Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin Promotes Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Mitochondrial Degradation in Hepatocytes During Sepsis.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanisms of melatonin in an in vitro model of sepsis-induced hepatocyte injury, specifically focusing on mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Methods In this study, we utilized lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated AML12 cells to establish an in vitro model of sepsis-induced hepatocyte injury. The effects of melatonin pretreatment were examined through various analyses, including assessments of oxidative stress, inflammation, mitophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. Results The results revealed that LPS-treated AML12 cells exhibited elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 protein, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxidation, specifically malondialdehyde (MDA). Moreover, the levels of key markers associated with mitophagy, including PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), parkin, and LC3, were significantly increased (P < .05). Similarly, markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), were also significantly increased (P < .05). Conversely, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and ATP levels were significantly decreased in LPS-treated AML12 cells compared to the control group (P < .05). However, melatonin pretreatment led to a significant decrease in TNF-α and IL-6 protein levels, intracellular ROS, and MDA levels (P < .05), along with a significant increase in SOD activity, ATP levels, and markers of mitophagy and mitochondrial. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that melatonin plays a role in regulating mitochondrial quality control in sepsis-induced hepatocytes. It achieves this result by promoting mitophagy and inducing mitochondrial biogenesis, thereby selectively eliminating dysfunctional mitochondria.
Quantum oscillations in the SmFeAsO parent compound and superconducting SmFeAs(O,F)

By carrying out magnetotransport measurements up to 30 T, we succeeded in detecting and analyzing quantitatively Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations in two crystals of the $RE\mathrm{FeAsO}$ ($RE=\mathrm{rare}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{earth}$) family of iron pnictides, namely, the undoped SmFeAsO and the superconducting fluorine underdoped SmFeAs(O,F). We combine experimental outcomes and ab initio calculations of electronic structure to get the following direct evidences: (i) the Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations are determined by a two-dimensional hole band, whose effective mass is ${m}^{*}=(0.50\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{m}_{e}$ in the undoped sample and ${m}^{*}=(0.89\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{m}_{e}$ in the F-doped sample, while classical magnetotransport is dominated by an electron band; (ii) in the superconducting compound we give a quantitative account of the low effectiveness of electron doping associated with fluorine substitution.
An algorithm-based active cleansing protocol can reduce the bowel preparation time for screening colonoscopy: A propensity score matching study

Abstract Background: Methods that minimize the time for on-site bowel preparation before colonoscopy are needed. We prospectively validated that a novel algorithm-based active cleansing (ABAC) protocol could reduce the time for preparation compared with the conventional method. Methods: This was an open-label, multicenter, prospective comparative study from April to October 2021. The study compared the bowel preparation time for colonoscopy between patients instructed with the ABAC protocol and control groups. Patients in the ABAC protocol group as well as the control group were administered 2000 mL of polyethylene glycol (PEG) within 2 hours. After the first two hours, patients in the protocol group voluntarily took 300 ml of the solution without the instruction of nursing staff depending on the number of defecations in the first 2 hours. The intervention and control groups were adjusted for background characteristics by propensity score matching (PSM). Results: After adjustment by PSM, 174 patients in each of the two groups were included in the final analysis. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the preparation time was significantly shorter in the intervention group than that in the control group (126.3 ± 32.7 min vs. 144.9 ± 39.9 min, P = 0.018). The proportion of additional PEG intake was significantly higher in the intervention group (16 [9.2%] vs. 6 [3.4%], P = 0.047). The number of defecations was also higher in the intervention group than in the control group (7.8 ± 2.5 vs. 6.3 ± 2.2, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Simple active instruction protocol is effective to reduce on-site bowel preparation time and nursing staff labor for colonoscopy.
Exposure of Lemna minor (Common Duckweed) to Mixtures of Uranium and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

