Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Difference in Chromosomal Pattern and Relative Expression of Development and Sex Related Genes in Parthenogenetic Vis-A-Vis Fertilized Turkey Embryos

Turkey hens show spontaneous parthenogenesis (embryo development without any male contribution) which is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Chromosome pattern and differential expression of genes associated with parthenogenetic development in turkey eggs were investigated in the present study. The metaphase spread obtained from parthenogenetic embryos was classified as haploid, diploid, polyploidy or aneuploidy based on the proportion of ‘n’ number of chromosomes. With the advancement of embryonic age, per cent of haploid cell (38.73 to 20.44) or other ploidy decreased while those of diploid cell increased (21.10 to 42.06) and the transition of ploidy continued till 48 h of embryo dveleopment. Early developmental stages presented higher ratios of W chromosomes in comparison to Z chromosomes while ZW combination was absent. Freshly laid parthenogenic eggs had higher Sox2 gene expression, but 24hrs old embryo had higher Sox3, GATA-4 or PouV genes expression. Expression of male specific genes (DMRT and AMH) was higher in 12 h or older parthenogenetic embryos, but the female specific genes, ASW and P450 were expressed more in freshly laid parthenogenetic eggs. It is concluded that transition of ploidy from haploid to diploid or poly-ploidy continued till 48 h or beyond parthenogenetic development. Significantly higher expression of Sox3 or GATA-4 gene in parthenogenetic embryos could potentially be used as marker gene for indication of parthenogenesis in turkey.
Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Gastrointestinal Nematodiasis in Small Ruminants in North East Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 small ruminants in and around Kombolcha, north east Ethiopia from November 2014 to April 2015 to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode and to observe the association of GIT nematodes with age, body condition, history of anthelmintic treatment and species of small ruminants. Screening and generic identification of observed gastrointestinal nematodes was done by coprological methods including floatation and faecal culture technique. The fecal samples examined revealed an overall prevalence of 42.2% (162/384) GIT nematodes in the small ruminants with 47.2% (111/384) in sheep and 34.2% (51/384) in goats. During fecal culture examination, five different genera of nematodes were identified. The most prevalent nematode was the Haemonchus 15.9% (OR=3.57, CI=2.46–5.16) as single infection and mixed infections of Haemonchus with Trichostrongylus 6.8% (OR=3.17, CI=2.71–3.68) followed by Trichuris 19.7% (OR=1.92, CI=1.20–3.07). The prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode infection showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between young and adult age groups, in both sheep and goats, and animals with poor/moderate body condition and good body condition scores (p<0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in prevalence among anthelmintic treated and non-treated animals and also between sexes of study animals. The present study highlights the higher prevalence of GIT nematodes in small ruminants in the study area and associated risk factors of small ruminant nematodiasis. Therefore, effective strategic treatment and public awareness creation should be instituted in the study area.
Milkweed Matters: Monarch Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Survival and Development on Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species

Abstract The population of monarch butterflies east of the Rocky Mountains has experienced a significant decline over the past 20 yr. In order to increase monarch numbers in the breeding range, habitat restoration that includes planting milkweed plants is essential. Milkweeds in the genus Asclepias and Cynanchum are the only host plants for larval monarch butterflies in North America, but larval performance and survival across nine milkweeds native to the Midwest is not well documented. We examined development and survival of monarchs from first-instar larval stages to adulthood on nine milkweed species native to Iowa. The milkweeds included Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias hirtella (tall green milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias sullivantii (prairie milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), and Cynanchum laeve (honey vine milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae). In greenhouse experiments, fewer larvae that fed on Asclepias hirtella and Asclepias sullivantii reached adulthood compared with larvae that fed on the other milkweed species. Monarch pupal width and adult dry mass differed among milkweeds, but larval duration (days), pupal duration (days), pupal mass, pupal length, and adult wet mass were not significantly different. Both the absolute and relative adult lipids were different among milkweed treatments; these differences are not fully explained by differences in adult dry mass. Monarch butterflies can survive on all nine milkweed species, but the expected survival probability varied from 30 to 75% among the nine milkweed species.
Cerebrolysin for functional recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Cerebrolysin has been shown to have an inconsistent efficacy on functional recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The present meta-analysis aims to evaluate the value of cerebrolysin and to explore the potential influencing factors. The main electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, were searched. The primary outcome was functional recovery at Day 90. The secondary outcomes included mortality and adverse events. A total of 1,649 patients with AIS were pooled from six randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Cerebrolysin had no significant effect on functional recovery at Day 90 compared with the effect of placebo as shown by the modified Rankin Scale response (relative risk [RR] 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79–2.24, P=0.28), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale response (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.83–1.28, P=0.77), and Barthel Index response (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.84–1.08, P=0.44). In safety analysis, cerebrolysin did not increase the risk of adverse events (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88–1.09, P=0.67), risk of serious adverse events (RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.86–1.66, P=0.29), or the mortality rate (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.57–1.31, P=0.49). In conclusion, routine administration of cerebrolysin to patients with AIS cannot be supported by the available evidence from RCTs.
Ecophysiological determinants of plant performance under flooding: a comparative study of seven plant families

