Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scaling properties of gravitational clustering in the nonlinear regime

The growth of density perturbations in an expanding universe in the non-linear regime is investigated. The underlying equations of motion are cast in a suggestive form, and motivate a conjecture that the scaled pair velocity, $h(a,x)\equiv -[v/(\dot{a}x)]$ depends on the expansion factor $a$ and comoving coordinate $x$ only through the density contrast $\sigma(a,x)$. This leads to the result that the true, non-linear, density contrast $ ^{1/2}=\sigma(a,x)$ is a universal function of the density contrast $\sigma_L(a,l)$, computed in the linear theory and evaluated at a scale $l$ where $l=x(1+\sigma^2)^{1/3}$. This universality is supported by existing numerical simulations with scale-invariant initial conditions having different power laws. We discuss a physically motivated ansatz $h(a,x)=h[\sigma^2(a,x)]$ and use it to compute the non-linear density contrast at any given scale analytically. This provides a promising method for analysing the non-linear evolution of density perturbations in the universe and for interpreting numerical simulations.
Advances and Challenges in Understanding MicroRNA Function in Tauopathies: A Case Study of miR-132/212

In the past decade, several groups have reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) can participate in the regulation of tau protein at different levels, including its expression, alternative splicing, phosphorylation, and aggregation. These observations are significant, since the abnormal regulation and deposition of tau is associated with nearly 30 neurodegenerative disorders. Interestingly, miRNA profiles go awry in tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and frontotemporal dementia. Understanding the role and impact of miRNAs on tau biology could therefore provide important insights into disease risk, diagnostics, and perhaps therapeutics. In this Perspective article, we discuss recent advances in miRNA research related to tau. While proof-of-principle studies hold promise, physiological validation remains limited. To help fill this gap, we describe herein a pure tauopathy mouse model deficient for the miR-132/212 cluster. This miRNA family is strongly downregulated in human tauopathies and shown to regulate tau in vitro and in vivo. No significant differences in survival, motor deficits or body weight were observed in PS19 mice lacking miR-132/212. Age-specific effects were seen on tau expression and phosphorylation but not aggregation. Moreover, various miR-132/212 targets previously implicated in tau modulation were unaffected (GSK-3β, Foxo3a, Mapk1, p300) or, unexpectedly, reduced (Mapk3, Foxo1, p300, Calpain 2) in miR-132/212-deficient PS19 mice. These observations highlight the challenges of miRNA research in living models, and current limitations of transgenic tau mouse models lacking functional miRNA binding sites. Based on these findings, we finally recommend different strategies to better understand the role of miRNAs in tau physiology and pathology.
Iowa Farm Environmental Leaders' Perspectives on the U.S. Farm Bill Conservation Programs

As stakeholders prepare to lobby future Farm Bills, this study reveals farmers' perspectives on federal conservation programs. In-depth interviews were held with ten farm environmental leaders, farmers who have extensive experience with conservation practices and federal conservation programs. Results reveal that conservation programs have played a limited but important role in incentivizing the adoption of and offsetting costs for establishing conservation practices. Programs' strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements were also explored; results reveal that most farmers believe existing conservation programs could be improved with relatively minor tweaks and adaptations, such as more flexibility in working land program requirements and adjustments to land retirement program payment rates. To some extent, farm environmental leaders also align themselves with the perspectives of environmental NGOs, advocating for transformative approaches, such as expanding mandatory conservation compliance to all cropland, including non-Highly Erodible Lands cropland.
Increased Ammonium Assimilation Activity in the Scleractinian Coral Pocillopora damicornis but Not Its Symbiont After Acute Heat Stress

Ammonium is the main nitrogen resources for scleractinian coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiotic association, and there is urgent need to investigate the involvement of ammonium assimilation in the heat acclimation of the symbiotic association to heat stress. In the present study, symbiont density and chlorophyll content, as well as redox and ammonium assimilation enzyme activities, in two symbiotic partners of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis were firstly investigated after acute heat stress (32°C). Symbiont density and chlorophyll content decreased significantly at 24 h (1.81 × 106 cell cm–2, p < 0.05) and 36 h (23.25 pg cell–1, p < 0.05) after heat stress, respectively. We observed significant activity increases of coral nitric oxide synthase, superoxide dismutase and catalase, and symbiont superoxide dismutase after heat stress, but no alterations in the activities of symbiont nitric oxide synthase and catalase during the whole experiment period. The activities of coral glutamine synthetase and glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase began to increase significantly at 24 h, and reached the peak at 36 h after heat stress. As for coral glutamate dehydrogenase activity, a significant increase was observed only at 36 h after heat stress. The activities of symbiont glutamine synthetase and glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase did not change significantly after heat stress. Secondly, symbiont density, chlorophyll content, apoptosis rate, coral total antioxidant capacity, and caspase3 activation level were determined after glufosinate (glutamine synthetase inhibitor) treatment. Symbiont density decreased significantly at 6 h (1.25 × 106 cell cm–2, p < 0.05) after glufosinate treatment, and symbiont chlorophyll content also decreased significantly during 12–24 h after glufosinate treatment, with the lowest level at 12 h (16.69 pg cell–1, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the coral total antioxidant capacity and caspase3 activation level both increased significantly at 12 h (0.57 U mg–1, 2.08-fold, p < 0.05) after glufosinate treatment, while no significant change was observed for the symbiont apoptosis rate. These results suggest that the ammonium assimilation activity in the coral host P. damicornis, not its symbiont, was induced by acute heat stress, which might contribute to the acclimatization of the symbiotic association to high temperature through regulating coral antioxidant capacity and apoptosis.
Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters

Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea. The multiple impacts (e.g., entanglement, ghost-fishing, coverage, etc.) of litter on reef systems, the list of species impacted, and the main litter categories were identified, and a map of the knowledge available so far on this topic was provided. Seventy-eight taxa resulted impacted by marine litter on Mediterranean reefs, and the majority belonged to the phylum Cnidaria (41%), including endangered species like the red coral (Corallium rubrum) and the madrepora coral (Madrepora oculata). Entanglement, caused mainly by abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), was the most frequent impact, playing a detrimental effect mainly on coralligenous arborescent species and cold-water corals (CWCs). The information was spatially heterogeneous, with some areas almost uncovered by scientific studies (e.g., the Aegean-Levantine Sea and the Southern Mediterranean Sea). Although many legal and policy frameworks have been established to tackle this issue [e.g., marine strategy framework directive (MSFD) and the Barcelona Convention], several gaps still exist concerning the assessment of the impact of marine litter on marine organisms, and in particular on reefs. There is a need for harmonized and standardized monitoring protocols for the collection of quantitative data to assess the impact of litter on reefs and animal forests. At the same time, urgent management measures limiting, for instance, the impact of ALDFG and other marine litter are needed to preserve these valuable and vulnerable marine ecosystems.
Hysteretic-Viscous Hybrid Damper System With Stopper Mechanism for Tall Buildings Under Earthquake Ground Motions of Extremely Large Amplitude

This paper is aimed at proposing a hysteretic-viscous hybrid (HVH) damper system for tall buildings subjected to long-period pulse-type earthquake ground motions of extremely large amplitudes. The HVH system was introduced for a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system in the recent paper (Hashizume and Takewaki, 2020). The HVH system consists of a large-stroke viscous damper and a hysteretic damper with a gap mechanism as a stopper for mitigating catastrophic damage. In the present paper, the effectiveness of the HVH system is shown for tall buildings. Pulse-type earthquake ground motions of an extremely large amplitude have been recorded in the past (for example Northridge 1994 and Kumamoto 2016). These ground motions risk causing catastrophic damage to high-rise and base-isolated buildings with a long natural period. A double impulse is used here as a substitute for pulse-type ground motions of an extremely large amplitude. Time-history response analyses are performed for an amplitude-modulated critical double impulse to reveal the effectiveness of the proposed HVH system. In addition, double impulse pushover (DIP) analysis, which was proposed by Akehashi and Takewaki (2019), is conducted to reveal the critical resonant performance of elastic-plastic tall buildings together with the analysis for recorded ground motion at Kumamoto (2016). A comparison with the dual hysteretic damper (DHD) system composed of parallel-type small- and large-amplitude hysteretic dampers is also conducted to investigate the seismic performance of the proposed HVH system.
Ontogeny Related Changes in the Pediatric Liver Metabolome

Background: A major challenge in implementing personalized medicine in pediatrics is identifying appropriate drug dosages for children. The majority of drug dosing studies have been based on adult populations, often with modification of the dosing for children based on size and weight. However, the growth and development experienced by children between birth and adulthood represents a dynamically changing biological system, with implications for effective drug dosing, efficacy as well as potential drug toxicity. The purpose of this study was to apply a metabolomics approach to gain preliminary insights into the ontogeny of liver function from newborn to adolescent. Methods: Metabolites were measured in 98 post-mortem pediatric liver samples in two experiments 3 batches of samples, allowing for both technical and biological validation. After extensive quality control, imputation and normalization, non-parametric tests were used to determine which metabolite levels differ between the four age groups (AG) ranging in age from newborn to adolescent (AG1—children <1 year; AG2—children with age between 1 and 6 years; AG3—children with age between 6 and 12 years; AG4—children with age between 12 and 18 years). To identify which metabolites had different concentration levels among the age groups, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation tests were conducted. Pathway analysis utilized the Gamma Method. Correction for multiple testing was completed using Bonferroni correction. Results: We found 41 metabolites (out of 884) that were biologically validated, and of those 25 were technically replicated, of which 24 were known metabolites. For the majority of these 24 metabolites, concentration levels were significantly lower in newborns than in the other age groups, many of which were long chain fatty acids or involved in pyrimidine or purine metabolism. Additionally, we found two KEGG pathways enriched for association with age: betaine metabolism and alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid metabolism. Conclusions: Understanding the role that ontogeny of childhood liver plays may aid in determining better drug dosing algorithms for children.
A Single 60.000 IU Dose of Erythropoietin Does Not Improve Short-Term Aerobic Exercise Performance in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

