Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Play in Elephants: Wellbeing, Welfare or Distraction?

Simple Summary Animal play is a subject of great interest and some enduring controversy. Why do animals play, when do they play and if they do not play much, does this indicate that they may be physically or emotionally stressed? We explore these questions for elephant calves ranging in age from birth to five years old, and we compare play in captivity with that observed in the wild for two species. Against our general expectation that calves might play less play in captivity, we found that wild elephants spent the least time in play, probably because wild calves have to solve other social problems and be on the move constantly in order to find enough food, escape from predators, and keep up with their mothers and other relatives. Play is a diverse and subtle potential indicator of wellbeing for young animals, and we suggest that its presence needs to be interpreted with caution as it could represent either a distraction from a constant or unchallenging environment or provide arousal. Play appears to act as a behavioural mechanism for creating physical and social challenges for elephants of all ages, irrespective of their environment. Abstract We explore elephant play behaviour since (a) play has been proposed to represent a potential welfare indicator; and (b) play has been associated with long-term survival in the wild. We categorised play into four types, and investigate both social (gentle, escalated-contact) and non-social (lone-locomotor, exploratory-object) play from observations made on wild (Asian N = 101; African N = 130) and captive (Asian N = 8; African N = 7) elephant calves ranging in age from birth to five years. Social play was the most frequent type of play among immature elephants, accounting for an average of 3%–9% of active time. Non-social play accounted for an additional 1%–11% of time. The most time spent in play was seen in captive Asian calves, particularly at the ages of 1–6 months, while wild African calves spent the least time in play overall, even though they had the greatest number and most diverse range of play partners available. We assessed calf energetics using time spent suckling, resting, moving and independent feeding. Time spent playing was unrelated to time spent suckling but negatively associated with time spent independently feeding. There were no associations with time spent moving or resting. Maternal energy via lactation was unrelated to play early in life, but energy acquired independently may constrain or enable play. Play, while a potential indicator of compromised welfare for many species when absent, can act as a highly stimulating activity for captive elephants in the absence of other forms of arousal.
Inability to capture with increasing current strength: Is this near‐field or far‐field?

We present a case of wide‐complex tachycardia in which the clinical electrophysiological diagnosis was considered to be bundle branch re‐entry ventricular tachycardia. A series of ventricular entrainment attempts were performed from the left and right ventricular septum to confirm the diagnosis. Entrainment pacing with a general current output (10 mA) was performed from the right ventricular septum with manifest fusion and a post‐pacing interval similar to tachycardia cycle length. Thereafter, another entrainment attempt with a greater current output (20 mA) was performed from the same site. Paradoxically, concealed fusion was demonstrated by selective RB capture only, though there was no clear “RB” potential seen. In this case, we attempt to explain and illustrate the mechanism of paradoxical near‐field inability to capture with increasing current strength.
Highlight article: Telmisartan improves myocardial remodeling by inhibiting leptin autocrine activity and activating PPARγ

The mechanism responsible for myocardial remodeling in hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is complex. This study was designed to investigate the role of telmisartan in improving myocardial remodeling in hypertensive LVH and to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of telmisartan on hypertensive LVH. Hypertensive LVH was established in eight-week-old male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats by abdominal aortic constriction. Telmisartan was intragastrically administered six weeks after surgery. Telmisartan improved cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis and reduced myocardial renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activity and leptin levels in hypertensive LVH rats. To assess the mechanism underlying hypertensive LVH, cardiac fibroblasts were treated in vitro with angiotensin II (Ang II) or leptin, plus various inhibitors. Ang II stimulated leptin synthesis and secretion in cardiac fibroblasts by promoting AP-1 nuclear translocation via the AT1R-ROS-ERK1/2 pathway. Leptin induced collagen metabolism disorder in cardiac fibroblasts via the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Telmisartan improved collagen metabolism disorder by inhibiting leptin induced by local Ang II in an autocrine manner. Telmisartan also improved Ang II-induced collagen metabolism disorder by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation, a leptin downstream signal, by activating PPAR-γ. Telmisartan therefore improved myocardial remodeling in hypertensive LVH rats by acting as an AT1R antagonist, inhibiting leptin autocrine activity induced by local Ang II and by acting as a PPAR-γ agonist, inhibiting downstream leptin activation of STAT3 phosphorylation. These findings indicate the crosstalk between local myocardial RAAS and leptin and suggest a molecular mechanism by which telmisartan improves myocardial remodeling in hypertensive LVH. Impact statement This study shows the crosstalk between local myocardial RAAS and leptin in hypertensive LVH rats; that Ang II induces myocardial remodeling by stimulating leptin autocrine activity by promoting AP-1 nuclear translocation via the AT1R-ROS-ERK1/2 pathway; and that telmisartan improves myocardial remodeling by inhibiting local Ang II-induced leptin autocrine activity and by inhibiting the leptin downstream signal STAT3 phosphorylation by activating PPAR-γ. These findings reveal novel molecular mechanisms by which telmisartan improves myocardial remodeling and could help to identify therapeutic targets for hypertensive LVH.
Evaluation of clarity of the STOPP/START criteria for clinical applicability in prescribing for older people: a quality appraisal study

