Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clock‐controlled arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (aaNAT) regulates circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, via melatonin/MT2‐like receptor

Melatonin (MEL) orchestrates daily and seasonal rhythms (eg, locomotion, sleep/wake cycles, and migration among other rhythms) in diverse organisms. We investigated the effects of pharmacological doses (0.03‐1 mM) of exogenous MEL intake in the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, on locomotor activity. As per os MEL concentration increased, cockroach locomotor rhythm in light‐dark (LD) cycles became more synchronized. The ratio of night activity to 24‐h activity increased and the acrophase (peak) slightly advanced. MEL application also influenced total activity bouts in the free‐running rhythm. Since MEL slightly influenced τ in the free‐running rhythms, it is not a central element of the circadian pacemaker but must influence mutual coupling of multi‐oscillatory system components. Arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (aaNAT) regulates enzymatic production of MEL. aaNAT activities vary in circadian rhythms, and the immunoreactive aaNAT (aaNAT‐ir) is colocalized with the key clock proteins cycle (CYC)‐ir and pigment‐dispersing factor (PDF)‐ir These are elements of the central pacemaker and its output pathway as well as other circadian landmarks such as the anterior and posterior optic commissures (AOC and POC, respectively). It also partially shares immunohistochemical reactivity with PER‐ir and DBT‐ir neurons. We analyzed the role of Pamericana aaNAT1 (PaaaNAT1) (AB106562.1) by injecting dsRNAaaNAT1. qPCR showed a decrease in accumulations of mRNAs encoding PaaaNAT1. The injections led to arrhythmicity in LD cycles and the arrhythmicity persisted in constant dark (DD). Continuous administration of MEL resynchronized the rhythm after arrhythmicity was induced by dsRNAaaNAT1 injection, suggesting that PaaaNAT is the key regulator of the circadian system in the cockroach via MEL production. PaaaNAT1 contains putative E−box regions which may explain its tight circadian control. The receptor that mediates MEL function is most likely similar to the mammalian MT2, because injecting the competitive MT2 antagonist luzindole blocked MEL function, and MEL injection after luzindole treatment restored MT function. Human MT2‐ir was localized in the circadian neurons in the cockroach brain and subesophageal ganglion. We infer that MEL and its synthesizing enzyme, aaNAT, constitute at least one circadian output pathway of locomotor activity either as a distinct route or in association with PDF system.
Spore-Associated Proteins Involved in c-di-GMP Synthesis and Degradation of Bacillus anthracis

The genus Bacillus is composed of Gram-positive, rod shaped, soil-dwelling bacteria. As a mechanism for survival in the harsh conditions in soil, the organisms undergo sporulation, and the resulting spores permit the organisms to survive harsh environmental conditions. ABSTRACT Bis-(3′-5′)-cyclic-dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) is an important bacterial regulatory signaling molecule affecting biofilm formation, toxin production, motility, and virulence. The genome of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is predicted to encode ten putative GGDEF/EAL/HD-GYP-domain containing proteins. Heterologous expression in Bacillus subtilis hosts indicated that there are five active GGDEF domain-containing proteins and four active EAL or HD-GYP domain-containing proteins. Using an mCherry gene fusion-Western blotting approach, the expression of the c-di-GMP-associated proteins was observed throughout the in vitro life cycle. Of the six c-di-GMP-associated proteins found to be present in sporulating cells, four (CdgA, CdgB, CdgD, and CdgG) contain active GGDEF domains. The six proteins expressed in sporulating cells are retained in spores in a CotE-independent manner and thus are not likely to be localized to the exosporium layer of the spores. Individual deletion mutations involving the nine GGDEF/EAL protein-encoding genes and one HD-GYP protein-encoding gene did not affect sporulation efficiency, the attachment of the exosporium glycoprotein BclA, or biofilm production. Notably, expression of anthrax toxin was not affected by deletion of any of the cdg determinants. Three determinants encoding proteins with active GGDEF domains were found to affect germination kinetics. This study reveals a spore association of cyclic-di-GMP regulatory proteins and a likely role for these proteins in the biology of the B. anthracis spore. IMPORTANCE The genus Bacillus is composed of Gram-positive, rod shaped, soil-dwelling bacteria. As a mechanism for survival in the harsh conditions in soil, the organisms undergo sporulation, and the resulting spores permit the organisms to survive harsh environmental conditions. Although most species are saprophytes, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis are human pathogens and Bacillus thuringiensis is an insect pathogen. The bacterial c-di-GMP regulatory system is an important control system affecting motility, biofilm formation, and toxin production. The role of c-di-GMP has been studied in the spore-forming bacilli Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis. However, this regulatory system has not heretofore been examined in the high-consequence zoonotic pathogen of this genus, B. anthracis.
Prevalence and approaches to manage iron deficiency anemia (IDA)

