Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fish-holding-associated Stress in Sacramento River Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) at South Delta Fish Salvage Operations: Effects on Plasma Constituents, Swimming Performance, and Predator Avoidance.

Operations of fish salvage facilities at major diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta require proper screening, daily collection, and holding of fishes, and their transport downstream. Exposure of fishes to environmental stressors, such as capture and handling, can be a great concern, in that extreme or prolonged stressors may plague fish performance and overall health. We assessed chemo-physiological changes and compromised performance over a functional continuum in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that were exposed to simulated salvage-tank-related stresses. These assessments covered biochemical (plasma constituents), performance (maximum swimming performance, burst swimming, and C-start responses), and ecological measurements (predator avoidance), in evaluating the physiological condition of control, standardized stress, and salvage tank treatment (oval holding tank with Pescalator Archimedes screw lift and cylindrical holding tank with lift bucket) fish under five holding durations. Our goal was to determine whether collecting/holding tank designs, conveyance methods, and holding duration significantly contributed to the fishes’ direct or indirect mortality. Results indicate that stress is functionally interrelated across biochemical, organismal, and ecological levels of organization. More specifically, treatment groups that demonstrated significant plasma constituent stress responses also showed a decreased maximum swimming performance and body bending in C-start startle responses, although no statistical differences were apparent among our control, standardized stress, and most treatments during burst swimming speed tests. Finally, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) predators captured stressed salmon disproportionately to unstressed salmon.
The Metabolomic Characteristics and Dysregulation of Fatty Acid Esters of Hydroxy Fatty Acids in Breast Cancer

Lipid reprogramming metabolism is crucial for supporting tumor growth in breast cancer and investigating potential tumor biomarkers. Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are a class of endogenous lipid metabolites with anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties that have been discovered in recent years. Our previous targeted analysis of sera from breast cancer patients revealed a significant down-regulation of several FAHFAs. In this study, we aimed to further explore the relationship between FAHFAs and breast cancer by employing chemical isotope labeling combined with liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (CIL-LC-MS) for profiling of FAHFAs in tumors and adjacent normal tissues from breast cancer patients. Statistical analysis identified 13 altered isomers in breast cancer. These isomers showed the potential to distinguish breast cancer tissues with an area under the curve (AUC) value above 0.9 in a multivariate receiver operating curve model. Furthermore, the observation of up-regulated 9-oleic acid ester of hydroxy stearic acid (9-OAHSA) and down-regulated 9-hydroxystearic acid (9-HSA) in tumors suggests that breast cancer shares similarities with colorectal cancer, and their potential mechanism is to attenuate the effects of pro-apoptotic 9-HSA by enhancing the synthesis of FAHFAs, thereby promoting tumor survival and progression through this buffering system.
Analysis of damage-associated molecular patterns in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on ScRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data

Background Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons. Despite extensive research, the exact etiology of ALS remains elusive. Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of the immune system in ALS pathogenesis and progression. Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) are endogenous molecules released by stressed or damaged cells, acting as danger signals and activating immune responses. However, their specific involvement in ALS remains unclear. Methods We obtained single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of ALS from the primary motor cortex in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. To better understand genes associated with DAMPs, we performed analyses on cell–cell communication and trajectory. The abundance of immune-infiltrating cells was assessed using the single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) method. We performed univariate Cox analysis to construct the risk model and utilized the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. Finally, we identified potential small molecule drugs targeting ALS by screening the Connectivity Map database (CMap) and confirmed their potential through molecular docking analysis. Results Our study annotated 10 cell types, with the expression of genes related to DAMPs predominantly observed in microglia. Analysis of intercellular communication revealed 12 ligand-receptor pairs in the pathways associated with DAMPs, where microglial cells acted as ligands. Among these pairs, the SPP1-CD44 pair demonstrated the greatest contribution. Furthermore, trajectory analysis demonstrated distinct differentiation fates of different microglial states. Additionally, we constructed a risk model incorporating four genes (TRPM2, ROCK1, HSP90AA1, and HSPA4). The validity of the risk model was supported by multivariate analysis. Moreover, external validation from dataset GSE112681 confirmed the predictive power of the model, which yielded consistent results with datasets GSE112676 and GSE112680. Lastly, the molecular docking analysis suggested that five compounds, namely mead-acid, nifedipine, nifekalant, androstenol, and hydrastine, hold promise as potential candidates for the treatment of ALS. Conclusion Taken together, our study demonstrated that DAMP entities were predominantly observed in microglial cells within the context of ALS. The utilization of a prognostic risk model can accurately predict ALS patient survival. Additionally, genes related to DAMPs may present viable drug targets for ALS therapy.
Hydroxyapatite/Poly (Butylene Succinate)/Metoprolol Tartrate Composites with Controllable Drug Release and a Porous Structure for Bone Scaffold Application

