Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autophagy promotes fibrosis and apoptosis in the peritoneum during long‐term peritoneal dialysis

Long‐term peritoneal dialysis is accompanied by functional and histopathological alterations in the peritoneal membrane. In the long process of peritoneal dialysis, high‐glucose peritoneal dialysis solution (HGPDS) will aggravate the peritoneal fibrosis, leading to decreased effectiveness of peritoneal dialysis and ultrafiltration failure. In this study, we found that the coincidence of elevated TGF‐β1 expression, autophagy, apoptosis and fibrosis in peritoneal membrane from patients with peritoneal dialysis. The peritoneal membranes from patients were performed with immunocytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Human peritoneal mesothelial cells were treated with 1.5%, 2.5% and 4.25% HGPDS for 24 hrs; Human peritoneal mesothelial cells pre‐treated with TGF‐β1 (10 ng/ml) or transfected with siRNA Beclin1 were treated with 4.25% HGPDS or vehicle for 24 hrs. We further detected the production of TGF‐β1, activation of TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 signalling, induction of autophagy, EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis. We also explored whether autophagy inhibition by siRNA targeting Beclin 1 reduces EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis in human peritoneal mesothelial cells. HGPDS increased TGF‐β1 production, activated TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 signalling and induced autophagy, fibrosis and apoptosis hallmarks in human peritoneal mesothelial cells; HGPDS‐induced Beclin 1‐dependent autophagy in human peritoneal mesothelial cells; Autophagy inhibition by siRNA Beclin 1 reduced EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis in human peritoneal mesothelial cells. Taken all together, these studies are expected to open a new avenue in the understanding of peritoneal fibrosis, which may guide us to explore the compounds targeting autophagy and achieve the therapeutic improvement of PD.
Molecular characterization of fungal endophytic morphospecies isolated from stems and pods of Theobroma cacao

Endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy stems and pods of cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) trees in natural forest ecosystems and agroecosystems in Latin America and West Africa. These fungi were collected for screening as a potential source of biocontrol agents for the basidiomycetous pathogens of cacao in South and Central America, Moniliophthora roreri (frosty pod rot) and Moniliophthora perniciosa (witches’ broom). Many of these isolates were morphologically unidentifiable as they failed to form fruiting structures in culture, or only produced arthrosporic stages. Affinities with basidiomycetes were suspected for many of these based on colony morphology. Fifty-nine of these morphologically unidentifiable isolates were selected for molecular identification by DNA extraction and sequence analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The large subunit (LSU) was chosen for initial sequencing because this region has been used most often for molecular systematics of basidiomycete fungi, and comprehensive LSU datasets were already available for sequence analyses. Results confirmed that the majority of the isolates tested belonged to the Basidiomycota, particularly to corticoid and polyporoid taxa. With LSU data alone, identification of the isolates was resolved at varying taxonomic levels (all to order, most to family, and many to genus). Some of the isolates came from rarely isolated genera, such as Byssomerulius , whilst the most commonly isolated basidiomycetous endophyte was a member of the cosmopolitan genus Coprinellus (Agaricales). The role of these fungi within the host and their potential as biological control agents are discussed.
Impact of Pharmacists Intervention on Dispensing Practice in the Retail Pharmacies of Kathmandu Metropolitan-Nepal

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the research with pre-post intervention (one day training) were to evaluate the dispensers knowledge through structured questionnaire, calculate the average dispensing time, assess the content of labelling parameter and evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist intervention. METHODS: A base line survey (n=104) with semi-structured questionnaire was done. Twenty pharmacies were randomly chosen for interventional study. Outcome measures consisted of percentage of right answer, observation of dispensing time, percentage of drugs adequately labelled and labelling content. RESULTS: A pre-post evaluation of answers to self-administered questionnaire showed improvement in knowledge from 70.71% to 91.42%. The average number of retail pharmacies outside the hospital was 5, with more number outside the hospitals which have their own hospital pharmacy. The average dispensing time was 97.26 seconds. Label was present in 94.5% of encounters but only 3.3% had envelop use. 21% increment in average dispensing time was seen in intervention group. CONCLUSION: Improvement in dispensing practice can occur even with a short training of one day.
Joint Pattern Assignment and Power Allocation in PDMA