Abstract Iron is a vital micronutrient required for growth and development at all stages of human life. Its deficiency is the primary cause of anemia that poses a significant global health problem and challenge for developing countries. Various risks are involved during iron deficiency anemia (IDA), such as premature delivery, low birth weight, etc. Further, it affects children's cognitive functioning, delays motor development, hampers physical performance and quality of life. It also speeds up the morbidity and mortality rate among women. The major reasons accountable are elevated iron demand in diet, socio-economic status, and disease condition. Various strategies have been adopted to reduce the IDA occurrence, such as iron supplementation, iron fortificants salts, agronomic practices, dietary diversification, biofortification, disease control measures, and nutritional education. Usually, the staple food groups for fortification are considered, but the selection of food fortificants and their combination must be safe for the consumers and not alter the finished product's stability and acceptability. Genetically modified breeding practices also increase the micronutrient levels of cereal crops. Therefore, multiple strategies could be relied on to combat IDA.
Assessment of well-being in the clinic: Using the state version of the short Scale of General Well-Being as a clinical outcome measure.

OBJECTIVE Interest in the concept of well-being within clinical and applied psychology settings has increased, highlighting a need to develop appropriate measures. The aim was to adapt and test the validity of the 14-item Scale of General Well-Being (14-SGWB) originally developed by Longo et al. (2018), as a clinical outcome measure. METHOD Study 1 is a psychometric study with 543 nonclinical participants, the wording of the 14-SGWB was adapted, and tested for reliability and convergent validity. Study 2 investigated the adapted version with 125 clients over 10 therapy sessions, examining sensitivity, and reliable change cut-off. RESULTS The final 14-SGWB-clinical tool has a single component structure, good convergent validity, and can assess reliable and clinically significant change. CONCLUSION Measures that assess positive psychological change are important for the future development of clinical and applied psychology. The 14-SGWB-ct offers researchers a measure to extend evaluations of interventions to the effects on well-being.
CPE for leaders: Adapting Clinical Pastoral Education’s learning methodology for healthcare managers and directors

Abstract Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), a training program for spiritual care providers, was adapted to meet the leadership development needs of a group of six healthcare managers. A focus group was conducted with the six participants to learn more about the program and its effects. Using thematic analysis, transcripts of the focus group were analyzed and seven themes were identified. Participants reported that the program facilitated trust and honesty, helped them connect to their emotions, and helped them respond to system-wide changes at work; that learning was facilitated by their connections with their peers in the group and with the facilitator; and that senior leaders’ support for the program was key. They also reported that the name and course description were initially unclear and they wanted a follow-up program. This paper describes the program, presents these themes, and places CPE for Leaders in the context of other leadership models.
Enhancement for P300-speller classification using multi-window discriminative canonical pattern matching

Objective. P300s are one of the most studied event-related potentials (ERPs), which have been widely used for brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). Thus, fast and accurate recognition of P300s is an important issue for BCI study. Recently, there emerges a lot of novel classification algorithms for P300-speller. Among them, discriminative canonical pattern matching (DCPM) has been proven to work effectively, in which discriminative spatial pattern (DSP) filter can significantly enhance the spatial features of P300s. However, the pattern of ERPs in space varies with time, which was not taken into consideration in the traditional DCPM algorithm. Approach. In this study, we developed an advanced version of DCPM, i.e. multi-window DCPM, which contained a series of time-dependent DSP filters to fine-tune the extraction of spatial ERP features. To verify its effectiveness, 25 subjects were recruited and they were asked to conduct the typical P300-speller experiment. Main results. As a result, multi-window DCPM achieved the character recognition accuracy of 91.84% with only five training characters, which was significantly better than the traditional DCPM algorithm. Furthermore, it was also compared with eight other popular methods, including SWLDA, SKLDA, STDA, BLDA, xDAWN, HDCA, sHDCA and EEGNet. The results showed multi-window DCPM preformed the best, especially using a small calibration dataset. The proposed algorithm was applied to the BCI Controlled Robot Contest of P300 paradigm in 2019 World Robot Conference, and won the first place. Significance. These results demonstrate that multi-window DCPM is a promising method for improving the performance and enhancing the practicability of P300-speller.
Polypharmacy and the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease: Korean Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Introduction: The renal hazard of polypharmacy has never been evaluated in predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Objective: We aimed to analyze the renal hazard of polypharmacy in predialysis CKD patients with stage 1–5. Method: The data of 2,238 patients from a large-scale multicenter prospective Korean study (2011–2016), excluding 325 patients with various missing data, were reviewed. Polypharmacy was defined as taking 6 or more medications at the time of enrollment; renal events were defined as a ≥50% decrease in kidney function from baseline values, doubling of the serum creatinine levels, or initiation of renal replacement treatment. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis. Results: Of the 1,913 patients, the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 53.6 mL/min/1.73 m2. The mean medication count was 4.1, and the prevalence of polypharmacy was 27.1%. During the average period of 3.6 years, 520 patients developed renal events (27.2%). Although increased medication counts were associated with increased renal hazard with HR (95% CI) of 1.056 (1.007–1.107, p = 0.025), even after adjusting for various confounders, adding comorbidity score and kidney function nullified the statistical significance. In mediation analysis, 55.6% (p = 0.016) of renal hazard in increased medication counts was mediated by the kidney function, and there was no direct effect of medication counts on renal event development. In subgroup analysis, the renal hazard of the medication counts was evident only in stage 1–3 of CKD patients (p for interaction = 0.014). Conclusions: We cannot identify the direct renal hazard of multiple medications, and most of the potential renal hazard was derived from intimate relationship with disease burden and kidney function.
Longitudinal study of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) hematology