Objectives Appropriate prescribing in older people continues to be challenging. Studies still report a high prevalence of inappropriate prescribing in older people. To reduce the problem of underprescribing and overprescribing in this population, explicit drug optimisation tools like Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) have been developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of STOPP/START criteria in daily patient care by assessing the clarity of singular criteria. Design Quality appraisal study. Methods For each of the 114 STOPP/START criteria V.2, elements describing the action (what/how to do), condition (when to do) and explanation (why to do) were identified. Next, the clarity of these three elements was quantified on a 7-point Likert scale using tools provided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Consortium. Primary and secondary outcomes The primary outcome measure was the clarity rating per element, categorised into high (>67.7%), moderate (33.3%–67.7%) or low (<33.3%). Secondary, factors that positively or negatively affected clarity most were identified. Additionally, the nature of the conditions was further classified into five descriptive components: disease, sign, symptom, laboratory finding and medication. Results STOPP recommendations had an average clarity rating of 64%, 60% and 69% for actions, conditions and explanations, respectively. The average clarity rating in START recommendations was 60% and 57% for actions and conditions, respectively. There were no statements present to substantiate the prescription of potential omissions for the 34 START criteria. Conclusions Our results show that the clarity of the STOPP/START criteria can be improved. For future development of explicit drug optimisation tools, such as STOPP/START, our findings identified facilitators (high clarity) and barriers (low clarity) that can be used to improve the clarity of clinical practice guidelines on a language level and therefore enhance clinical applicability.
The Effect of an 8 Week Prescribed Exercise and Low-Carbohydrate Diet on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Obese Individuals: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: Low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are an effective method for treating obesity and reducing cardiometabolic risk. However, exposure to LC diets is associated with reductions in muscle mass and increased osteoporosis risk in obese individuals. The combination of exercise with a LC diet appears to attenuate muscle mass loss induced by LC diets alone, and to further improve cardiometabolic profile. However, evidence to date in obese individuals is limited. We assessed the effect of LC diet in combination with supervised exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese individuals. Methods: Male and female participants in the experimental (EX-LC; structured supervised exercise program + low-carbohydrate meals; n = 33; 35.3 years) and control (EX-CO; structured supervised exercise program + standard dietary advice; n = 31; 34.2 years) conditions underwent measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak), body fat, lean muscle mass (LMM), and cardiometabolic biomarkers before and after an 8 week intervention. Results: Participants in the EX-LC condition demonstrated greater improvements in VO2peak (p = 0.002) and fat mass index (FMI, p = 0.001) compared to the EX-CO condition. Achieving a ketogenic state (β-hydroxybutyrate, βHB ≥0.3 mmol/L) was associated with greater reductions in total body fat (p = 0.011), visceral adipose tissue (p = 0.025), FMI (p = 0.002) and C-reactive protein (CRP, p = 0.041) but also with greater reductions in LMM (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Short-term LC diet combined with prescribed exercise enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness and the cardiometabolic profile of obese individuals but was also associated with greater muscle mass loss compared to similar exercise training and standard dietary advice. The long-term effects of the LC diet should be further explored in future studies.
Current Trends in Diagnostics of Viral Infections of Unknown Etiology

Viruses are evolving at an alarming rate, spreading and inconspicuously adapting to cutting-edge therapies. Therefore, the search for rapid, informative and reliable diagnostic methods is becoming urgent as ever. Conventional clinical tests (PCR, serology, etc.) are being continually optimized, yet provide very limited data. Could high throughput sequencing (HTS) become the future gold standard in molecular diagnostics of viral infections? Compared to conventional clinical tests, HTS is universal and more precise at profiling pathogens. Nevertheless, it has not yet been widely accepted as a diagnostic tool, owing primarily to its high cost and the complexity of sample preparation and data analysis. Those obstacles must be tackled to integrate HTS into daily clinical practice. For this, three objectives are to be achieved: (1) designing and assessing universal protocols for library preparation, (2) assembling purpose-specific pipelines, and (3) building computational infrastructure to suit the needs and financial abilities of modern healthcare centers. Data harvested with HTS could not only augment diagnostics and help to choose the correct therapy, but also facilitate research in epidemiology, genetics and virology. This information, in turn, could significantly aid clinicians in battling viral infections.
Phylogenetic diversity is a better predictor of wetland community resistance to Alternanthera philoxeroides invasion than species richness.