Erythropoietin (EPO) boosts exercise performance through increase in oxygen transport capacity following regular administration of EPO but preclinical study results suggest that single high dose of EPO also may improve exercise capacity. Twenty-nine healthy subjects (14 males/15 females; age: 25 ± 3 years) were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study to assess peak work load and cardiopulmonary variables during submaximal and maximal cycling tests following a single dose of 60.000 IU of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) or placebo (PLA). Submaximal exercise at 40%/60% of peak work load revealed no main effect of EPO on oxygen uptake (27.9 ± 8.7 ml min–1⋅kg–1/ 37.1 ± 13.2 ml min–1⋅kg–1) versus PLA (25.2 ± 3.7 ml min–1⋅kg–1/ 33.1 ± 5.3 ml min–1⋅kg–1) condition (p = 0.447/p = 0.756). During maximal exercise peak work load (PLA: 3.5 ± 0.6 W⋅kg–1 vs. EPO: 3.5 ± 0.6 W kg–1, p = 0.892) and peak oxygen uptake (PLA: 45.1 ± 10.4 ml⋅min–1 kg–1 vs. EPO: 46.1 ± 14.2 ml⋅min–1 kg–1, p = 0.344) reached comparable values in the two treatment conditions. Other cardiopulmonary variables (ventilation, cardiac output, heart rate) also reached similar levels in the two treatment conditions. An interaction effect was found between treatment condition and sex resulting in higher peak oxygen consumption (p = 0.048) and ventilation (p = 0.044) in EPO-treated males. In conclusion, in a carefully conducted study using placebo-controlled design the present data failed to support the hypothesis that a single high dose of EPO has a measurable impact on work capacity in healthy subjects.
Editorial: Mechanisms and New Targets for the Treatment of Chronic Pain

1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain, 2 Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Granada, Spain, 3 Biosanitary Research Institute, University Hospital Complex of Granada, Granada, Spain, 4 Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Surveillance Strategy for Patients With BCLC Stage B Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Achieving Complete Remission: Data From the Real World

Purpose: There is a lack of consensus on the surveillance strategy for Barcelona Clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with complete remission (CR). We performed a real-world, retrospective analysis of the surveillance strategy for BCLC stage B HCC patients after radical therapy with CR to support clinical decision-making. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 546 BCLC stage B HCC patients with CR after radical treatments (surgery/ablation) at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, from January 2007 to December 2019. The intensity of surveillance interval was defined as the mean of surveillance interval within 2 years. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS) and extra-Milan criteria relapse. Results: During a median follow-up time of 23.9 months (range = 3.1–148.3 months), there were 11.9% of patients died, 56.6% of patients developed recurrence, the vast majority of patients experienced recurrence within 2 years, and 27.8% patients developed extra-Milan criteria recurrence. The median disease-free survival and OS were 33.6 and 60.0 months, respectively. Patients were divided into regular surveillance group (RS) (≤4.3 months) and irregular surveillance (IRS) group (>4.3 months) based on the optimal cutoff value of the intensity of surveillance interval. The RS group owned a lower incident of extra-Milan criteria relapse and smaller and fewer tumors at recurrence than IRS group, which contributed to the prolonged OS. Besides, the cutoff values of surveillance interval that could lead to significant differences in the incidence of extra-Milan criteria relapse during 0–6, 6–12, and 12–18 months after CR were 2.6, 2.9, and 3 months, respectively. Conclusions: The average surveillance interval for patients with BCLC stage B HCC achieved CR should not exceed 4.3 months during the first 2 years' follow-up. During three different phases of the initial 18 months after CR, individualized surveillance showed intervals no more than 3 months were required to reduce the incidence of extra-Milan criteria relapse.
Retrieval-Dependent Mechanisms Affecting Emotional Memory Persistence: Reconsolidation, Extinction, and the Space in Between