Although the causes have not been specified yet, wild populations of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) have been decreasing, which is why conservation techniques such as captive breeding and health maintenance should be established. Hematological parameters can be used to maintain the health status of northern fur seals kept in captivity for artificial reproduction and public education. Year-round fluctuations of blood parameters have not been examined for northern fur seals due to the difficulties in obtaining serial blood samples from wild animals during the oceanic migration period from late autumn to spring. In this study, blood samples were collected from four captive northern fur seals and analyzed monthly for more than three years to clarify the seasonal fluctuation patterns in 14 hematological parameters. Many hematological parameters seemed to be seasonal patterns: summer–autumn and winter–spring; leukocyte-related parameters were higher in summer and autumn than in winter and spring; erythrocyte-related parameters were lower in summer and autumn than in winter and spring. Significant seasonal differences in nine of the 14 parameters were observed using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) analysis. These results have improved our understanding of the seasonal patterns of hematological characteristics in the northern fur seal and can contribute to the health care of protected or captive northern fur seals.
The Effects of a 7000-Step Goal and Weekly Group Walking Program for Overweight and Obese Elderly People in Sarawak, Malaysia: A Quasi-experimental Study

Objectives: Physical inactivity is the fourth leading global risk factor for mortality, followed by obesity. The combination of these risk factors is associated with non-communicable diseases, impaired physical function, and declining mental function. The World Health Organization recommends physical activity to reduce the mortality rate. Thus, this study examined the effects on anthropometric measurements of a 12-week walking program for elderly people in Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia with a 7000-step goal and weekly group walking activities. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted involving 109 elderly people with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25.0 kg/m2. BMI, body composition, and average daily steps were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, and repeated-measures analysis of variance with the paired t-test for post-hoc analysis was conducted. Results: In total, 48 participants in the intervention group and 61 participants in the control group completed the study. A significant interaction was found between time and group. The post-hoc analysis showed a significant difference between pre-intervention and post-intervention (within the intervention group). The post-intervention analysis revealed an increase in the mean number of daily steps by 3571.59, with decreases in body weight (-2.20 kg), BMI (-0.94 kg/m2), body fat percentage (-3.52%), visceral fat percentage (-1.29%) and waist circumference (-2.91 cm). Skeletal muscle percentage also showed a significant increase (1.67%). Conclusions: A 12-week walking program combining a 7000-step goals with weekly group walking activities had a significant effect on the anthropometric measurements of previously inactive and overweight/obese elderly people.
Advances in production and structural derivatization of the promising molecule ursolic acid

Ursolic acid (UA) is a ursane‐type pentacyclic triterpenoid compound, naturally produced in plants via specialized metabolism and exhibits vast range of remarkable physiological activities and pharmacological manifestations. Owing to significant safety and efficacy in different medical conditions, UA may serve as a backbone to produce its derivatives with novel therapeutic functions. This review aims to provide ideas for exploring more diverse structures to improve UA pharmacological activity and increasing its biological yield to meet the industrial requirements by systematically reviewing the current research progress of UA. We first provides an overview of the pharmacological activities, acquisition methods and structural modifications of UA. Among them, we focused on the synthetic modifications of UA to yield valuable derivatives with enhanced therapeutic potential. Furthermore, harnessing the essential advances for green synthesis of UA and its derivatives by advent of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are of great concern. In this regard, all pivotal advances for enhancing the production of UA have been discussed. In combination with the advantages of UA biosynthesis and transformation strategy, large‐scale microbial production of UA is a promising platform for further exploration.
Classification of human body motions using an ultra-wideband pulse radar

