Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pollen mixing in pollen generalist solitary bees: a possible strategy to complement or mitigate unfavourable pollen properties?

Generalist herbivorous insects, which feed on plant tissue that is nutritionally heterogeneous or varies in its content of secondary metabolites, often benefit from dietary mixing through more balanced nutrient intake or reduced exposure to harmful secondary metabolites. Pollen is similarly heterogeneous as other plant tissue in its content of primary and secondary metabolites, suggesting that providing their offspring with mixed pollen diets might be a promising strategy for pollen generalist bees to complement nutrient imbalances or to mitigate harmful secondary metabolites of unfavourable pollen. In the present study, we compared larval performance of the pollen generalist solitary bee species Osmia cornuta (Megachilidae) on five experimental pollen diets that consisted of different proportions of unfavourable pollen diet of Ranunculus acris (Ranunculaceae) and favourable pollen diet of Sinapis arvensis (Brassicaceae). In addition, we microscopically analysed the pollen contained in the scopal brushes of field-collected females of O. cornuta and three closely related species to elucidate to what degree these pollen generalist bees mix pollen of different hosts in their brood cells. In striking contrast to a pure Ranunculus pollen diet, which had a lethal effect on most developing larvae of O. cornuta, larval survival, larval development time and adult body mass of both males and females remained nearly unaffected by the admixture of up to 50% of Ranunculus pollen diet to the larval food. Between 42% and 66% of all female scopal pollen loads analysed contained mixtures of pollen from two to six plant families, indicating that pollen mixing is a common behaviour in O. cornuta and the three related bee species. The present study provides the first evidence that the larvae of pollen generalist bees can benefit from the nutrient content of unfavourable pollen without being negatively affected by its unfavourable chemical properties if such pollen is mixed with favourable pollen. We conclude that the widespread pollen mixing by females of pollen generalist bees should also be considered as a possible strategy to exploit flowers with unfavourable pollen and to optimize larval food quality.
An electronic DNA sensor chip using integrated capacitive read-out circuit

This paper presents fully integrated label-free DNA recognition circuit based on capacitance measurement. A CMOS-based DNA sensor is implemented for the electrical detection of DNA hybridization. The proposed architecture detects the difference of capacitance through the integration of current mismatch of capacitance between reference electrodes functionalized with only single-stranded DNA and sensing electrodes bound with complementary DNA strands specifically. In addition, to minimize the effects of parallel resistance between electrodes and DNA layers, the compensation technique of leakage current through the use of constant current charging and discharging is implemented in the proposed detection circuit. The chip was fabricated in 0.35um 4-metal 2-poly CMOS process, and 16×8 sensing electrode arrays were fabricated by post-processing steps.
Ectoparasitism and stress hormones: strategy of host exploitation, common host-parasite history and energetics matter.

Parasites are thought to have numerous negative effects on their hosts. These negative effects may be associated with stress in a host. We evaluated the effects of four species of flea ectoparasites (Parapulex chephrenis, Synosternus cleopatrae, Xenopsylla conformis and Xenopsylla ramesis) on non-specific responses of eight species of rodents (Meriones crassus, Gerbillus dasyurus, Gerbillus andersoni, Gerbillus pyramidum, Gerbillus nanus, Acomys cahirinus, Acomys russatus and Mesocricetus auratus) and measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolites concentrations (FGMC) produced by the hosts. We found no effect of body mass of an individual rodent on FGMCs. Parasitism by fleas with a 'stay on the host body' exploitation strategy was associated with higher host FGMCs than parasitism by fleas that spent most of their life 'off-host'. FGMCs among rodents infested by the same flea species were correlated positively with the phylogenetic distance of a given rodent from the principal host of this flea; changes in FGMCs were lower in the host species more closely related to the flea's principal host. Changes in FMGCs of a host while parasitized were correlated with a host's change in body mass, where hosts that lost more body mass had higher FGMCs. Our results suggest that ectoparasitism can be stressful to their hosts. However, the occurrence of parasite-induced stress seems to depend on the identity of both host and parasite species and the evolutionary history of a host-parasite association. To our knowledge, this is the first multispecies study to evaluate the effect of ectoparasites on glucocorticoid hormones in small mammals.
Gait initiation evaluation after deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease: A 7-year follow-up

