Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivation to perform presymptomatic testing in portuguese subjects at-risk for late-onset genetic diseases

El papel del psicologo clinico en el contexto del consejo genetico incluye brindar apoyo a los sujetos en riesgo en el proceso de toma de decisiones, independientemente de la decision adoptada por el sujeto (conociendo o no el resultado de las pruebas geneticas). El estudio que se informa aborda la motivacion para realizar las pruebas pre-sintomaticas (PPS) de sujetos en situacion de riesgo para tres enfermedades: polineuropatia amiloide familiar (PAF), la enfermedad de Huntington (EH) y la enfermedad de Machado-Joseph (EMJ) y comparar con la motivacion para realizar las PPS para hemocromatosis (HH). La muestra consistio en 213 sujetos portugueses que tenian riesgo genetico para contraer las tres enfermedades y 31 sujetos en situacion de riesgo genetico para contraer hemocromatosis. Ellos fueron evaluados con una entrevista para obtener datos sociodemograficos y debian responder a una pregunta sobre la motivacion para llevar a cabo las pruebas pre-sintomaticas. Se obtuvieron siete categorias principales y las siguientes son las mas significativas para PAF, EH y EMJ: razones relacionadas con el futuro, razones relacionadas con los demas y razones relacionadas con la curiosidad y la necesidad de conocer. Para hemocromatosis, las mas importantes resultaron ser razones relacionadas con los demas y las relacionadas con las caracteristicas de la enfermedad. La motivacion para realizar el test pre-sintomatico (PST) de la PAF, EH y EMJ es externa y sin relacion con la enfermedad, mientras que la motivacion de los sujetos en situacion de riesgo para la HH esta relacionada con la enfermedad. Las razones relacionadas con los demas es una motivacion comun en ambos grupos. A los sujetos tambien les preocupa la posibilidad de transmitir la enfermedad a sus hijos.
Dimensional structure of 21 st century competences in university students of education

The new Knowledge Society requires new competences, which are known as 21st Century Competences. These competences are subdivided into competencies of higher-order thinking and competences in information and communication technologies. The aim of this article is to determine the dimensional structure of 21st century competences, together with key personal factors in this regard. This is a correlational study, based on a survey design, whose sample is constituted by students of the degrees of Pedagogy and Social Education at University of Valencia, selected by a non-probabilistic and accidental sampling, collecting the information by means of two questionnaires. The results point out that the competences for the 21st century are composed of two subsets, the competences of higher-order thinking and the ICT competences, which form a whole. In addition, it has been found that personal factors have a significant impact on this structure. It is suggested that education policies should address both aspects, in order to train citizens included in the Knowledge Society.
Antioxidant Properties of Pecan Nut [ Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch] Shell Infusion

The nutritional composition of Pecan nut [ Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch] shells and the total phenolic and condensed tannin contents of Pecan nut shell infusion were determined and the antioxidant activity of the infusion was evaluated through ABTS, DPPH and β-carotene/linoleic acid systems. The shell presented high fiber content (48% ± 0.06), the total phenolic content ranged from 116 to 167 mg GAE/g and the condensed tannin content was between 35 and 48 mg CE/g. The antioxidant activity varied from 1112 and 1763 μmol TEAC/g in the ABTS system. In the DPPH method, the antioxidant activity was from 305 to 488 mg TEAC/g (30 minutes reaction) and from 482 to 683 mg TEAC/g (24 h reaction). The oxidation inhibition percentage obtained in the β-carotene/linoleic acid system varied from 70 to 96%. The results indicated the high phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Pecan nut shell infusion.
The AIMSS Project I: bridging the star cluster, galaxy divide