BACKGROUND: The motion or gestures of a person are primarily recognized by detecting a specific object and the change in its position from image information obtained via an image sensor. However, the use of such systems is limited due to privacy concerns. OBJECTIVE: To overcome these concerns, this study proposes a radar-based motion recognition method. METHODS: Detailed human body movement data were generated using ultra-wideband (UWB) radar pulses, which provide precise spatial resolution. The pulses reflected from the body were stacked to reveal the body’s movements and these movements were expressed in detail in the micro-range components. The collected radar data with emphasized micro-ranges were converted into an image. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) trained on radar images for various motions were used to classify specific motions. Instead of training the CNNs from scratch, transfer learning is performed by importing pretrained CNNs and fine-tuning their parameters with the radar images. Three pretrained CNNs, Resnet18, Resnet101, and Inception-Resnet-V2, were retrained under various training conditions and their performance was experimentally verified. RESULTS: As a result of various experiments, we conclude that detailed motions of subjects can be accurately classified by utilizing CNNs that were retrained with images obtained from the UWB pulse radar.
New advances of phenolic foam plastics

In this paper,new advances of phenolic foam plastics,resin modifying,its formula and composition,manufacture process,product type and application fields were reviewed with 18 refs.About the modification of phenolic foam resin,alkylphenol copolymerization modifying,oil of cashew nut shell toughening,polyvinyl alcohol graft copolymerization,its modification with polyurethane oligomer or prepolymer,blend modifying with liquid butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber were described.For its formula and composition,commercial phenolic foam resin with high performance for selection and some model formulation were also introduced.
Electrostatics and water occlusion regulate covalently‐bound flavin mononucleotide cofactors of Vibrio cholerae respiratory complex NQR

Proteins like NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (NQR), an essential enzyme and ion pump in the physiology of several pathogenic bacteria, tightly regulate the redox properties of their cofactors. Although flavin mononucleotide (FMN) is fully reduced in aqueous solution, FMN in subunits B and C of NQR exclusively undergo one‐electron transitions during its catalytic cycle. Here, we perform ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the redox state of FMN in NQR. QM/MM calculations show that binding site electrostatics disfavor anionic forms of FMNH2, but permit a neutral form of the fully reduced flavin. The potential energy surface is unaffected by covalent bonding between FMN and threonine. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the FMN binding sites are inaccessible by water, suggesting that further reductions of the cofactors are limited or prohibited by the availability of water and other proton donors. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms used by NQR to regulate electron transfer through the cofactors and perform its physiologic role. They also provide the first, to our knowledge, evidence of the simple concept that proteins regulate flavin redox states via water occlusion.
Synthesis of Organic/Inorganic Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-Containing Block Copolymers via Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization and Their Self-Assembly in Aqueous Solution

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-containing homopolymers (PHEMAPOSS) with a high degree of polymerization (DP) were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. PHEMAPOSS was used as a macro-RAFT agent to construct a series of amphiphilic diblock copolymers, PHEMPOSS-b-PMAA (poly (methyl methacrylate)), which possessed a different length of hydrophilic chains. The self-assembly behavior of PHEMPOSS-b-PMAA in aqueous solution was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. The results showed that PHEMAPOSS45-b-PMAA523 forms typical core–shell spherical micelles where the hydrophobic PHEMAPOSS blocks as the core and hydrophilic PMAA blocks as the shell. With increasing PMAA chain length, PHEMAPOSS45-b-PMAA1173 with a longer PMAA chain self-assembled into irregular aggregates with POSS moieties dispersed in the aggregates. On the other hand, PHEMAPOSS45-b-PMAA308 with .
Chemical isotope labeling for quantitative proteomics

Abstract Advancements in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry over the last decades have led to a significant development in mass spectrometry‐based proteome quantification approaches. An increasingly attractive strategy is multiplex isotope labeling, which significantly improves the accuracy, precision and throughput of quantitative proteomics in the data‐dependent acquisition mode. Isotope labeling‐based approaches can be classified into MS1‐based and MS2‐based quantification. In this review, we give an overview of approaches based on chemical isotope labeling and discuss their principles, benefits, and limitations with the goal to give insights into fundamental questions and provide a useful reference for choosing a method for quantitative proteomics. As a perspective, we discuss the current possibilities and limitations of multiplex, isotope labeling approaches for the data‐independent acquisition mode, which is increasing in popularity.