Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catalpol attenuates EMT by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β/Smads signaling to alleviate kidney fibrosis

Purpose: To determine the anti-fibrosis effect and underlying mechanism of action of catalpol (CAT) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: Forty (40) rats were randomly divided into a sham group (10 rats) and a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model group (30 rats) which was further randomly subdivided into three groups of ten (10) rats each: the UUO model group, UUO + CAT low-dose group, and UUO + CAT high-dose group. HK-2 cells were stimulated with TGF-β1 for in vitro studies. Renal injury and fibrotic lesions were determined by H&E and Masson’s staining. Key proteins of TGF-β/Smads and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways involved in epithelial- mesenchymal transition (EMT) were determined by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Results: Catalpol downregulated the expression of α-SMA (p < 0.05) and upregulated the expression of E-cadherin (p < 0.05) stimulated by TGF-β1 and LiCl in HK-2 cells, which is consistent with the role of DKK1 in vitro. CAT ameliorated renal fibrosis and repressed the expression of key proteins of TGFβ/Smads and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in UUO rats. Conclusion: Catalpol inhibits EMT and alleviates kidney fibrosis by suppressing the hyperactivation of TGF-β/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. Therefore, CAT is a promising therapeutic drug for renal fibrosis.
Hemeroby Mapping of the Belém Landscape in Eastern Amazon and Impact Study of Urbanization on the Local Climate

This work contributes to the studies on landscape mapping induced by human pressure directly related to the urbanization process, whose approach is based on the concept of hemeroby adapted to the metropolitan area of Belém in the eastern Amazon. The mapping results using 1985 and 2021 Landsat satellite data indicated that the artificial coverage characterized as medium to the high urban system (polyhemerobic and metahemerobic degrees) has increased by almost 17% toward northern districts and Outeiro/Mosqueiro islands, while the natural vegetation cover suppression (ahemerobic degree) was around 11%. In addition, we investigated the impacts of urban expansion on seasonal (WET from January to April and DRY from July to November) surface air temperature (minimum TN and maximum TX) patterns. From statistical comparisons between 18-year samples (2004/2021 to 1985/2002), we find evidence of a current significantly warmer climate, with a notable indication of higher surface temperature over densely urbanized areas compared to lower values over natural areas. In the TX climatology, particularly for the DRY regime, we identified a pattern similar to the classic heat island model with concentric isotherms reaching a maximum center over the more urbanized continental region of Belém and a thermal decrease at the edges. Therefore, the findings of this work are convincing that Belém already faces the direct impacts of urbanization on the local climate, so it is crucial to develop government strategies aimed at taking action to mitigate socioenvironmental risks and threats to the well-being of urban populations.
Differential Alterations of Expression of the Serotoninergic System Genes and Mood-Related Behavior by Consumption of Aspartame or Potassium Acesulfame in Rats

The use of aspartame (ASP) and potassium acesulfame (ACK) to reduce weight gain is growing; however, contradictory effects in body mass index control and neurobiological alterations resulting from artificial sweeteners consumption have been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the chronic consumption of ASP and ACK on mood-related behavior and the brain expression of serotonin genes in male Wistar rats. Mood-related behaviors were evaluated using the swim-forced test and defensive burying at two time points: 45 days (juvenile) and 95 days (adult) postweaning. Additionally, the mRNA expression of three serotoninergic genes (Slc6a4, Htr1a, and Htr2c) was measured in the brain areas (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus) involved in controlling mood-related behaviors. In terms of mood-related behaviors, rats consuming ACK exhibited anxiety-like behavior only during the juvenile stage. In contrast, rats consuming ASP showed a reduction in depressive-like behavior during the juvenile stage but an increase in the adult stage. The expression of Slc6a4 mRNA increased in the hippocampus of rats consuming artificial sweeteners during the juvenile stage. In the adult stage, there was an upregulation in the relative expression of Slc6a4 and Htr1a in the hypothalamus, while Htr2c expression decreased in the hippocampus of rats consuming ASP. Chronic consumption of ASP and ACK appears to have differential effects during neurodevelopmental stages in mood-related behavior, potentially mediated by alterations in serotoninergic gene expression.
Nintedanib in Combination With Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lung cancer remains a major global health challenge, contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality rates. Nintedanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has demonstrated potential as a treatment for lung cancer. We aim to evaluate nintedanib's efficacy in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), depending on the available evidence. Our search for relevant articles was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that involved adult patients with NSCLC up to August 15, 2023. These trials compared the combination of nintedanib and chemotherapy to either placebo plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. Our main outcomes include progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We utilized the Review Manager Software V.5. 4 (The Cochrane Collaboration) to analyze all relevant data. Three identified trials, which included 2270 patients, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Our analysis showed significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-0.88, P < 0.0001) in patients receiving nintedanib compared to placebo. However, OS was not statistically significant (HR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.88-1.05, P = 0.35). In conclusion, a combination of nintedanib and chemotherapy in treating patients with NSCLC was associated with improved PFS than chemotherapy alone but not with improved OS. Further clinical trials assessing nintedanib in the setting of NSCLC are necessary before any further recommendations can be made.
Kinetic Modeling of Brain [18-F]FDG Positron Emission Tomography Time Activity Curves with Input Function Recovery (IR) Method

