Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methylation patterns at fledging predict delayed dispersal in a cooperatively breeding bird

Individuals may delay dispersing from their natal habitat, even after maturation to adulthood. Such delays can have broad consequences from determining population structure to allowing an individual to gain indirect fitness by helping parents rear future offspring. Dispersal in species that use delayed dispersal is largely thought to be opportunistic; however, how individuals, particularly inexperienced juveniles, assess their environments to determine the appropriate time to disperse is unknown. One relatively unexplored possibility is that dispersal decisions are the result of epigenetic mechanisms interacting between a genome and environment during development to generate variable dispersive phenotypes. Here, we tested this using epiRADseq to compare genome-wide levels of DNA methylation of blood in cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babblers (Pomatostomus ruficeps). We measured dispersive and philopatric individuals at hatching, before fledging, and at 1 year (following when first year dispersal decisions would be made). We found that individuals that dispersed in their first year had a reduced proportion of methylated loci than philopatric individuals before fledging, but not at hatching or as adults. Further, individuals that dispersed in the first year had a greater number of loci change methylation state (i.e. gain or lose) between hatching and fledging. The existence and timing of these changes indicate some influence of development on epigenetic changes that may influence dispersal behavior. However, further work needs to be done to address exactly how developmental environments may be associated with dispersal decisions and which loci in particular are manipulated to generate such changes.
Health and wellness in the Australian coal mining industry: A cross sectional analysis of baseline findings from the RESHAPE workplace wellness program

Overweight and obesity has reach pandemic levels, with two-thirds (67%) of adult Australians classified as overweight or obese. As two of the most significant behavioral risk factors for obesity are modifiable (diet and exercise), there exists an opportunity for treatment through workplace health promotion initiatives. As one of Australia’s largest industries with its own unique workplace factors, the mining industry has previously reported higher than population levels of overweight and obesity. This represented an opportune setting to test the RESHAPE workplace wellness program. RESHAPE is an eight-step framework (based on the WHO ‘Health Workplace Framework and Model’) which aims to provide a sustained approach to wellness in the workplace. This paper presents baseline findings from a pilot study that aimed to implement RESHAPE at three mine sites in NSW, Australia, and investigates the issue of overweight and obesity in the coal mining industry. Across three mine sites, 949 coal miners were examined cross-sectionally on a range of workplace, wellness, health, diet, and exercise factors using a paper-based survey. This was a predominantly male sample (90.4%) with the majority (59.2%) of participants aged 25–44 years. Self-reported height and weight measures indicated that less than 20 percent (18.9%) of participants were in a healthy BMI range, while there were effectively equal numbers of overweight (40.9%) and obese (39.1%) participants. Only 3.5% of participants met the daily recommendation for vegetables (5 serves) and shift-workers had greater association with elevated BMI compared to non-shift workers (B = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.23, 2.20, p = 0.016). Poor nutrition is likely to be a key component in elevated levels of overweight and obesity within this industry, with workplace factors compounding challenges workers face in implementing health behavior change. Future studies would benefit from assessing diet and physical activity knowledge in relation to recommendations and serving sizes.
Multiple novel functions of circular RNAs in diabetes mellitus

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs), as an emerging group of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have received the attention given evidence indicating that these novel ncRNAs are implicated in various biological processes. Due to the absence of 5′ and 3′ ends in circ-RNAs, their two ends are covalently bonded together, and they are synthesised from pre-mRNAs in a process called back-splicing, which makes them more stable than linear RNAs. There is accumulating evidence showing that circRNAs play a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM). Moreover, it has been indicated that dysregulation of circRNAs has made them promising diagnostic biomarkers for the detection of DM. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to investigate the mechanisms underlying the DM process. It has been demonstrated that there is a strong correlation between the expression of circRNAs and DM. Hence, our aim is to discuss the crosstalk between circRNAs and DM and its complications.
Inhibiting USP14 ameliorates inflammatory responses in trophoblast cells by suppressing MAPK/NF‐κB signaling

Preeclampsia can cause severe consequences for pregnant women and infants, and developing effective medicine or methods to prevent or treat patients with preeclampsia is urgently needed. Ubiquitin‐specific protease 14 (USP14) has emerged as a critical regulator in the development of human cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. However, its role in preeclampsia remains elusive.
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in New York City adults, June–October, 2020: a population-based survey

