Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of complement in ALS: regulating peripheral immune cells in skeletal muscle of hSOD1G93A mouse model of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disease. It is characterised by progressive loss of motor neurons and muscle atrophy. Recently, mounting evidence has suggested that complement, part of the innate immune system, is involved in the pathogenesis of ALS in both human patients and in animal models. Activation of complement in the central nervous system (CNS) has been well defined and has been proved to be critical to the death of motor neurons. However, less is known about the roles of complement in the skeletal muscle during the ALS disease progression. The initial aim of this study was to examine the complement activation in skeletal muscle of hSOD1 G93A mice, a well-characterised ALS animal model. Expressions of major (CD55, CD59) were determined, and shown to be significantly elevated in the skeletal muscle of hSOD1 G93A when compared to wide-type (WT) mice as disease progressed, suggesting that complement activation in the skeletal muscle of hSOD1 G93A mice is achieved through classical and possibly other complement cascades. In addition, expression levels of C5aR1 and C3aR, receptors for complement peptides C5a and C3a respectively, were also increased. Immunolocalisation studies shows that C5aR1 and C3aR are expressed on invading immune cells, CD11b + macrophage and CD4 + helper T cells, in skeletal muscle of hSOD1 G93A mice. The second aim of this study was to investigate the physiological roles of complement signalling in regulating immune cell migration in skeletal muscle of hSOD1 G93A mice. Massive invasions of macrophage and helper T cell were observed in tibialis anterior muscles of hSOD1 G93A mice when compared to age-matched wild-type mice. These infiltrations were remarkably attenuated in hSOD1 G93A mice lacking either C5aR1 or C3aR. By contrast, there was significantly less immune cell invasion into soleus muscles of hSOD1 G93A mice, but like for the tibialis anterior muscle, this invasion is significantly greater when compared to soleus muscles from age-matched wild-type mice, and attenuated in soleus muscle from hSOD1 G93A mice lacking either C5aR1 or C3aR. The soleus muscle, predominantly a slow-twitch muscle, is less vulnerable to denervation in hSOD1 G93A mice. Taken together, these results indicate that C5a-C5aR1 and C3a-C3aR signalling regulates the migration of immune cells into the skeletal muscle during ALS disease progression, and the extent of immune cell influx is related to physiological ii function of skeletal muscle. In summary, I have shown activation of the complement system in the skeletal …
INSTITUTE FOR FUSION STUDIES Magnetic Viscosity by Localized Shear Flow Instability in Magnetized Accretion Disks THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Differentially rotating disks are subject to the axisymmetric instability for perfectly conducting plasma in the presence of poloidal magnetic fields (Balbus & Hawley 1991). For nonaxisymmetric perturbations, we find localized unstable eigenmodes whose eigenfunction is conked between two A b & singularities at Wd = ~ W A , where Wd is the Doppler-shifted wave frequency, and WA = kllvA is the Alfvh frequency. The radial width of the unstable eigenfunction is Ax - u A / ( A k g ) , where A is the Oort’s constant, and b is the azimuthal wave number. The growth rate of the fundamental mode is larger for smaller value of b / k z . The maximum growth rate when b / k Z N 0.1 is - 0.252 for the Keplerian disk with local angular velocity 52. It is found that the purely growing mode disappears when Jcy/kz > 0.12. In a perfectly conducting disk, the instability grows even when the seed magnetic field is infinitesimal. Inclusion of the resistivity, however, leads to the appearance of an instability threshold. When the resistivity q depends on the instability-induced turbulent magnetic fields SB as q((SB2)), the marginal stability condition self-consistently determines the a parameter of the angular momentum transport due to the magnetic stress. For fully ionized disks, the magnetic viscosity parameter ag is between 0.001 and 1. Our three-dimensional MHD simulation confirms these unstable eigenmodes. It also shows that the a parameter observed in simulation is between 0.01 and 1, in agreement with theory. The obser-vationally required smaller Q in the quiescent phase of accretion disks in dwarf novae may be explained by the decreased ionization due to the temperature drop.
On Mixed Quermassintegral for Log-Concave Functions

In this paper, the functional Quermassintegrals of log-concave functions in $\mathbb R^n$ are discussed, we obtain the integral expression of the $i$-th functional mixed Quermassintegrals, which are similar to the integral expression of the $i$-th Quermassintegrals of convex bodies.
On the changes in surface ozone over the twenty-first century: sensitivity to changes in surface temperature and chemical mechanisms

