Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obtaining 5S rDNA molecular markers for native and invasive Cichla populations (Perciformes – Cichlidae), in Brazil - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v30i1.1467

O gene DNAr 5S e informativo e possui altas taxas de conservacao ao longo do genoma dos eucariotos, possuindo caracteristicas unicas que sao hereditarias. Estudos moleculares do gene DNAr 5S vem sendo realizados com diversos grupos, inclusive em algumas especies de peixes, com o intuito de solucionar problemas de relacoes filogeneticas, padrao de ancestralidade e diversidade genetica, entre grupos de populacoes naturais. Especies do genero Cichla , introduzidas na bacia do alto rio Parana, apresentam polimorfismos geneticos, detectados por analise de RAPD e SPAR. Essas especies estao intercruzando-se e formando hibridos viaveis, com maior variabilidade genetica. O objetivo desse trabalho foi padronizar a metodologia de amplificacao de regioes nao-transcritas da familia multigenica rDNA 5S de Cichla e obter marcadores especificos para as especies parentais que pudessem, tambem, ser identificados nos hibridos. Foram analisados 65 especimes de Cichla , das bacias do alto rio Parana e Amazonica. Apesar de nao se obter marcadores moleculares que pudessem ser uteis a identificacao de hibridos, foram obtidos marcadores moleculares geneticos DNAr 5S especie-especificos para Cichla temensis , que podem ser utilizados para identificacao de exemplares dessa especie e, tambem, marcadores populacionais, que podem ser uteis para estudos de variabilidade genetica populacional
Wall y + Strategy for Dealing with Wall-bounded Turbulent Flows

 Abstract— A strategy for dealing with turbulent flows over a two dimensional surface mounted obstacle using the wall y + as guidance in selecting the appropriate grid configuration and corresponding turbulence models are investigated using Fluent. The CFD results were compared with experimental data from Zeidan's Turbulent Shear Recovery behind Obstacles on Smooth and Rough Surfaces. Both undisturbed and disturbed (over ridge) flows are studied. For both cases, a wall y + in the range of 30 to 60 is determined to be sufficiently accurate, where the log-law region is resolved. It is also advisable to avoid having the wall-adjacent mesh in the buffer region since neither wall functions nor near-wall modeling approach accounts for it accurately. RSM predicts the flow properties more consistently because it accounts for all the Reynolds Stress components. Undisturbed and disturbed turbulent flows over a flat plate, with and without a 2-D solid ridge, respectively, are simulated using Fluent 6.2 and the wall skin friction coefficient, Cf , and mean velocity profiles are validated against reliable experimental data obtained by Zeidan (3). The present study aims at drawing up recommendations for cases where experimental data might not be available for validation, including the behavior and suggested usage of the available models and near wall functions using Fluent. This serves to increase confidence of using commercial CFD package for industrial simulation instead of solely relying on experimentation, when dealing with wall-bounded complex turbulent flows.
Assessment of Muscle Architecture of the Biceps Femoris and Vastus Lateralis by Ultrasound After a Chronic Stretching Program

