Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of crop residue use in small holder mixed farms in Ethiopia

Abstract Determinants of the use of cereal and pulse residue for livestock feeding and soil mulching among smallholder farmers in the mixed farming system were analyzed. Crop residue (CR) is dual purpose resources in the mixed crop–livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. They serve as livestock feed and inputs for soil and water conservation. They are generated predominantly from cereals and pulses. However, in view of the allocation of CR, soil conservation and livestock are two competing enterprises. Identifying the determinants of the intensity of use of cereal and pulse residue may help in designing strategies for more efficient CR utilization. Data on CR were generated and its utilization was collected in two highland regions in Ethiopia from 160 households using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the multivariate Tobit model. Results of the study showed that farmers prefer using CR from pulses over CR from cereals for livestock feeding purposes. The proportion of CR from pulses that was used as feed was positively affected by education level of the farmer, livestock extension service, number of small ruminants and CR production from the previous season. Distance of farm plots from residences of the farm households negatively affected the proportions of cereal and pulse residue used for feed. The use of pulse residue increased significantly when the women participated in decision making on CR utilization. The proportion of cereal and pulse residue used for soil mulch was positively affected by the education level of the farmer, the distance between the homestead and the cultivated land, extension service, awareness about soil mulch, the slope of cultivated land, participation in farmer-to-farmer extension and CR generated in the preceding season. In view that pulse CR have better nutritive value compared with cereal CR, better utilization of CR could be achieved by maximizing the use of pulse residue as livestock feed and optimizing the use of cereal residue as soil mulch. More livestock extension on the nutritive value of pulse residue should be provided to the farmers who cultivate sloppy plots. Encouraging the culture of labor exchange among the farmers could result in increased labor availability in the farms that would facilitate the transport and storage of pulse residue and increase its use as livestock feed. Increasing the awareness among farmers about the superiority of the pulse residue over cereal residue as feed and encouraging use of cereal residue as soil mulch could optimize the utilization of CR in the household.
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide cerebrospinal fluid‐contacting neurons of the monkey and cat spinal central canal

Neurons immediately adjacent to the central canal were demonstrated in the cat and monkey to be immunoreactive for the peptide vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), by means of the peroxidase antiperoxidase method. Most of the cells were found in the thoracic and sacral segments, although a few were present at each level. The thoracic neurons were multipolar and either ependymal or subependymal; they usually had a large, thick dendrite that was oriented radially toward the center of the central canal; this dendrite penetrated through the ependymal layer and ended as a large, fringed podlike process (4–5‐μm diameter) along the canal surface in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). From the basal surface of the thoracic cell arose several small dendrites and a varicose axon. A few of the thoracic VIP neurons also contained two nuclei. In the sacral cord, the VIP neurons that lie along the central canal were of several types. They were round or multipolar and were either subependymal, within the ependyma, or supraependymal. Many had long dendrites and thin varicose axons stretching for long distances parallel to the cord surface. Other VIP neurons were smaller cells with short, highly branched, varicose processes. Most prominent in the sacral cord of the cat was a massive intricate network of intensely labelled processes extending in parallel along the canal surface. This network contained thick dendrites, highly varicose axons, and small neurons. Electron microscopy demonstrated VIP axons and varicosities containing small round clear vesicles and dense core vesicles. These processes were in desmosomal contact with ependymal cells and in direct contact with the CSF space. VIP processes were also found along the pial surface of the spinal cord at each level. In some cases single axons and bundles of axons arising from the area around the central canal could be traced to terminal fields along the ventral median fissure and the ventral and ventral lateral surface. In summary, the cat and monkey spinal canal is richly innervated by VIP neurons with elaborate processes in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid; further, some of these neurons may also extend axons to the ventral surface of the spinal cord. In these aspects, these cells resemble CSF‐containing neurons previously described in lower species.
Daptomycin-Oxacillin Combinations in Treatment of Experimental Endocarditis Caused by Daptomycin-Nonsusceptible Strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus with Evolving Oxacillin Susceptibility (the “Seesaw Effect”)