In this study, we show using a state-of-the-art Earth system model, UKESM1, that emissions and climate scenario depending, there could be large changes in surface ozone by the end of the twenty-first century, with unprecedentedly large increases over South and East Asia. We also show that statistical modelling of the trends in future ozone works well in reproducing the model output between 1900 and 2050. However, beyond 2050, and especially under large climate change scenarios, the statistical model results are in poorer agreement with the fully interactive Earth system model output. This suggests that additional processes occurring in the Earth system model such as changes in the production of ozone at higher temperatures or changes in the influx of ozone from the stratosphere, which are not captured by the statistical model, have a first order impact on the evolution of surface ozone over the twenty-first century. We show in a series of idealized box model simulations, with two different chemical schemes, that changes in temperature lead to diverging responses between the schemes. This points at the chemical mechanisms as being a source of uncertainty in the response of ozone to changes in temperature, and so climate, in the future. This underscores the need for more work to be performed to better understand the response of ozone to changes in temperature and constrain how well this relationship is simulated in models. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.
Effects of ozone on agriculture, forests and grasslands

The damage and injury that ground level ozone (O3) causes vegetation has become increasingly evident over the past half century with a large body of observational and experimental evidence demonstrating a variety of effects at ambient concentrations on crop, forest and grassland species and ecosystems. This paper explores the use of experimental data to develop exposure-response relationships for use in risk assessment studies. These studies have typically identified the USA mid-West, much of Europe, the Indo Gangetic Plain in South Asia and the Eastern coastal region of China as global regions where O3 is likely to threaten food supply and other ecosystems. Global risk assessment modelling estimates yield losses of staple crops between 3 to 16% causing economic losses of between US$14 to 26 billion in the year 2000. Changes in anthropogenic emissions of O3 precursors in recent decades have modified O3 concentration profiles (peaks versus background O3) and global distributions with the Northern Hemisphere seeing increases in O3 levels of between 1 and 5 ppb/decade since the 1950s and the emergence of Asia as the region with the highest O3 concentrations. In the future, O3 mitigation could focus on methane (CH4) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions; these will differentially influence global and local/regional O3 concentrations and influence daily and seasonal profiles. The consequent effects on vegetation will in part depend on how these changes in O3 profile alter the exceedance of detoxification thresholds for plant damage. Adaptation options may play an important role in enhancing food supply while mitigation strategies are being implemented. An improved understanding of the mechanisms by which O3 affects plants, and how this might influence detoxification thresholds and interactions with other environmental variables such as water stress and nutrients, would help develop O3 deposition and impact models to support the development of crop, land-surface exchange and ultimately earth system models for holistic assessments of global change. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.
Beetles as pollinators

Many beetles are important pollinators. Regular pollination relationships have been established between beetles and plants during the evolution. This paper summarizes the resultant mutualism between beetles and plants, the types of pollination performed by beetles, plants that are pollinated by beetles and the efficiency of beetle pollination.
Triggering RNAi with multifunctional RNA nanoparticles and their delivery

Abstract Proteins are considered to be the key players in structure, function, and metabolic regulation of our bodies. The mechanisms used in conventional therapies often rely on inhibition of proteins with small molecules, but another promising method to treat disease is by targeting the corresponding mRNAs. In 1998, Craig Mellow and Andrew Fire discovered dsRNA-mediated gene silencing via RNA interference or RNAi. This discovery introduced almost unlimited possibilities for new gene silencing methods, thus opening new doors to clinical medicine. RNAi is a biological process that inhibits gene expression by targeting the mRNA. RNAi-based therapeutics have several potential advantages (i) a priori ability to target any gene, (ii) relatively simple design process, (iii) sitespecificity, (iv) potency, and (v) a potentially safe and selective knockdown of the targeted cells. However, the problem lies within the formulation and delivery of RNAi therapeutics including rapid excretion, instability in the bloodstream, poor cellular uptake, and inefficient intracellular release. In an attempt to solve these issues, different types of RNAi therapeutic delivery strategies including multifunctional RNA nanoparticles are being developed. In this mini-review, we will briefly describe some of the current approaches.
Tracking Closely Related Enteric Bacteria at High Resolution in Fecal Samples of Premature Infants Using a Novel rRNA Amplicon

Identifying and tracking microbial strains as microbiomes evolve is a major challenge in the field of microbiome research. Longitudinal microbiome samples of co-admitted twins from two different neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) were analyzed using a ~2,500 base amplicon that spans the 16S and 23S rRNA genes, and mapped to a new 16S-23S rRNA database. Amplicon Sequence Variants inferred using DADA2 provided sufficient resolution for differentiation of rRNA variants from closely related, but not previously sequenced Klebsiella, E. coli, and Enterobacter, among the first bacteria colonizing the gut of these infants after admission to the NICU. Distinct ASV groups (fingerprints) were followed between co-admitted twins over time, demonstrating the potential to track the source and spread of both commensals and pathogens. The high-resolution taxonomy obtained from long amplicon sequencing enable tracking of strains temporally and spatially as microbiomes are established in infants in the hospital environment.
Wing Lon Ng Spectral Densities of Ultra-high Frequency Data