Accurate positron emission tomography (PET) data quantification relies on high-quality input plasma curves, but venous blood sampling may yield poor-quality data, jeopardizing modeling outcomes. In this study, we aimed to recover sub-optimal input functions by using information from the tail (5th–100th min) of curves obtained through the frequent sampling protocol and an input recovery (IR) model trained with reference curves of optimal shape. Initially, we included 170 plasma input curves from eight published studies with clamp [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET exams. Model validation involved 78 brain PET studies for which compartmental model (CM) analysis was feasible (reference (ref) + training sets). Recovered curves were compared with original curves using area under curve (AUC), max peak standardized uptake value (maxSUV). CM parameters (ref + training sets) and fractional uptake rate (FUR) (all sets) were computed. Original and recovered curves from the ref set had comparable AUC (d = 0.02, not significant (NS)), maxSUV (d = 0.05, NS) and comparable brain CM results (NS). Recovered curves from the training set were different from the original according to maxSUV (d = 3) and biologically plausible according to the max theoretical K1 (53//56). Brain CM results were different in the training set (p < 0.05 for all CM parameters and brain regions) but not in the ref set. FUR showed reductions similarly in the recovered curves of the training and test sets compared to the original curves (p < 0.05 for all regions for both sets). The IR method successfully recovered the plasma inputs of poor quality, rescuing cases otherwise excluded from the kinetic modeling results. The validation approach proved useful and can be applied to different tracers and metabolic conditions.
Insights into the Adsorption Mechanisms of the Antimicrobial Peptide CIDEM-501 on Membrane Models

CIDEM-501 is a hybrid antimicrobial peptide rationally designed based on the structure of panusin and panulirin template peptides. The new peptide exhibits significant antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens (MIC = 2–4 μM) while conserving no toxicity in human cell lines. We conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the CHARMM-36 force field to explore the CIDEM-501 adsorption mechanism with different membrane compositions. Several parameters that characterize these interactions were analyzed to elucidate individual residues’ structural and thermodynamic contributions. The membrane models were constructed using CHARMM-GUI, mimicking the bacterial and eukaryotic phospholipid compositions. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted over 500 ns, showing rapid and highly stable peptide adsorption to bacterial lipids components rather than the zwitterionic eucaryotic model membrane. A predominant peptide orientation was observed in all models dominated by an electric dipole. The peptide remained parallel to the membrane surface with the center loop oriented to the lipids. Our findings shed light on the antibacterial activity of CIDEM-501 on bacterial membranes and yield insights valuable for designing potent antimicrobial peptides targeting multi- and extreme drug-resistant bacteria.
Highly Monodisperse, Size Tunable Glucosamine Conjugated CdSe Quantum Dots for Enhanced Cellular Uptake and Bioimaging

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been used in a variety of applications ranging from optoelectronics to biodiagnostic fields, primarily due to their size dependent fluorescent nature. CdSe nanocrystals (NCs) are generally synthesized via a hot injection method in an organic solvent. However, such NCs are insoluble in water and therefore preclude the direct usage toward biological systems. Thus, the preparation of more biocompatible water-soluble QDs with a high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) is extremely important for imaging applications. Although previous literature has detailed on the synthesis of CdSe NCs in water, they suffer from poor size distribution and very low PLQY. The complex formation mechanism of CdSe NCs in an aqueous environment adversely affects the quality of NCs due to the presence of OH–, H+, and H2O moieties. Here in this article, we have presented the facile hydrothermal approach to obtain size tunable (2.9–5.1 nm), aqueous CdSe NCs with a narrow emission profile having ∼40 nm fwhm with 56% PLQY. Physicochemical properties of the synthesized water-soluble CdSe NCs were studied with the help of UV–vis, PL, XRD, FTIR, XPS, and HR-TEM analysis. Furthermore, the surface of the synthesized CdSe NCs was modified with d-glucosamine via EDC and NHS coupling to obtain a stable, biocompatible bioimaging probe. Furthermore, we demonstrated that their successful bioconjugation with glucosamine could facilitate effective internalization into the cellular matrix.
Roles of a Glycolipid MPIase in Sec-Independent Membrane Protein Insertion