Abstract Background Serosurveys are important to ascertain burden of infection. Prior SARS-CoV-2 serosurveys in New York City (NYC) have used nonrandom samples. During June–October 2020, the NYC Health Department conducted a population-based survey to estimate SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence in NYC adults. Methods Participants were recruited from the NYC 2020 Community Health Survey. We estimated citywide and stratified antibody prevalence using a hybrid design: serum tested at the NYC Health Department using the DiaSorin LIAISON ® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG assay and self-reported antibody test results were used together. Prevalence was estimated using univariate frequencies and 95% confidence intervals (CI), accounting for complex survey design. Two-sided P-values ≤0.05 were statistically significant. Results There were 1074 respondents overall; 497 provided blood and 577 provided only a self-reported antibody test result. Weighted prevalence was 24.3% overall (95% CI: 20.7–28.3). Latino (30.7%, 95% CI: 24.1–38.2, p<0.01) and Black (30.7%, 95% CI: 21.9–41.2, p=0.02) respondents had a higher weighted prevalence compared with White respondents (17.4%, 95% CI: 12.5–23.7). Conclusions By October 2020, nearly 1 in 3 Black and 1 in 3 Latino NYC adults had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, highlighting unequal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Latino adults in NYC.
Charge Transfer between Metal Clusters and Growing Carbon Structures in Chirality-Controlled Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Growth

Synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with specific chirality has been a great challenge. The detailed role of catalyst clusters in chirality-selective growth of SWCNTs is still unclear. We studied armchair (5,5), chiral (6,5), and zigzag (9,0) nanotube growths on a relaxed Ni55 cluster. Although adhesion energies and chemical potentials of growing carbon structures only show small differences, charges are evidently transferred (or redistributed) from Ni atoms to the growing end edges of nanotubes, which enhance the reactivity of carbon edges. Different chiral nanotubes exhibit distinct reaction active sites. (5,5) has five identical double-carbon active sites, while (9,0) has nine single-carbon active sites. (6,5) has a kink site with the highest reaction activity. These findings imply that the structures of metal clusters strongly correlate with nanotube growth sites through charge transfer (or redistribution). Potential opportunities exist in enabling (n,m) selective growth by engineerin.
Evaluation of nutritional supplements prescribed, its associated cost and patients knowledge, attitude and practice towards nutraceuticals: A hospital based cross-sectional study in Kavrepalanchok, Nepal

Background There is substantial increment in nutraceutical consumption in Nepal, although the data on its efficacy and safety is scarce. The practices of nutraceutical supplements users in Nepal remain undocumented. Therefore, this study was conducted to study the prescription pattern, cost, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the patient towards nutraceutical. Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study with stratified purposive sampling (n = 400) (patients from the out-patient departments of Scheer Memorial Adventist Hospital, Kavre, Nepal) was performed using a validated structured questionnaire assessing the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice of nutraceutical and total cost patients spent on nutraceutical alone. Pearson Chi-square test (x2) was used to investigate the association between socio-demographic variables and patients’ KAP (knowledge, attitude and practice) towards nutraceutical. One way ANOVA was performed to compare the cost of nutraceutical among the different outpatient departments. Results More than 80% of patients were found to be consuming nutraceutical on their own. The mostly prescribed nutraceutical were vitamins (40.7%), minerals (23.7%), enzymes (21.1%), proteins (8.8%), probiotics (4.2%) and herbals (2.0%). With the most common reasons for consuming nutraceutical were to maintain good health (70.0%) and healthcare professionals (57.85%) were the most approached source of information for nutraceutical. Nearly half of the patients (46.5%) had an inadequate level of knowledge whereas more than two-third (71.5%) showed a moderate positive attitude towards nutraceutical use. The average amount patients spent was NRs.575. 78 [equivalent to USD 4.85] per prescription on nutraceutical alone. The maximum cost amounted to NRs 757.18 [equivalent to USD 6.43] in Orthopedics, and the minimum cost was NRs 399.03 [equivalent to USD 3.36] in Obstetrics and gynecology, respectively. There was a significant difference (p <0.001) in cost of nutraceutical prescribed between the OPD clinics. Conclusion The higher prevalence of inadequate knowledge despite moderate positive attitude towards nutraceutical among patients regarding some significant issues such as safety and interactions of nutraceutical consumption and its’ substitution for meals reflects the need to develop an educational strategy to increase general public awareness on the rational use of nutraceutical.
Intrathecal drug delivery to treat intractable neuropathic pain following Sjögren's syndrome-induced transverse myelitis