Objective:To evaluate the chronic effects of a static stretching program on the muscle architecture of biceps femoris (BF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles in ultrasound (US) images. Design:Randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Setting:Biomechanics Laboratory of Physical Education School of the Army, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants:The study included 24 healthy and physically active male volunteers (19.05 ± 1.40 years, 1.73 ± 0.07 m, and 73.15 ± 8.33 kg), randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups: stretching group (SG, n = 12) and control group (n = 12). Interventions:The SG was submitted to 3 sets of 30 seconds of static stretching 3 times a week during 8 weeks. Main Outcome Measures:Ultrasound equipment (7.5 MHz) was used for the evaluation of BF and VL muscle architecture variables (pennation angle, fiber length, muscle thickness, and fascicle displacement) before and after training. Knee range of motion (ROM) and isometric flexion and extension torque (TQ) were also measured. Results:There were no significant changes in muscle architecture, TQ, and maximum knee flexion angle (P > 0.05). However, maximum knee extension angle (MEA) increased significantly in the SG (pretraining: 159.37 ± 7.27 degrees and posttraining: 168.9 ± 3.7 degrees; P < 0.05). Conclusions:Volume or intensity (or both) of the stretching protocol was insufficient to cause structural changes in the VL and BF muscles. The increase in MEA could not be explained by muscle architecture changes. Clinical Relevance:To describe changes in the VL and BF muscle tendon unit using US after a long-term stretching program to identify which structures are responsible for ROM increase.
GOLPH3 overexpression correlates with poor response to neoadjuvant therapy and prognosis in locally advanced rectal cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combined with surgery is a standard therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The aim of this study was to assess the expression of GOLPH3 (Golgi phosphoprotein 3), a newly found oncogene, in LARC as well as its relationship with nCRT sensitivity and prognosis. We retrospectively analyzed 148 LARC cases receiving nCRT and total mesorectal excision (TME). Immunohistochemistry was used to assess GOLPH3 and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) in tumor tissues. Then, the associations of GOLPH3 with pathological characteristics and prognosis of rectal cancer were assessed. The 148 cases included 77 with high GOLPH3 expression (52.03%), which was associated with tumor invasive depth and lymphatic metastasis. Cases with high GOLPH3 expression had 2.58 and 2.71 fold higher local relapse and distant metastasis rates compared with the low expression group. Correlation analyses showed that GOLPH3 was an independent indicator for judging tumor down-staging and postoperative TRG (tumor regression grade), indicating it could predict nCRT sensitivity. In addition, GOLPH3 expression was associated with mTOR levels. Multiple-factor analysis indicated that GOLPH3 was an independent prognosis indicator for 5 year-DFS (disease free survival) and OS (overall survival) in LARC. These results reveal that GOLPH3 is an independent predictive factor for nCRT sensitivity and prognosis in LARC, with a mechanism related to mTOR.
Grain boundary cavitation under various states of applied stress

Submicrometre grain boundary cavities are produced in Nimonic 80A when plastic deformation in any of three different stress states is followed by a short anneal. Tension, torsion and compression specimens were plastically strained in a systematic manner and then annealed for 2 h at 750 °C. Detailed quantitative observations with a 1 MV microscope showed that the number of cavities per unit volume was a function of the shear strain and independent of the stress state. Furthermore the measurements revealed the surprising result that most cavities were on those grain boundaries which were parallel to the maximum principal stress axis. However, Preferential cavity growth occurred during subsequent tensile creep and cavities on these parallel boundaries either remained constant in size or diminished while those on boundaries which were orthogonal to the applied stress axis grew relatively quickly, thus producing the usual appearance of cavitated tensile samples. Plastic strain was more detrimental to torsional creep ductility when the direction of torque between plastic deformation and creep was reversed which is in accordance with the anisotropic cavitated boundary distribution. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that cavities are produced by grain interior slip and stabilized by plastic deformation induced internal tensile stresses.
Catalogue of maximum crack opening stress for CC(T) specimen assuming large strain condition

In this paper, values for the maximum opening crack stress and its distance from crack tip are determined for various elastic-plastic materials for centre cracked plate in tension (CC(T) specimen) are presented. Influences of yield strength, the work-hardening exponent and the crack length on the maximum opening stress were tested. The author has provided some comments and suggestions about modelling FEM assuming large strain formulation.
Repayment Versus Investment Conditions and Exclusivity in Lending Contracts

Lenders condition future loans on some index of past performance. Typically, banks condition future loans on repayments of earlier obligations, whilst international organizations (official lenders) condition future loans on the implementation of some policy action (iinvestmentj). We build an agency model that accounts for these tendencies. The optimal conditionality contract depends on exclusivity - the likelihood that a borrower who has been denied funds from the original lenders cannot access funds from other lenders.
Interferon-Free Regimens in the Liver-Transplant Setting