ABSTRACT In vivo development of daptomycin resistance (DAPr) among Staphylococcus aureus strains, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, in conjunction with clinical treatment failures, has emerged as a major problem. This has raised the question of DAP-based combination regimens to enhance efficacy against such strains. We studied five recent DAP-susceptible (DAPs)/DAPr clinical MRSA strain pairs obtained from patients who failed DAP monotherapy regimens, as well as one DAPs/DAPr MRSA strain pair in which the resistant strain was generated by in vitro passage in DAP. Of note, we identified a DAP-oxacillin (OX) “seesaw” phenomenon in vitro in which development of DAPr was accompanied by a concomitant fall in OX resistance, as demonstrated by 3- to 4-fold decreases in the OX MIC, a susceptibility shift by population analyses, and enhanced early killing by OX in time-kill assays. In addition, the combination of DAP and OX exerted modest improvement in in vitro bactericidal effects. Using an experimental model of infective endocarditis and two DAPs/DAPr strain pairs, we demonstrated that (i) OX monotherapy was ineffective at clearing DAPr strains from any target tissue in this model (heart valve, kidneys, or spleen) and (ii) DAP-OX combination therapy was highly effective in DAPr strain clearances from these organs. The mechanism(s) of the seesaw effect remains to be defined but does not appear to involve excision of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) that carries mecA.
Interpreter for the Deployment of Intelligent Tutoring Systems in Mobile Devices

This paper presents an interpreter to display educational content in mobile devices, adaptable to the way that each user learns, with the added value of allowing students to carry out the learning process at any time and any place. The educational content is tailored to the student's learning style according to the model of Felder-Silverman. The identification of the student's learning style is performed using self-organizing maps. The operation of the tool presented, is based on techniques such as parsing XML files and deployment of user interfaces on mobile devices.
Dose-Response Effect of Tualang Honey on Postprandial Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress in Female Athletes: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES Tualang honey (TH) contains antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, phenolic acids, and flavonoids that may be protective against oxidative stress of exercise. The aim of this study was to examine the postprandial antioxidant activity and oxidative stress after ingestion of high and low dosages of TH in female athletes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty female athletes (aged 21.3 [2.1] years; body weight [BW] 54.1 [5.7] kg) were randomly assigned into two groups and consumed either 1.5 g/kg BW TH (high honey; HH; n = 10) or 0.75 g/kg BW TH (low honey; LH; n = 10). Blood sample was collected at fasting and at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 h after TH consumption. Plasma was analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP]), and oxidative stress biomarkers (malondialdehyde [MDA] and reactive oxygen species [ROS]). RESULTS The 3-h area under the curve (AUC) for MDA was significantly lower in the LH group compared with HH group, suggesting less oxidative stress in the LH group. However, the AUCs for TPC, FRAP, and ROS were not affected by the dosages. The concentrations of TPC and FRAP increased from baseline to 2 and 1 h after TH consumption, respectively, and concentrations returned toward baseline at 3 h in both LH and HH groups. MDA concentration significantly decreased (p < 0.05) from baseline to 2 h and significantly increased from 2 to 3 h in the HH group. Meanwhile, ROS levels increased significantly from 0.5 to 3 h in the HH group. The LH group showed similar trends as the HH group for MDA and ROS; however, this was not significant. CONCLUSIONS The consumption of high and low doses of TH demonstrated a comparable response in increasing antioxidant activity and suppressing oxidative stress in female athletes. The time-course effect of TH that provides optimal antioxidant activity and oxidative stress protection was between 1 and 2 h after its consumption.
Biomechanical properties of the proximal femur determined in vitro by single‐energy quantitative computed tomography

To assess the use of quantitative computed tomography as an in vivo predictor of fracture in the osteoporotic hip, we examined the in vitro relationship between single‐energy quantitative computed tomography data, calibrated for scanner drift, and the mechanical properties of trabecular bone from the proximal femur. For 49 samples, the apparent density and ultimate strength were measured and their functional relationship to the computed tomography data determined. Apparent density demonstrated a moderate linear correlation to the computed tomography numbers (R2 = 0.60), and the ultimate strength was related through a power law (R2 = 0.83). In addition, for 8 intact femora, average computed tomographic data from the sub‐capital region were moderately correlated to the ultimate fracture load applied under controlled in vitro conditions (R2 = 0.64). The average fracture energy for these femora was 43 J, a value more than an order of magnitude less than the energy available in a fall from standing height, suggesting that fall mechanics are a more important determinant of fracture risk than has been previously thought. The relationship between the energy absorbed to failure and the computed tomography data was best described by a power law (R2 = 0.90). Based on these results, it appears that quantitative computed tomography provides a potentially useful approach for the direct estimate of that component of fracture risk that can be attributed to a reduction in bone strength.
Control of the hybrid modular multilevel converter in motor drive applications

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has been proved to be potential in medium and high voltage motor drive especially for fan-/blower-like loads. However, the main challenge faced by MMC in the field of motor drive is the large capacitor voltage ripple at low speeds. Currently the mainstream method to eliminate voltage ripple is to inject high frequency components. But it will increase the current stress and bring in the common-mode voltage at the motor terminals. In this paper, a hybrid modular multilevel converter is used in motor drive application to suppress the capacitor voltage ripple, and an operating strategy based on Induction Motor Field Oriented Control (IM FOC) is presented. Lower capacitor voltage ripple and no common-mode voltage can be realized. Full speed range operating of motor driving can also be achieved. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the strategy.
Nitric oxide metabolites during anoxia and reoxygenation in the anoxia-tolerant vertebrate Trachemys scripta