Abstract Rationale: Transverse myelitis (TM) is a spinal cord inflammatory myelopathy that causes motor/sensory loss and urinary retention below the level of the affected spinal cord. Although a few case reports have described the control of neuropathic pain in patients with TM via spinal cord stimulation, no documented case regarding the control of severe allodynia following TM via intrathecal pump has been described. Patient concerns: A 37-year-old woman was referred to a pain clinic for severe intractable pain below the T5 level followed by Sjögren's syndrome-induced TM. Diagnoses: A neurological examination revealed paresthesia and allodynia below the T5 level. The sensory evaluation was limited by extreme pain and jerking movements. The muscle strength of both lower limbs was grade 3. Interventions: Intrathecal pump was inserted into the left lower abdomen. Catheter tip was placed at the midline of the T8 level. Outcomes: The numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain score decreased from 10 to 5. Functional Independence Measure score increased from 67 before implantation to 92 at the time of discharge, while the patient's Barthel score increased from 31 to 46. Lessons: Neuropathic pain due to Sjögren's syndrome-related TM could be controlled effectively using the intrathecal morphine pump.
Viscosity of PMMA on Silica: Epitome of Systems with Strong Polymer-Substrate Interactions

We measured the viscosity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films supported by silica, where the carbonyl group on the side chains of the polymer interacts strongly with the hydroxyl groups of the surface. The result shows that the viscosity increases with decreasing film thickness at temperatures above 110 °C, but displays an opposite trend at lower temperatures. A three-layer model, consisting of a mobile top layer, a bulk-like middle layer and an immobile bottom layer was found to fit the data well. A detailed breakdown of the layer contributions to the total mobility unveils that the mobility gain brought about by the top layer is balanced by the mobility loss by the bottom layer at 110 °C. When the temperature is lowered or raised, the balance is offset, in favor, of the top and bottom layer, respectively.
Protoporphyrin IX purification from blood and serum for mass analysis - considerations with respect to neurosurgery.

Protoporphyrin (PPIX) and its precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) are routinely used in fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) in neurosurgery of glioblastoma. Orally administered prior to surgery, ALA diffuses preferentially into the tumour-bearing brain region and is there transformed into PPIX as part of the heme biosynthesis. During the resection of high-grade gliomas (HGG), the fluorescent properties of PPIX enable the differentiation of healthy and malignant brain tissue – resulting in a more complete tumour resection and, a better prognosis for patients. 1,2
Machine Learning and Big Data Provide Crucial Insight for Future Biomaterials Discovery and Research

Machine learning have been widely adopted in a variety of fields including engineering, science, and medicine revolutionizing how data is collected, used, and stored. Their implementation has led to a drastic increase in the number of computational models for the prediction of various numerical, categorical, or association events given input variables. We aim to examine recent advances in the use of machine learning when applied to the biomaterial field. Specifically, quantitative structure properties relationships offer the unique ability to correlate microscale molecular descriptors to larger macroscale material properties. These new models can be broken down further into four categories: regression, classification, association, and clustering. We examine recent approaches and new uses of machine learning in the three major categories of biomaterials: metals, polymers, and ceramics for rapid property prediction and trend identification. While current research is promising, limitations in the form of lack of standardized reporting and available databases complicates the implementation of described models. Herein, we hope to provide a snapshot of the current state of the field and a beginner's guide to navigating the intersection of biomaterials research and machine learning.
Psiadin and plectranthone selectively inhibit colorectal carcinoma cells proliferation via modulating cyclins signaling and apoptotic pathways

Three scarce terpenes, psiadin, plectranthone and saudinolide, were obtained after chromatographic isolation and purification from the aerial parts of the respective plants. Their identities were established based on their spectral data. Their anticancer effects against two human colorectal carcinoma cell lines, CCL233 and CCL235, along with the potential molecular mechanisms of action, were explored. Psiadin and plectranthone exhibited marked growth inhibition on both cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner with minimal cytotoxicity against normal breast cells (HB2). The terpenes even showed superior activities to the tested standards. Flow cytometry showed apoptosis induction and alteration in the cell cycle in colorectal cancer cells treated with both compounds. Nevertheless, it was also found that both compounds inhibited NF-κB transcriptional activity, induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and increased the percentage of reactive oxygen species in the treated cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner as well. Since the anticancer effect of psiadin on cancer cells was higher than that produced by plectranthone, only psiadin was tested to determine its possible targets. The results suggested a high degree of specificity of action affecting particular cellular processes in both cancer cells. In conclusion, both terpenes, in particular psiadin, showed significant discriminative therapeutic potential between cancer and normal cells, a value that is missing in current chemotherapies.
AP-1 is a temporally regulated dual gatekeeper of reprogramming to pluripotency

