Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soluble urinary somatic angiotensin converting enzyme is overexpressed in patients with preeclampsia: a potential new marker for the disease?

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of this study was to identify and quantify urinary Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme (ACE) in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Methods Urine samples were analyzed by Western blot. Patients were classified into: normotensive pregnancy (N); preeclampsia and superimposed preeclampsia (PE+SPE); and gestational hypertension (GH). Results Somatic ACE protein expression was higher in PE+SPE compared to N and GH. There was a positive correlation between ACE and urinary protein to creatinine ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Conclusion These results indicate ACE overexpression in the urine of preeclamptic patients and suggest that it may be a new marker for the disease.
Logic-enabled textiles

Significance Despite the tremendous potential of textiles as a robust and versatile medium for building robots and actuators that can be integrated directly into users’ clothing, embedded logic controllers made of textiles have not yet been developed, precluding the emergence of smart, fully textile-based robotic wearables. We fill this gap by developing a textile computer capable of pneumatic digital logic, onboard memory, and user interaction and demonstrate its ability to control textile-based assistive devices in response to user commands. Our logic-enabled textiles can be mass produced using existing processes and are resilient enough to withstand everyday use, potentially enabling future generations of comfortable, low-cost, and electronics-free robotic wearables for assisting the nearly one billion people worldwide currently living with disabilities.
Comparative Morpho-micrometric Investigations in Six Indigenous Ocimum Species of India with DOE Based HPTLC Method for Multi-class Component Analysis

Abstract The Ocimum genus is one of Indiaʼs prominent botanical classes of traditional medicinal culture comprising medicinally and agronomically important plants. Morphological resemblances, overlapping geographical distribution, and history of traditional nomenclature have necessitated a comprehensive qualitative report for effective quality control and removing the species ambiguity pertaining to this genus. This paper provides detailed morpho-micrometric characteristics used to differentiate between six indigenous Ocimum species of India. Among them, O. gratissimum was distinguished as the only shrub with a fleshy petiole. In green and purple forms, O. tenuiflorum leaves had serrate margins and showed no particular anatomical differences except for the anthocyanins containing epidermal cells of the latter. O. basilicum had glabrous leaves except for the veins, which were puberulous. O. filamentosum had tenuous anther filaments and was the least aromatic while O. africanum had a citrusy odour, which along with the number of xylary rows, size of mesophyll cells, and epidermal cell wall architecture, distinguished it from O. americanum . An HPTLC method was developed using experimental design and validated for quantification of multi-class compounds from terpenoic, phenolic acids, and flavonoids in Ocimum leaves. It was found linear ( r 2 > 0.99) with recoveries between 95 – 100% for all compounds. The eluted bands of marker compounds were subjected to HPTLC-MS analysis as a confirmative tool. This is the first anatomical and analytical report of O. filamentosum Forssk. The obtained results could be effectively used for species identification using vegetative characters alone with the anatomical-HPTLC data backing up the former as a rapid and economical tool.
Contribution of TagA-Like Glycosyltransferases to the Assembly of the Secondary Cell Wall Polysaccharide in Bacillus anthracis

Glycosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the transfer of sugar moieties from activated donor molecules to acceptor molecules to form glycosidic bonds using a retaining or inverting mechanism. Based on the structural relatedness of their catalytic and carbohydrate-binding modules, GTs have been grouped into 115 families in the Carbohydrate-Active EnZyme (CAZy) database. ABSTRACT Bacillus anthracis elaborates a secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) made of 6 to 12 trisaccharide units. Pyruvyl and acetyl substitutions of the distal unit are prerequisites for the noncovalent retention of 22 secreted Bacillus S-layer (Bsl)-associated proteins bearing an S-layer homology (SLH) domain. Surface display of Bsl proteins contributes to cell separation as well as virulence. Earlier work suggested that TagO initiates the synthesis of SCWP while GneY and GneZ, two UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerases, synthesize ManNAc that is later incorporated in the repeat unit (→4)-ManNAc-(β1→4)-GlcNAc-(β1→6)-GlcNAc-(α1→). In organisms that synthesize wall teichoic acid, TagA catalysts have been shown to form the glycosidic bond ManNAc-(β1→4)-GlcNAc. Here, we show that genes bas2675 and bas5272, predicted to encode glycosyltransferases of the WecB/TagA/CpsF family (PFAM03808; CAZy GT26), are required for B. anthracis SCWP synthesis and S-layer assembly. Similar to tagO or gneY gneZ mutants, B. anthracis strains depleted of tagA1 (bas5272) cannot maintain cell shape, support vegetative growth, or synthesize SCWP. Expression of tagA2 (bas2675), or Staphylococcus aureus tagA on a plasmid, rescues the nonviable tagA1 mutant. We propose that TagA1 and TagA2 fulfill overlapping and key glycosyltransferase functions for the synthesis of repeat units of the SCWP of B. anthracis. IMPORTANCE Glycosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the transfer of sugar moieties from activated donor molecules to acceptor molecules to form glycosidic bonds using a retaining or inverting mechanism. Based on the structural relatedness of their catalytic and carbohydrate-binding modules, GTs have been grouped into 115 families in the Carbohydrate-Active EnZyme (CAZy) database. For complex products, the functional assignment of GTs remains highly challenging without the knowledge of the chemical structure of the assembled polymer. Here, we propose that two uncharacterized GTs of B. anthracis belonging to the WecB/TagA/CpsF family incorporate ManNAc in repeat units of the secondary cell wall polymer of bacilli species.
Contrasting long-term dynamics of antimicrobial resistance and virulence plasmids in Salmonella Typhimurium from animals

Plasmids are mobile elements that can carry genes encoding traits of clinical concern, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence. Population-level studies of Enterobacterales , including Escherichia coli, Shigella and Klebsiella , indicate that plasmids are important drivers of lineage expansions and dissemination of AMR genes. Salmonella Typhimurium is the second most common cause of salmonellosis in humans and livestock in the UK and Europe. The long-term dynamics of plasmids between S. Typhimurium were investigated using isolates collected through national surveillance of animals in England and Wales over a 25-year period. The population structure of S. Typhimurium and its virulence plasmid (where present) were inferred through phylogenetic analyses using whole-genome sequence data for 496 isolates. Antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmid markers were detected in silico. Phenotypic plasmid characterization, using the Kado and Liu method, was used to confirm the number and size of plasmids. The differences in AMR and plasmids between clades were striking, with livestock clades more likely to carry one or more AMR plasmid and be multi-drug-resistant compared to clades associated with wildlife and companion animals. Multiple small non-AMR plasmids were distributed across clades. However, all hybrid AMR–virulence plasmids and most AMR plasmids were highly clade-associated and persisted over decades, with minimal evidence of horizontal transfer between clades. This contrasts with the role of plasmids in the short-term dissemination of AMR between diverse strains in other Enterobacterales in high-antimicrobial-use settings, with implications for predicting plasmid dissemination amongst S. Typhimurium.
Nonresident Fathers’ Voice: Marginalized, Disempowered, and Silenced

