Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Planetary Nebulae and Their Central Stars in the X-ray and EUV Regions

Einstein, EXOSAT, and ROSAT X-ray observations of planetary nebulae detected soft photospheric X-ray emission from their central stars, but the diffuse X-ray emission from the shocked fast stellar wind in their interiors could not be unambiguously resolved. The new generation of X-ray observatories, Chandra and XMM-Newton, have finally resolved the diffuse X-ray emission from shocked fast winds in planetary nebula interiors. Furthermore, these observatories have detected diffuse X-ray emission from bow-shocks of fast collimated outflows impinging on the nebular envelopes, and unexpected hard X-ray point-sources associated with the central stars of planetary nebulae. Here I review the results of these new X-ray observations of planetary nebulae and discuss the promise of future observations.
Coordinated activity of a central pathway drives associative opioid analgesic tolerance

Opioid analgesic tolerance, a root cause of opioid overdose and misuse, can develop through an associative learning. Despite intensive research, the locus and central pathway subserving the associative opioid analgesic tolerance (AOAT) remains unclear. Using a combination of chemo/optogenetic manipulation with calcium imaging and slice physiology, here we identify neuronal ensembles in a hierarchically organized pathway essential for AOAT. The association of morphine-induced analgesia with an environmental condition drives glutamatergic signaling from ventral hippocampus (vHPC) to dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) cholecystokininergic (CCKergic) neurons. Excitation of CCKergic neurons, which project and release CCK to basolateral amygdala (BLA) glutamatergic neurons, relays AOAT signal through inhibition of BLA μ-opioid receptor function, thereby leading to further loss of morphine analgesic efficacy. This work provides evidence for a circuit across different brain regions distinct for opioid analgesic tolerance. The components of this pathway are potential targets to treat opioid overdose and abuse.
A pictorial key for identification of the hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the Madeira Archipelago

Abstract Background Syrphid flies are important ecological indicators and provide crucial ecosystem services, being important pollinators and biological control agents of insect pests. These charismatic insects are conspicuous and, due to their size and colourful patterns, are relatively easy to identify. However, the lack of user-friendly literature (e.g. photographic guides) for most areas may hamper its wider selection as a study group in biodiversity and ecological studies. The syrphid fauna of Madeira Archipelago comprises 26 species, including four endemics (Eumerushispidus Smit, Aguiar & Wakeham-Dawson, 2004; Melanostomawollastoni Wakeham-Dawson, Aguiar, Smit, McCullough & Wyatt, 2004; Myathropausta, Wollaston, 1858 and Xanthandrusbabyssa, Walker, 1849), but, despite the current good taxonomic knowledge on this group, information on species distribution, ecology and conservation is still lacking. Here, we provide a pictorial key to the adult hoverflies of Madeira Archipelago highlighting diagnostic characteristics and present photographs of both males and females (in dorsal and lateral views) in colour plates. The key and plates will help researchers to differentiate these species, thus encouraging the use of this insect group in future bioindication studies. In addition, this study also aims to engage a broader audience of non-experts in improving the knowledge on the distribution and ecology of Madeira syrphids. New information We provide a checklist for the hoverflies of Madeira Archipelago and a pictorial key to help on species identification.
Hardware-software co-design of an open-source automatic multimodal whole slide histopathology imaging system

Abstract. Significance Advanced digital control of microscopes and programmable data acquisition workflows have become increasingly important for improving the throughput and reproducibility of optical imaging experiments. Combinations of imaging modalities have enabled a more comprehensive understanding of tissue biology and tumor microenvironments in histopathological studies. However, insufficient imaging throughput and complicated workflows still limit the scalability of multimodal histopathology imaging. Aim We present a hardware-software co-design of a whole slide scanning system for high-throughput multimodal tissue imaging, including brightfield (BF) and laser scanning microscopy. Approach The system can automatically detect regions of interest using deep neural networks in a low-magnification rapid BF scan of the tissue slide and then conduct high-resolution BF scanning and laser scanning imaging on targeted regions with deep learning-based run-time denoising and resolution enhancement. The acquisition workflow is built using Pycro-Manager, a Python package that bridges hardware control libraries of the Java-based open-source microscopy software Micro-Manager in a Python environment. Results The system can achieve optimized imaging settings for both modalities with minimized human intervention and speed up the laser scanning by an order of magnitude with run-time image processing. Conclusions The system integrates the acquisition pipeline and data analysis pipeline into a single workflow that improves the throughput and reproducibility of multimodal histopathological imaging.
From scanner to court: A neuroscientifically informed “reasonable person” test of trademark infringement