Significance Reprogramming of somatic cells holds tremendous therapeutic promise. Here we show that a key barrier to this process is a DNA binding protein named activator protein 1 (AP-1). We find that AP-1 acts sequentially to first maintain the somatic state by turning genes on and then to block the initiation of the new cellular program by acting as a repressor of gene transcription. Crucially, we were able to uncover this feature of AP-1 by using the heterokaryon system of reprogramming, in which human fibroblasts are fused to an excess of mouse embryonic stem cells to favor the induction of the embryonic stem cell program in the fibroblast. Somatic cell transcription factors are critical to maintaining cellular identity and constitute a barrier to human somatic cell reprogramming; yet a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of action is lacking. To gain insight, we examined epigenome remodeling at the onset of human nuclear reprogramming by profiling human fibroblasts after fusion with murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs). By assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing we identified enrichment for the activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor c-Jun at regions of early transient accessibility at fibroblast-specific enhancers. Expression of a dominant negative AP-1 mutant (dnAP-1) reduced accessibility and expression of fibroblast genes, overcoming the barrier to reprogramming. Remarkably, efficient reprogramming of human fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells was achieved by transduction with vectors expressing SOX2, KLF4, and inducible dnAP-1, demonstrating that dnAP-1 can substitute for exogenous human OCT4. Mechanistically, we show that the AP-1 component c-Jun has two unexpected temporally distinct functions in human reprogramming: 1) to potentiate fibroblast enhancer accessibility and fibroblast-specific gene expression, and 2) to bind to and repress OCT4 as a complex with MBD3. Our findings highlight AP-1 as a previously unrecognized potent dual gatekeeper of the somatic cell state.
Three-dimensional graphene-TiO2 hybrid nanomaterial for high efficient photocatalysis

Abstract Graphene-titanium dioxide (TiO2) hybrid nanomaterials have received much attention due to their high potential in enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency. In the hybrid system, graphene acts as an electron acceptor to ensure the fast charge transfer to the current collector. Three-dimensional (3D) graphene in this context represents a new format of graphene material to further enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. 3D graphene has been shown to be a good candidate for making hybrid materials due to its outstanding properties, including increased surface area, multiple conductivity pathways, absence of intersheet contact resistance, reduced agglomeration of two-dimensional (2D) graphene sheets, and ease of handling and control. The examples included in this chapter have shown the high potential of 3D graphene in developing high-efficiency photocatalysts based on 3D graphene-TiO2 hybrid nanomaterials.
Determination of Heavy Metal Element in Water Samples by Solid Phase Extraction Concentration High Efficiency Liquid Phase Chromatography

This paper studies solid phase extraction concentration high efficiency liquid phase chromatography that determines trace heavy metal including nickel, copper, silver, lead, cadmium and mercury in water samples. Nickel, copper, silver, lead, cadmium and mercury in water samples is derived by T 4 - DMAPP column. Formed derivative is extracted by C 18 solid phase extraction column which concentration multiple is 100. Then, gradient elution by methyl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran forms flow phase. Locking phase separated by Waters Xtera TM RP 18 (3.9 mm×150 mm) colour column, detected by diode matrix detector. Detection limit of nickel, copper, silver, lead, cadmium and mercury are in file 3, 2, 4, 3, 1.5 ng/L and 3 ng/L. Relative standard deviation of method is 1.8% - 3.2%, standard recovery ratio is 92% - 107%. This method determination trace heavy metal in water samples is satisfying.
Chemical Functionalization of the TiO2(110)-(1 × 1) Surface by Deposition of Terephthalic Acid Molecules. A Density Functional Theory and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study

Periodic DFT calculations were used to explore structural properties of terephthalic acid (TPA) deposited on the rutile TiO2(110)-(1 × 1) surface at low and high coverage. Theoretical results were compared with scanning tunneling microscopy imaging data. At low loading the TPA molecules adsorb dissociatively as discrete entities adopting a flat-lying plane-on geometry. The resultant terephthalic anion is attached to the surface by two covalent bonds between the carboxylic oxygens and the 5-fold coordinated Ti atoms with an additional stabilization due to the hydrogen bond formation with the adjacent surface hydroxyls. When the saturation coverage is achieved, a well-ordered monolayer of the vertically oriented molecules is formed. In both cases the TPA admolecules bind to the surface via carboxylic groups as terephthalic anions. Formation of dimers results from the formation of hydrogen bonds between the adjacent TPA molecules. To elucidate the reactivity of the functionalized surface, we deposited zinc f.