Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Sulfur Deprivation on Biomass Allocation , Mineral Composition and Fruit Quality of Tomato Plants

The aim of this work was to determine the influence of sulfur (S) deficiency on biomass allocation, mineral composition of vegetative plant organs and fruit quality of tomato plant grown in nutrient solution with two levels of sulfur, optimal supply or S deprivation one month after sowing. S deprivation was associated with reduction of total plant biomass, biomass allocation to leaves and fruit yield. In fruits of S-deprived plants, N and S concentration decreased, whereas concentrations of potassium and magnesium increased. Micronutrient concentrations in fruits little affected by S deprivation with the exception of decrease of Fe concentrations. In the fruits, S-deficiency reduced pH, brix values and soluble sugar concentrations. The radical scavenging activity (RSA %) was enhanced. This was due to increased concentrations of hydrophilic antioxidants, as the concentration of phenols increased, whereas the concentrations of the lipophilic antioxidants carotenoids were drastically reduced in S deprived plants.
A narrative review of the construct of hedonic hunger and its measurement by the Power of Food Scale

The term ‘hedonic hunger’ refers to one's preoccupation with and desire to consume foods for the purposes of pleasure and in the absence of physical hunger. The Power of Food Scale (PFS) was developed as a quantitative measure of this construct in 2009. Since then, over 50 published studies have used the PFS to predict appetite‐related outcomes including neural, cognitive, behavioural, anthropometric and clinical measures.
Rheological properties of oil-in water heat stable emulsions made from different stabilizers

Oil-in-water emulsions have attracted considerable attention in food industry due to their physical and rheological properties. These systems consist of small oil droplets dispersed in an aqueous medium. Numerous factors affect rheological properties of emulsions such as emulsion composition, process and storage conditions. In this study, effect of thermal treatment on oil in water emulsions containing 40 % oil was studied. The emulsions were prepared using xanthan gum, guar gum and carboxymethyl cellulose as stabilizer and polyoxyethylen sorbitan monooleat as emulsifier. A mixture design was used to define the percentage of each stabilizer to simulate wide range of emulsions. The emulsions were pasteurized at 87oC for 15 minutes. Rheological properties were studied using a Brookfield rotational viscometer. Thermal treatment had considerable influence on rheological properties of emulsions. Viscosity of all emulsions decreased after thermal treatment and stabilizers had a positive effect on this response. This behavior could be explained by the structural breakdown of the molecules due to the hydrodynamic forces generated and the increased alignment of the constituent molecules and hydrolization of stabilizers. All model emulsions exhibit non-newtonian pseudoplastic flow behavior often referred to as shear thinning (n<1). A non-linear relation between shear rate and shear stress can be observed. Shear stress versus shear rate data was successfully fitted to the Power-law model. Consistency coefficient (K) of emulsions decreased and flow behavior index (n) increased after thermal processing.
Scoliosis Curvature Follows Thoracic Organ Orientation.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study, Level of Evidence III OBJECTIVE. : To determine the relationship between internal organ orientation and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) convexity directionality SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA. : AIS affects 2-3% of the general population and demonstrations 80-99% right thoracic curve convexity. The mechanism of AIS as well as explanation for right-sided predominance is largely unknown. METHODS A retrospective chart review of all patients with dextrocardia from 2008-2018 was performed at a single institution. Upright chest x-rays and scoliosis x-rays were evaluated for scoliosis by measurement of Cobb angle. Chart review was performed to extract age, advanced imaging results, and surgical intervention. RESULTS Of 110 patients identified with dextrocardia, 19 patients exhibited radiographic features consistent with AIS (Cobb angle >10 degrees). Fifteen (79%) of these patients demonstrated left-sided thoracic curvature. Six patients showed isolated dextrocardia with normal abdominal organ orientation; five patients (83%) showed left-sided thoracic curvature. There was not a statistical difference with regards to gender or curve severity. MRI was performed on five patients with left-sided curvature without evidence of intra-spinal pathology. CONCLUSIONS Dextrocardia shows increased incidence of AIS in both male and female patients. Left-sided thoracic curvature in cases with concurrent dextrocardia may not be associated with intra-spinal pathology as seen in the general population. This data suggests that thoracic organ orientation affects AIS convexity directionality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4.
Prevalence of HIV infection, access to HIV care, and response to antiretroviral therapy among partners of HIV-infected individuals in Thailand

