Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management of the recurrent sternal wound infection

After adequate sternal debridement or resection for the treatment of a sternal wound infection, muscle flap obliteration of the resulting void has become an accepted standard. Unfortunately, recurrence is not an inconsequential risk as evidenced in six (20.7%) of our patients over the last 10 years. Two of these patients required a second muscle flap transfer before obtaining a healed wound. Since the available regional options for appropriate vascularized flaps is limited, especially with the increased frequency in use of the internal mammary artery for coronary artery bypass grafting, great care must be observed in the selection process not just for closure of the initial wound, but in anticipation of untoward sequela. A schema prioritizing alternatives has been established, so as to maximize the benefit of our workhorse flaps, the pectoralis major or rectus abdominis muscles.
Interaction of Staphylococcus epidermidis with abiotic and biotic surfaces: a role in bone and wound infections.

Staphylococcus epidermidis has become one of the most important causes of nosocomial and foreign device-related infections. It causes osteomyelitis around orthopaedic implants and secrets surface associated proteins which have osteolytic activity. Adherence of S. epidermidis to biomaterials is a key factor in the development of a device-related infection. Colonisation of surgical sutures with bacteria has been suggested to increase the risk of wound infection and consequent complications. Recent studies have shown that S. epidermidis can persist inside macrophages. The data presented in this thesis show that S. epidermidis is internalised by bone cells and epithelial cells and that the capacity of different strains to be internalised varied considerably. Use of a panel of inhibitors that block mammalian cell endocytic pathways showed that the process of internalisation of S. epidermidis by host cells was via a receptor mediated pathway. However there were differences in the pathways utilised by epithelial cells and bone cells to internalise S. epidermidis. The SdrG protein of S. epidermidis played a significant role in the internalisation of strain HB by bone cells and, to a lesser extent, by epithelial cells. Investigation of the effect of S. epidermidis internalisation by bone cells on cytokine secretion showed that the uptake process did not induce higher levels of the secretion of four different cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-ip and TNF-a). Additionally uptake of S. epidermidis did not induce apoptosis of bone cells, in contrast to what has been reported for S. aureus. The capacity of S. epidermidis to adhere to surgical sutures constructed from different materials was strain dependent. Coating the sutures with human plasma increased the numbers of bacteria adhering to the sutures. A number of putative S. epidermidis virulence factors, including the GehD lipase, SdrG, the fibronectin binding protein Embp and the autolysin AtlE were found to be involved in the adhesion of this bacterium to sutures. The findings presented in this thesis contribute to our understanding of the interactions of S. epidermidis with abiotic surfaces and host cells.
Microalgae and Phototrophic Purple Bacteria for Nutrient Recovery From Agri-Industrial Effluents: Influences on Plant Growth, Rhizosphere Bacteria, and Putative Carbon- and Nitrogen-Cycling Genes

Microalgae (MA) and purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) have the ability to remove and recover nutrients from digestate (anaerobic digestion effluent) and pre-settled pig manure that can be Utilized as bio-fertilizer and organic fertilizer. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of MA and PPB as organic fertilizers and soil conditioners in relation to plant growth and the soil biological processes involved in nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycling. To this end, a glasshouse experiment was conducted using MA and PPB as bio-fertilizers to grow a common pasture ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) with two destructive harvests (45 and 60 days after emergence). To evaluate the rhizosphere bacterial community, we used barcoded PCR-amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes for paired-end sequencing on the Illumina Mi-Seq. Additionally, we used phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) analysis for the detection of putative functional genes associated with N and soil-C cycling. There was a significant increase in plant growth when the soil was amended with PPB, which almost performed as well as the chemical fertilizers. Analysis of the rhizosphere bacteria after the second harvest revealed a greater abundance of Firmicutes than in the first harvest. Members of this phylum have been identified as a biostimulant for plant growth. In contrast, the MA released nutrients more slowly and had a profound effect on N cycling by modulating N mineralization and N retention pathways. Thus, MA could be developed as a slow-release fertilizer with better N retention, which could improve crop performance and soil function, despite nutrient losses from leaching, runoff, and atmospheric emissions. These data indicate that biologically recovered nutrients from waste resources can be effective as a fertilizer, resulting in enhanced C- and N-cycling capacities in the rhizosphere.
Clove oil as an anaesthetic for Australian redclaw crayfish
 Cherax quadricarinatus