We describe the structural and kinematic properties of the first compact stellar systems discovered by the Archive of Intermediate Mass Stellar Systems project. These spectroscopically confirmed objects have sizes (∼6 < Re [pc] < 500) and masses (∼2 × 106 < M*/M⊙ < 6 × 109) spanning the range of massive globular clusters, ultracompact dwarfs (UCDs) and compact elliptical galaxies (cEs), completely filling the gap between star clusters and galaxies. Several objects are close analogues to the prototypical cE, M32. These objects, which are more massive than previously discovered UCDs of the same size, further call into question the existence of a tight mass–size trend for compact stellar systems, while simultaneously strengthening the case for a universal ‘zone of avoidance’ for dynamically hot stellar systems in the mass–size plane. Overall, we argue that there are two classes of compact stellar systems (1) massive star clusters and (2) a population closely related to galaxies. Our data provide indications for a further division of the galaxy-type UCD/cE population into two groups, one population that we associate with objects formed by the stripping of nucleated dwarf galaxies, and a second population that formed through the stripping of bulged galaxies or are lower mass analogues of classical ellipticals. We find compact stellar systems around galaxies in low- to high-density environments, demonstrating that the physical processes responsible for forming them do not only operate in the densest clusters.
1 Plasma expansion dynamics in ultra-high-pure 2 hydrogen gas 3

Micro-plasma is generated in ultra-high-pure hydrogen gas filled inside a cell at a pressure 10 of (1.08 ± 0.033) × 105 Pa (810 ± 25 Torr) by using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser device operated at 11 1064 nm wavelength and 14 ns pulse duration. Micro-plasma emission spectra of the hydrogen 12 Balmer alpha line, Hα, are recorded with a Czerny-Turner type spectrometer and an intensified 13 charge-coupled device. The spectra are calibrated for wavelength and corrected for detector 14 sensitivity. During the first few tens of nanoseconds after initiating optical breakdown, significantly 15 Stark-broadened and Stark-shifted Hα lines mark the well-above hypersonic outward expansion. 16 The vertical diameters of the spectrally resolved plasma images are measured for time delays of 17 10 ns to 35 ns to determine expansion speeds of the order of 100 km/s to 10 km/s. For time delays of 18 the order of 0.5 μs to 1 μs, the expansion decreases to the speed of sound of 1.3 km/s in the near 19 ambient temperature and pressure hydrogen gas. 20
The Biological Degradation of Nicotine by Nicotinophilic Microorganisms

Abstract Various microorganisms are capable of breaking down tobacco alkaloids by different biochemical processes and possess characteristic enzymatic systems for the catabolism of nicotine. Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and the fungus Cunninghamellaechinulata degrade nicotine via N-methylmyosmine and pseudooxynicotine which is linked to the opening of the pyrrolidine ring (pyrrolidine pathway), whereas Arthrobacteroxidanshydroxylates the pyridine ring in the 6-position. 6-hydroxynicotine is produced as a primary product (pyridine pathway). Tobacco plants, and some fungi (e.g. Pelliculariafilamentosa) degrade nicotine via demethylation to nornicotine (methyl pathway). As a result of the microbial degradation of nicotine and other tobacco alkaloids, carbon and nitrogen are made bioavailable. Following metabolic conversion to carboxylic acids, the reaction products are used by unicellular organisms as primary nutrients and a source of energy for the synthesis of new cell compounds.
Local Numerical Equivalences and Okounkov Bodies in Higher Dimensions

We continue to explore the numerical nature of the Okounkov bodies focusing on the local behaviors near given points. More precisely, we show that the set of Okounkov bodies of a pseudoeffective divisor with respect to admissible flags centered at a fixed point determines the local numerical equivalence class of divisors which is defined in terms of refined divisorial Zariski decompositions. Our results extend Ro\'{e}'s work on surfaces to higher dimensional varieties although our proof is essentially different in nature.
Targeting of immunostimulatory DNA cures experimental visceral leishmaniasis through nitric oxide up‐regulation and T cell activation

