to perform so-called non-elemental discrimination. Here, we focus on such a non-elemental task, the negative patterning (NP) problem, and provide the first evidence of NP solving in Drosophila. We show that Drosophila learn to discriminate a simple component (A or B) associated with electric shocks (+) from an odour mixture composed either partly (called ‘feature-negative discrimination’ A+ versus AB−) or entirely (called ‘NP’ A+B+ versus AB−) of the shock-associated components. Furthermore, we show that conditioning repetition results in a transition from an elemental to a configural representation of the mixture required to solve the NP task, highlighting the cognitive flexibility of Drosophila.
Host behaviour alteration by its parasite: from brain gene expression to functional test

Many parasites with complex life cycles modify their intermediate hosts' behaviour, presumably to increase transmission to their final host. The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is an intermediate host in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus life cycle, which ends in an avian host, and shows increased risky behaviours when infected. We studied brain gene expression profiles of sticklebacks infected with S. solidus to determine the proximal causes of these behavioural alterations. We show that infected fish have altered expression levels in genes involved in the inositol pathway. We thus tested the functional implication of this pathway and successfully rescued normal behaviours in infected sticklebacks using lithium exposure. We also show that exposed but uninfected fish have a distinct gene expression profile from both infected fish and control individuals, allowing us to separate gene activity related to parasite exposure from consequences of a successful infection. Finally, we find that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-treated sticklebacks and infected fish do not have similarly altered gene expression, despite their comparable behaviours, suggesting that the serotonin pathway is probably not the main driver of phenotypic changes in infected sticklebacks. Taken together, our results allow us to predict that if S. solidus directly manipulates its host, it could target the inositol pathway.
Bumblebees moving up: shifts in elevation ranges in the Pyrenees over 115 years

In a warming climate, species are expected to shift their geographical ranges to higher elevations and latitudes, and if interacting species shift at different rates, networks may be disrupted. To quantify the effects of ongoing climate change, repeating historical biodiversity surveys is necessary. In this study, we compare the distribution of a plant–pollinator community between two surveys 115 years apart (1889 and 2005–06), reporting distribution patterns and changes observed for bumblebee species and bumblebee-visited plants in the Gavarnie-Gèdre commune in the Pyrenees, located in southwest Europe at the French–Spanish border. The region has warmed significantly over this period, alongside shifts in agricultural land use and forest. The composition of the bumblebee community shows relative stability, but we observed clear shifts to higher elevations for bumblebees (averaging 129 m) and plants (229 m) and provide preliminary evidence that some bumblebee species shift with the plants they visit. We also observe that some species have been able to occupy the same climate range in both periods by shifting elevation range. The results suggest the need for long-term monitoring to determine the role and impact of the different drivers of global change, especially in montane habitats where the impacts of climate changes are anticipated to be more extreme.
Editors’ introduction: Alive and Kicking: French and Francophone Feminisms Now

This article provides an overview of the diversity of feminist activism throughout the world over the last decade and situates these contributions to a transnational feminist (re)surge(ence) within the context of French and Francophone cultures. This article also offers a synopsis of the seven articles in this special issue, each of which engages with specific aspects of feminisms spanning diverse French and Francophone regions including Algeria, Canada, France, Haiti, Kanaky/New Caledonia, Te Ao Mā’ohi/French Polynesia, and Senegal. These contributors’ articles focus on the work of writers who share a demonstrated commitment to social change or who attest to the power of writing to heal personal and collective trauma, to raise critical awareness of social injustices, to inspire social and political transformations, and to imagine more pro-feminist, expansive, inclusive, and equal societies.
Israel’s public policy for long-term care services

ABSTRACT Global population ageing trends and a rising life expectancy emphasise the significance of policies regarding long-term care services provided to severely disabled elders in various countries. This article focuses on the long-term care policy implemented in Israel and examines its different features and compatibility to client needs. It shows that Israel’s long-term care policy suffers from considerable faults, notably insufficient budgeting, poor quality caregivers, low number of local long-term care workers, and excessive reliance on foreign workers. The article then suggests ways to increase efficacy and improve public policy in long-term care.
Upgrading to nitrogen removal with the kmt moving bed biofilm process

A new moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) has been developed in Norway. The biomass is attached to carrier elements that move freely along with the water in the reactor. It has been demonstrated that existing, high loaded, activated sludge plants can easily be upgraded to nitrogen removing MBBR plants. With chemically enhanced mechanical treatment, full scale tests showed that 80-90% total nitrogen could be removed in a MBBR plant at a total empty bed hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2.6 hours. The plant was operated in the post-denitrification mode, using methanol as an external carbon source.
Siplizumab, an Anti-CD2 Monoclonal Antibody, Induces a Unique Set of Immune Modulatory Effects Compared to Alemtuzumab and Rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin In Vitro

Antibodies are commonly used in organ transplant induction therapy and to treat autoimmune disorders. The effects of some biologics on the human immune system remain incompletely characterized and a deeper understanding of their mechanisms of action may provide useful insights for their clinical application. The goal of this study was to contrast the mechanistic properties of siplizumab with Alemtuzumab and rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (rATG). Mechanistic assay systems investigating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cell phagocytosis and complement-dependent cytotoxicity were used to characterize siplizumab. Further, functional effects of siplizumab, Alemuzumab, and rATG were investigated in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. Changes in T cell activation, T cell proliferation and frequency of naïve T cells, memory T cells and regulatory T cells induced by siplizumab, Alemtuzumab and rATG in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction were assessed via flow cytometry. Siplizumab depleted T cells, decreased T cell activation, inhibited T cell proliferation and enriched naïve and bona fide regulatory T cells. Neither Alemtuzumab nor rATG induced the same combination of functional effects. The results presented in this study should be used for further in vitro and in vivo investigations that guide the clinical use of immune modulatory biologics.
Using Zebrafish to Model Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparison of ASD Risk Genes Between Zebrafish and Their Mammalian Counterparts