Pattern Division Multiple Access (PDMA) is a novel non-orthogonal multiple access scheme proposed to meet the diverse demands on high capacity and large number of connections in the fifth generation (5G) wireless networks. PDMA uses the characteristic pattern to define the sparse mapping from data to a group of resources, and the sparsity of the pattern gives impacts on the capacity performance and detection complexity. In this paper, we considered the pattern assignment and power allocation in downlink PDMA system. The Joint Pattern assignment and Power Allocation (JPPA) scheme based on the optimum Iterative Water-Filling (IWF) algorithm was proposed to optimize the total throughput of all users. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed JPPA scheme can improve the sum throughput significantly, compared to the Random Pattern assignment and IWF Power Allocation (RPPA) scheme.
The Nutrition Situation of the Elderly in Ghana: A Case Study

The nutrition and overall state of health of the elderly in the Ghanaian society is a serious issue which warrants urgent attention. This paper reports the nutrition circumstances of the elderly visiting a center in Accra, Ghana. Information on socio-demography, lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, state of health, level of physical activity, and food and nutrition security were collected through in-depth interviews. The participants were made up of 10 males and 36 females (n = 46) and aged 60 years and above. Over half (61%) of t he participants experienced som e deg ree of fo od ins ecurity with 7 5% o f this group b eing food ins ecure with moderate hunger while 4% were food insecure with severe hunger. The study showed food insecurity was skewed towards females. Intake of food was marginal and most (males = 50%; females = 94.4%) skipped meals due to lack of money. Loss of spouse, low education and gender were found to have an influence on food insecurity among the subjects. Majority (76.1%) of the subjects had fair health status with females experiencing more disease conditions than males. Use of multiple drugs was more prevalent among females than males. Almost all subjects were independent in performing all daily activities, except for dressing and washing of self. Nutrition education for the aged is warranted. Furthermore, policies that will target the general populace to ensure healthy aging cannot be overemphasised.
CRM1-mediated Nuclear Export of Dengue Virus RNA Polymerase NS5 Modulates Interleukin-8 Induction and Virus Production*

Although all established functions of dengue virus NS5 (nonstructural protein 5) occur in the cytoplasm, its nuclear localization, mediated by dual nuclear localization sequences, is essential for virus replication. Here, we have determined the mechanism by which NS5 can localize in the cytoplasm to perform its role in replication, establishing for the first time that it is able to be exported from the nucleus by the exportin CRM1 and hence can shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. We define the nuclear export sequence responsible to be residues 327–343 and confirm interaction of NS5 and CRM1 by pulldown assay. Significantly, greater nuclear accumulation of NS5 during infection due to CRM1 inhibition coincided with altered kinetics of virus production and decreased induction of the antiviral chemokine interleukin-8. This is the first report of a nuclear export sequence within NS5 for any member of the Flavivirus genus; because of its high conservation within the genus, it may represent a target for the treatment of diseases caused by several medically important flaviviruses.
Cerebral white matter lesions, retinopathy, and incident clinical stroke.