Crustaceans are aquacultured both for food and as ornamental organisms. Pain and distress are not entirely understood in crustaceans, but the industry is moving towards requiring protection for the welfare of these animals during handling. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of clove oil as an anaesthetic for redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) as a model for freshwater crustaceans. We also studied how factors such as body weight and sex of redclaw could affect this efficacy. The whole experiment was replicated in two consecutive years. Redclaw juveniles were sorted into three size classes: small (<5 g), medium (5–12 g) and large (12–37 g). At least 10 males and 10 females from each size class were placed individually in water containing clove oil concentrations of 375 and 500 μl/L. Both concentrations induced rapid induction and recovery times, with 500 μl/L being the more effective concentration of the two. Induction and recovery times increased with the increase in crayfish size. No significant differences were found in induction and recovery times between male and female crayfish. Results suggest that clove oil is an effective anaesthetic for redclaw.
Single cell transcriptomics reveal temporal dynamics of critical regulators of germ cell fate during mouse sex determination

Despite the importance of germ cell (GC) differentiation for sexual reproduction, the gene networks underlying their fate remain unclear. Here, we comprehensively characterize the gene expression dynamics during sex determination based on single-cell RNA sequencing of 14,914 XX and XY mouse GCs between embryonic days (E) 9.0 and 16.5. We found that XX and XY GCs diverge transcriptionally as early as E11.5 with upregulation of genes downstream of the Bone morphogenic protein (BMP) and Nodal/Activin pathways in XY and XX GCs, respectively. We also identified a sex-specific upregulation of genes associated with negative regulation of mRNA processing and an increase in intron retention consistent with a reduction in mRNA splicing in XY testicular GCs by E13.5. Using computational gene regulation network inference analysis, we identified sex-specific, sequential waves of putative key regulator genes during GC differentiation and revealed that the meiotic genes are regulated by positive and negative master modules acting in an antagonistic fashion. Finally, we found that rare adrenal GCs enter meiosis similarly to ovarian GCs but display altered expression of master genes controlling the female and male genetic programs, indicating that the somatic environment is important for GC function. Our data is available on a web platform and provides a molecular roadmap of GC sex determination at single-cell resolution, which will serve as a valuable resource for future studies of gonad development, function and disease.
A genetic algorithm approach for finding the shortest driving time on mobile devices

Recently, with the increasing interest in using handheld devices, the application of navigation systems that provide driving information to the drivers has become widespread in daily life. An efficient route guidance system should consider the influential factors of traffic flow such as traffic density and allowable velocity limits of the roads. As the number of influential factors and amount of nodes in road network increase, the computational cost increases. On navigation systems, using handheld devices with limited processing speed and memory capacity, it is not feasible to find the exact optimal solution in real-time for the road networks with excessive number of nodes using deterministic methods such as Dijkstra algorithm. This paper proposes a Genetic Algorithm approach applied to a route guidance system to find the shortest driving time. Constant length chromosomes have been used for encoding the problem. It was found that the mutation operator proposed in this algorithm provided great contribution to achieve optimum solution by maintaining the genetic diversity. The efficiency of the genetic algorithm was tested by applying it on the networks with different sizes. Key words: Genetic algorithm, navigation, route guidance, optimization, shortest path, shortest driving time.
Paramyocastor diligens (Rodentia, Hystricomorpha) from Las Cañas Formation (Pliocene), northwestern Argentina

ABSTRACT We describe the first fossil record of Paramyocastor diligens (Echimyidae, Octodontoidea) from the Pliocene of Las Cañas Formation (western Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina). The new record of this species increases its geographical distribution, previously known from Catamarca, Entre Ríos, and Buenos Aires Provinces. The examined materials correspond to a fragmentary hemimandible with m2-m3 and an isolated lower molar, which provide information on the occlusal morphology of Paramyocastor diligens in early ontogenetic stages.
Ecologia de carrapatos e suas riquétsias em duas localidades da zona da mata de Pernambuco

Amblyomma ticks are vectors of several species of rickettsiae and understanding their seasonality is important in predicting the risk of pathogen transmission. The objective of this study was to investigate the ecology of ticks and rickettsiae in two types of environment of in the Atlantic forest region of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. The ticks were collected monthly, from January 2015 to December 2016, using dry-ice traps. The first collection site was a rural area in the municipality of Amaraji, and the second a remnant of Atlantic Forest in the municipality of Paudalho. Ticks were identified morphologically and posteriorly subject to DNA extraction and PCR testing for Rickettsia spp. In total, 17,196 ticks were collected. In the rural area, 74 males, 94 females and 468 nymphs of Amblyomma sculptum and 864 larvae of Amblyomma spp. were collected. In the forest area, 116 males, 69 females and 1,063 females of Amblyomma dubitatum and 14,448 Amblyomma spp. were collected. A. sculptum showed a bimodal trend, with a higher peak in the second semester, whereas A. dubitatum presented a more defined, unimodal pattern, with a sharp peak in the first semester. Out of the 161 A. sculptum and 173 A. dubitatum adults tested, 49 (30.4%) and 44 (25.4%) were positive for the gltA gene, respectively. As far as the nymphs, a minimum infection rate of 2.1% (468 nymphs tested, 11 positive pools) and 5.9% (1,032 nymphs tested, 61 positive pools) were calculated for A. sculptum and A. dubitatum, respectively. All gltA gene positive samples were tested for the OmpA gene, but none was positive. This study confirms the year-round presence of A. sculptum in the Atlantic forest of Pernambuco. Although none of the ticks were positive for the OmpA gene, further studies are needed to investigate the presence of Rickettsia rickettsii in different populations of A. sculptum em Pernambuco.
Ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate, acetylcysteine and choline alphoscerate improve mitochondrial function under condition of cerebral ischemia in rat