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a highly variable and complex set of neurological disorders that alter neurodevelopment and cognitive function, which usually presents with social and learning impairments accompanied with other comorbid symptoms like hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, or repetitive behaviors. Autism can be caused by genetic and/or environmental factors and unraveling the etiology of ASD has proven challenging, especially given that different genetic mutations can cause both similar and different phenotypes that all fall within the autism spectrum. Furthermore, the list of ASD risk genes is ever increasing making it difficult to synthesize a common theme. The use of rodent models to enhance ASD research is invaluable and is beginning to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms of this disease. Recently, zebrafish have been recognized as a useful model of neurodevelopmental disorders with regards to genetics, pharmacology and behavior and one of the main foundations supporting autism research (SFARI) recently identified 12 ASD risk genes with validated zebrafish mutant models. Here, we describe what is known about those 12 ASD risk genes in human, mice and zebrafish to better facilitate this research. We also describe several non-genetic models including pharmacological and gnotobiotic models that are used in zebrafish to study ASD.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence Driven 5G Networks in COVID-19 Outbreak: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Outlook

There is no doubt that the world is currently experiencing a global pandemic that is reshaping our daily lives as well as the way business activities are being conducted. With the emphasis on social distancing as an effective means of curbing the rapid spread of the infection, many individuals, institutions, and industries have had to rely on telecommunications as a means of ensuring service continuity in order to prevent complete shutdown of their operations. This has put enormous pressure on both fixed and mobile networks. Though fifth generation mobile networks (5G) is at its infancy in terms of deployment, it possesses a broad category of services including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), that can help in tackling pandemic-related challenges. Therefore, in this paper, we identify the challenges facing existing networks due to the surge in traffic demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasize the role of 5G empowered by artificial intelligence in tackling these problems. In addition, we also provide a brief insight on the use of artificial intelligence driven 5G networks in predicting future pandemic outbreaks, and the development a pandemic-resilient society in case of future outbreaks.
Selective Modulation of α5 GABAA Receptors Exacerbates Aberrant Inhibition at Key Hippocampal Neuronal Circuits in APP Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Selective negative allosteric modulators (NAMs), targeting α5 subunit-containing GABAA receptors (GABAARs) as potential therapeutic targets for disorders associated with cognitive deficits, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), continually fail clinical trials. We investigated whether this was due to the change in the expression of α5 GABAARs, consequently altering synaptic function during AD pathogenesis. Using medicinal chemistry and computational modeling, we developed aqueous soluble hybrids of 6,6-dimethyl-3-(2-hydroxyethyl) thio-1-(thiazol-2-yl)-6,7-dihydro-2-benzothiophene-4(5H)-one, that demonstrated selective binding and high negative allosteric modulation, specifically for the α5 GABAAR subtypes in constructed HEK293 stable cell-lines. Using a knock-in mouse model of AD (APPNL−F/NL−F), which expresses a mutant form of human amyloid-β (Aβ), we performed immunofluorescence studies combined with electrophysiological whole-cell recordings to investigate the effects of our key molecule, α5-SOP002 in the hippocampal CA1 region. In aged APPNL−F/NL−F mice, selective preservation of α5 GABAARs was observed in, calretinin- (CR), cholecystokinin- (CCK), somatostatin- (SST) expressing interneurons, and pyramidal cells. Previously, we reported that CR dis-inhibitory interneurons, specialized in regulating other interneurons displayed abnormally high levels of synaptic inhibition in the APPNL−F/NL−F mouse model, here we show that this excessive inhibition was “normalized” to control values with bath-applied α5-SOP002 (1 μM). However, α5-SOP002, further impaired inhibition onto CCK and pyramidal cells that were already largely compromised by exhibiting a deficit of inhibition in the AD model. In summary, using a multi-disciplinary approach, we show that exposure to α5 GABAAR NAMs may further compromise aberrant synapses in AD. We, therefore, suggest that the α5 GABAAR is not a suitable therapeutic target for the treatment of AD or other cognitive deficits due to the widespread neuronal-networks that use α5 GABAARs.
The Effects of Barbell Placement on Kinematics and Muscle Activation Around the Sticking Region in Squats

The current study investigated the effects of barbell placement on kinematics and muscle activity during the sticking region of back squats. Ten healthy medium- to well-trained male powerlifters [age 26.1 ± 11.2 years, body mass 90.2 ± 18.3 kg, height 1.83 ± 0.09 m, five repetition maximum (5RM) 158 ± 29 kg] with at least 3 years of resistance-training experience were recruited. In a single session, participants performed 5RM movements using high bar and low bar squats, where absolute load, descent depth, and stance width were matched between squat conditions. The final repetition was analyzed using 3D kinematics and electromyography (EMG) around the sticking region. No differences in barbell and joint kinematics were observed in any phase, between both barbell modalities. Increased muscle activity in the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and lower part of the erector spinae with the high bar, when compared with low bar conditions, was recorded. Furthermore, the gluteus maximus and medius had increased muscle activity over the three regions (pre-sticking > sticking > post-sticking), while the erector spinae, soleus, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris experienced decreased muscle activity during the ascending phase. When depth and stance width were matched, the low bar technique was associated with lower erector spinae and quadriceps activity than the high bar technique. Thus, when the goal is to maximally activate knee extensors and the external load is matched, high bar placement would appear preferable.