Background Health care providers usually focus on index HIV-infected patients and seldom obtain information from their partners. We aimed to determine HIV-preventative measures among couples, the prevalence of HIV infection, and treatment outcomes of partners. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospital settings, a university hospital in Bangkok and a general hospital in northeastern Thailand, from January 2011-October 2015. Factors associated with serodiscordant relationships were determined by logistic regression. Results A total of 393 couples were enrolled for analysis; 156 (39.7%) were serodiscordant. The median relationship duration of serodiscordant couples was shorter than that of seroconcordant couples (6.4 years vs 11.6 years, p < 0.001). Of 237 HIV-infected partners, 17.7% had AIDS-defining illness, the median nadir CD4 count (interquartile range) was 240 (96–427) cells/mm3, 83.5% received antiretroviral therapy (ART), 98.3% had adherence > 95%, 90.3% had undetectable HIV RNA, and 22.9% had a prior history of treatment failure. There was no significant difference in condom usage in the prior 30 days between serodiscordant and seroconcordant couples. Factors of index HIV-infected patients associated with serodiscordant relationships were younger age (odds ratio [OR] 1.04 per 5 years; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.06), receiving care at the general hospital (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.08–2.78), a shorter duration of relationship (OR 1.04 per year; 95% CI 1.01–1.07), a higher nadir CD4 count (OR 1.06 per 50 cells/mm3; 95% CI 1.1–1.13), and not receiving a protease inhibitor-based regimen (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.06–3.96). Conclusions A high number of serodiscordant couples was determined. Partners’ information should be retrieved as a holistic approach. Interventions for minimizing HIV transmission within serodiscordant couples should be evaluated and implemented.
Analysis of Stress Management among Professionals in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Stress is a universal phenomenon that essentially manifests itself in human as a result of pressure emanating from several experiences or challenging situation. Due to the nature of the construction industry which embraces a wide range of loosely integrated activities, stress becomes an issue of concern. This research work focuses on identifying the sources of stress among construction professionals, assessing the impact of stress on the productivity of professionals and examining ways of effectively managing stress level among construction professionals. To achieve these objectives, 100 questionnaires were administered to professionals in the construction industry out which 70 were returned and suitable for analysis. Using descriptive statistical analysis tool on the data obtained shows that insufficient finance/resources, staff shortage, and conflicting roles ranked highest as the main sources of stress. Delay in job completion, deterioration of power of organization and planning, increase in error rate during manipulative and cognitive task, depression and feeling of helplessness and over sensitivity are the major impact of stress on the productivity of professionals. In order to minimize stress, delegating some work, share burden with colleagues, leave and time off work with family and love ones, as well as reducing work overtime ranked highest as strategies for stress management. Based on the findings, it was concluded that stress has a great impact on the professionals and thereby affects the level of productivity. It was therefore recommended that professionals should exhibit self-control and good self-esteem; engage in continuous professional development on skills for better organization, integration of work within specified project constraints and delegation of assignment, authority and breaking work into manageable parts so as to be able to cope with stress.
The effect of a concentrated period of soccer-specific fitness training with small-sided games on physical fitness in youth players.