1 Plant performance of species in river floodplains is negatively affected by submergence, due to severely hampered gas exchange under water. Several individual traits have been shown to determine flooding tolerance, but the interrelationships among these traits and their effects on plant performance still remain largely unknown. 2 Here, we aim for a more coherent understanding of submergence tolerance, by investigating whether different traits are alternative strategies to enhance survival under water or whether these traits act in concert. 3 Because responses to submergence may be taxon‐specific, we chose a multiple‐species approach that allowed phylogenetic comparisons. The phenotypic traits investigated in the current study were constitutively different in species originating from frequently flooded habitats than in species from dry habitats: wet species were taller and had a higher specific leaf area (SLA), chlorophyll content, aerenchyma content, and longer longevity of terrestrial and ‘aquatic’ leaves compared with species from dry habitats. Moreover, the frequently flooded species appeared to be more plastic for these traits in response to submergence. Neither the phylogenetic component nor the light climate under water were important for the expression of the submergence‐related traits. 4 Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that these traits were divided in two independent clusters structured either around the petiole (i.e. aerenchyma content and shoot length) or the leaf lamina (i.e. SLA, chlorophyll content and leaf longevity). Shoot length and aerenchyma content of the petiole were also positively correlated, albeit not significantly. A positive correlation between SLA and leaf longevity was observed under water, indicating that thinner leaves may have an increased potential for gas exchange, resulting in increased leaf longevity and plant survival. 5 Path analyses indicated significant positive effects of the two trait clusters on plant performance during full submergence. 6 Our study shows that multiple ecophysiological traits act in concert to fine tune responses to dynamic and unpredictable environments such as river floodplains.
Impact of temporary methotrexate discontinuation for 2 weeks on immunogenicity of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised clinical trial

Objective To determine whether a 2-week methotrexate (MTX) discontinuation after vaccination improves the efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods In this prospective randomised parallel-group multicentre study, patients with RA on stable dose of MTX were randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to continue MTX or to hold MTX for 2 weeks after 2016–2017 quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine containing H1N1, H3N2, B-Yamagata and B-Victoria. The primary outcome was frequency of satisfactory vaccine response, defined as greater than or equal to fourfold increase of haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titre at 4 weeks after vaccination against ≥2 of four vaccine strains. Secondary endpoints included seroprotection (ie, HI titre ≥1:40) rate, fold change in antibody titres. Results The modified intention-to-treat population included 156 patients in the MTX-continue group and 160 patients in the MTX-hold group. More patients in MTX-hold group achieved satisfactory vaccine response than the MTX-continue group (75.5% vs 54.5%, p<0.001). Seroprotection rate was higher in the MTX-hold group than the MTX-continue group for all four antigens (H1N1: difference 10.7%, 95% CI 2.0% to 19.3%; H3N2: difference 15.9%, 95% CI 5.9% to 26.0%; B-Yamagata: difference13.7%, 95% CI 5.2% to 22.4%; B-Victoria: difference 14.7%, 95% CI 4.5% to 25.0%). The MTX-hold group showed higher fold increase in their antibody titres against all four influenza antigens (all p<0.05). Change in disease activity was similar between groups. Conclusions A temporary MTX discontinuation for 2 weeks after vaccination improves the immunogenicity of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with RA without increasing RA disease activity. Trial registration NCT02897011.
Evaluating the Status of and African Wild Dogs Lycaon pictus and Cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus through Tourist-based Photographic Surveys in the Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park is a stronghold for African wild dog Lycaon pictus and cheetah Acinonyx jubatus conservation in South Africa. Tourist photographic surveys have been used to evaluate the minimum number of wild dogs and cheetahs alive over the last two decades. Photographic-based capture-recapture techniques for open populations were used on data collected during a survey done in 2008/9. Models were run for the park as a whole and per region (northern, central, southern). A total of 412 (329–495; SE 41.95) cheetahs and 151 (144–157; SE 3.21) wild dogs occur in the Kruger National Park. Cheetah capture probabilities were affected by time (number of entries) and sex, whereas wild dog capture probabilities were affected by the region of the park. When plotting the number of new individuals identified against the number of entries received, the addition of new wild dogs to the survey reached an asymptote at 210 entries, but cheetahs did not reach an asymptote. The cheetah population of Kruger appears to be acceptable, while the wild dog population size and density are of concern. The effectiveness of tourist-based surveys for estimating population sizes through capture-recapture analyses is shown.
Evaluating the Disposition of a Mixed Aldehyde Oxidase/Cytochrome P450 Substrate in Rats with Attenuated P450 Activity