This study evaluated the long-term effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) on gait initiation. Six Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who had undergone DBS-STN and 31 control subjects were evaluated. PD subjects were assessed at two different time periods: 11.3 ± 10.3 (P1) and 78.9 ± 10.6 (P2) months after surgery. Subjects under stimulation were tested in two conditions: without medication and with medication. Principal components (PC) analysis was separately applied on vertical, anterior-posterior and medial-lateral ground reaction force (GRF) from gait initiation, during the anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) phase. Three PC scores were chosen by the scree test for each GRF component. The higher loading factors pointed to major differences between controls and PD patients on maximum APA amplitude for vertical and anterior-posterior GRF. Friedman test showed a significant difference in standard distance among conditions (P = 0.006), with the post-hoc test recognizing differences only between P1 and P2 in the medication-on condition. All distances increased in the follow-up evaluation (P2), when considering the same medication condition, indicating a worsening in gait initiation after 7 years of follow-up.
Different foraging preferences of hummingbirds on artificial and natural flowers reveal mechanisms structuring plant-pollinator interactions.

In plant-pollinator networks, the floral morphology of food plants is an important determinant of the interaction niche of pollinators. Studies on foraging preferences of pollinators combining experimental and observational approaches may help to understand the mechanisms behind patterns of interactions and niche partitioning within pollinator communities. In this study, we tested whether morphological floral traits were associated with foraging preferences of hummingbirds for artificial and natural flower types in Costa Rica. We performed field experiments with artificial feeders, differing in length and curvature of flower types, to quantify the hummingbirds' interaction niche under unlimited nectar resources. To quantify the interaction niche under real-world conditions of limited nectar resources, we measured foraging preferences of hummingbirds for a total of 34 plant species. Artificial feeders were visited by Eupherusa nigriventris and Phaethornis guy in the pre-montane forest, and Lampornis calolaemus in the lower montane forest. Under experimental conditions, all three hummingbird species overlapped their interaction niches and showed a preference for the short artificial flower type over the long-straight and the long-curved flower types. Under natural conditions, the two co-occurring hummingbird species preferred to feed on plant species with floral traits corresponding to their bill morphology. The short-billed hummingbird E. nigriventris preferred to feed on short and straight flowers, whereas the long- and curved-billed P. guy preferred long and curved natural flowers. The medium-size billed species L. calolaemus preferred to feed on flowers of medium length and did not show preferences for plant species with specific corolla curvature. Our results show that floral morphological traits constrain access by short-billed hummingbird species to nectar resources. Morphological constraints, therefore, represent one important mechanism structuring trophic networks. In addition, other factors, such as competition and differences in resource quantity or quality, define the interaction niches of consumer species in real-world communities, enforcing patterns of niche segregation between co-occurring consumer species. This suggests that experimental studies are needed to disentangle effects of morphological constraints from those of competition for resources in plant-pollinator interactions and other types of trophic interactions.
Czech studies of lung cancer risk from radon

Epidemiological evidence of lung cancer risk from radon is based mainly on studies of men employed underground in mines. One such study among uranium miners was established in 1970 by Josef Sevc. During the 1980s, another occupational study followed. In 1989, Sevc designed a new large cohort study among inhabitants exposed to high radon concentrations in homes. The paper reports recent results from extended follow-up of the two occupational cohorts and results from the residential study covering the period 1960–1999. A total of 915 and 216 cases of lung cancer were observed in the occupational and residential studies, respectively. These numbers not only allow evaluation of the risk from low and high exposures, but also the effect of temporal modifying factors and a comparison of the risk from occupational and residential exposure. Results of recent follow-up confirmed previous findings that excess relative risk from radon depends linearly on cumulative exposure experienced more than five years previously. In the occupational cohort, this relationship is strongly modified by time since exposure, age at exposure, and exposure rate. The effect from exposure more than 25 years ago was less than 7% of the risk related to exposure 5–14 years ago. Similar temporal patterns were observed in the residential cohort. The effect from unit exposure decreased to 29% after 20 years when compared to a period 5–19 years. In addition, the risk of lung cancer in the latter study is analysed using individual information on smoking habits. The estimate of the excess relative risk per standard unit concentration of radon gas (100 Bq/m³) is in line with findings from other residential studies. Adjustment for smoking did not change the estimate, however the risk among those who had never smoked was found higher by factor of nearly 2. In terms of detriment, the risk from concentrations of radon gas 1 kBq/m³ experienced 5–34 years previously in houses is approximately equal to the risk in mines with exposure rate 1 WLM/y and lasting for the same period.
The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs Are Destroying the Miracle