A variety of processes, both natural and anthropogenic, can have a negative impact on surface waters, which in turn can be detrimental to human and environmental health. Few studies have considered the ecotoxicological impacts of concurrently occurring contaminants, and that is particularly true for mixtures that include contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). Motivated by this knowledge gap, the present study considers the potential ecotoxicity of environmentally relevant contaminants in the representative aquatic plant Lemna minor (common duckweed), a model organism. More specifically, biological effects associated with exposure of L. minor to a ubiquitous radionuclide (uranium [U]) and a fluorinated organic compound (perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA], considered a CEC), alone and in combination, were monitored under controlled laboratory conditions. Lemna minor was grown for 5 days in small, aerated containers. Each treatment consisted of four replicates with seven plants each. Treatments were 0, 0.3, and 3 ppb PFOA; 0, 0.5, and 5 ppb U; and combinations of these. Plants were observed daily for frond number and signs of chlorosis and necrosis. Other biological endpoints examined at the conclusion of the experiment were chlorophyll content and antioxidant capacity. In single‐exposure experiments, a slight stimulatory effect was observed on frond number at 0.3 ppb PFOA, whereas both concentrations of U had a detrimental effect on frond number. In the dual‐exposure experiment, the combinations with 5 ppb U also had a detrimental effect on frond number. Results for chlorophyll content and antioxidant capacity were less meaningful, suggesting that environmentally relevant concentrations of PFOA and U have only subtle effects on L. minor growth and health status. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2412–2421. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Abstraction and simulation of EV battery systems—resilience engineering by biological transformation

While the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is continuously growing, safety issues still remain, specifically related to fire hazards. This research aims to improve the resilience of battery systems in EVs by transferring concepts found in biology to a bioinspired battery system. Due to the complexity of modern battery systems, the biological concepts cannot be applied directly. A simplified simulation battery system for EVs is modelled, which contains the essential battery components necessary to understand both, software and battery dynamics. This is used as a baseline model to study the effects of typical heat-related disturbances. Subsequently, this simulation model is modified to demonstrate the transfer of biological concepts underlying specifically the hypersensitization and vasospasm mechanisms related to wound healing, and to test the effects of disturbances and alterations comparable to damages caused by vehicle accidents. As a battery system’s mass and volume should not be increased by additional hardware, the biological concepts target the interaction within, and the composition of, the system, while leaving single components relatively unchanged. It is found that small bioinspired alterations to the battery system can have significant impacts on their vulnerability to common hazards.
Sales promotion effects on consumer: A study in FMCG sector

Retail sector is the most important and fast growing sector in India. It's contributing much more for Indian economy. Retailing Company introduces many sales promotion in the market either customer oriented which is attracts and motivates to purchase the products. The sales promotion programs very frequently changes because the competition among the companies. This paper tries to identify the consumer is expecting sales promotions by developing effects consumer sales promotion a major development in FMCG sector. The price cut immediate hit the sales as well as create demand in food products. The researcher said that manufactures and retailers are may have power relationships. This paper maximum highlighted promotions are coupons, price discount and 20 percentage price offers. The quantity offer is fulfilling to consumers’ expectations. Attractive package was stimulated to purchase the products. Many consumers are expecting 10 to 20 percentages of free offers were manufacturer. The product quality is creating brand images and repeatedly purchases those products. The top three effective & consumers are expecting sales promotions are quantity offers, price offer and store displays.
Optical fiber ring resonator as a high-resolution spectrometer. Characterization and applications with single line diode lasers

Abstract. An optical fiber ring resonator (OFRR), a wavelength sensor for testing a single-mode laser system in a wide range of temperature, is presented. We will show that it is possible to calibrate, in relative form, a scale of wavelength, to determine, accurately enough, a thermally induced laser detuning, using the free spectral range of an OFRR. The optical circuit was constructed using 2 × 2 (50/50) optical fiber coupler obtaining an OFRR of 10-cm ring radius. A single-mode diode laser system has been launched into the OFRR, and different experiments have been performed. We tested the OFRR performance, considering fluctuations in the laser wavelength caused by small temperature instabilities, measuring the output intensity from the ring resonator. Theoretical simulations and experimental results were in agreement with the expected behavior. Furthermore, OFRR systems can be used as an excellent control tool to test the wavelength stability for a narrowband laser diode and act as a part of a control system.
An Artificial Therapist (Manage Your Life Online) to Support the Mental Health of Youth: Co-Design and Case Series