Nonresident fathers, following separation/divorce, are more likely to experience multiple forms of family types simultaneously than any other sociodemographic group. Although there is considerable writing on the factors and issues surrounding nonresident fathers from academics, the Family court, the Child Support Agency, and women’s and welfare groups, the voice of nonresident fathers themselves is rarely heard. This is due to nonresident fathers being marginalized, disempowered, and silenced by these same entities. The voice of nonresident fathers is routinely minimized, dismissed, and labeled as anti-feminist or a backlash to feminism. This opinion piece argues that there is a need for qualitative research to be undertaken to investigate, document, and explore nonresident fathers’ voices from their own perspective to hear what they have to say of themselves so that a better understanding of the dynamics that impact and influence them can be achieved. This would mean that actions can be identified and undertaken to better understand nonresident fathers’ situation while providing insights for the development of social policies by Government and Welfare agencies together with support care for nonresident fathers highlighting their desires and needs.
First STEPS: Primary Outcomes of a Randomized, Stepped-Care Behavioral Clinical Trial for Parents of Young Children With New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Despite the emotional challenges of parental adjustment to a child's type 1 diabetes diagnosis and the unique complexities of early childhood, there are few programs designed to meet the needs of parents of young children at new onset. This study evaluated First STEPS (Study of Type 1 in Early childhood and Parenting Support), a stepped-care behavioral intervention designed to support parents' psychosocial functioning and promote children's glycemic outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using a two-site randomized clinical trial design, parents (n = 157) of children aged 1-6 years completed baseline data within 2 months of diabetes diagnosis and were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 115) or usual care (n = 42) for 9 months. Intervention steps included: 1) peer parent coaching, with step-ups to 2) structured behavioral counseling and 3) professional consultations with a diabetes educator and psychologist, based on parent mood and child HbA1c. Participants completed follow-ups at 9 and 15 months postrandomization. Primary outcomes were parent depressive symptoms and child HbA1c. RESULTS Depressive symptoms improved in both groups, and intervention parents had significantly lower depressive symptoms at the 9- and 15-month follow-ups compared with usual care. HbA1c decreased in both groups, but there were no between-group differences at 9 or 15 months. CONCLUSIONS First STEPS improved parents' mood following young children's type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Results indicate likely benefits of parent coach support, supplemented by intervention intensifications, including behavioral intervention and diabetes education. This model has high potential for patient engagement. The absence of a medical intervention component may explain null findings for HbA1c; incorporating targeted behavioral support for intensive diabetes treatment may maximize intervention impact.
Effects of dynamic lighting on circadian phase, self‐reported sleep and performance during a 45‐day space analog mission with chronic variable sleep deficiency

Spaceflight exposes crewmembers to circadian misalignment and sleep loss, which impair cognition and increase the risk of errors and accidents. We compared the effects of an experimental dynamic lighting schedule (DLS) with a standard static lighting schedule (SLS) on circadian phase, self‐reported sleep and cognition during a 45‐day simulated space mission. Sixteen participants (mean age [±SD] 37.4 ± 6.7 years; 5 F; n = 8/lighting condition) were studied in four‐person teams at the NASA Human Exploration Research Analog. Participants were scheduled to sleep 8 h/night on two weekend nights, 5 h/night on five weekday nights, repeated for six 7‐day cycles, with scheduled waketime fixed at 7:00 a.m. Compared to the SLS where illuminance and spectrum remained constant during wake (~4000K), DLS increased the illuminance and short‐wavelength (blue) content of white light (~6000K) approximately threefold in the main workspace (Level 1), until 3 h before bedtime when illuminance was reduced by ~96% and the blue content also reduced throughout (~4000K × 2 h, ~3000K × 1 h) until bedtime. The average (±SE) urinary 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) acrophase time was significantly later in the SLS (6.22 ± 0.34 h) compared to the DLS (4.76 ± 0.53 h) and more variable in SLS compared to DLS (37.2 ± 3.6 min vs. 28.2 ± 2.4 min, respectively, p = .04). Compared to DLS, self‐reported sleep was more frequently misaligned relative to circadian phase in SLS RR: 6.75, 95% CI 1.55–29.36, p = . 01), but neither self‐reported sleep duration nor latency to sleep was different between lighting conditions. Accuracy in the abstract matching and matrix reasoning tests were significantly better in DLS compared to SLS (false discovery rate‐adjusted p ≤ .04). Overall, DLS alleviated the drift in circadian phase typically observed in space analog studies and reduced the prevalence of self‐reported sleep episodes occurring at an adverse circadian phase. Our results support incorporating DLS in future missions, which may facilitate appropriate circadian alignment and reduce the risk of sleep disruption.
Phonon localization and resonance in thermal transport of pillar-based GaAs nanowires