Moderate elevations of nitrite and nitric oxide (NO) protect mammalian tissues against ischemia (anoxia)-reperfusion damage by inhibiting mitochondrial electron transport complexes and reducing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon reoxygenation. Crucian carp appear to exploit this mechanism by upregulating nitrite and other nitrite/NO metabolites (S-nitroso and iron-nitrosyl compounds) in several tissues when exposed to anoxia. We investigated whether this is a common strategy amongst anoxia-tolerant vertebrates by evaluating NO metabolites in red-eared slider turtles during long-term (9 days) anoxia and subsequent reoxygenation at low temperature, a situation naturally encountered by turtles in ice-covered ponds. We also measured glutathione in selected tissues and assessed the impact of anoxia on electrolyte status. Anoxia induced major increases in [nitrite] in the heart, pectoral muscle and red blood cells, while [nitrite] was maintained unaltered in brain and liver. Concomitantly, the concentrations of S-nitroso and iron-nitrosyl compounds increased, showing that nitrite was used to produce NO and to S-nitrosate cellular molecules during anoxia. The changes were gradually reversed during reoxygenation (1 h and 24 h), testifying that the processes were reversible. The increased NO bioavailability occurred in the absence of NO synthase activity (due to global anoxia) and may involve mobilization of internal/external nitrite reservoirs. Our data support the theory that anoxic upregulation of nitrite and other NO metabolites could be a general cytoprotective strategy amongst anoxia-tolerant vertebrates. The possible mechanisms of nitrite-derived NO and S-nitrosation in protecting cells from destructive Ca2+ influx during anoxia and in limiting ROS formation during reoxygenation are discussed.
Skin involvement in Hodgkin's disease

Of 1810 patients with Hodgkin's disease seen at M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute from 1944 to 1977, nine patients developed skin lesions which were histologically specific for the disease, an incidence of 0.5%. The initial manifestations were in the form of small papules and nodules that developed in seven of the nine patients in skin immediately distal to lymph nodes containing tumor, supporting the concept that skin involvement most often results from retrograde lymphatic spread from involved lymph nodes. Because the majority of the patients died within a few months following the development of the skin lesions, skin involvement is considered an indication of stage IV disease. Fifteen additional patients had had skin biopsies that were considered either diagnostic or suggestive of Hodgkin's disease, but were ultimately proven to be a variety of other conditions. Thus, Hodgkin's disease in skin can be simulated by other disease processes, and the diagnosis should be made with caution, particularly in the absence of lymph node involvement.
Time and Space in Strategy Discourse: Implications for Intertemporal Choice

Research summary: When describing the future, executives draw analogies between time and space (“we are on the right path,” “the deadline is approaching”). These analogies shape how executives construe the future and influence attitudes to action with long‐term benefits but short‐term costs. Ego‐moving frames (“we are approaching the future”) prompt a focus on the present, whereas time‐moving frames (“the future is approaching”) underscore the advent of the future as inevitable. Ultimately, action that prioritizes long‐term returns depends both on how executives conceive of the future and whether they believe they can engender favorable outcomes. This balance between recognizing the inevitability of the future (time‐moving frame) and the capacity to shape outcomes (control beliefs) stands in contrast to the more agentic forms of discourse that are dominant in strategy. Managerial summary: Executives often prioritize maximizing immediate returns over investing to build a long‐term competitive advantage. How they think about the future offers one explanation for this short‐termism. This article distinguishes two ways of framing the future with implications for decision‐making. Are we approaching the future (the ego‐moving frame) or is it approaching us (the time‐moving frame)? As long as executives have confidence in their ability to achieve forecasted results, they focus on long‐term returns in their decision‐making when they recognize the advent of the future as inevitable (the time‐moving frame). In contrast, though executives use the ego‐moving frame to show that they are active agents, they weigh future returns less heavily when framing the future in this way. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Additional use of an aldosterone antagonist in patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Aldosterone antagonists (AldoAs) have been used to treat severe chronic heart failure (CHF). There is uncertainty regarding the efficacy of using AldoAs in mild to moderate CHF with New York Heart Association (NYHA) classifications of I to II. This study summarizes the evidence for the efficacy of spironolactone (SP), eplerenone (EP) and canrenone in mild to moderate CHF patients.
Humans and monkeys share visual representations