The study was devoted to see the effect of ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate, acetylcysteine and choline alphoscerate on the mitochondrial function under condition of experimental cerebral ischemia in rat. An integrated approach was used with the assessment of changes in the respirometric and antiapoptotic functions of mitochondria. It was found that the application of the objects under study contributed to a decrease in the intensity of glycolysis and the restoration of aerobic glucose metabolism with an increase in ATP synthesis, as well as a decrease in the dissociation of reactions in mitochondrial complexes I, II, IV and V. In addition, the introduction of the studied drugs reduced the intensity of caspase-dependent and caspase-independent apoptosis reactions, which, together with the restoration of mitochondrial respiratory function, contributed to the decrease in the size of the necrosis zone of the brain. Video Clip of Methodology: Rat middle cerebral artery occlusion: 8 min 7 sec Full Screen Alternate
A multi-stage recurrent neural network better describes decision-related activity in dorsal premotor cortex

We studied how a network of recurrently connected artificial units solve a visual perceptual decision-making task. The goal of this task is to discriminate the dominant color of a central static checkerboard and report the decision with an arm movement. This task has been used to study neural activity in the dorsal premotor (PMd) cortex. When a single recurrent neural network (RNN) was trained to perform the task, the activity of artificial units in the RNN differed from neural recordings in PMd, suggesting that inputs to PMd differed from inputs to the RNN. We expanded our architecture and examined how a multi-stage RNN performed the task. In the multi-stage RNN, the last stage exhibited similarities with PMd by representing direction information but not color information. We then investigated how the representation of color and direction information evolve across RNN stages. Together, our results are a demonstration of the importance of incorporating architectural constraints into RNN models. These constraints can improve the ability of RNNs to model neural activity in association areas.
Quinoa in pre-Hispanic central Chile: contributions from archaeology and cultural processes

This paper provides findings from archaeological, archaeobotanical, ethnographic and morphometric investigations regarding the ancient presence of Chenopodium and the use of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) in central Chile from before the Christian era up to the present times, and discusses the importance of this crop for the economic and social development of the various pre-Hispanic indigenous cultural groups who inhabited the different areas and ecosystems of the region. This background knowledge allows us to assess the beginning and unfolding of this crop’s long history, which shows how quinoa accompanied our predecessors, their descendants and the groups resulting from Hispanic-indigenous interbreeding in this territory, and how its cultivation and use remain current in different social events inside rural communities in Chile today.
Cerium oxide NPs mitigate the amyloid formation of α-synuclein and associated cytotoxicity

Aim Among therapeutic proposals for amyloid-associated disorders, special attention has been given to the exploitation of nanoparticles (NPs) as promising agents against aggregation. Methods In this paper, the inhibitory effect of cerium oxide (CeO2) NPs against α-synuclein (α-syn) amyloid formation was explored by different methods such as Thioflavin T (ThT) and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence spectroscopy, Congo red adsorption assay, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and bioinformatical approaches. Also, the cytotoxicity of α-syn amyloid either alone or with CeO2 NPs against neuron-like cells (SH-SY5Y) was examined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression) assays. Results ThT and ANS fluorescence assays indicated that CeO2 NPs inhibit the formation of aggregated species and hydrophobic patches of α-syn in amyloidogenic conditions, respectively. Congo red and CD assays demonstrated that CeO2 NPs reduce the formation of amyloid species and β-sheets structures of α-syn molecules, respectively. TEM investigation also confirmed that CeO2 NPs limited the formation of well-defined fibrillary structures of α-syn molecules. Molecular docking and dynamic studies revealed that CeO2 NPs could bind with different affinities to α-syn monomer and amyloid species and fibrillar structure of α-syn is disaggregated in the presence of CeO2 NPs. Moreover, cellular assays depicted that CeO2 NPs mitigate the cell mortality, apoptosis, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 gene expression associated with α-syn amyloids. Conclusion It may be concluded that CeO2 NPs can be used as therapeutic agents to reduce the aggregation of proteins and mitigate the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases.
The impact of the interactive whiteboard on medical school students' ESL essay writing