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether a concentrated period of small-sided games and high intensity training is an effective training approach in youth soccer players. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a concentrated period of soccer specific training on physical fitness in youth players. METHODS Nineteen male soccer players, from two teams, participated (mean age: 16.2±0.8 years; body mass: 58.2±7.6 kg; height: 170.8±7.7 cm). One team performed 5 days of small-sided games and high intensity training (SSG & HIT; N.=12) and the other team regular soccer training with 1 day of SSG and HIT (REG; N.=7) weekly for 4 weeks. The 30-15 intermittent fitness test (30-15 IFT), countermovement jump (CMJ) and change of direction (COD) performance were measured pre and post intervention. Heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded and session load calculated (RPE x minutes). RESULTS Average percentage of maximum HR and session load were 83% and 344 AU for the SSG & HIT versus 73% and 253 AU for the REG (P<0.05). 30-15 IFT improved for the SSG & HIT (from 17.0±1.1 to 18.4±0.8 km/h; P<0.05; ES=0.57) with no difference for the REG group (Pre: 17.9±1.3, Post: 18.2±1.6 km/h, ES=0.10). CMJ and COD were unchanged in both groups and no injuries were reported. CONCLUSIONS A 4-week concentrated period of daily SSG & HIT is effective for improving endurance performance in youth soccer players. This was without injuries and without negating performance in power and change of direction.
Pressure Plate Fixation according to Brunner & Weber for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Non-Union of the Femur. A Theoretical-Biomechanical Analysis

Most femoral fractures heal well with appropriate treatment. Failure of a fracture to heal is often multifactorial [14]. Fractures in the metaphyseal-diaphyseal transition zone that are provoked by the dissipation of high energy are notorious for their complications; such as infections, non-union, malunion [5-9]. Delayed union implies slow healing, longer than is reasonably expected for a given fracture. Non-union occurs when a fracture has ceased to show any evidence of healing, as indicated by persistent fracture lines, sclerosis at the fragment ends and hypertrophic or absent callus. ‘Wave’ plate fixation is a form of bridging plate fixation which also tries to enhance the ‘tension band‘effect by increasing the offset of an appropriately contoured plate from the loading axis of the femur [2,10].
Preclinical assessment of antiviral combination therapy in a genetically humanized mouse model for hepatitis delta virus infection

An inbred mouse model for HDV infection can be used to study virally induced immune responses and for testing antiviral therapeutics. Diving into hepatitis delta virus Although it is a major burden of hepatitis-related disease, there are no specific treatments for hepatitis delta virus (HDV), which depends on hepatitis B virus to replicate. Winer et al. developed a transgenic mouse model to study HDV and test therapeutic interventions. They observed immune responses and effects on the liver, as well as tested drug candidates. This model could help open up the pipeline for future HDV treatments. Chronic delta hepatitis, caused by hepatitis delta virus (HDV), is the most severe form of viral hepatitis, affecting at least 20 million hepatitis B virus (HBV)–infected patients worldwide. HDV/HBV co- or superinfections are major drivers for hepatocarcinogenesis. Antiviral treatments exist only for HBV and can only suppress but not cure infection. Development of more effective therapies has been impeded by the scarcity of suitable small-animal models. We created a transgenic (tg) mouse model for HDV expressing the functional receptor for HBV and HDV, the human sodium taurocholate cotransporting peptide NTCP. Both HBV and HDV entered hepatocytes in these mice in a glycoprotein-dependent manner, but one or more postentry blocks prevented HBV replication. In contrast, HDV persistently infected hNTCP tg mice coexpressing the HBV envelope, consistent with HDV dependency on the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) for packaging and spread. In immunocompromised mice lacking functional B, T, and natural killer cells, viremia lasted at least 80 days but resolved within 14 days in immunocompetent animals, demonstrating that lymphocytes are critical for controlling HDV infection. Although acute HDV infection did not cause overt liver damage in this model, cell-intrinsic and cellular innate immune responses were induced. We further demonstrated that single and dual treatment with myrcludex B and lonafarnib efficiently suppressed viremia but failed to cure HDV infection at the doses tested. This small-animal model with inheritable susceptibility to HDV opens opportunities for studying viral pathogenesis and immune responses and for testing novel HDV therapeutics.
Detection and Characterization of Salmonella Serotypes in the Production Chain of Two Pig Farms in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in the pork production chain and to characterize Salmonella isolates. From 764 samples, 35 (4.6%) were positive for Salmonella spp. , as determined by biochemical tests and the presence of the invA gene. From these, 2.6, 2.0, 8.8, and 8.0% corresponded to samples collected from farms, slaughterhouses, boning rooms and retail markets, respectively. Salmonella strains were classified into five serotypes and distributed as follows: S. Typhimurium in the pork production chain, S. Kentucky in farms and slaughterhouses, S. Brandenburg in slaughterhouses, S. Livingstone in farms and S. Agona in boning rooms and retail markets. Interestingly, the antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that all 35 Salmonella spp. -positive isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 30 were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and resistant to different classes of antibiotics. The enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) analysis showed clonal relatedness among strains isolated from farms, boning rooms and retail markets. The presence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in food poses a potential health hazard to consumers.
Within-a-Day Detection and Rapid Characterization of Carbapenemase by Use of a New Carbapenem Inactivation Method-Based Test, CIMplus