This paper suggests the application of advanced methods from Fourier Analysis in order to describe ultra-high frequent data in limit order books. Using Lomb’s normalized periodogram and Scargle’s Discrete Fourier Transforms to take account of the irregularity in spacing, the power spectra of diﬀerent time series processes can be easily estimated, without immense computational eﬀort caused by the large amount of observations. With empirical data extracted from the German XETRA system, the spectral analysis shows that the entire trading process contains various diﬀerent periodic components. While duration and volume processes have a strong cyclical behavior in the low-frequency domain, seasonalities of price diﬀerences arise in the high-frequency domain. Contrarily, the time series of the spread reveals no periodicity, neither in the long term, nor in the middle or short term.
Dermatological Manifestation due to Preventive Measures Used During COVID-19 Pandemic

© 2020 Indian Dermatology Online Journal | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow Sir, Healthcare workers (HCWs) as well as general population adopted the use of facemasks/covers, hand sanitizers, and frequent hand washing as preventive measures during pandemic of 2019‐nCoV. We conducted this study to observe the proportion of different dermatological manifestations due to these preventive measures during pandemic of Covid‐19 in central India.
A Social Interactionist Account of Developing Decontextualized Narrative Skill

The ability to produce decontextualized language is a crucial skill underlying literacy acquisition. This study investigated the role of parental interaction styles on children's developing skill at providing contextual orientation in one type of decontextualized discourse, personal experience narratives. A researcher elicited narratives monthly for 18 months from 10 children age 26-43 months. At intervals, mothers were asked to tape record "talk about past events" with their children. The children's increasing skill at independently providing context about when and where was correlated with mothers' frequencies of using specific types of prompts in their narrative elicitations. Cross-lagged correlations showed that parents who frequently prompted for context orientation had children who most frequently provided subsequent orientation to when and where in their stand-alone narratives when they were over 3 years of age. Results were interpreted in terms of Vygotskian theory. Discourse skills have been identified as central components of successful school achievement by a number of investigators (Feagans, 1982; Feagans & Farran, 1981; Scollon & Scollon, 1981; Snow, 1983; Snow & Dickinson, 1990; Watson & Shapiro, 1988). Narratives in particular have been highlighted, because they require multiple sentences to be organized both thematically and sequentially. The ability to structure narratives in ways expected by teachers has been seen as important for a smooth transition to literacy (Heath, 1982, 1983; Michaels, 1981; Snow, 1983; Snow & Dickinson, 1990). The kind of narrative characteristically valued at school is one that is decontextualized sufficiently to make sense to listeners who did not share the original narrated experience with the child (Bruner, 1986; Cazden, 1985; Snow, 1983). Unfortunately, many children enter school with poor narrative skills (Feagans, 1982), and such children may not only have more difficulty with literacy but are also more likely to be labeled as learning disabled (Roth, 1986). An important question is why there is such large individual variation in children's ability to produce well-structured and decontextualized narratives.
Prevention and Treatment of “Epidemic Toxin, Pathogenic Dampness, and Lung Deficiency” after COVID-19 Recovery Based on the Theory of “Preventive Treatment of Diseases” in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Due to the sequelae and recurrence in patients with COVID-19 after recovery. This article, based on the theory of “preventive treatment of diseases” in traditional Chinese medicine, which believes that the three pathogenic factors of epidemic toxin, dampness, and lung deficiency are the fundamental causes of the recurrence of COVID-19. The treatment strategies are to remove pathogenic factors, strengthen qi, nourish yin, clear heat, moisten dryness, and at the same time, reinforce the lung, spleen and kidney, and soothe the liver. Through a variety of treatments such as oral administration, external treatment, and skin absorption, it provides a new idea and method for the management of the recurrence of COVID-19.
A quantum chemical study of CH and CC bond activation on transition metals

The insertion of a transition metal atom in the CH bond of CH4 is calculated using density functional theory by determining the transition state and the dissociated state of HMCH3 , where M is nickel or cobalt. A barrier for nickel insertion of 41 kJ/mol is found and its origin is discussed. The insertion is exothermic by 34 kJ /mol. The barrier height for cobalt insertion is 79 kJ/mol, and the overall reaction is endothermic by 6 kJ/mol. From the potential energy surface at the transition state and the dissociated state vibrational and rotational frequencies are obtained. Unimolecular and bimolecular transition state theory is used for the calculation of rate constants, sticking coefficients and activation energies for the insertion reactions as well as the elimination reactions. Activation energies for nickel or cobalt insertion in both CH4 and CD4 are small compared with other theoretical work. A moderate kinetic isotope effect for the insertion reactions is found, whereas no significant kinetic isotope effect is found for the elimination reactions. Hydrogen tunneling corrections on rate coefficients are also evaluated, but their effect is negligible.
The mitochondrial-targeted peptide SBT-20 ameliorates inflammation and oxidative stress in chronic renal failure