Marketed drugs cleared by aldehyde oxidase (AO) are few, with no known clinically relevant pharmacokinetic drug interactions associated with AO inhibition, whereas cytochrome P450 (P450) inhibition or induction mediates a number of clinical drug interactions. Little attention has been given to the consequences of coadministering a P450 inhibitor with a compound metabolized by both AO and P450. Upon discovering that VU0409106 (1) was metabolized by AO (to M1) and P450 enzymes (to M4–M6), we sought to evaluate the in vivo disposition of 1 and its metabolites in rats with attenuated P450 activity. Male rats were orally pretreated with the pan-P450 inactivator, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), before an i.p. dose of 1. Interestingly, the plasma area under the curve (AUC) of M1 was increased 15-fold in ABT-treated rats, indicating a metabolic shunt toward AO resulted from the drug interaction condition. The AUC of 1 also increased 7.8-fold. Accordingly, plasma clearance of 1 decreased from 53.5 to 15.3 ml/min per kilogram in ABT-pretreated rats receiving an i.v. dose of 1. Consistent with these data, M1 formation in hepatic S9 increased with NADPH-exclusion to eliminate P450 activity (50% over reactions containing NADPH). These studies reflect possible consequences of a drug interaction between P450 inhibitors and compounds cleared by both AO and P450 enzymes. Notably, increased exposure to an AO metabolite may hold clinical relevance for active metabolites or those mediating toxicity at elevated concentrations. The recent rise in clinical drug candidates metabolized by AO underscores the importance of these findings and the need for clinical studies to fully understand these risks.
Commentary Much Ado About Next to Nothing : Incorporating

A great many papers and one textbook have been published on the topic of how to incorporate ‘nondetects’, low-level values reported only as below a detection limit, into statistical analyses. This is of interest not only in occupational hygiene but also in environmental sciences and astronomy, among other fields. Here, the literature is reviewed from the earliest known publication on the topic >40 years ago and recommendations contrasted. I have tried to pull some unifying conclusions out of the mix, ending with four suggestions I believe all can agree on. See if you agree with me.
Why (authors believe that) reviewers stress limiting aspects of manuscripts: The SLAM effect in peer review.

This manuscript describes a prelirninap stud) examining judgments of authors and reviewers regarding manuscripts that ha\e been either accepted or rejected for publication. Consistent with hjpotheses, results reveal that participants believe that their o\vn manuscripts are superior to others' manuscripts in terms of general. theoretical. and mrthodological qualit? Relevant to the presumed tendencq among reviewers to . s/re.n /imir/n,q mpeclc of nfanimripf( (SLAM). revieuers exhibited greater agreement 14ith editorial decisions favoring rejection. relative to those favoring acceptance. These findings suggest that authors' beliefs in reviewers' tendencies to SLAM can be partially understood in terms of authors' unrealisticall) favorable and optimistic beliefs regarding their nianuscripts and in reviewers' actual tendencies to be quite critical-at least more critical than editors.
Large buoyant particles dominated by cyanobacterial colonies harbor distinct bacterial communities from small suspended particles and free‐living bacteria in the water column

Worldwide cyanobacterial blooms greatly impair ecosystems in many eutrophic lakes and impact the microbial environment. In particular, large cyanobacterial colonies that are buoyant on the water surface may provide a distinct habitat for bacteria from other small particles that are suspended stably in the water column. To test this hypothesis, bacterial communities (excluding cyanobacteria) attached to large particles dominated by cyanobacterial colonies (>120 μm, LA), small particles (3–36 μm, SA), and free‐living bacteria (0.2–3 μm, FL) were investigated monthly for a year in Lake Taihu, China. Results confirmed that the Shannon diversity index of LA was significantly lower than that of FL, which was lower than that of SA. Cytophagia and Alphaproteobacteria were specially enriched in LA. Although samples in each habitat collected during high‐ (May to November) and low‐bloom seasons (December to April) were separated, all samples in LA were clustered and separated from SA and FL, which were also clustered during the same sampling seasons. In addition, the bacterial communities in LA were correlated with nitrate level, whereas FL and SA were correlated with nitrate level and temperature. Mantel analysis revealed that bacterial composition significantly correlated with the cyanobacterial composition in LA and FL but not in SA. These results indicate that LA provides distinct niches to bacteria, whereas the differentiation of bacterial communities in FL and SA is seasonally dependent.
Rheology of concentrated suspensions of polymer melts filled with irregularly shaped particles