CONTEXT White matter lesions (WMLs) detected on cerebral imaging scans have been hypothesized to have a microvascular etiology and to precede the development of clinical stroke. However, few clinical data are available to support these hypotheses. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship of WMLs, retinal microvascular abnormalities, and incident clinical stroke in healthy, middle-aged men and women. DESIGN AND SETTING The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC), a prospective, population-based cohort study conducted in 4 US communities and initiated in 1987-1989. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1684 persons aged 51 to 72 years who had cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and retinal photography at the third examination (1993-1995). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Odds of WMLs, defined by standardized methods from MRI, by presence or absence of specific retinal microvascular abnormality (eg, microaneurysm, retinal hemorrhage) on retinal photograph; incident clinical stroke, ascertained after a median follow-up of 4.7 years, according to presence or absence of WMLs and retinopathy. RESULTS Persons with retinopathy were more likely to have WMLs than those without retinopathy (22.9% vs 9.9%; odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-4.0, adjusted for age, sex, race, and vascular risk factors). The 5-year cumulative incidence of clinical stroke was higher in persons with vs without WMLs (6.8% vs 1.4%; adjusted relative risk [RR], 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5-7.7) and in persons with vs without retinopathy (8.0% vs 1.4%; adjusted RR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.0-11.9). Persons with both WMLs and retinopathy had a significantly higher 5-year cumulative incidence of stroke than those without either WMLs or retinopathy (20.0% vs 1.4%; adjusted RR, 18.1; 95% CI, 5.9-55.4). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, middle-aged persons with cerebral WMLs detected on MRI were more likely to have retinal microvascular abnormalities and to have an increased risk of clinical stroke than people without WMLs. The risk of stroke was higher when retinopathy was simultaneously present in persons with WMLs.
An improved measurement of the 2\nu \beta \beta\ half-life of Xe-136 with EXO-200

We report on an improved measurement of the 2\nu \beta \beta\ half-life of Xe-136 performed by EXO-200. The use of a large and homogeneous time projection chamber allows for the precise estimate of the fiducial mass used for the measurement, resulting in a small systematic uncertainty. We also discuss in detail the data analysis methods used for double-beta decay searches with EXO-200, while emphasizing those directly related to the present measurement. The Xe-136 2\nu \beta \beta\ half-life is found to be 2.165 +- 0.016 (stat) +- 0.059 (sys) x 10^21 years. This is the most precisely measured half-life of any 2\nu \beta \beta\ decay to date.
ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS TOWARDS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN MAINSTREAM CLASSES : THE CASE OF TEACHERS IN SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ZIMBABWE

Attitudes about inclusion are extremely complex and vary from teacher to teacher and school to school. This article explores how the teachers‟ attitudes can influence academic performance of students with disabilities in secondary schools of Zimbabwe. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design, with 50 secondary school teachers as participants from ten purposefully selected secondary schools in Umguza district. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers‟ favourable and unfavourable feelings towards their students with disabilities had a significant effect on their educational attainment. The results also showed that some teachers‟ frustration and negative attitudes influenced the students‟ academic performance. Labeling or classification of students, teachers‟ definition of students and low expectation can significantly affect the academic performance of students with disabilities. The study recommended that an effective teacher must have high expectations on all students without discriminating the less intelligent students or those with disabilities. It was further recommended that teachers should attend seminars and conferences to improve their knowledge about ways of practicing and accepting students with disabilities.
Origination and Extinction through the Phanerozoic: A New Approach

Temporal patterns of origination and extinction are essential components of many paleontological studies, but it has been difficult to obtain accurate rate estimates because the observed record of first and last appearances is distorted by the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here I analyze observed first and last appearances of marine animal and microfossil genera in a way that explicitly takes incompleteness and its variation into consideration. This approach allows estimates of true rates of origination and extinction throughout the Phanerozoic. Substantial support is provided for the proposition that most rate peaks in the raw data are real in the sense that they do not arise as a consequence of temporal variability in the overall quality of the fossil record. Even though the existence of rate anomalies is supported, their timing is nevertheless open to question in many cases. If one assumes that rates of origination and extinction are constant through a given stratigraphic interval, then peaks in revised origination rates tend to be displaced backward and extinction peaks forward relative to the peaks in the raw data. If, however, one assumes a model of pulsed turnover, with true originations concentrated at lower interval boundaries and true extinctions concentrated at upper interval boundaries, the apparent timing of extinction peaks is largely reliable at face value. Thus, whereas rate anomalies may well be real, precisely when they occurred is a question that cannot be answered definitively without independent support for a model of smooth versus pulsed rate variation. The pattern of extinction, particularly the major events, is more faithfully represented in the fossil record than that of origination. There is a tendency for the major extinction events to occur during stages in which the quality of the record is relatively high and for recoveries from extinctions to occur when the record is less complete. These results imply that interpretations of origination and extinction history that depend only on the existence of rate anomalies are fairly robust, whereas interpretations of the timing of events and the temporal covariation between origination and extinction may require substantial revision.
Reintroduction of captive-bred animals to the wild: Is the modern ark afloat?