Exploring the possibility of nanostructures to modulate thermal conductivity (TC) contributes to promote a deeper comprehension of phonon diffusion and transport processes with the design of thermally insulated devices with high ZT values, and the GaAs nanowires (NWs) widely used in optoelectronic and microelectronic devices exhibit nondiffusive phonon thermal transport phenomena attributed to size effects, while ignoring the wave effects of phonons. Here, we simulate the TC of pillar-based GaAs NWs using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. The spatial distribution of density of states, temperature and heat flow distribution clouds, phonon participation rate, dispersion curves and phonon transmittance of atoms were calculated to investigate the phonon thermal transport processes in pillar-based NWs. The calculation results show that the pillar-based surface reduce the TC by 16%, the TC of pristine NW increases with axial and equivalent diameter, and the TC of pillar-based NW increases nonlinearly with axial length and increases with radial length. The phonon-surface scattering intensity is enhanced by the perturbation introduced by the pillared surface with a substantial decrease in phonon transmission capacity and a break in long-wavelength phonon transport even annihilated, which leads to surface phonon localization. Nanopillars not only enhance the phonon-surface scattering intensity at low frequencies, but also reconfigure the dispersion curve to reduce the group velocity. A series of flat resonance phonon modes are generated throughout the whole spectrum due to the hybridization between the local resonance phonon modes of the nanopillar and the phonon modes of the substrate NWs, resulting in the phonon modes shifting to lower frequencies. The pillar-based surface induced surface phonon localization and local resonance phenomenon contributes to the modulation of phonon thermal transport in GaAs-based field-effect transistors.
A deletion/duplication in the Ligon lintless-2 locus induces siRNAs that inhibit cotton fiber cell elongation.

Most cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties have two types of seed fibers: short fuzz fiber strongly adhered to the seed coat, and long lint fiber used in the textile industry. The Ligon lintless-2 (Li2) cotton mutant has a normal vegetative phenotype but produces very short lint fiber on the seeds. The Li2 mutation is controlled by a single dominant gene. We discovered a large structural rearrangement at the end of chromosome D13 in the Li2 mutant based on whole genome sequencing and genetic mapping of segregating populations. The rearrangement contains a 177 kb deletion and a 221 kb duplication positioned as a tandem inverted repeat. The gene Gh_D13G2437 is located at the junction of the inverted repeat in the duplicated region. During transcription such structure spontaneously forms self-complementary hairpin RNA of Gh_D13G2437 followed by production of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Gh_D13G2437 encodes a Ran Binding Protein 1 (RanBP1) that preferentially expresses during cotton fiber elongation. The abundance of siRNA produced from Gh_D13G2437 reciprocally corresponds with the abundance of highly homologous (68 - 98% amino acid sequence identity) RanBP1 family transcripts during fiber elongation, resulting in a shorter fiber phenotype in the Li2. Overexpression of Gh_D13G2437 in the Li2 mutant recovered the long lint fiber phenotype. Taken together, our findings revealed that siRNA-induced silencing of a family of RanBP1s inhibit elongation of cotton fiber cells in the Li2 mutant.
AIA-Net: Adaptive Interactive Attention Network for Text–Audio Emotion Recognition

Emotion recognition based on text–audio modalities is the core technology for transforming a graphical user interface into a voice user interface, and it plays a vital role in natural human–computer interaction systems. Currently, mainstream multimodal learning research has designed various fusion strategies to learn intermodality interactions but hardly considers that not all modalities play equal roles in emotion recognition. Therefore, the main challenge in multimodal emotion recognition is how to implement effective fusion algorithms based on the auxiliary structure. To address this problem, this article proposes an adaptive interactive attention network (AIA-Net). In AIA-Net, text is treated as a primary modality, and audio is an auxiliary modality. AIA-Net adapts to textual and acoustic features with different dimensions and learns their dynamic interactive relations in a more flexible way. The interactive relations are encoded as interactive attention weights to focus on the acoustic features that are effective for textual emotional representations. AIA-Net performs well in adaptively assisting the textual emotional representation with the acoustic emotional information. Moreover, multiple collaborative learning (co-learning) layers of AIA-Net achieve multiple multimodal interactions and the deep bottom-up evolution of emotional representations. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the great effectiveness of the proposed method over the state-of-the-art methods.
Genome assembly of the chemosynthetic endosymbiont of the hydrothermal vent snail Alviniconcha adamantis from the Mariana Arc