Many legal decisions center on the thoughts or perceptions of some idealized group of individuals, referred to variously as the “average person,” “the typical consumer,” or the “reasonable person. ” Substantial concerns exist, however, regarding the subjectivity and vulnerability to biases inherent in conventional means of assessing such responses, particularly the use of self-report evidence. Here, we addressed these concerns by complementing self-report evidence with neural data to inform the mental representations in question. Using an example from intellectual property law, we demonstrate that it is possible to construct a parsimonious neural index of visual similarity that can inform the reasonable person test of trademark infringement. Moreover, when aggregated across multiple participants, this index was able to detect experimenter-induced biases in self-report surveys in a sensitive and replicable fashion. Together, these findings potentially broaden the possibilities for neuroscientific data to inform legal decision-making across a range of settings.
Down, then up: non-parallel genome size changes and a descending chromosome series in a recent radiation of the Australian allotetraploid plant species, Nicotiana section Suaveolentes (Solanaceae)

Abstract Background and Aims The extent to which genome size and chromosome numbers evolve in concert is little understood, particularly after polyploidy (whole-genome duplication), when a genome returns to a diploid-like condition (diploidization). We study this phenomenon in 46 species of allotetraploid Nicotiana section Suaveolentes (Solanaceae), which formed <6 million years ago and radiated in the arid centre of Australia. Methods We analysed newly assessed genome sizes and chromosome numbers within the context of a restriction site-associated nuclear DNA (RADseq) phylogenetic framework. Key Results RADseq generated a well-supported phylogenetic tree, in which multiple accessions from each species formed unique genetic clusters. Chromosome numbers and genome sizes vary from n = 2x = 15 to 24 and 2.7 to 5.8 pg/1C nucleus, respectively. Decreases in both genome size and chromosome number occur, although neither consistently nor in parallel. Species with the lowest chromosome numbers (n = 15–18) do not possess the smallest genome sizes and, although N. heterantha has retained the ancestral chromosome complement, n = 2x = 24, it nonetheless has the smallest genome size, even smaller than that of the modern representatives of ancestral diploids. Conclusions The results indicate that decreases in genome size and chromosome number occur in parallel down to a chromosome number threshold, n = 20, below which genome size increases, a phenomenon potentially explained by decreasing rates of recombination over fewer chromosomes. We hypothesize that, more generally in plants, major decreases in genome size post-polyploidization take place while chromosome numbers are still high because in these stages elimination of retrotransposons and other repetitive elements is more efficient. Once such major genome size change has been accomplished, then dysploid chromosome reductions take place to reorganize these smaller genomes, producing species with small genomes and low chromosome numbers such as those observed in many annual angiosperms, including Arabidopsis.
Human atlastins are sufficient to drive the fusion of liposomes with a physiological lipid composition

Atlastins regulate the structure and function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, using reconstituted proteoliposomes with a lipid composition mimicking that of the ER, Jang et al. show that all human atlastins are sufficient to drive membrane fusion.
Dysregulation of memory B cells and circulating T follicular helper cells is a predictor of poor immune recovery in HIV‐infected patients on antiretroviral therapy

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and their interactions with B cells within the germinal center play extensive roles in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathology. However, their association with immune reconstitution during antiretroviral therapy (ART) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of Tfh and memory B cell function on T helper cell recovery in patients with acute or chronic HIV infection. A total of 100 HIV‐infected individuals were enrolled in our study, classified into acute and chronic HIV infection groups (60 and 40, respectively), and subsequently classified into immunological responder (IR) and immunological nonresponder (INR) subgroups according to immune recovery outcomes after 96 weeks of ART. Liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry was used to quantify the temporal regulation patterns of B and CD4+ T‐cell profiles among patients, and flow cytometry was used to investigate certain subsets of B and T cells. Here we showed that the prevalence of Tfh cells in the T helper cell population correlated negatively with CD4+ T‐cell recovery. The proportion of CXCR3− Tfh cells in patients with acute or chronic infection was associated with CD4+ T‐cell count recovery, and the proportion of CD21+ memory B cells at baseline was significantly higher in those with improved immune recovery outcomes. Universal proteomic dysregulation of B and CD4+ T cells at baseline was detected in patients with acute infected and poor CD4+ T‐cell recovery. Proteomics analysis revealed distinct temporal regulation profiles of both T helper cells and B cells between IRs and INRs among patients with acute infection. Our results suggest that the functions of memory B cells in INRs are dysregulated at the early stage of ART, possibly through disruption of Tfh cell function. The frequency and function of Tfh cells and their subsets are potential predictors of poor immune recovery.
Long‐term reproductive effects in male rats prenatally exposed to sodium arsenite