Nowadays, it is a challenge for a bone scaffold to achieve controllable drug release and a porous structure at the same time. Herein, we fabricated hydroxyapatite/poly (butylene succinate)/metoprolol tartrate (HA/PBS/MPT) composites via melt blending, aiming to provide the option of an in situ pore-forming strategy. The introduction of HA not only significantly improved the hydrophilicity of the PBS matrix by reducing the hydrophilic contact angle by approximately 36% at a 10% content, but also damaged the integrity of the PBS crystal. Both were beneficial for the penetration of phosphate-buffered saline solution into matrix and the acceleration of MPT release. Accompanied with MPT release, porous structures were formed in situ, and the HA inside the matrix was exposed. With the increase in HA content, the MPT release rate accelerated and the pore size became larger. The in vitro cytocompatibility evaluation indicated that HA/PBS/MPT composites were conductive to the adhesion, growth, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells due to the HA being exposed around the pores. Thus, the MPT release rate, pore size, and cell induction ability of the HA/PBS/MPT composites were flexibly and effectively adjusted by the composition at the same time. By introducing HA, we innovatively achieved the construction of porous structures during the drug release process, without the addition of pore-forming agents. This approach allows the drug delivery system to combine controllable drug release and biocompatibility effectively, offering a novel method for bone repair material preparation. This work might provide a convenient and robust strategy for the fabrication of bone scaffolds with controllable drug release and porous structures.
Unconsciousness State Identiﬁcation Using Phase Information Extracted by Wavelet and Hilbert Transform

—This work aims to determine features for the distinction of coma and quasi brain death (QBD) consciousness states by implementing an algorithm for extracting phase information from EEG data using wavelet convolution and Hilbert transform. The relationship between the EEG data recorded from pairs of different electrodes is then quantiﬁed by calculating phase synchrony using Shannon entropy, as a phase synchrony index (PSI). Statistical analysis was used to evaluate the signiﬁcant pairs of electrodes for the features extracted in the different frequency bands. The ﬁndings suggest conﬁrm that both wavelet and Hilbert transform based phase synchrony analysis provide similar results. In particular, Hilbert transform might be a more suitable method for phase synchrony analysis to characterize coma or QBD brain states for lower frequency bands. Using non-parametric statistical tools is reliable and does not require strong assumption on the dataset distribution. The algorithm is not designed to be a diagnosis tool; it rather serves as a secondary test to conﬁrm diagnosis. It also has a potential contribution for the systematic distinction of brain states in other areas of EEG-based research.
Modal decomposition of the baroclinic response to wind in elongated lakes

The baroclinic response to wind is examined in narrow elongated lakes. The main objective is to link the excitation and modulation of baroclinic modes to lake bathymetry and stratification, temporal and spatial characteristics of wind forcing, and damping. Three lake bathymetries are examined which represent 1) variable-depth single basins with straight thalweg, 2) two-basin lakes with straight thalweg, and 3) two-basin lakes with arms at which the thalweg bends sharply. The bathymetries are examined using idealized lake forms as well as data from two Canadian lakes. Modal analysis and a three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model are used to analyze the baroclinic response. Also, a modal-based forced model is developed to simulate the decoupled modal responses to wind and provide a direct link between lake and forcing characteristics and modal composition of the response. This study shows that coupling between wind-forcing spatial structure and bathymetry determines which modes are excited, while wind-forcing temporal patterns modulate the magnitude of excited modes. It is found that, when wind is near-uniform, the first horizontal mode, H1, dominates the response regardless of bathymetry, because the near-uniform wind couples with the spatial distribution of layer flow for H1. In sub-basins separated by geometric constrictions (sills and contractions) or sharp bends in the thalweg relative to wind direction, the wind induces local metalimnetic tilts that are superimposed on the domain-wide H1 tilt. The sub-basin tilts are attributable to higher horizontal modes which are equivalent to the H1 modes of the decoupled sub-basins. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the following: 1) interbasin exchange due to H1 shifts from two to more layers due to interaction of vertical modes, 2) geometric constrictions result in strong damping of H1 which causes high forcing-response coherence and broadens the resonance bandwidth, and 3) along-thalweg depth variability in single basins increases the number of excited modes and localizes the interface shear for asymmetric basins and causes the opposite effects for symmetric basins. The findings of this study contribute to understanding the baroclinic response to wind in lakes of complex bathymetry.
Regulation of axon pathfinding by astroglia across genetic model organisms