"Mr. Williams came in last night. It looks like secondary staph pneumonia, with septic emboli. The ward team has him on vancomycin, ceftriaxone, ampicillin-sulbactam, and ciprofloxacin until the cultures are back. " And so it goes: patient after patient on high-dose, multidrug therapy, for infections caused by progressively resistant microorganisms. Seeing this and similar patients on a daily basis brings home the truth of The Antibiotic Paradox . Dr Stuart B. Levy's new book describes the "antibiotic age," from the use of penicillin in survivors of the Coconut Grove fire in 1942, through the development of antimicrobial resistance, to a frightening future in which antibiotics as we know them today may be obsolete. Dr Levy is an internationally recognized expert on resistance and an outspoken critic of the widespread misuse of antibiotics. He is president of the Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics, an international organization founded in 1981 to collect and
Incapacidade funcional, sintomas depressivos e dor lombar em idosos

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain modifies and limits both physical and psychosocial aspects of elderly life and often requires changes that cause disorders personal, family, reduced functional capacity. OBJECTIVE: To verify the prevalence of non-specific low back pain (LBP) in a sample of community-dwelling elderly and to determine the existing correlation between the variables: sex, body mass index, functional disability and depressive symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four healthy community-dwelling elderly joined this study (72 ± 5.2 years). The clinical, social and demographic characteristics were assessed through a semi-structured questionnaire and the LBP, through the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The Rolland Morris Questionnaire (RM-BR) was used to measure the disability of the subjects with spine dysfunctions. Depressive symptoms and the general level of physical activity were assessed, respectively, by using the reduced version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS¬¬-15) and the Human Activity Profile. RESULTS: A high positive correlation was found between the presence of DL, functional disability (RM-BR) (rs = 0.774, p = 0.00) and depressive symptoms (GDS-15) (rs = 0.271, p = 0.048). No correlation was evidenced between BMI (rs = 0.178; p = 0.197), sex (rs = -0.073; p = 0.599) and LBP. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of non-specific LBP in the sample elderly studied was observed. Functional disability and depression were shown to be strongly associated with DL conditions in elderly community need to be addressed for greater effectiveness of the proposed therapeutic.
AB0677 Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 Scores Correlate Well with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index in the Assessment of Disease Activity and Monitoring Progression of Ankylosing Spondylitis

Background Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) is a composite tool unique to measure disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) just as Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) is for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) is another composite tool that measures physical function, pain and patient global assessment in various rheumatic diseases. It correlates well with DAS28 in RA. If RAPID3 can also be used to assess disease activity in AS it may save time and costs in busy practices. Objectives To study the association between BASDAI and RAPID3 in patients with AS, and to obtain a cut-off value for RAPID3 which correlates with BASDAI of 4 (indicative of high disease activity). Methods An electronic medical record search identified 157 patients with AS at our university who were followed between 2007 to 2012. Of these, 113 patients had BASDAI and RAPID3 measured at each visit (intervals ranged from 1 to 57 months). Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) determined a cut-off of RAPID3 best correlating with BASDAI ≥4. RAPID3 captures both pain and function, but BASDAI measures predominantly pain without function, so multiple non linear regression modeled BASDAI with RAPID3 and RAPID32 while controlling for visit number. Individual BASDAI and RAPID3 scores and summaries were plotted and compared over time. Results Of 113 patients, 75 (66%) were male and 38 (34%) were female, age averaged 44.3 (SD: 13.7), disease duration averaged 8.4 years (SD 9), 77 (61%) had more than one visit, and 36 (39%) had only one. At baseline BASDAI and RAPID3 averaged 4.17 and 3.79 respectively. BASDAI was explained by RAPID3 (b =1.218; s.e. =0.110, p<0.001), RAPID32 (b = -0.045; s.e. =0.014, p=0.002), and visit number (b = -0.141; s.e. =0.038, p<0.001) with adjusted R2 =0.691. RAPID3 cut-off was 3.33 for 82.4% correct classification, 87.5% sensitivity and 78.8% specificity. Conclusions RAPID3 correlates well with BASDAI, and along with pain, it provides additional information about patient function. Since it also correlates with measures of disease activity in RA and other rheumatic diseases, RAPID3 could be an attractive measure to be used in busy rheumatology practices. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1321
HUMAN IMMUNITY TO THE MENINGOCOCCUS