Membrane protein integrase (MPIase), an endogenous glycolipid in Escherichia coli (E. coli) membranes, is essential for membrane protein insertion in E. coli. We have examined Sec-independent membrane protein insertion mechanisms facilitated by MPIase using physicochemical analytical techniques, namely solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, fluorescence measurements, and surface plasmon resonance. In this review, we outline the physicochemical characteristics of membranes that may affect membrane insertion of proteins. Subsequently, we introduce our results verifying the effects of membrane lipids on insertion and estimate the impact of MPIase. Although MPIase is a minor component of E. coli membranes, it regulates insertion by altering the physicochemical properties of the membrane. In addition, MPIase promotes insertion by interacting with substrate proteins. We propose comprehensive mechanisms for the membrane insertion of proteins involving MPIase, which provide a physicochemical basis for understanding the roles of glycolipids in protein translocation.
Analysis of site-specific N-fertilization on-farm trials in cereals under assump- tion of spatial covariance structures

Kurzfassung The application of real-time sensors provides the possibility of adapting nitrogen fertilization to requirements in heterogeneous cereal crops site-specifically. Efficient and environmentally sound fertilization strategies can be developed by the use of on-farm trials as a contribution to sensor-based farming. This paper assesses what agronomic effects can be found using the mechanical sensor "Crop-Meter" for nitrogen fertilization. On-farm trials were conducted to compare the application of uniform nitrogen rates with sensor-based site-specifically applied rates. As an example, an approach is demonstrated taking the crop heterogeneity into account as a factor of interest in the statistical analysis, whereas heterogeneity is often treated as undesired noise factor. To include the heterogeneity, yield data were classified by magnitude of the above-ground plant mass in order to create comparable conditions. Each class was analyzed by assuming mixed models taking into account spatial co-variance structures, which provided substantially better model fits than the classic ANOVA model. The trial considered showed that the reduction of nitrogen fertilizer in site-specific application (mean: 22 kg ha N) caused no statistically significant yield differences by comparison with uniform application. Therefore, the spatial variation of nitrogen fertilizers seems a useful contribution to reducing direct cost of crop production and to decreasing environmental impacts.
Seasonal forecasting of tropical cyclone activity in the Australian and the South Pacific Ocean regions

Abstract The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Bureau) issues operational tropical cyclone (TC) seasonal forecasts for the Australian region (AR) and the South Pacific Ocean (SPO) and subregions therein. The forecasts are issued in October, ahead of the Southern Hemisphere TC season (November to April). Improvement of operational TC seasonal forecasts can lead to more accurate warnings for coastal communities to prepare for TC hazards. This study investigates the use of support vector regression (SVR) models, exploring new explanatory variables and non-linear relationships between them, the use of model averaging, and lastly the integration of forecast intervals based on a bias-corrected and accelerated non-parametric bootstrap. Hindcasting analyses show that the SVR model outperforms several benchmark methods. Analysis of the generated models shows that the Dipole Mode Index, 5VAR index and the Southern Oscillation Index are the most frequently selected as explanatory variables for TC seasonal forecasting in all regions. The usage of ENSOrelated covariates implies that definitions of regions and subregions may have to be updated to achieve optimal forecasting performance. Overall, the new SVR methodology is an improvement over the current linear discriminant analysis models and has the potential to increase accuracy of TC seasonal forecasts in the AR and SPO.
The accommodation of Islam in Portugal and Ireland: institutional configurations and religious diversity

This paper compares the establishment of Islamic communities in Portugal and Ireland since the end of the 1950s. Whereas much of the literature focuses on cases such as France, Britain, Germany or the Netherlands, we know relatively little about the political accommodation of Islam outside these usual suspects . This is problematic not only in terms of the representativeness of the comparative literature, but even more so because existing comparative accounts of the accommodation of Muslim interests, on such issues as mosques building, education and prayer rooms, overemphasize the paradigmatic differences between countries that are otherwise also very different. This study employs a most similar case design and focuses on institutional differences between the most similar cases of Ireland and Portugal. Whereas the Irish institutional model is separatist in its core and unaccommodating towards religion in general, it is in practice a soft separatism that promotes religious diversity in the slipstream of a predominantly Catholic population. In Portugal, by contrast, the concordatarian model is more favorable towards religion, yet reinforces the predominance of the Catholic Church and inhibits, rather than strengthens religious diversity.
PROGRESS ON CANOLA PRODUCTION