Conceptual abilities in animals have been shown at several levels of abstraction, but it is unclear whether the analogy with humans results from convergent evolution or from shared brain mechanisms inherited from a common origin. Macaque monkeys can access “non-similarity–based concepts,” such as when sorting pictures containing a superordinate target category (animal, tree, etc.) among other scenes. However, such performances could result from low-level visual processing based on learned regularities of the photographs, such as for scene categorization by artificial systems. By using pictures of man-made objects or animals embedded in man-made or natural contexts, the present study clearly establishes that macaque monkeys based their categorical decision on the presence of the animal targets regardless of the scene backgrounds. However, as is found with humans, monkeys performed better with categorically congruent object/context associations, especially when small object sizes favored background information. The accuracy improvements and the response-speed gains attributable to superordinate category congruency in monkeys were strikingly similar to those of human subjects tested with the same task and stimuli. These results suggest analogous processing of visual information during the activation of abstract representations in both humans and monkeys; they imply a large overlap between superordinate visual representations in humans and macaques as well as the implicit use of experienced associations between object and context.
Hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective effects of ethanolic and aqueous extracts from Asparagus officinalis L. by-products in mice fed a high-fat diet.

BACKGROUND Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) by-products, i.e. the parts of the spears discarded during industrial processing, might have potential use as food supplements for their therapeutic effects. In this study the hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective effects of ethanolic (EEA) and aqueous (AEA) extracts from asparagus by-products were evaluated in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). RESULTS Continuous HFD feeding caused obvious hyperlipidaemia and liver damage in mice. However, both EEA and AEA significantly decreased the levels of body weight gain, serum total cholesterol and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hyperlipidaemic mice when administered at a daily dose of 200 mg kg(-1) for 8 weeks. Also, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were evidently increased in the AEA-treated group. Moreover, both EEA and AEA dramatically decreased the activities of alanine and aspartate transaminases in serum. Finally, superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant capacity were increased and malondialdehyde level and the distribution of lipid droplets decreased in liver cells of both EEA- and AEA-treated mice. CONCLUSION The findings of this study suggest that both EEA and AEA have strong hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective properties and could be used as supplements in healthcare foods and drugs or in combination with other hypolipidaemic drugs.
Woodchuck hepatitis virus X protein is required for viral infection in vivo

The X gene of the mammalian hepadnaviruses is believed to encode a protein of 17 kDa which has been shown to transactivate a wide range of viral and cellular promoters. The necessity for X gene expression during the viral life cycle in vivo has recently been suggested (H.-S. Chen, S. Kaneko, R. Girones, R. W. Anderson, W. E. Hornbuckle, B. C. Tennant, P. J. Cote, J. L. Gerin, R. H. Purcell, and R. H. Miller, J. Virol. 67:1218-1226, 1993). We have independently constructed two variants of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) with mutations in the X coding region. Transient transfection of two different hepatoma cell lines showed that these WHV X gene mutants were competent for virus replication in vitro. To determine whether X expression was required for viral replication in vivo, we injected mutant and wild-type genomes into the livers of susceptible woodchucks. While the wild-type WHV genomes were infectious in all animals examined, the mutant genomes did not initiate a WHV infection in woodchucks. These results indicate that the X gene of the hepadnaviruses plays a major role in viral replication in vivo.
Mutations in the regions of the Rous sarcoma virus 3' splice sites: implications for regulation of alternative splicing

Retrovirus RNA is synthesized as a single primary transcript that is differentially processed by RNA splicing. Three species of viral RNA (spliced env, spliced src, and unspliced full-length RNA) are produced in chicken embryo fibroblasts infected with Rous sarcoma virus, an avian retrovirus. The env and src mRNAs are synthesized by the alternative use of two 3' splice sites. The mechanism by which balanced splicing at the two sites is maintained was investigated in this report. Mutants that increase or decrease splicing at one of the two 3' splice sites were analyzed for the effect on splicing at the other site. The two splice sites differed in their response. Mutations that caused a specific increase in the level of spliced env mRNA were associated with reciprocal changes in the levels of src mRNA but with no change in overall splicing. In contrast, mutants in which the src 3' splice site was inactivated demonstrated a decreased overall level of spliced RNA but had little or no effect on the level of spliced env mRNA. Mutations that caused specific increases in the level of spliced src mRNA had variable effects on env mRNA levels. Deletion of regions in gag, which was previously shown to contain a cis-acting negative regulator of splicing, resulted in a corresponding increase of both spliced viral mRNAs and a decrease in unspliced RNA, suggesting that this element suppressed both env and src splicing. Several models are discussed which are possible mechanisms for regulation of alternative splicing of Rous sarcoma virus RNA, but none of these models appear to be consistent with all of the data.