Glia and neurons are intimately associated throughout bilaterian nervous systems, and were early proposed to interact for patterning circuit assembly. The investigations of circuit formation progressed from early hypotheses of intermediate guideposts and a “glia blueprint”, to recent genetic and cell manipulations, and visualizations in vivo. An array of molecular factors are implicated in axon pathfinding but their number appears small relatively to circuit complexity. Comprehending this circuit complexity requires to identify unknown factors and dissect molecular topographies. Glia contribute to both aspects and certain studies provide molecular and functional insights into these contributions. Here, I survey glial roles in guiding axon navigation in vivo, emphasizing analogies, differences and open questions across major genetic models. I highlight studies pioneering the topic, and dissect recent findings that further advance our current molecular understanding. Circuits of the vertebrate forebrain, visual system and neural tube in zebrafish, mouse and chick, the Drosophila ventral cord and the C. elegans brain-like neuropil emerge as major contexts to study glial cell functions in axon navigation. I present astroglial cell types in these models, and their molecular and cellular interactions that drive axon guidance. I underline shared principles across models, conceptual or technical complications, and open questions that await investigation. Glia of the radial-astrocyte lineage, emerge as regulators of axon pathfinding, often employing common molecular factors across models. Yet this survey also highlights different involvements of glia in embryonic navigation or pioneer axon pathfinding, and unknowns in the molecular underpinnings of glial cell functions. Future cellular and molecular investigations should complete the comprehensive view of glial roles in circuit assembly.
Antibacterial Effect and Therapy of Chronic Skin Defects Using the Composite Bioscaffold Polycaprolactone/GelitaSpon/Povidone-Iodine in Domestic Dogs

Chronic wounds and the failure of conventional treatment are relatively common in veterinary medicine. Recently, there has been a growing interest in alternative therapeutic approaches and the utilization of biodegradable materials. Their potential application in wound therapy may offer a novel and more suitable option compared to conventional treatment methods. Biodegradable materials can be classified into two main categories: natural, synthetic, and a combination of both, which have the potential to have synergistically enhanced properties. In this study, four domestic dogs with clinical symptoms of chronic wounds were enrolled. These wounds underwent treatment utilizing a novel biodegradable composite material composed of gelatin sponge combined with two electrospun layers of polycaprolactone (PCL) along with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers containing povidone-iodine complex (PVP-I). The initial phase of the study was dedicated to evaluating the antibacterial properties of iodine against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. On average, wound healing in domestic dogs took 22 days from the initial treatment, and iodine concentrations demonstrated a significant antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Based on the favorable outcomes observed in wound management, we believe that the utilization of a blend of natural and synthetic biodegradable materials holds promise as an effective wound therapy option.
A Distributed Intrusion Detection System for Future Smart Grid Metering Network

Integrating information and communication technologies into the power generation, transmission and distribution system provides a new concept called Smart Grid (SG). The wide variety of devices connected to the SG communication infrastructure generates heterogeneous data with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and communication technologies. An intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a surveillance system monitoring the traffic flow over the network, seeking any abnormal behaviour to detect possible intrusions or attacks against the SG system. Distributed fashion of power and data in SG leads to an increase in the complexity of analysing the QoS and user requirements. Thus, we require a Big Data-aware distributed IDS dealing with the malicious behaviour of the network. Motivated by this, we design a distributed IDS dealing with anomaly big data and impose the proper defence algorithm to alert the SG. This paper proposes a new smart meter (SM) architecture, including a distributed IDS model (SM-IDS). Secondly, we implement SM-IDS using supervised ML algorithms. Finally, a distributed IDS model is introduced using federated learning. Numerical results approve that Neighbourhood Area Network IDS (NAN-IDS) can help decrease smart meters' energy and resource consumption. Thus, SM-IDS achieves an accuracy of 84.31% with a detection rate of 74.69%. Also, NAN-IDS provides an accuracy of 87.40% and a detection rate of 86.73%.
Effect of ZnS and CdS on Some Physical Properties of MgO Films

This article reports on the fabrication and characterization of MgO nanostructured films and the effect of ZnS and CdS on their structural, optical, and electrical properties. The MgO, MgO: ZnS, and MgO: CdS thin films were deposited using a Chemical spray pyrolysis technique onto glass substrates at 673 K. The XRD patterns revealed that the MgO thin films had a preferred (111) orientation with a pure cubic crystalline structure, while the ZnS and CdS layers had a hexagonal structure. The FE-SEM images showed that the MgO films had a nanostructured morphology with an average particle size of ~50 nm. The UV-Vis spectroscopy results showed that the addition of ZnS and CdS layers to the MgO films resulted in a shift in the absorption edge towards the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, indicating an improvement in their optical properties. These findings suggest that the MgOZnS and MgOCdS films could have potential applications in optoelectronic devices.
The Rapid Detection of Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus via Polymerase Chain Reaction Combined with Magnetic Beads and Capillary Electrophoresis