Arsenic is an environmental toxicant known to be a carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. Maternal exposure to arsenic has been associated with fetus malformation and reproductive disorders in male offspring. However, it is unclear the extent to which those effects remain during postnatal development and adulthood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the long‐term effects of prenatal arsenic exposure on reproductive parameters of male offspring at peripubertal and adult periods. Pregnant female Wistar rats were exposed to 0 or 10 mg/L sodium arsenite in drinking water from gestational day 1 (GD 1) until GD 21 and male pups were analyzed at postnatal day 44 (PND 44) and PND 70. We observed that some reproductive parameters were affected differently by arsenic exposure at each age evaluated. The body and reproductive organs weights, as well as testicular and epididymal morphology were strongly affected in peripubertal animals and recovered at adult period. On the other hand, the antioxidant genes expression (SOD1, SOD2, CAT and GSTK1) and the endogenous antioxidant system were affected in the testes and epididymides from both peripubertal and adult rats. Finally, an impairment in daily sperm production and in sperm parameters was observed in adult animals. Taken together, our findings show that prenatal arsenic exposure affected reproductive parameters of peripubertal and adult male rats mainly due to oxidative stress. Collectively, those alterations may be affecting fertility potential of adult animals.
Contrasting ecological information content in whaling archives with modern cetacean surveys for conservation planning and identification of historical distribution changes

Many species are restricted to a marginal or suboptimal fraction of their historical range due to anthropogenic impacts, making it hard to interpret their ecological preferences from modern‐day data alone. However, inferring past ecological states is limited by the availability of robust data and biases in historical archives, posing a challenge for policy makers . To highlight how historical records can be used to understand the ecological requirements of threatened species and inform conservation, we investigated sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) distribution in the Western Indian Ocean. We assessed differences in information content and habitat suitability predictions based on whale occurrence data from Yankee whaling logs (1792–1912) and from modern cetacean surveys (1995–2020). We built maximum entropy habitat suitability models containing static (bathymetry‐derived) variables to compare models comprising historical‐only and modern‐only data. Using both historical and modern habitat suitability predictions we assessed marine protected area (MPA) placement by contrasting suitability in‐ and outside MPAs. The historical model predicted high habitat suitability in shelf and coastal regions near continents and islands, whereas the modern model predicted a less coastal distribution with high habitat suitability more restricted to areas of steep topography. The proportion of high habitat suitability inside versus outside MPAs was higher when applying the historical predictions than the modern predictions, suggesting that different marine spatial planning optimums can be reached from either data sources. Moreover, differences in relative habitat suitability predictions between eras were consistent with the historical depletion of sperm whales from coastal regions, which were easily accessed and targeted by whalers, resulting in a modern distribution limited more to steep continental margins and remote oceanic ridges. The use of historical data can provide important new insights and, through cautious interpretation, inform conservation planning and policy, for example, by identifying refugee species and regions of anticipated population recovery.
Comparison of perpendicular and longitudinal magnetic recording using a contact write/read tester

We have performed longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic recording measurements using a contact write/read tester, which scans a magnetic recording head in contact with the recording media. Our tester has a demonstrated positioning resolution of <5 nm. Perpendicular transitions in the range 125-425 kfci were recorded on double-layer perpendicular media with a high moment soft underlayer. The perpendicular bits were imaged using both a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) read head on the contact tester and using magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Longitudinal bit transitions with linear densities in the range 25 to 725 kfci were recorded, and the signal-to-noise ratios of both the perpendicular and longitudinal systems were measured.
Socioeconomic status as a risk factor for motoric cognitive risk syndrome in a community‐dwelling population: A longitudinal observational study

Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) is a syndrome characterised by measured slow gait speed and self‐reported cognitive complaints. MCR is a high‐risk state for adverse health outcomes in older adults, particularly cognitive impairment and dementia. Previous studies have identified risk factors for MCR, but the effect of socioeconomic status has, to date, been insufficiently examined. This study explored the association between MCR and socioeconomic status, as determined by occupational social class and years of education.
Airway management during ongoing chest compressions–direct vs. video laryngoscopy. A randomised manikin study