Active targeting of CpG‐containing oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG‐ODN) to macrophages was studied by incorporating it in mannose‐coated liposomes, using visceral leishmaniasis as the model macrophage disease. Mannosylated liposomal CpG‐ODN was more effective than liposomal or free CpG‐ODN in inhibiting amastigote multiplication within macrophages. Moreover, in a 60‐day mouse model of visceralleishmaniasis, complete elimination of spleen parasite burden was achieved by mannosylated liposomal CpG‐ODN, compared to 62% and 81% parasite suppression by free and liposomal ODN, respectively, at a similar dose. Although in vitro exposure of CpG‐ODN did not induce marked nitric oxide (NO) generation by macrophages, considerably enhanced amount of NO was generated by macrophages ofCpG‐ODN‐treated animals. Their splenocytes secreted soluble factors required for the induction of NO generation, and the increased NO generation was paralleled by an increase in antileishmanial activity. Inducible NO generation was suppressed by treating splenocyte supernatants with anti‐IFN‐γ or anti‐IL‐12 antibodies, whereas in vivo administration of these anti‐cytokine Ab along with CpG‐ODN reversed protection against infection. CpG‐ODN treatment resulted in reduced levels of IL‐4, but increased levels of IFN‐γ, IL‐12 and inducible NO synthase in infected spleen cells, which was magnified by encapsulation in mannose‐coated liposomes. This targeted treatment was not only curative, but it also imparted resistance to reinfection. These results represent a general approach for intracellular targeting of CpG‐ODN, which effectively enhances its therapeutic potential in redirecting curative Th1 responses in Th2‐driven disorders.
Ontogeny and embryonic description of Betta splendens, Perciformes (Regan, 1910)

O processo de ontogenia pode ser descrito como o desenvolvimento do embriao desde o momento da fecundacao, passando pela fase de desenvolvimento embrionario, ate a eclosao ou fases posteriores. O estudo da embriogenese de uma especie e de grande importância, por ser uma ferramenta util no estudo do crescimento de especies em seu ambiente natural. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo descrever a ontogenia inicial em embrioes da especie Betta splendens, uma das especies ornamentais que mais se destaca devido ao grande interesse comercial, mediante a observacao e registro dos principais estadios do desenvolvimento embrionario, contribuindo dessa forma para um melhor conhecimento da biologia da especie. Foi possivel observar que com o desenvolvimento embrionario, houve uma diminuicao no volume do vitelo principalmente nas fases finais desse periodo. As larvas recem eclodidas observadas no presente estudo nao utilizaram alimentos de fonte exogena. O embriao de B. splendens apresentou fases de desenvolvimento embrionario semelhantes aquelas observadas em outras especies de teleosteos. A 1a. divisao celular/blastula foi observada a 1 HPF (Hora Pos-Fecundacao) ate as 7.5 HPF; o periodo de gastrula foi observado a partir de 8.5 HPF ate 14.5 HPF; o periodo de organogenese foi de 15 HPF ate o momento da eclosao, as 38 HPF.
Treatment of diabetic vasculopathy: an overview

Correspondence: Sayeeda Rahman Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, United Kingdom Tel +44 12 7423 6283 Email srahman6@bradford.ac. uk Abstract: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, degenerative, and noncommunicable disease, and is associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The complications of diabetic vasculopathy are commonly grouped into microvascular and macrovascular complications. In diabetes, macrovascular complications are the commonest cause of morbidity and mortality and are responsible for a high incidence of vascular diseases. The aim of this review to provide an overview of current treatment modalities for diabetic vasculopathy and highlight the importance of effective control of blood glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure, as well as reduction of blood hypercoagulability, in lowering the macrovascular complications of diabetic vasculopathy. A literature review was conducted to retrieve the relevant information using the PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases, reports, and books. People with type 2 diabetes are at markedly increased risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality. The initiators of vasculopathy that ultimately develop into long-term diabetic complications can be avoided by a healthy lifestyle and pharmacological intervention. Clinical trials have shown that effective control of blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, and blood hypercoagulability can reduce macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is responsible for premature mortality, predominantly through atherosclerotic vascular disease. Lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy should be used to prevent or delay development of type 2 diabetes, including adverse cardiovascular outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach involving patients, health professionals, and diabetic educators should be used to combat the type 2 diabetes epidemic and its associated cardiovascular complications.
Effect of JAK 2 / STAT 3 signaling pathway on liver injury associated with severe acute pancreatitis in rats

Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling constitutes one of the major pathways for cytokine signal transduction. However, the role of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway in liver injury during severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in liver injury after SAP. In the present study 64 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control, AG490 (inhibition of JAK2), SAP and SAP with AG490. SAP was induced by retrograde infusion of 4% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. The activities of amylase (AMY) and liver enzymes were measured in serum. Livers and pancreas were isolated for measurements of histological damage. Blood and liver samples were taken for the measurement of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18 concentrations. The expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3 in liver tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting. The results demonstrated that amylase and liver enzymes were higher in the SAP groups compared with the control, AG490 and AG490-treated groups. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18 were effectively increased in the SAP groups, whereas they were reduced by AG490. Interestingly, JAK2 and STAT3 protein expression levels were significantly increased following induction of SAP and were significantly decreased in the AG490-pretreated groups. Administration of AG490 decreased the activity of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and significantly attenuated SAP associated‐liver injury in the rats. These results suggested that the mechanism may relate to the inhibition of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18, and inhibiting excessive JAK2 and STAT3 activation, and may play a crucial role in the liver injury associated with SAP.
with or without Ascorbic Acid Supplementation

The improvement in body weight of broiler chickens, as a result of improved growth rate, led to more frequent metabolic and skeletal disorders (Robinson et al. 1999), sudden death syndrome (Gonzales et al. 1998), increased fat deposition (Yu and Robinson, 1992) and ascites (Julian, 1997). Feed restriction has been used as a management tool to control these problems to some extent by tempering with growth rate of fast-growing birds. It has been used to modify the patterns of bird growth by decreasing their maintenance requirements, which is likely to improve feed efficiency. It has been reported that feed-restricted animals have lower carcass fat content at market age than those fed ad libitum (Njoku et al. 2012). Excess fat does not only reduce carcass yield but also causes rejection of the meat by consumers (Kessler et al. 2000) and this causes difficulties in carcass processing (McMurty et al. 1988). Thus, feed Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplementation has been documented as a useful tool to improve the performance of laying birds reared under harsh environmental conditions. However, there is limited information on the use of ascorbic acid as a means of ameliorating the stressful conditions imposed by feed restriction. To this effect a 3 × 2 factorial experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of ascorbic acid inclusion in the diet of broiler chickens under quantitative feed restriction. A total of 96 unsexed 22 days-old Marshall broiler chickens of a commercial strain were distributed to six treatments, birds on treatments 1 and 2 were fed ad libitum, and those in treatments 3 and 4 were placed on 85% ad libitum while those on treatments 5 and 6 were offered 70% ad libitum. Diets fed to birds on treatments 1, 3 and 5 were formulated without ascorbic acid while those on treatments 2, 4 and 6 had their diets supplemented with 200 mgkg ascorbic acid. Blood samples were collected from one bird per replicate for haematological and serum biochemistry on the 35 and 49 days of the study. Performance indices (feed intake, weight gain and intake:gain ratio) were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by quantitative feed restriction. Feed intake (3256.93, 2799.74 and 2360.05 g/bird) and weight gain (1134.70, 1023.88 and 968.86 g/bird) had highest values recorded for the birds fed ad libitum while those on 70% ad libitum feeding recorded the best intake: gain ratio (2.87, 2.74 and 2.44). Ascorbic acid supplementation significantly (P<0.05) affected the growth performance of broilers. Birds fed diets containing ascorbic acid had relatively high values in the growth performance indices considered. Quantitative feed restriction and ascorbic acid supplementation did not affect the haematological and serum biochemical parameters studied. It can be concluded that quantitative feed restriction and ascorbic acid supplementation influenced the growth performance of broilers.
Autonomic and cognitive possibilities for information or neural-like systems using dynamic links