Abstract Chemosynthetic animal-microbe symbioses sustain hydrothermal vent communities in the global deep sea. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean, hydrothermal ecosystems are often dominated by gastropod species of the genus Alviniconcha, which live in association with chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria or Campylobacteria. While the symbiont genomes of most extant Alviniconcha species have been sequenced, no genome information is currently available for the gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont of Alviniconcha adamantis—a comparatively shallow living species that is thought to be the ancestor to all other present Alviniconcha lineages. Here, we report the first genome sequence for the symbiont of A. adamantis from the Chamorro Seamount at the Mariana Arc. Our phylogenomic analyses show that the A. adamantis symbiont is most closely related to Chromatiaceae endosymbionts of the hydrothermal vent snails Alviniconcha strummeri and Chrysomallon squamiferum, but represents a distinct bacterial species or possibly genus. Overall, the functional capacity of the A. adamantis symbiont appeared to be similar to other chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria, though several flagella and chemotaxis genes were detected, which are absent in other gammaproteobacterial Alviniconcha symbionts. These differences might suggest potential contrasts in symbiont transmission dynamics, host recognition, or nutrient transfer. Furthermore, an abundance of genes for ammonia transport and urea usage could indicate adaptations to the oligotrophic waters of the Mariana region, possibly via recycling of host- and environment-derived nitrogenous waste products. This genome assembly adds to the growing genomic resources for chemosynthetic bacteria from hydrothermal vents and will be valuable for future comparative genomic analyses assessing gene content evolution in relation to environment and symbiotic lifestyles.
Isolation of secondary metabolites from Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry. (cloves), and evaluation of their biological activities

Abstract Phytochemical investigation of dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry. (clove) led to the isolation and identification of fourteen known compounds, oleanolic acid (1), betulinic acid (2), para methyl benzoic acid (3), sabrinic acid (4) eucalyptolic acid (5), nigricin (6), 3-O-trans-para-coumaroylmaslinic acid (7), methyl maslinate (8), maslinic acid (9), 3, 4, 5-trimethoxy-3′,4′-O,O-methylideneflavellagic acid (10), lantanone (11) 3,4,3′-trimethoxyellagic acid (12), 11-oxo-oleanolic acid (13), and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (14). Their structures were identified by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, Mass spectroscopic techniques, and comparison with the literature data. Compounds 3, and 7–9 showed a strong mortality against root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita at 0.125% concentration after 72 hours (88–92% inhibition). Compound 4 showed a good anti-glycation activity with IC50 = 142.0 ± 1.8 µM when compared with standard, i.e. rutin (IC50 = 54.59 ± 2.20 µM). Compound 10 showed a comparable urease inhibitory activity (IC50 = 26.1 ± 0.19 µM) with the positive control thiourea (IC50 = 24.5 ± 0.34 µM). Graphical Abstract
What makes functional amyloids work?

Abstract Although first described in the context of disease, cross-β (amyloid) fibrils have also been found as functional entities in all kingdoms of life. However, what are the specific properties of the cross-β fibril motif that convey biological function, make them especially suited for their particular purpose, and distinguish them from other fibrils found in biology? This review approaches these questions by arguing that cross-β fibrils are highly periodic, stable, and self-templating structures whose formation is accompanied by substantial conformational change that leads to a multimerization of their core and framing sequences. A discussion of each of these properties is followed by selected examples of functional cross-β fibrils that show how function is usually achieved by leveraging many of these properties.
Cardiovascular complications of modern multiple myeloma therapy: A pharmacovigilance study

Multiple myeloma accounts for over 10–15% of haematological malignancies. Continued molecular advances have resulted in the development of new drugs for treatment of multiple myeloma. Four drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015, but their safety is not well defined. The aim of this study is to delineate the cardiovascular adverse events of these drugs.