Abstract During 2014 and 2015, different interferon- (IFN-) free regimens will be approved for use in chronic hepatitis C (HCV). The liver-transplantation (LT) setting is the field of hepatology where these regimens will have the highest and fastest impact. Indeed, one study using direct-acting antivirals has already proven the concept that graft HCV infection can be prevented by treating patients awaiting LT. Safety and efficacy of several IFN-free regimens are currently being assessed in patients with hepatitis C recurrence after LT, with good preliminary results. Nevertheless, there are some issues that need to be addressed in the peri-LT setting and are reviewed in this article: (1) efficacy of IFN-free regimens in patients with advanced cirrhosis and portal hypertension, (2) pharmacokinetics of new antivirals in patients with several grades of hepatic or renal impairment, (3) impact of the selection of drug-resistant HCV strains in patients with decompensated cirrhosis or with severe hepatitis C recurrence after LT, and (4) drug–drug interactions.
Flexible Glass Hybridized Colloidal Quantum Dots for Gb/s Visible Light Communications

Color converting films of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) encapsulated with flexible glass are integrated with microsize GaN LEDs (μLEDs) in order to form optical sources for high-speed visible light communications (VLC). VLC is an emerging technology that uses white and/or colored light from LEDs to combine illumination and display functions with the transmission of data. The flexible glass/CQD format addresses the issue of limited modulation speed of typical phosphor-converted LEDs while enhancing the photostability of the color converters and facilitating their integration with the μLEDs. These structures are less than 70 μm in total thickness and are directly placed in contact with the polished sapphire substrate of 450-nm-emitting μLEDs. Blue-to-green, blue-to-orange, and blue-to-red conversion with respective forward optical power conversion efficiencies of 13%, 12%, and 5.5% are reported. In turn, free-space optical communications up to 1.4 Gb/s VLC is demonstrated. Results show that CQD-converted LEDs pave the way for practical digital lighting/displays with multi-Gb/s capability.
The Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C): A Rating Scale for Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Pre-Dementia Populations.

BACKGROUND Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is a construct that describes the emergence at ≥50 years of age of sustained and impactful neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), as a precursor to cognitive decline and dementia. MBI describes NPS of any severity, which are not captured by traditional psychiatric nosology, persist for at least 6 months, and occur in advance of or in concert with mild cognitive impairment. While the detection and description of MBI has been operationalized in the International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment - Alzheimer's Association (ISTAART-AA) research diagnostic criteria, there is no instrument that accurately reflects MBI as described. OBJECTIVE To develop an instrument based on ISTAART-AA MBI criteria. METHODS Eighteen subject matter experts participated in development using a modified Delphi process. An iterative process ensured items reflected the five MBI domains of 1) decreased motivation; 2) emotional dysregulation; 3) impulse dyscontrol; 4) social inappropriateness; and 5) abnormal perception or thought content. Instrument language was developed a priori to pertain to non-demented functionally independent older adults. RESULTS We present the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C), a 34-item instrument, which can easily be completed by a patient, close informant, or clinician. CONCLUSION The MBI-C provides the first measure specifically developed to assess the MBI construct as explicitly described in the criteria. Its utility lies in MBI case detection, and monitoring the emergence of MBI symptoms and domains over time. Studies are required to determine the prognostic value of MBI for dementia development, and for predicting different dementia subtypes.
Endotoxin, cytokines, and endotoxin binding proteins in obstructive jaundice and after preoperative biliary drainage