The group-specific polysaccharides of group A and group C meningococci have been isolated by a new procedure which employs the cationic detergent Cetavlon to precipitate these polysaccharides from the whole culture. The A and C polysaccharide prepared by this method are noteworthy because they are of high molecular weight. The main constituent of the A polysaccharide is N-acetyl, O-acetyl mannosamine phosphate; of the C polysaccharide N-acetyl, O-acetyl neuraminic acid. This purification procedure, when applied to cultures of group B organisms, yields a polysaccharide consisting primarily of N-acetyl neuraminic acid. A passive hemagglutination test developed to measure antibodies to the polysaccharides demonstrated the specificity of these antigens. Using a hemagglutination inhibition test, these antigens were again found to be group-specific, and this test could be used for serogrouping meningococcal isolates.
Intravenous PEG-asparaginase during remission induction in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Over the past several decades, L-asparaginase, an important component of therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), has typically been administered intramuscularly rather than intravenously in North America because of concerns regarding anaphylaxis. We evaluated the feasibility of giving polyethylene glycosylated (PEG)-asparaginase, the polyethylene glycol conjugate of Escherichia coli L-asparaginase, by intravenous infusion in children with ALL. Between 2005 and 2007, 197 patients (age, 1-17 years) were enrolled on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium Protocol 05-01 and received a single dose of intravenous PEG-asparaginase (2500 IU/m(2)) over 1 hour during remission induction. Serum asparaginase activity more than 0.1 IU/mL was detected in 95%, 88%, and 7% of patients at 11, 18, and 25 days after dosing, respectively. Toxicities included allergy (1.5%), venous thrombosis (2%), and pancreatitis (4.6%). We conclude that intravenous administration of PEG-asparaginase is tolerable in children with ALL, and potentially therapeutic enzyme activity is maintained for at least 2 weeks after a single dose in most patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as #NCT00400946.
Land‐use type and intensity differentially filter traits in above‐ and below‐ground arthropod communities

Along with the global decline of species richness goes a loss of ecological traits. Associated biotic homogenization of animal communities and narrowing of trait diversity threaten ecosystem functioning and human well-being. High management intensity is regarded as an important ecological filter, eliminating species that lack suitable adaptations. Below-ground arthropods are assumed to be less sensitive to such effects than above-ground arthropods. Here, we compared the impact of management intensity between (grassland vs. forest) and within land-use types (local management intensity) on the trait diversity and composition in below- and above-ground arthropod communities. We used data on 722 arthropod species living above-ground (Auchenorrhyncha and Heteroptera), primarily in soil (Chilopoda and Oribatida) or at the interface (Araneae and Carabidae). Our results show that trait diversity of arthropod communities is not primarily reduced by intense local land use, but is rather affected by differences between land-use types. Communities of Auchenorrhyncha and Chilopoda had significantly lower trait diversity in grassland habitats as compared to forests. Carabidae showed the opposite pattern with higher trait diversity in grasslands. Grasslands had a lower proportion of large Auchenorrhyncha and Carabidae individuals, whereas Chilopoda and Heteroptera individuals were larger in grasslands. Body size decreased with land-use intensity across taxa, but only in grasslands. The proportion of individuals with low mobility declined with land-use intensity in Araneae and Auchenorrhyncha, but increased in Chilopoda and grassland Heteroptera. The proportion of carnivorous individuals increased with land-use intensity in Heteroptera in forests and in Oribatida and Carabidae in grasslands. Our results suggest that gradients in management intensity across land-use types will not generally reduce trait diversity in multiple taxa, but will exert strong trait filtering within individual taxa. The observed patterns for trait filtering in individual taxa are not related to major classifications into above- and below-ground species. Instead, ecologically different taxa resembled each other in their trait diversity and compositional responses to land-use differences. These previously undescribed patterns offer an opportunity to develop management strategies for the conservation of trait diversity across taxonomic groups in permanent grassland and forest habitats.
Field manipulations of resources mediate the transition from intraspecific competition to facilitation

Population density affects individual performance, though its effects are often mixed. For sessile species, increases in population density typically reduce performance. Still, cases of positive density-dependence do occur in sessile systems and demand explanation. The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that under stressful conditions, positive effects of facilitation may outweigh the negative effects of competition. While some elements of the SGH are well studied, its potential to explain intraspecific facilitation has received little attention. Further, there have been questions regarding whether the SGH holds if the stressor is a resource. Most studies of interactions between the environment and intraspecific facilitation have relied on natural environmental gradients; manipulative studies are much rarer. To test the effects of intraspecific density and resources, we manipulated resource availability over natural population densities for the marine bryozoan Watersipora subtorquata. We found negative effects of density on colony performance in low resource environments, but mainly positive density-dependence in high resource environments. By adding resources, competition effects were reduced and the positive effects of facilitation were revealed. Our results suggest that resource availability mediates the relative strength of competition and facilitation in our system. We also suggest that intraspecific facilitation is more common than may be appreciated and that environmental variation may mediate the balance between negative and positive density-dependence.