The Hustain Nuru region of Mongolia’s Chentai Mountains is one of the country’s most pristine wild areas. Valleys and slopes harbour steppe vegetation such as fescue, brome grass and feathergrasses, while birch woods grow in the upper elevations of this relatively low lying mountainous region. A diverse range of wild fauna including marmots, lemmings, red deer, wild sheep, polecats, Pallas cat, lynx and wolves call the Hustain Nuru home. In an effort to conserve the biodiversity of this region, the Mongolian government initiated several measures to minimize human impact in the area including a prohibition on hunting and the grazing of domestic livestock. They were preparing for the return of one of Mongolia’s largest native mammal species, the Przewlaski’s horse, a low-slung, stocky equid with a thick neck, bristly erect mane and dorsal stripe. In June 1992, sixteen captive-born Przewalski’s horses, one of the last truly extant wild horse’s of modern times, arrived in the Mongolian capital city of Ulan Bator. The horses were quickly transported by truck to Hustain Nuru, approximately 115 kilometers distant, where they were kept in 45 – 65 hectare enclosures: step one in their preparation for life in the wild. Almost a year earlier, and halfway around the world, the much smaller, but equally famous black-footed ferret was taking its first tentative step back onto the wild short-grass prairie of Wyoming in the United States.
Conditional quantile screening in ultrahigh-dimensional heterogeneous data

To accommodate the heterogeneity that is often present in ultrahigh-dimensional data, we propose a conditional quantile screening method, which enables us to select features that contribute to the conditional quantile of the response given the covariates. The method can naturally handle censored data by incorporating a weighting scheme through redistribution of the mass to the right; moreover, it is invariant to monotone transformation of the response and requires substantially weaker conditions than do alternative methods. We establish sure independent screening properties for both the complete and the censored response cases. We also conduct simulations to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the proposed method, and compare it with existing approaches.
Is Cystatin C a powerful Predictor of Cardiovascular Diseases in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus? (Study on Egyptian patients)

Cystatin C is a non-glycosilated protein. It is used mainly as a biomarker of renal functions. Diabetes mellitus has been associated with serious complications. Diabetic nephropathy is the main risk factor for morbidity in diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted to assess the clinical value of Cystatin C (CysC) in the diagnosis of cardiovascular complications and diabetic nephropathy in type 2 Egyptian diabetic patients. Serum CysC level was determined in three groups of patients; Diabetics, diabetic nephropathy and diabetic cardiovascular, using ELIZA technique. CysC showed higher sensitivity in early kidney dysfunction and the different stages of nephropathy relative to the control group. C-reactive protein (CRP) showed significant difference in diabetic hypertensives group and in diabetic hypertensives suffering cardiac problems when compared to the control. We found that CysC had higher sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve than creatinine, microalbuminuria and CRP CysC is one of the most efficient markers for diagnosis of diabetic complications and may be used to assess mild kidney impairment in healthy individuals with high muscle mass.
Understanding of traditional knowledge and characterization of telesech - a fermented fish product of Tripura state