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the impact of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) on the Egyptian medical school students’ ESL (English as a Second Language) essay writing and attitudes towards writing. The study clarified the evidence regarding Egyptian medical students’ relative weakness in writing as compared to the other language skills. It therefore investigated the general areas of writing, and identified the writing skills essential for the medical students, and designed a module based on these identified skills. An experimental design was adopted. The sample was composed of sixty students randomly selected and later divided into two separate groups: one intervention group which was taught by the IWB and a control group by the traditional method which involved teaching with a pen and paper, and a whiteboard. Four instruments were used: 1) a writing micro-skill questionnaire investigating specialists’ views on the skills important to the medical students; 2) a writing test assessing students’ achievement in ESL essay writing; 3) a writing attitude survey assessing students’ views about writing before and after both methods were used. These instruments were applied to both groups, as well as an additional IWB Attitude survey assessing students’ views about the IWB before and after the intervention for the intervention group. Results reveal that twenty nine writing skills were required by students, according to the specialists’ views and, more importantly, the IWB had no positive impact on the Egyptian students’ attainment in ESL essay writing (a non- significant effect size of -0.18). By contrast, it is revealed that the IWB had a positive impact on students’ attitudes towards both writing (effect size of 1.88) and towards the board itself.
Effect of salicylic acid on growth, physio-chemical changes and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under date of sowing at anthesis

The present investigation entitled “Effect of salicylic acid on growth, physio-chemical changes and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under high temperature at anthesis” was conducted at Students Instructional Farm of the Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad (U.P.) during rabi seasons of 2014-15 and 2015-16. The experiment was planned under RBD (Randomized Block Design) with three replications. The treatment consisted of two date of sowing viz;25th November and 25th December with two varieties NW-5054 and NW-2036 with ten salicylic acid treatment viz; (T1)Control, (T2)Seed soaking in (0.25mM) salicylic acid, (T3)Foliar spray of (0.25mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS, (T4)Seed soaking in (0.25mM) salicylic acid + Foliar spray of (0.25mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS,(T5)Seed soaking in (0.50mM) salicylic acid, (T6)Foliar spray of (0. 50mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS, (T7) Seed soaking in (0.50mM) salicylic acid + Foliar spray of (0.5mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS,(T8)Seed soaking in (0.75mM) salicylic acid, (T9)Foliar spray of (0.75mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS, (T10)Seed soaking in (0.75mM) salicylic acid + Foliar spray of (0.75mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS. When late sown variety was planted timely all the growth attributes showed drastic reduction with respect to late sowing (25th December). However, NW-5054 showed comparatively good performance in terms of growth attributes at timely sown (25th November). Performance of NW-5054 was very good as compared to NW-2036 due to delayed sowing on 25th December. Application of salicylic acid significantly increased all growth attributes in both varieties under both timely and late sown. Time of sowing decreased substantially almost in all the yield components and enzyme activity measured viz; number of ear per plant, ear length, number of grains per plant, test weight, biological yield, harvest index, proline content and total soluble sugar content which caused severe reduction in yield. Overall, T10 (Seed soaking in (0.75mM) salicylic acid + Foliar spray of (0.75mM) salicylic acid at 30 DAS) treatment showed best result and T2 Seed soaking in (0.25mM) salicylic acid gave least. All the salicylic acid treatments reduced the detrimental effect of heat stress on both the varieties by improving physiological traits which ultimately helped in obtaining higher yield.
Unfenced Borders Cause Differences in Vegetation and Fauna Between Protected and Unprotected Areas in a Tropical Savanna

Protected areas generally occur within a matrix of intensively human-modified landscapes. As a way to maintain the biodiversity in these areas, enclosure by fencing is often preferred. This strategy, however, is costly and little is known about the effectiveness of the alternative of unfenced borders on the vegetation and fauna. The objectives of this study are to assess whether there is a distinct difference in biodiversity and composition of plants and mammals between the protected Lake Mburo National Park and the adjacent ranchlands across an unfenced border and to determine the associations between vegetation and faunal species over the same border. We recorded herbaceous vegetation, woody vegetation, and mammal species composition in plots 300 to 500 m away from the border both inside the protected area and in the adjacent ranchlands. The species composition of herbs and mammals in the protected area differ from the adjacent ranchlands, but there is no difference for trees and shrubs. After accounting for land-use type, distance from the border did not significantly account for any additional variation. We also find a correlation between the species composition of vegetation and fauna. Our results suggest that unfenced borders around protected areas create a clear effect.