BACKGROUND Obstructive jaundice is associated with postoperative complications related to increased endotoxaemia and the inflammatory response. In animals obstructive jaundice is associated with endotoxaemia and cytokine induction, which are reversed by internal biliary drainage. AIMS To study endotoxaemia and the subsequent inflammatory response in obstructive jaundiced patients and after endoscopic biliary drainage. METHODS In 15 patients with malignant distal obstructive jaundice, inflammatory and bacteriological parameters were assessed before endoscopic stent placement and after three weeks endoscopic drainage. RESULTS Drainage reduced bilirubin from 252.5 to 45.1 μmol/l. At baseline low level endotoxaemia was detected (4.3 pg/ml) which was not affected after drainage (4.5 pg/ml). Serum interleukin 8 (IL-8) and endotoxin binding proteins were increased in jaundice and reduced after drainage (IL-8 113.6 to 20.7 pg/ml; lipopolysaccharide binding protein 24.2 to 16.5 μg/ml; sCD14 17.4 to 7.6 μg/ml; bactericidal/permeability increasing protein 2.9 to 1.8 ng/ml). Levels of other cytokines, augmented in animals, were only slightly increased and not changed after drainage (tumour necrosis factor (TNF): 21.7 and 18.4 pg/ml; sTNFr p55/75: 2.9/7.0 and 2.7/5.6 ng/ml; IL-6: 4.2 and 6.1 pg/ml; IL-10: 4.5 and 2.7 pg/ml). Elastase and lactoferrin tended towards reduction after drainage. All bile cultures were positive after stenting. CONCLUSIONS The effects of obstructive jaundice in humans on endotoxin and cytokines are different from those in animal models. Obstructive jaundice causes alterations in circulating endotoxin binding proteins and IL-8. Concentrations of other mediators (TNF, previously suggested as being responsible for systemic endotoxaemia effects) are low and not affected by drainage.
Design of an Ultracompact On-Chip Bandpass Filter Using Mutual Coupling Technique

In this paper, design of an ultracompact bandpass filter (BPF) in GaAs technology without compromising its electrical performance is investigated by means of both theoretical analysis and electromagnetic simulation. In particular, the relationship between the external quality factor and the coupling coefficient of the second-order BPF is formulized to better understand the principle of the mutual coupling effect. To prove the concept, the designed filter is implemented in a commercial 0.1-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> GaAs technology. A step-by-step design guideline is elaborated. The BPF has not only the merits of ultracompactness, but also remarkable insertion loss (IL) compared with other state-of-the-art on-chip designs. The measurement results show that the 1-dB bandwidth of the BPF is from 28 to 36 GHz, while the IL is less than 1 dB at 29.5 GHz. In addition, more than 40-dB rejection is achieved from 56 to 69 GHz. The size of the filter is only <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$230 \times 280\,\,\mu \text{m}^{\mathrm {\mathbf {2}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, excluding the pads, which is equivalent to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.074 \times 0.09\,\,\lambda \text{g}^{\mathrm {\mathbf {2}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> at 28 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed design is known to be the most compact one in the open literature using GaAs technologies.
Toward an understanding of vertical momentum transports in cloud-system-resolving model simulations of multiscale tropical convection

This study examines the characteristics of convective momentum transport (CMT) and gravity wave momentum transport (GWMT) in two-dimensional cloud-system-resolving model simulations, including the relationships between the two transports. A linear group velocity criterion is shown to objectively separate CMT and GWMT. The GWMT contribution is mostly consistent with upward-propagating gravity waves and is present in the troposphere and the stratosphere. The CMT contribution forms a large part of the residual (nonupward-propagating contribution) and dominates the fluxes in the troposphere. Additional analysis of the vertical sensible heat flux supports the physical interpretation of the two contributions, further isolating the effects of unstable convection from vertically propagating gravity waves. The role of transient and nonconservative (friction and diabatic heating) processes in generating momentum flux and their dependence on changes in convective organization was assessed using a pseudomomentum budget analysis. Nonconservative effects were found to dominate the transports; the GWMT contribution involved a diabatic source region in the troposphere and a dissipative sink region in the stratosphere. The CMT contribution was consistent with transport between the boundary layer and free troposphere via tilted convection. Transient buoyancy‐vorticity correlations highlighted wave sources in the region of convective outflow and the boundary layer. These sources were akin to the previously described ‘‘mechanical oscillator’’ mechanism. Fluxes associated with this upper-level source were most sensitive to convective organization, highlighting the mechanism by which changes in organization are communicated to GWMT. The results elucidate important interactions between CMT and GWMT, adding further weight to suggestions that the two transports should be linked in parameterizations.
Landsat-Derived Estimates of Mangrove Extents in the Sierra Leone Coastal Landscape Complex during 1990–2016