Fermented fish products are popular in the North east India because of their characteristic flavour and aroma. Telesech is a local name of salt-free fermented Setipinna phasa which is very popular amongst the people of Tripura in general. Higher cost of imported dry punti fish as well as high production cost and retail price of punti shidal necessitated the development of telesech from estuarine fish Setipinna phasa . The traditional method of its production has been studied and the biochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities of telesech has been evaluated. The p H, moisture, protein and lipid content of the product were found 6.21±0.13, 35.87±3.25, 28.38±0.63 and 16.98±1.71, respectively, indicated their stability at ambient temperature. The quality parameters like TVBN, AAN, PV and FFA showed a higher value. The total plate count and total fungal count were observed as 6.42 and 4.02 log cfu/ g, respectively. Predominant groups of bacteria were identified as Staphylococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. A sufficient numbers of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were also found. The product telesech was found to be contaminated with Salmonella which indicates lack of hygienic condition in processing and retail centres. Organoleptically the product was acceptable as the overall acceptability score was found 7.5±0.37.
Sub-seasonal Predictability of the Onset and Demise of the Rainy Season over Monsoonal Regions

Sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) retrospective forecasts from three global coupled models are used to evaluate the predictability of the onset and demise dates of the rainy season over monsoonal regions. The onset and demise dates of the rainy season are defined using only precipitation data. The forecasts of the onset and demise dates of the rainy season are based on a hybrid methodology that combines observations and simulations. Although skillful model precipitation predictions remain challenging in many regions, our results show that they are skillful enough to identify onset and demise dates of the rainy season in many monsoon regions at sub-seasonal (approximately 30 days) lead-times in retrospective forecasts. We verify sub-seasonal prediction skill for the onset and demise dates of the rainy season over South America, East Asia, and Northern Australia. However, we find low prediction skill for the onset and demise of the rainy season on sub-seasonal scales over the Indian monsoon region. This information would be valuable to sectors related to water management.
Approach to speed control using temperature characteristics of ultrasonic motor

Ultrasonic motors have some special unique features, such as high-torque under low-speed operation, compact size, and no electromagnetic noise. Ultrasonic motors would be expected to apply an element of the artificial muscle. The driving principle of the ultrasonic motor is based on friction force between a rotor and a stator. Therefore, it is difficult to drive the ultrasonic motor at a constant speed, because the generation of heat by friction changes the friction force. In this study, we proposed speed controllers of the ultrasonic motor, considering the temperature rise of the ultrasonic motor. From the results, these methods were proved the most effective for the speed control of the ultrasonic motor in experiments.
IL-4 and IL-10 modulation of CD40-mediated signaling of monocyte IL-1beta synthesis and rescue from apoptosis.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the interaction of CD40 on monocytes with CD40 ligand, present on activated CD4+ T cells, induces monocyte inflammatory cytokine synthesis and rescues monocytes from apoptosis. These findings suggest a role for CD40 signaling of monocyte activation in the maintenance and/or exacerbation of nonseptic (e.g., autoimmune) inflammatory responses. In the present study the effects of the modulatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 on CD40-mediated signaling of monocyte IL-1beta synthesis and rescue from apoptosis were examined. Both IL-4 and IL-10 decreased CD40-dependent IL-1beta synthesis in a dose-dependent manner individually and synergized in this effect when used concurrently, with minimal effect on CD40 surface expression. CD40 signaling of IL-1beta synthesis was shown to be dependent on the induction of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity, and both IL-4 and IL-10 diminished CD40-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of monocyte cellular proteins. However, IL-4, but not IL-10, blocked CD40-mediated rescue from apoptosis, an event that we have demonstrated previously to be dependent on PTK activity as well. Together these results suggest that in monocytes 1) both IL-4 and IL-10 target CD40-induced PTK activity in the down-regulation of IL-1beta synthesis; and 2) IL-4 and IL-10 have divergent effects on the CD40 signaling pathway, in that these cytokines are synergistic with respect to their abilities to inhibit CD40-mediated IL-1beta synthesis and differ in their abilities to block CD40-mediated rescue from apoptosis.