Food safety concerns regarding foodborne pathogen contamination have gained global attention due to its significant implications. In this study, we developed a detection system utilizing a PCR array combined with an automated magnetic bead-based system and CE technology to enable the detection of three foodborne pathogens, namely Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that our developed method could detect these pathogens at concentrations as low as 7.3 × 101, 6.7 × 102, and 6.9 × 102 cfu/mL, respectively, in the broth samples. In chicken samples, the limit of detection for these pathogens was 3.1 × 104, 3.5 × 103, and 3.9 × 102 cfu/g, respectively. The detection of these pathogens was accomplished without the necessity for sample enrichment, and the entire protocols, from sample preparation to amplicon analysis, were completed in approximately 3.5 h. Regarding the impact of the extraction method on detection capability, our study observed that an automated DNA extraction system based on the magnetic bead method demonstrated a 10-fold improvement or, at the very least, yielded similar results compared to the column-based method. These findings demonstrated that our developed model is effective in detecting low levels of these pathogens in the samples analyzed in this study. The PCR-CE method developed in this study may help monitor food safety in the future. It may also be extended to identify other foodborne pathogens across a wide range of food samples.
Yeast Beta-Glucan Supplementation with Multivitamins Attenuates Cognitive Impairments in Individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

This research aimed to examine the potential alleviative effects of beta-glucan administration on fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, anxiety/depression symptoms and health-related quality of life in ME/CFS. A 36-week unicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 65 ME/CFS patients, who were randomly allocated to one of two arms to receive four capsules each one of 250 mg beta-glucan, 3.75 µg vitamin D3, 1.05 mg vitamin B6, and 7.5 mg zinc (n = 35), or matching placebo including only microcrystalline cellulose as an excipient (n = 30) once daily. The findings showed that the beta-glucan supplementation significantly improved cognitive fatigue (assessed with FIS-40 scores) after the 36-week treatment compared to the baseline (p = 0.0338). Taken together, this study presents the novel finding that yeast-derived beta-glucan may alleviate cognitive fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS. Thus, it offers valuable scientific insights into the potential use of yeast beta-glucan as a nutritional supplement and/or functional food to prevent or reduce cognitive dysfunction in patients with ME/CFS. Further interventions are warranted to validate these findings and also to delve deeper into the possible immunometabolic pathomechanisms of beta-glucans in ME/CFS.
Control of the Shield's Vertical Attitude During Shield Tunnelling in Soft Soils

It is inevitable for a shield to deviate from the designed route during tunnelling in soft soils, which may result in the concentration of stress in segments, segment cracking and excessive ground settlement. Based on measured data from a shield tunnel of the Hangzhou metro project, this paper analyzes the shield's vertical attitude variation in a typical Hangzhou soft-soil layer and gives corresponding control measures. The results show that: 1) it is inevitable for the shield to be tilted with a negative pitch angle during segment erection; 2) during shield driving, an effective way of adjusting the pitch angle is to control the deviation correction moment since the pitch angle is sensitive to deviation correction moment variation; and 3) adjustment of the shield attitude is a dynamic process, so it needs to be planned in detail and implemented patiently.
Hierarchical object-based classification of ultra-high-resolution digital mapping camera (DMC) imagery for rangeland mapping and assessment

Ultra-high-resolution digital aerial imagery has great potential to complement or replace ground measurements of vegetation cover for rangeland monitoring and assessment. This research investigated object-based image analysis (OBIA) techniques for classifying vegetation in southwestern USA arid rangelands with 4 cm resolution digital aerial imagery. We obtained high r-square values for the regressions relating ground- to image-based measures of percent cover (r-square values: 0.82–0.92). OBIA enabled us to automate the classification process and demonstrated potential for quantifying fine-scale land cover attributes with ultra-high-resolution imagery. This approach exhibits promise for nationwide application for monitoring grazing lands.
III.—On some Fossil Reptilian Bones from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

A few fossil reptilian bones discovered by Dr. Jango Fischer in 1902 at Santa Maria da Bocca do Monte (Serrito) in the Rio Grande do Sul, which have been submitted to me by Dr. H. von Ihering (San Paulo Museum), are of much interest. They not only appear to determine the geological age of the formation from which they were obtained, but also foreshadow the discovery of an early Mesozoic South American land fauna, which has long been expected.