Background The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues is increasing faster than the number of services available, leading to a shortfall. Mental health chatbots are a highly scalable method to address this gap. Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is an artificially intelligent chatbot that emulates the method of levels therapy. Method of levels is a therapy that uses curious questioning to support the sustained awareness and exploration of current problems. Objective This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a co-designed interface for MYLO in young people aged 16 to 24 years with mental health problems. Methods An iterative co-design phase occurred over 4 months, in which feedback was elicited from a group of young people (n=7) with lived experiences of mental health issues. This resulted in the development of a progressive web application version of MYLO that could be used on mobile phones. We conducted a case series to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MYLO in 13 young people over 2 weeks. During this time, the participants tested MYLO and completed surveys including clinical outcomes and acceptability measures. We then conducted focus groups and interviews and used thematic analysis to obtain feedback on MYLO and identify recommendations for further improvements. Results Most participants were positive about their experience of using MYLO and would recommend MYLO to others. The participants enjoyed the simplicity of the interface, found it easy to use, and rated it as acceptable using the System Usability Scale. Inspection of the use data found evidence that MYLO can learn and adapt its questioning in response to user input. We found a large effect size for the decrease in participants’ problem-related distress and a medium effect size for the increase in their self-reported tendency to resolve goal conflicts (the proposed mechanism of change) in the testing phase. Some patients also experienced a reliable change in their clinical outcome measures over the 2 weeks. Conclusions We established the feasibility and acceptability of MYLO. The initial outcomes suggest that MYLO has the potential to support the mental health of young people and help them resolve their own problems. We aim to establish whether the use of MYLO leads to a meaningful reduction in participants’ symptoms of depression and anxiety and whether these are maintained over time by conducting a randomized controlled evaluation trial.
Report on the first two confirmed autochthonous cases of West Nile virus encephalitis in Catalonia, Spain

Abstract Background West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that can cause Central Nervous System infection in humans. Previous autochthonous cases of WNV encephalitis have been described in Spain, but none in Catalonia. Materials and methods We report on the first two autochthonous cases of encephalitis in humans caused by the West Nile virus (WNV) diagnosed in Catalonia (northeastern region of Spain). Results An old married couple presented with clinical and biological signs compatible with viral encephalitis. Acute and convalescent serum samples showed IgM and IgG positivity for WNV. In addition, IgM was also detected in cerebrospinal fluid in the male patient. The serological results were later confirmed by microneutralization assays. Conclusions WNV infection must be considered in patients presenting with meningoencephalitis with viral CSF characteristics when common pathogens are excluded.
The roles of stomatal morphologies in transpiration and nutrient transportation between grasses and forbs in a temperate steppe

Abstract Background and Aims Grasses and forbs are dominant functional groups in temperate grasslands and display substantial differences in many biological traits, especially in root and stomatal morphologies, which are closely related to the use of water and nutrients. However, few studies have investigated the differences in nutrient accumulation and stomatal morphology-mediated transportation of water and nutrients from roots to shoots comparatively between the two functional groups. Methods Here, we explored the patterns of accumulation of multiple nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) in leaves and roots, transpiration-related processes and interactions between nutrients and transpiration at functional group levels by experiments in a temperate steppe and collection of data from the literature. Key Results The concentrations of all the examined nutrients were obviously higher in both leaves and roots of forbs than those in grasses, especially for leaf Ca and Mg concentrations. Grasses with dumbbell-shaped stomata displayed significantly lower transpiration and stomatal conductance than forbs with kidney-shaped stomata. In contrast, grasses showed much higher water-use efficiency (WUE) than forbs. The contrasting patterns of nutrient accumulation, transpiration and WUE between grasses and forbs were less sensitive to varied environments. Leaf N, P and S concentrations were not affected by transpiration. In contrast, leaf Mg concentrations were positively correlated with transpiration in forb species. Furthermore, linear regression and principal component analysis showed that leaf Ca and Mg concentrations were positively correlated with transpiration between the two functional groups. Conclusions Our results revealed contrasting differences in acquisition of multiple nutrients and transpiration between grasses and forbs, and that stomatal morphologies are an important driver for the distinct WUE and translocation of Ca and Mg from roots to leaves between the two functional groups in temperate steppes. These findings will contribute to our understanding of the important roles of functional traits in driving water and nutrient cycling.
Comparison of the front-back confusion rate of individual and individualized head-related transfer functions

The individualization of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) is worthwhile if no individual data is available. One option is to individualize an HRTF data set using anthropometric measurements of the person to be adapted and principal components (PCs). However, the localization performance using an individualized data set could be worse than for an individual one. This is often based on the fact that a mismatch between the individual and individualized HRTFs is still remaining. This issue is investigated by the confusion rate (front-back and backfront) using individual and various stages of individualized HRTFs in the following study described. The individualization approach for the HRTFs is based on an interaural time difference (ITD) model for low frequencies and the PCs in combination with anthropometric dimensions. Hence, not only the individual and individualized HRTFs are tested but also the influence of the ITD model and estimated HRTFs using optimally weighted PCs. Furthermore, to reduce the measurements for the anthropometric dimensions, the symmetry of HRTFs is investigated. Localization using head-related transfer functions Individual HRTFs provide a better localization performance and lower front-back confusion rates than nonindividual ones [7]. However, the technical measurement effort is excessively high. In general, the front-back and back-front confusion rate depends on: head movements [6], direction of the incident sound [7], playback method [3], and listener’s experience with the task [7]. Concluding, the least confusions occur under free-field conditions with free head movements.
Joint pain, physical function, and balance self-confidence in acromegaly versus non-functioning pituitary adenoma patients.