Maladaptive emotional memories contribute to the persistence of many mental health disorders, and therefore the prospect of disrupting these memories to produce long-term reductions in relapse is of great clinical appeal. Reducing the impact of maladaptive emotional memories on behaviour could be achieved by two retrieval-dependent manipulations that engage separate mnemonic processes: “reconsolidation disruption” and “extinction enhancement. ” Extinction occurs during a prolonged re-exposure session in the absence of the expected emotional outcome and is widely accepted as reflecting the formation of a new, inhibitory memory that prevents behavioural expression of the original trace. Reconsolidation, by contrast, involves the destabilisation of the original memory, allowing for subsequent updating and restabilisation in specific brain regions, unless the re-stabilization process is prevented through specific pharmacological or behavioural interventions. Both destabilisation of the original memory and memory extinction require that re-exposure induces prediction error—a mismatch between what is expected and what actually occurs—but the parameters that allow reconsolidation and extinction to occur, and control the transition between them, have not been well-characterised. Here, we review what is known about the induction of memory destabilisation and extinction, and the transition period that separates these mnemonic processes, drawing on preclinical and clinical examples. A deeper understanding of the processes that determine the alternative routes to memory persistence or inhibition is critical for designing new and more reliable clinical treatments targeting maladaptive emotional memories.
Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) Approach for the Synthesis of Efficient Power-to-Syngas Processes

Within the context of energy transition scenarios toward renewable resources, superstructure optimization is implemented for the synthesis of sustainable and efficient Power-to-Syngas processes. A large number of reactors (reverse water-gas-shift, steam reforming, dry reforming, tri-reforming, methane partial oxidation reactor, and water electrolyzer) and separators (PSA, TSA, cryogenics, membranes, and gas-liquid scrubbing) are included within a single MILP framework, accounting for typical operating conditions of each process-unit, under the specified simplifying assumptions. Power is minimized in the context of sustainable feedstocks: water and biogas or carbon dioxide from direct air-capture. The objective function adds the thermal to the electrical contribution to the total power, the latter being weighted by a pseudo-price of null (i.e., sustainable, in-house electricity production), or unitary value (i.e., electricity purchased, possibly generated from non-sustainable sources). Simultaneous operations of multiple reactor technologies are allowed to identify possible synergies. With biogas and null value of the pseudo-price, the results identify plant configurations mainly run via electricity, which constitutes up to 97% of the total power for co-operating partial oxidation of methane and water electrolysis. Alternatively, lower total demands are attained at the expenses of thermal duty when electricity is penalized: the endothermic reactors are operated. With carbon dioxide, the total power demand dramatically increases due to the large consumptions of direct-air capture and water electrolysis. The resulting topologies always favor membrane separation, adsorption, and cryogenics over absorption technologies.
Controls on Soil Organic Matter Degradation and Subsequent Greenhouse Gas Emissions Across a Permafrost Thaw Gradient in Northern Sweden

Warming-induced permafrost thaw could enhance microbial decomposition of previously stored soil organic matter (SOM) to carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), one of the most significant potential feedbacks from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in a changing climate. The environmental parameters regulating microbe-organic matter interactions and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in northern permafrost peatlands are however still largely unknown. The objective of this work is to understand controls on SOM degradation and its impact on porewater GHG concentrations across the Stordalen Mire, a thawing peat plateau in Northern Sweden. Here, we applied high-resolution mass spectrometry to characterize SOM molecular composition in peat soil samples from the active layers of a Sphagnum-dominated bog and rich fen sites in the Mire. Microbe-organic matter interactions and porewater GHG concentrations across the thaw gradient were controlled by aboveground vegetation and soil pH. An increasingly high abundance of reduced organic compounds experiencing greater humification rates due to enhanced microbial activity were observed with increasing thaw, in parallel with higher CH4 and CO2 porewater concentrations. Bog SOM however contained more Sphagnum-derived phenolics, simple carbohydrates, and organic- acids. The low degradation of bog SOM by microbial communities, the enhanced SOM transformation by potentially abiotic mechanisms, and the accumulation of simple carbohydrates in the bog sites could be attributed in part to the low pH conditions of the system associated with Sphagnum mosses. We show that Gibbs free energy of C half reactions based on C oxidation state for OM can be used as a quantifiable measure for OM decomposability and quality to enhance current biogeochemical models to predict C decomposition rates. We found a direct association between OM chemical diversity and δ13C-CH4 in peat porewater; where higher substrate diversity was positively correlated with enriched δ13C-CH4 in fen sites. Oxidized sulfur-containing compounds, produced by Sphagnum, were further hypothesized to control GHG emissions by acting as electron acceptors for a sulfate-reducing electron transport chain, inhibiting methanogenesis in peat bogs. These results suggest that warming-induced permafrost thaw might increase organic matter lability, in subset of sites that become wetlands, and shift biogeochemical processes toward faster decomposition with an increasing proportion of carbon released as CH4.