High-biodiversity communities have been shown to better resist plant invasions through complementarity effects. Species richness (SR) is a widely used biodiversity metric but lacks explanatory power when there are only a few species. Communities with low SR can have a wide variety of phylogenetic diversities (PD), which might allow for a better prediction of invasibility. We assessed the effect of diversity reduction of a wetland community assemblage typical of the Beijing area on biotic resistance to the invasion of the exotic weed Alternanthera philoxeroides and compared the reduction of SR and PD in predicting community invasibility. The eight studied resident species performed similarly when grown alone and when grown in 8-species communities together with the invasive A. philoxeroides. Variation partitioning showed that PD contributed more to variation in both A. philoxeroides traits and community indicators than SR. All A. philoxeroides traits and community indicators except for evenness index showed a linear relationship with PD. However, only stem length of A. philoxeroides differed between the 1- and 2-species treatments, and the diversity index of the communities differed between the 1- and 2-species treatments and between the 1- and 4 species treatments. Our results showed that in natural or semi-natural wetlands with relatively low SR, PD may be a better predictor of invasibility than SR. When designing management strategies for mitigating A. philoxeroides invasion, deliberately raising PD is expected to be more efficient than simply increasing species number.
Biological and Chemical Diversity of Marine Sponge-Derived Microorganisms over the Last Two Decades from 1998 to 2017

Marine sponges are well known as rich sources of biologically natural products. Growing evidence indicates that sponges harbor a wealth of microorganisms in their bodies, which are likely to be the true producers of bioactive secondary metabolites. In order to promote the study of natural product chemistry and explore the relationship between microorganisms and their sponge hosts, in this review, we give a comprehensive overview of the structures, sources, and activities of the 774 new marine natural products from sponge-derived microorganisms described over the last two decades from 1998 to 2017.
Latitudinal directionality in ectotherm invasion success

A striking pattern, seen in both fossil and extant taxa, is that tropical ectotherms are better at invading temperate habitats than vice versa. This is puzzling because tropical ectotherms, being thermal specialists, face a harsher abiotic environment and competition from temperate residents that are thermal generalists. We develop a mathematical framework to address this puzzle. We find that (i) tropical ectotherms can invade temperate habitats if they have higher consumption rates and lower mortality during warmer summers, (ii) stronger seasonal fluctuations at higher latitudes create more temporal niches, allowing coexistence of tropical invaders and temperate residents, and (iii) temperate ectotherms’ failure to invade tropical habitats is due to greater mortality rather than lower competitive ability. Our framework yields predictions about population-level outcomes of invasion success based solely on species’ trait responses to temperature. It provides a potential ecological explanation for why the tropics constitute both a cradle and a museum of biodiversity.
A Specificity Principle of Memory: Evidence From Aging and Associative Memory

The ability to remember associations among components of an event, which is central to episodic memory, declines with normal aging. In accord with the specificity principle of memory, these declines may occur because associative memory requires retrieval of specific information. Guided by this principle, we endeavored to determine whether ubiquitous age-related deficits in associative memory are restricted to specific representations or extend to the gist of associations. Young and older adults (30 each in Experiment 1, 40 each in Experiment 2) studied face–scene pairs and then performed associative-recognition tests following variable delays. Whereas both young and older adults could retrieve the gist of associations, older adults were impaired in their ability to retrieve more specific representations. Our results also show that associations can be retrieved from multiple levels of specificity, suggesting that episodic memory might be accessed on a continuum of specificity.
Pan-cancer analyses reveal IGSF10 as an immunological and prognostic biomarker