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is the final outcome of the development of chronic kidney disease with different causes. Although CRF is a common clinical disease, its pathogenesis remains to be improved. SBT-20 belongs to a class of cell-permeable peptides that target the inner mitochondrial membrane, reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), normalize electron transport chain function, and ATP generation. Our experiment was to evaluate whether SBT-20 affected the oxidative stress and inflammatory process of CRF. The levels of ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential, NF- κB-p65, TNF-α, Drp1, and mfn2 were measured before and after SBT-20 treatment. We observed that SBT-20 treatment inhibited H2O2-induced mitochondrial ROS production. SBT-20 could also restore the mitochondrial membrane potential and reduce the elevated levels of NF-κB-p65 and TNF-α in HK-2 cells. In vivo, the renal function of CRF mice recovered after treating with SBT-20, the levels of necrotic cells and inflammation decreased, and the morphology of mitochondria recovered. The results showed that SBT-20 had a protective effect on CRF by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation progression via down-regulating of NF-κB-p65, TNF-α, and Drp1 and upregulating of Mfn2. These data support SBT-20 could be used as a potential preparation for CRF.
Does economic optimisation explain LAI and leaf trait distributions across an Amazon soil moisture gradient?

Leaf area index (LAI) underpins terrestrial ecosystem functioning, yet our ability to predict LAI remains limited. Across Amazon forests, mean LAI, LAI seasonal dynamics and leaf traits vary with soil moisture stress. We hypothesise that LAI variation can be predicted via an optimality‐based approach, using net canopy C export (NCE, photosynthesis minus the C cost of leaf growth and maintenance) as a fitness proxy. We applied a process‐based terrestrial ecosystem model to seven plots across a moisture stress gradient with detailed in situ measurements, to determine nominal plant C budgets. For each plot, we then compared observations and simulations of the nominal (i.e. observed) C budget to simulations of alternative, experimental budgets. Experimental budgets were generated by forcing the model with synthetic LAI timeseries (across a range of mean LAI and LAI seasonality) and different leaf trait combinations (leaf mass per unit area, lifespan, photosynthetic capacity and respiration rate) operating along the leaf economic spectrum. Observed mean LAI and LAI seasonality across the soil moisture stress gradient maximised NCE, and were therefore consistent with optimality‐based predictions. Yet, the predictive power of an optimality‐based approach was limited due to the asymptotic response of simulated NCE to mean LAI and LAI seasonality. Leaf traits fundamentally shaped the C budget, determining simulated optimal LAI and total NCE. Long‐lived leaves with lower maximum photosynthetic capacity maximised simulated NCE under aseasonal high mean LAI, with the reverse found for short‐lived leaves and higher maximum photosynthetic capacity. The simulated leaf trait LAI trade‐offs were consistent with observed distributions. We suggest that a range of LAI strategies could be equally economically viable at local level, though we note several ecological limitations to this interpretation (e.g. between‐plant competition). In addition, we show how leaf trait trade‐offs enable divergence in canopy strategies. Our results also allow an assessment of the usefulness of optimality‐based approaches in simulating primary tropical forest functioning, evaluated against in situ data.
Platelet‐rich plasma—Where do we stand today? A critical narrative review and analysis

“Sometimes you have to travel a long way to find what is near. ” This quote by Paulo Coelho stands true for platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) as we know of it today. Large strides have been made to understand this “youth” in blood, but there still seems a long way to go in our understanding of it. Despite advances, clarity in its preparation, biology, and the properties of the final product still remains elusive. The concepts of an ideal number or concentration of platelets in the final enriched plasma, best devices to prepare PRP, an ideal hardware, standard parameters for its preparation, the need for its activation or buffering of the final preparation or whether anticoagulants should be used or not, have evolved, since it was first described. The authors present an analysis of PRP present day status and its usefulness in field of medicine with a review of published literature from “Medline” (via “PubMed”), “Cochrane,” the Virtual Health Library, and Google Scholar related to PRP, its biology, types, and classifications, preparation, and use.
Evolutionary principles and genetic considerations for guiding conservation interventions under climate change

Impacts of climate change are apparent in natural systems around the world. Many species are and will continue to struggle to persist in their current location as their preferred environment changes. Traditional conservation efforts aiming to prevent local extinctions have focused on two aspects that theoretically enhance genetic diversity—population connectivity and population size—through ‘passive interventions’ (such as protected areas and connectivity corridors). However, the exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity that we are experiencing as result of anthropogenic climate change has shifted conservation approaches to more ‘active interventions’ (such as rewilding, assisted gene flow, assisted evolution, artificial selection, genetic engineering). We integrate genetic/genomic approaches into an evolutionary biology framework in order to discuss with scientists, conservation managers and decision makers about the opportunities and risks of interventions that need careful consideration in order to avoid unwanted evolutionary outcomes.