The dependency of rheological properties of highly concentrated polymeric composites on temperature, solid particle concentration, particle size, and size distribution has been investigated using a high pressure capillary rheometer. The master curve generated by a time, temperature, and concentration superposition technique can be used to model the rheological properties of the composite system. Based on the extensive experimental data generated from this investigation, a single, empirical equation was developed that modelled the viscosity of suspensions as a function of shear rate, temperature, and volume concentration of solid particles in the composite. The composite systems were shown to behave according to the following models : the steady shear flow behaviour of the polymer composite system was described by the Cross-Williamson model which has zero shear viscosity with flow behaviour parameters, the Arrhenius-Frenkle-Eyring equation for temperature dependency, and the Krieger-Dougherty model to describe the volume concentration of the solid particles. This investigation also demonstrated that the rheological properties of polymer composites depend mainly on the characteristics of the base polymer matrix, and that the relative viscosity is a singular function of reduced volume fraction.
Big Data Application in Education: Dropout Prediction in Edx MOOCs

Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics are two growing fields of study, trying to make sense of education data and to improve teaching and learning experience. We study dropout prediction in Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCS), where the goal is given student's learning behavior log data in one month, to predict whether students would drop out in next ten days. We collect 39 courses data from XuetangX platform, which is based on the open source Edx platform. We describe our complete approach to cope with drop out prediction task, including data extraction from Edx platform, data preprocessing, feature engineering and performance test on several supervised classification model such as SVM, Logistics Regression, Random Forest and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree. We achieve 88% accuracy in dropout prediction task with GBDT model.
New evidence of relative age effects in “super-elite” sportsmen: a case for the survival and evolution of the fittest

ABSTRACT The relative age effect (RAE) describes an overrepresentation of players born early (Q1) in a selection year and is highly prevalent within youth sport pathways. However, a dearth of research has investigated the RAE at the “super-elite” level. The present research assessed the presence of RAE in super-elite performers. Study 1 investigated RAEs in the world’s best international Test cricketers (N = 262) over a 20-year period according to a robust and stringent “super-elite” criteria. Results revealed the RAE (Q1) when all disciplines were combined. Upon closer examination, this effect was also observed for the batting and spin bowling disciplines, whereas no RAE was found for the pace bowling discipline. Study 2 investigated RAEs in super-elite rugby union players (N = 691) over a 20 year period. Results revealed the RAE for backs (Q1) and a reversal of the traditional RAE (Q4) for forwards, and when all rugby union positions were combined. These findings provide new evidence of RAEs at the super-elite level and present both inter and intra sports differences. Potential explanations for these findings are explored, owing to the survival and evolution of the fittest concepts, and the implications for future research and applied practice are presented.
Effect of edible chitosan film enriched with anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) essential oil on shelf life and quality of the chicken burger

Abstract In this study, the effect of chitosan film (CF) with different concentrations of anise essential oil AEO (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2%) on the quality of chicken burger during chilled storage (4 + 1°C) were examined over a period of 12 days. For this purpose, at the first, the physical and mechanical properties of the produced films were studied. Then, the chicken burger was covered with the produced films. Different treatment were analyzed by biochemical properties such as moisture and thiobarbituric acid, bacteriological properties such as total viable counts and total psychrotrophic counts, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The results of this study showed that adding AEO improved the properties of CF, the moisture, solubility, and water vapor permeability decreased in these films. By increasing the concentration of AEO the tensile strength and elasticity of film were increased. CF with AEO, delayed lipid oxidation in chicken burger and improved the chemical properties of chicken burger. Also, microbial spoilage in these samples decreased significantly (p < .05) compared to the control sample. AEO at 2% in all experiments had better results than other treatments (p < .05), and the AEO (1.5% and 2%) had acceptable biochemical, bacteriological attributes up to end of storage, and these treatments could reduce the population of pathogen bacteria below the acceptable level from day 3 until the end of the storage period. Sensory score of the treatment containing AEO at 1.5% was higher than the sensory score of AEO at 2%. Overall, the results of this study showed that the use of CF with AEO as a natural preservative increased the shelf life of meat products. Considering the relatively similar anti‐oxidation and antimicrobial effect of AEO at 1.5 and 2% and also economic aspects, optimum dose for AEO could be 1.5% in the film.