This study provides the first assessment of decadal changes in mangrove extents in Sierra Leone. While significant advances have been made in mangrove mapping using remote sensing, no study has documented long-term changes in mangrove extents in Sierra Leone—one of the most vulnerable countries in West Africa. Such understanding is critical for devising regional management strategies that can support local livelihoods. We utilize multi-date Landsat data and cloud computational techniques to quantify spatiotemporal changes in land cover, with focus on mangrove ecosystems, for 1990–2016 along the coast of Sierra Leone. We specifically focus on four estuaries—Scarcies, Sierra Leone, Yawri Bay, and Sherbro. We relied on the k-means approach for an unsupervised classification, and validated the classified map from 2016 using ground truth data collected from Sentinel-2 and high-resolution images and during field research (accuracy: 95%). Our findings indicate that the Scarcies river estuary witnessed the greatest mangrove loss since 1990 (45%), while the Sierra Leone river estuary experienced mangrove gain over the last 26 years (22%). Overall, the Sierra Leone coast lost 25% of its mangroves between 1990 and 2016, with the lowest coverage in 2000, during the period of civil war (1991–2002). However, natural mangrove dynamics, as supported by field observations, indicate the potential for regeneration and sustainability under carefully constructed management strategies.
Over-Expression of Meteorin Drives Gliogenesis Following Striatal Injury

A number of studies have shown that damage to brain structures adjacent to neurogenic regions can result in migration of new neurons from neurogenic zones into the damaged tissue. The number of differentiated neurons that survive is low, however, and this has led to the idea that the introduction of extrinsic signaling factors, particularly neurotrophic proteins, may augment the neurogenic response to a level that would be therapeutically relevant. Here we report on the impact of the relatively newly described neurotrophic factor, Meteorin, when over-expressed in the striatum following excitotoxic injury. Birth-dating studies using bromo-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) showed that Meteorin did not enhance injury-induced striatal neurogenesis but significantly increased the proportion of new cells with astroglial and oligodendroglial features. As a basis for comparison we found under the same conditions, glial derived neurotrophic factor significantly enhanced neurogenesis but did not effect gliogenesis. The results highlight the specificity of action of different neurotrophic factors in modulating the proliferative response to injury. Meteorin may be an interesting candidate in pathological settings involving damage to white matter, for example after stroke or neonatal brain injury.
Modeling the Cost-Effectiveness of Home-Based HIV Testing and Education (HOPE) for Pregnant Women and Their Male Partners in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Introduction:Women in sub-Saharan Africa face a 2-fold higher risk of HIV acquisition during pregnancy and postpartum and the majority do not know the HIV status of their male partner. Home-based couple HIV testing for pregnant women can reduce HIV transmission to women and infants while increasing antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in men. However, the cost-effectiveness of this program has not been evaluated. Methods:We modeled the health and economic impact of implementing a home-based partner education and HIV testing (HOPE) intervention for pregnant women and their male partners in a region of Western Kenya (formally Nyanza Province). We used data from the HOPE randomized clinical trial conducted in Kisumu, Kenya, to parameterize a mathematical model of HIV transmission. We conducted an in-country microcosting of the HOPE intervention (payer perspective) to estimate program costs as well as a lower cost scenario of task-shifting to community health workers. Results:The incremental cost of adding the HOPE intervention to standard antenatal care was $31–37 and $14–16 USD per couple tested with program and task-shifting costs, respectively. At 60% coverage of male partners, HOPE was projected to avert 6987 HIV infections and 2603 deaths in Nyanza province over 10 years with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $886 and $615 per disability-adjusted life year averted for the program and task-shifting scenario, respectively. ICERs were robust to changes in intervention coverage, effectiveness, and ART initiation and dropout rates. Conclusions:The HOPE intervention can moderately decrease HIV-associated morbidity and mortality by increasing ART coverage in male partners of pregnant women. ICERs fall below Kenya's per capita gross domestic product ($1358) and are therefore considered cost-effective. Task-shifting to community health workers can increase intervention affordability and feasibility.