Background: IGSF10 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Over the previous decade, growing proof has validated definitive correlations between individuals of the immunoglobulin superfamily and human diseases. However, the function of IGSF10 in pan-cancer stays unclear. We aimed to analyze the immunological and prognostic value of IGSF10 in pan-cancer. Methods: We utilized a vary of bioinformatic ways to inspect the function of IGSF10 in pan-cancer, including its correlation with prognosis, immune cell infiltration, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR), DNA methyltransferases, genetic alteration, drug sensitivity, etc. Results: We noticed low expression of IGSF10 in most cancer types. IGSF10 expression in tumor samples correlates with prognosis in most cancers. In most cancer types, IGSF10 expression was strongly related to immune cells infiltration, immune checkpoints, immune modulators, TMB, MSI, MMR, and DNA methyltransferases, among others. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that IGSF10 expression was involved in lymphocyte differentiation, cell molecules adhesion, etc. Furthermore, low IGSF10 expression could increase the drug sensitivity of many drugs. Conclusion: IGSF10 could serve as a novel prognostic marker and attainable immunotherapy target for several malignancies.
Prospects for sustainability of pig production in relation to climate change and novel feed resources

Abstract Pig production systems provide multiple benefits to humans. However, the global increase in meat consumption has profound consequences for our earth. This perspective describes two alternative scenarios for improving the sustainability of future pig production systems. The first scenario is a high input–high output system based on sustainable intensification, maximizing animal protein production efficiency on a limited land surface at the same time as minimizing environmental impacts. The second scenario is a reduced input–reduced output system based on selecting animals that are more robust to climate change and are better adapted to transform low quality feed (local feeds, feedstuff co‐products, food waste) into meat. However, in contrast to the first scenario, the latter scenario results in reduced predicted yields, reduced production efficiency and possibly increased costs to the consumer. National evaluation of the availability of local feed and feedstuff co‐product alternatives, determination of limits to feed sourced from international markets, available land for crop and livestock production, desired production levels, and a willingness to politically enforce policies through subsidies and/or penalties are some of the considerations to combine these two scenarios. Given future novel sustainable alternatives to livestock animal protein, it may become reasonable to move towards an added general premium price on ‘protein from livestock animals’ to the benefit of promoting higher incomes to farmers at the same time as covering the extra costs of, politically enforced, welfare of livestock animals in sustainable production systems. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
When actions go awry: Monitoring partner errors and machine malfunctions.

Human actions often aim at triggering certain responses from social interaction partners, but these responses do not always come as expected. Here we show that unexpected partner errors trigger sustained monitoring and that this monitoring exceeds the level that is observed if participants are faced with a machine malfunction rather than an error of an interaction partner (Experiment 1). Critically, this pattern of results emerged even though both types of errors were signaled by physically identical events in an oddball task, ruling out alternative explanations in terms of differential bottom-up factors. Unexpected delays in the action-effect sequence, however, did not trigger increased monitoring for social as compared to nonsocial situations (Experiment 2). These results indicate that mechanisms of performance monitoring might be recruited especially when facing the variability that is inherent in social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
A re-evaluation of silk measurement by the cecropia caterpillar (Hyalophora cecropia) during cocoon construction reveals use of a silk odometer that is temporally regulated

The late 5th instar caterpillar of the cecropia silk moth (Hyalophora cecropia) spins a silken cocoon with a distinct, multilayered architecture. The cocoon construction program, first described by the seminal work of Van der Kloot and Williams, consists of a highly ordered sequence of events. We perform behavioral experiments to re-evaluate the original cecropia work, which hypothesized that the length of silk that passes through the spinneret controls the orderly execution of each of the discrete events of cocoon spinning. We confirm and extend by three-dimensional scanning and quantitative measurements of silk weights that if cocoon construction is interrupted, upon re-spinning, the caterpillar continues the cocoon program from where it left off. We also confirm and extend by quantitative measurements of silk weights that cecropia caterpillars will not bypass any of the sections of the cocoon during the construction process, even if presented with a pre-spun section of a cocoon spun by another caterpillar. Blocking silk output inhibits caterpillars from performing normal spinning behaviors used for cocoon construction. Surprisingly, unblocking silk output 24-hr later did not restart the cocoon construction program, suggesting the involvement of a temporally-defined interval timer. We confirm with surgical reductions of the silk glands that it is the length of silk itself that matters, rather than the total amount of silk extracted by individuals. We used scanning electron microscopy to directly show that either mono- or dual-filament silk (i.e., equal silk lengths but which vary in their total amount of silk extracted) can be used to construct equivalent cocoons of normal size and that contain the relevant layers. We propose that our findings, taken together with the results of prior studies, strongly support the hypothesis that the caterpillar uses a silk “odometer” to measure the length of silk extracted during cocoon construction but does so in a temporally regulated manner. We further postulate that our examination of the anatomy of the silk spinning apparatus and ablating spinneret sensory output provides evidence that silk length measurement occurs upstream of output from the spinneret.