Background Tracheal intubation is used for advanced airway management during cardiac arrest, particularly when basic airway techniques cannot ensure adequate ventilation. However, minimizing interruptions of chest compressions is of high priority. Video laryngoscopy has been shown to improve the first-pass success rate for tracheal intubation in emergency airway management. We aimed to compare first-pass success rate and time to successful intubation during uninterrupted chest compression using video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy. Methods A total of 28 anaesthetists and 28 anaesthesia nurses with varied clinical and anaesthesiological experience were recruited for the study. All participants performed a tracheal intubation on a manikin simulator during ongoing chest compressions by a mechanical resuscitation device. Stratified randomisation (physicians/nurses) was performed, with one group using direct laryngoscopy and the other using video laryngoscopy. Results First-pass success rate was 100% (95% CI: 87.9% - 100.0%) in the video laryngoscopy group and 67.8% (95% CI: 49.3% - 82.1%) in the direct laryngoscopy group [difference: 32.2% (95% CI: 17.8% - 50.8%), p<0.001]. The median time for intubation was 27.5 seconds (IQR: 21.8–31.0 seconds) in the video laryngoscopy group and 30.0 seconds (IQR: 26.5–36.5 seconds) in the direct laryngoscopy group (p = 0.019). Conclusion This manikin study on tracheal intubation during ongoing chest compressions demonstrates that video laryngoscopy had a higher first-pass success rate and shorter time to successful intubation compared to direct laryngoscopy. Experience in airway management and professional group were not significant predictors. A clinical randomized controlled trial appears worthwhile.
On Defensive Location Problem and its Solution Using Heuristic Methods

A new approach to the defensive location problem (DLP) is proposed which aims to generalize the problem into a global optimization problem, hence the name “generalized DLP” (GDLP). In DLP, a decision maker locates defensive facilities in a network in order to prevent their enemies from reaching an important site called a core. The fact that whether or not a defensive facility is located on a given vertex of the network leads to formulating DLP as a bi-level 0-1 programming problem. In GDLP, on the other hand, the defensive capacity allocated to vertices of the network can be any real number in a continuous interval. This gives rise to the formulation of GDLP as a global constraint optimization problem. Furthermore, simple but efficient heuristic solution method based on Improved Electromagnetism-like Mechanism tailored for GDLPs is proposed. The efficiency of the proposed solving methods is then shown by applying to some numerical examples of GDLP.
Three‐Dimensional Investigation of the Propagation of Waves in Hollow Circular Cylinders. II. Numerical Results

The results are given of a numerical evaluation of a characteristic equation derived in Part I, appropriate to free harmonic waves propagated along a hollow cylinder of infinite extent. This equation is evaluated for some representative cylinders covering the entire range from thin shells to solid cylinders, and the results are compared with the corresponding results of a shell theory. Observations are made regarding the variation of the frequency spectrum with the physical parameters, as well as the range of applicability of shell theories.
Xenbase: key features and resources of the Xenopus model organism knowledgebase

Abstract Xenbase (https://www.xenbase.org/), the Xenopus model organism knowledgebase, is a web-accessible resource that integrates the diverse genomic and biological data from research on the laboratory frogs Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis. The goal of Xenbase is to accelerate discovery and empower Xenopus research, to enhance the impact of Xenopus research data, and to facilitate the dissemination of these data. Xenbase also enhances the value of Xenopus data through high-quality curation, data integration, providing bioinformatics tools optimized for Xenopus experiments, and linking Xenopus data to human data, and other model organisms. Xenbase also plays an indispensable role in making Xenopus data interoperable and accessible to the broader biomedical community in accordance with FAIR principles. Xenbase provides annotated data updates to organizations such as NCBI, UniProtKB, Ensembl, the Gene Ontology consortium, and most recently, the Alliance of Genomic Resources, a common clearing house for data from humans and model organisms. This article provides a brief overview of key and recently added features of Xenbase. New features include processing of Xenopus high-throughput sequencing data from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus; curation of anatomical, physiological, and expression phenotypes with the newly created Xenopus Phenotype Ontology; Xenopus Gene Ontology annotations; new anatomical drawings of the Normal Table of Xenopus development; and integration of the latest Xenopus laevis v10.1 genome annotations. Finally, we highlight areas for future development at Xenbase as we continue to support the Xenopus research community.
Association Between Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs and Antibiotic Use Globally

Key Points Question What is the association between antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) implemented across multiple health care settings and antibiotic use? Findings In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 52 studies with more than 1.7 million patients conducted in different health care and income settings, ASPs were associated with reduced consumption of antibiotics overall as well as of antibiotics in the World Health Organization Watch group. Meaning The findings of this study support the use of ASPs to reduce antibiotic use in both hospital and nonhospital settings.