Concerns about the effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on human health are being raised by researchers because the risks of nanocosmetics like sunscreen are unknown. We explored the association between urinary oxidative stress markers and exposure of cosmetics salesclerks to 20 cosmetics that might contain titanium dioxide (TiO2)/zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs. We then recruited 40 cosmetics salesclerks and 24 clothing salesclerks and categorized them based on their exposure to ZnO and TiO2 NPs. Nineteen and 15 samples met the EU definition for TiO2 and ZnO nanomaterials, respectively. Participants with a higher co-exposure index of ZnO and TiO2 NPs had a significantly higher base level of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosin (8-OHdG) concentrations than the lower co-exposure group (5.82 vs. 2.85 ng/mL, p less then 0.001). After potential confounding factors had been adjusted for, the TiO2 and ZnO NP co-exposure index was significantly positively associated with the urinary 8-OHdG base concentration (β = 0.308, 95% CI = 0.106 to 0.510) and the creatinine-adjusted concentration (β = 0.486, 95% CI = 0.017 to 0.954). Current evidence suggests that the likelihood of harm from using sunscreens containing nanoparticles might result in higher urinary 8-OHdG. However, our limited number and types of sample cosmetics might underestimate the risk.In recent years, robotic sorting is widely used in the industry, which is driven by necessity and opportunity. In this paper, a novel neuromorphic vision-based tactile sensing approach for robotic sorting application is proposed. This approach has low latency and low power consumption when compared to conventional vision-based tactile sensing techniques. Two Machine Learning (ML) methods, namely, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Dynamic Time Warping-K Nearest Neighbor (DTW-KNN), are developed to classify material hardness, object size, and grasping force. An Event-Based Object Grasping (EBOG) experimental setup is developed to acquire datasets, where 243 experiments are produced to train the proposed classifiers. Based on predictions of the classifiers, objects can be automatically sorted. If the prediction accuracy is below a certain threshold, the gripper re-adjusts and re-grasps until reaching a proper grasp. The proposed ML method achieves good prediction accuracy, which shows the effectiveness and the applicability of the proposed approach. The experimental results show that the developed SVM model outperforms the DTW-KNN model in term of accuracy and efficiency for real time contact-level classification.microRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in ovarian follicular maturity, but miRNA expression patterns in ovarian stroma (OS), large follicles (LF), and small follicles (SF) have been rarely explored. We herein aimed to identify miRNAs, their target genes and signaling pathways, as well as their interaction networks in OS, LF, and SF of Chuanzhong black goats at the estrus phase using small RNA-sequencing. We found that the miRNA expression profiles of LF and SF were more similar than those of OS-32, 16, and 29 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in OS vs. LF, OS vs.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gdc-0994.html  SF, and LF vs. SF, respectively. Analyses of functional enrichment and the miRNA-targeted gene interaction network suggested that miR-182 (SMC3), miR-122 (SGO1), and miR-206 (AURKA) were involved in ovarian organogenesis and hormone secretion by oocyte meiosis. Furthermore, miR-202-5p (EREG) and miR-485-3p (FLT3) were involved in follicular maturation through the MAPK signaling pathway, and miR-2404 (BMP7 and CDKN1C) played a key role in follicular development through the TGF-β signaling pathway and cell cycle; nevertheless, further research is warranted. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate miRNA expression patterns in OS, LF, and SF of Chuanzhong black goats during estrus. Our findings provide a theoretical basis to elucidate the role of miRNAs in follicular maturation. These key miRNAs might provide candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of follicular maturation and will assist in developing new therapeutic targets for female goat infertility.Innate immune molecules, SP-A1 (6A2, 6A4) and SP-A2 (1A0, 1A3), differentially affect young mouse survival after infection. Here, we investigated the impact of SP-A variants on the survival of aged mice. hTG mice carried a different SP-A1 or SP-A2 variant and SP-A-KO were either infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae or exposed to filtered air (FA) or ozone (O3) prior to infection, and their survival monitored over 14 days. In response to infection alone, no gene- or sex-specific (except for 6A2) differences were observed; variant-specific survival was observed (1A0 > 6A4). In response to O3, gene-, sex-, and variant-specific survival was observed with SP-A2 variants showing better survival in males than females, and 1A0 females > 1A3 females. A serendipitous, and perhaps clinically important observation was made; mice exposed to FA prior to infection exhibited significantly better survival than infected alone mice. 1A0 provided an overall better survival in males and/or females indicating a differential role for SP-A genetics. Improved ventilation, as provided by FA, resulted in a survival of significant magnitude in aged mice and perhaps to a lesser extent in young mice. This may have clinical application especially within the context of the current pandemic.Invasive infections caused by the opportunistic pathogen Candida glabrata are treated with echinocandin antifungals that target β-1,3-glucan synthase, an enzyme critical for fungal cell wall biosynthesis. Echinocandin resistance develops upon mutation of genes (FKS1 or FKS2) that encode the glucan synthase catalytic subunits. We have analyzed cellular factors that influence echinocandin susceptibility and here describe effects of the post-transcriptional regulator Ssd1, which in S. cerevisiae, can bind cell wall related gene transcripts. The SSD1 homolog in C. glabrata was disrupted in isogenic wild type and equivalent FKS1 and FKS2 mutant strains that demonstrate echinocandin resistance (MICs ˃ 0.5 µg/mL). A reversal of resistance (8- to 128-fold decrease in MICs) was observed in FKS1 mutants, but not in FKS2 mutants, following SSD1 deletion. Additionally, this phenotype was complemented upon expression of SSD1 from plasmid (pSSD1). All SSD1 disruptants displayed susceptibility to the calcineurin inhibitor FK506, similar to fks1∆.