This paper will describe a vision for a new kind of information system that can dynamically self-organise and reason over its contents. The architecture is lightweight and would be suitable for an Internet-based environment, or alternatively, a mobile or pervasive sensorised environment. The lightweight architecture will rely on dynamic links, created through the query process, to self-organise. Results will show that the linking mechanism is reliable and can be combined with knowledge-based approaches, such as semantics, to provide extra functionality over what similar systems can currently provide. An overall architecture that could be called autonomic and cognitive will be suggested. This architecture could be used locally as part of a neural-like brain, or globally in a distributed information system. Autonomic features covered will be self-organisation and self-supervision, while different levels of reasoning will allow for an overall cognitive model that may even be able to think for itself.
Dominance of the multicoloured Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis in an undisturbed wild meadow ecosystem

Fifteen years after its arrival in Quebec (Canada), the multicoloured Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Pallas 1773) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has become one of the dominant coccinellid species in agricultural, forested and urban areas. Several studies conducted in North American agricultural ecosystems show that the arrival of H. axyridis and other exotic coccinellid species was followed by decreases in the populations of native coccinellid species. In this study, the abundances of H. axyridis and other native and exotic species were determined in an undisturbed wild meadow located in a protected area. In 2009 and 2010, mainly Solidago canadensis L. (Asteraceae) and Asclepias syriaca L. (Asclepiadaceae) infested with aphids were surveyed. A total of 1522 individuals, belonging to seven different species, were recorded. In 2009, on all the plants monitored, H. axyridis was clearly the dominant species (69% of the coccinellid assemblage). In addition, this exotic species constituted 84% of the coccinellid assemblage, including Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and Coccinella septempunctata (L). It is likely the dominance of the eurytopic Asian lady beetle in agricultural, forested, urban and undisturbed open ecosystems, poses a threat to native lady beetles. These results also provide evidence that undisturbed wild meadow ecosystems will not constitute a natural refuge from Harmonia axyridis for native species of lady beetles.
Impacts of Biochar and Other Amendments on Soil-Carbon and Nitrogen Stability: A Laboratory Column Study

There have been a large number of recent soil incubation studies examining the potential of biochar as a soil amendment tool for enhancing soil fertility and C sequestration. However, direct comparisons of biochar’s effects to that of other nontraditional soil amendments are lacking. In addition, most soil incubation studies with biochar examined gaseous emissions in closed systems that do not allow for water flow through (i.e., leaching). Thus, three amendments—humic acid (HA), water treatment residual (WTR), and biochar produced from oak at 650°C were incubated with Crosby silt-loam (fine, mixed, active, mesic Aeric Epiaqualfs) soil at a rate of 1% (w/w) in triplicated soil-columns. Effects of biochar and the other amendments on gaseous (CH₄, CO₂, and N₂O) emissions and leaching of total organic C (TOC), NO₃⁻, and NO₂⁻ were simultaneously monitored over a 257-d incubation period. Biochar-amended soil had reduced mean cumulative leaching of TOC by 30%, nitrate by 33%, and nitrite by 34%, compared to the control (control: 93, 75, and 2 mg kg⁻¹ for TOC, nitrate, and nitrite, respectively), likely due to sorption by the biochar. The WTR-amended soil exhibited similar leaching trends; however, HA-amended soil leached significantly greater (p < 0.05) TOC than either WTR or biochar. No amendments had any significant impact on gaseous emissions due to the high variability within each treatment. We hypothesize that the labile C and N compounds, which otherwise become emitted by microbial activity and produced significant differences in treatments, were probably leached out from the system as both leaching and gaseous sampling events took place at the same time due to the experimental settings employed. Thus, it is probable that the labile C and N compounds most likely to be oxidized and emitted in gaseous forms in any closed system incubations were either protected via mineral sorption or lost as leachate in the open column system in the present experiment. Considering both leaching and gaseous losses, C and N mean residence times (MRT) of 50 and 15 yr were calculated for the biochar-amended soil compared to 28 and 12 yr for the control, and 518 and 1.5 million years considering only gaseous losses, respectively. These findings show that estimates of soil-C and N stability that do not take into account aqueous losses of these elements (leaching) may tremendously overestimate C and N-MRT. Comparison with a field study using the same soil and amendment types suggests that analyses from laboratory incubation may serve as reliable proxies for trends in field soil responses to amendments.