Establishment and winter survival are two major challenges of growing winter canola (Brassica napus L.) in the central Great Plains. The first study evaluated five planting dates between August 15 and October 15 and two tillage methods (conventional tillage and no-till) on winter canola fall plant density, fall crown height, fall vigor, winter survival, spring plant density, spring vigor, and yield. Planting date affected all measurements whereas tillage affected only yield. Conventional tillage yielded 8% more than no-till. Canola needs to be planted earlier than previously recommended, between August 15 and September 1 for successful winter survival and seed production in western Kansas. The second study evaluated two different varieties ‘Griffin’ and ‘Wichita’ grown with and without a companion crop (spring triticale, winter triticale, Daikon radish, and Shogoin turnip) and managed with and without fall simulated grazing (hay). Treatment effects (variety, companion crop, and fall grazing) on winter canola fall plant density, fall vigor, winter survival, spring plant density, spring vigor, grain yield, forage yield, forage quality, and grain oil content were quantified. Grazing or haying canola in the fall reduced grain yield 30–50% and decreased the yield of a more upright growth variety (Wichita) more than a prostate growth variety (Griffin). Companion cropping decreased canola fall stand, winter survival, spring stand, and grain yield. Companion crops can improve fall forage production. The results from this study indicate canola grown for grain should not be grown with a companion crop or in a dual-purpose system.
A Simulation-based Research on the Hydrological Response of Land Use/Cover and Vegetation Changes in Watershed Scale

This paper presented a research on the hydrological responses of watershed-scale land use/cover and vegetation changes under the background of human activities with Meijiang watershed as study area using physically-based and parameter-distributed hydrological model SWAT.Leaf area index(LAI) got from remote sensing technology was used in this simulation in the format of plant growth database in SWAT to express the watershed vegetation situation.Variable-controlled method was used to simulate the response of watershed hydro-characteristics and hydro-processes to land use/cover and vegetation changes.The results show that annual runoff in Meijiang watershed increases 5.4%(which is 10.2% during dry season,2.6% during wet season) because of the changes of vegetation in 15 years(1987-2001). On the other hand,the results also show that the impact of vegetation change to water flow in Meijiang watershed has a nonlinear tendency,which means watershed water flow increases with the increasing of LAI of vegetation but the increment of water flow is the largest due to vegetation change in medium rainstorm.The increasing of LAI will obviously result in time delay effect of flood peak and gentle water-flow recession characteristics.
Impact of online poker gambling on behavioural and neurophysiological responses to a virtual gambling task

Abstract Online poker gambling (OPG) involves various executive control processes and emotion regulation. In this context, we hypothesized that online poker players, accustomed to handling virtual cards, would show high performance on computerized decision‐making tasks such as the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Using press advertisements, we recruited a non‐gambler group (NG; n = 20) and an OPG group (n = 22). All participants performed the IGT while their cerebral activity was recorded by electroencephalography. Compared with the OPG group, the NG group showed significantly better progression in the IGT in the last trials. Recording of brain activity revealed the appearance of a temporal map between 150 and 175 ms specific to the gain condition in both groups. A second map was observed at 215–295 ms specifically in the NG group, and the generators were identified in the occipital regions. This activity is indicative of a high level of visual awareness; thus, it reflects additional processing of visual information, which can be assumed to be induced by the lower exposure of the NGs to online card games. We hypothesize that the absence of this activity in the OPG group might be due to their online habituation to virtual environments.
Region of Interest Analysis Using Delaunay Triangulation for Facial Video-Based Heart Rate Estimation

Selecting a reliable region of interest (ROI) is essential when estimating the blood volume pulse (BVP) signal through contactless remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) using facial videos. The face detection, facial landmark, and skin segmentation algorithms are commonly used for ROI selection. However, the current method of ROI selection primarily relies on human experience, and there are limited studies that investigate the impact of different facial regions on the remote heart rate (HR) estimation. In this article, we employ the Delaunay triangulation to analyze facial ROIs. We use the MediaPipe face landmark model to annotate 468 facial feature points. Subsequently, the Bowyer–Watson algorithm is employed to partition the face into 898 triangular ROIs based on the set of feature points. We evaluate the performance of each triangular ROI by the error in the estimated HR and select multiple regions that demonstrate superior performance from the triangular regions to form the recommended ROI. Additionally, we introduce a data-driven ROI (DD-ROI) approach that dynamically segments skin region as ROI using the set of triangular ROIs. Various motion-robust rPPG methods, including chrominance (CHROM), plane orthogonal to skin (POS), filtered green signal (GREEN), independent component analysis (ICA), local group invariance (LGI), orthogonal matrix image transformation (OMIT), and normalized BVP vector normalized blood-volume pulse vector (PBV), are used to validate the proposed method. Comparing with commonly used ROIs such as face detection rectangular, the center 60% of the face detection rectangular, skin segmentation, and the cheek regions, DD-ROI improves the performance of existing rPPG technologies on both intra- and interdataset tasks, effectively reducing the error in remote HR estimation.