CONTEXT Patients with acromegaly experience balance issues, despite achieving biochemical remission, that may significantly impair their quality of life. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the prevalence of falls and balance self-confidence in patients with acromegaly in comparison with a control group. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of joint pain and function as predictors for their balance self-confidence. DESIGN Cross-sectional, case-controlled. SETTING Tertiary care centres. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS In this case-control study, we surveyed patients with acromegaly (PWA; n = 94) and non-functioning pituitary adenoma (PNA; n = 82) with similar age, sex, and BMI from two Canadian centres. INTERVENTION(S) None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Data were obtained on number of falls during the past 12 months, self-confidence to maintain balance, joint pain, joint surgery, pain medication usage, and upper and lower extremity musculoskeletal disability. RESULTS While both PWA and PNA had a similarly high risk of falls, PWA had lower self-confidence to maintain balance (p < 0.01). PWA had higher joint pain scores and more functional impairment in upper extremity, hip, knee, and ankle joints (all p < 0.01). In both groups, age, sex, and ankle functional score were predictors of balance self-confidence. For PWA, hip functional score was also a predictor of balance self-confidence in contrast to knee and back pain scores being predictors for the PNA group. CONCLUSIONS We confirmed an increased prevalence of falls in both groups with diminished balance confidence in PWA. This reduced balance self-confidence seems to be related to their increased hip functional impairment in comparison to PNA.
Incidence and Features of Lymphoid Proliferation and Lymphomas after Solid Organ or Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in a National Database Cohort

Purpose Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) after hematopoietic stem transplantation (HCT) or solid organ transplantation (SOT) result in poorer outcomes, including death. There are limited large cohort data on the incidence and natural course of PTLD in Asians. Materials and Methods We investigated PTLD using Korean national health insurance claims data of 47,518 patients who underwent HCT or SOT in 2008-2020. Patient demographics, time and type of PTLD diagnosis, type of PTLD treatment, and death data were collected. We used Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard models to calculate the cumulative incidence and risk factors for PTLD. Results During median follow-up of 5.32 years, PTLD occurred in 294 of 36,945 SOT patients (0.79%) and 235 of 10,573 HCT patients (2.22%). Cumulative incidence of PTLD were 0.49% at 1 year, 1.02% at 5 years, and 1.50% at 10 years post-transplantation. Age < 20 years (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR] of 1.67 in age 10-19, SHR 1.51 in age 0-9), HCT (SHR 3.02), heart transplantation (SHR 2.27), and liver transplantation (SHR 1.47) were significant risk factors for PTLD. The presence of PTLD was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio of 2.84). Overall, 5-year survival of PTLD patients was 68.9% (95% confidence interval, 64.9 to 73.2). Conclusion We observed a steady increase in PTLD over 10 years after HCT or SOT in this large cohort study. Pediatric age group, HCT, liver transplantation, and heart transplantation were suggested to be risk factors for PTLD, and PTLD was associated with a higher risk of death.
“They aren’t waiting for an SLP, they think ‘what can I as a parent do now?’” course leaders’ perceptions of AAC interventions targeting parents

Abstract Parental interventions can help parents use strategies to support their child’s language and communication development. The ComAlong courses are parental interventions that focus on responsive communication, enhanced milieu teaching, and augmentative and alternative communication. This interview study aimed to investigate the course leaders’ perceptions of the three ComAlong courses, ComAlong Habilitation, ComAlong Developmental Language Disorder, and ComAlong Toddler, and to evaluate their experiences of the implementation of the courses. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Thereafter, three categories resulted from the findings: Impact on the Family, A Great Course Concept, and Accessibility of the Courses. The results indicate that participants perceived that the courses had positive effects on both parents and themself. Furthermore, it was described that parents gained knowledge about communication and strategies in how to develop their child’s communication; however, the courses were not accessible to all parents. The collaboration between the parents and course leaders improved, and course leaders viewed the courses as an important part of their work. The following factors had an impact on the implementation: several course leaders in the same workplace, support from colleagues and management, and recruitment of parents to the courses.