The dissemination of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is a major threat to public health. Rapid and accurate detection of CPE is essential for initiating appropriate antimicrobial treatment and establishing infection control measures. ABSTRACT The dissemination of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is a major threat to public health. Rapid and accurate detection of CPE is essential for initiating appropriate antimicrobial treatment and establishing infection control measures. The carbapenem inactivation method (CIM), which has good sensitivity and specificity but a detection time of 20 h, was recently described. In this study, we evaluated the performances of a new version, the CIMplus test, which allows detection of carbapenemases in 8 h and characterization of carbapenemase classes, according to the Ambler classification, in 20 h. A panel of 110 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains, including 92 CPE strains (with NDM, VIM, IMP, KPC, GES, OXA-48, and OXA-48-like enzymes), was used to evaluate test performance. Carbapenemase activity was detected at 8 h and 20 h. Characterization of carbapenemase classes, using specific inhibitors, was possible in 20 h. The CIMplus test had sensitivities of 95.7% and 97.8% at 8 h and 20 h, respectively, and a specificity of 94.4%, independent of the culture duration. Using a decision algorithm, this test was successful in identifying the carbapenemase class for 98.9% of tested CPE isolates (87/88 isolates). In total, the characterization was correct for 100%, 96.9%, and 100% of Ambler class A, B, and D isolates, respectively. Therefore, this test allows detection of carbapenemase activity in 8 h and characterization of carbapenemase classes, according to the Ambler classification, in 20 h. The CIMplus test represents a simple, affordable, easy-to-read, and accurate tool that can be used without any specific equipment.
Deep Convolutional Neural Network for ECG-based Human Identification

In this work, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) is developed to identify individuals using their electrocardiogram (ECG) signals that are collected by OMsignal apparel from 33 women while doing their daily activities. The signature windows including 10 consecutive heart beats are extracted from the filtered ECG signal to be applied to the CNN model. The network performance is evaluated on validation and testing data sets. On validation and testing data sets created from different recordings of the same participants, an overall window accuracy of 95.25% and 95.95% are respectively achieved. Using majority voting classification across all collected windows, 100% of the participants with more than five ECG daily recordings are correctly identified. One of the main advantages of this work besides high accuracy, is to simplify the feature extraction process and to remove the need for extracting hand-crafted features unlike coventional methods available in the literature.
Predicting While Comprehending Language: A Theory and Review

Researchers agree that comprehenders regularly predict upcoming language, but they do not always agree on what prediction is (and how to differentiate it from integration) or what constitutes evidence for it. After defining prediction, we show that it occurs at all linguistic levels from semantics to form, and then propose a theory of which mechanisms comprehenders use to predict. We argue that they most effectively predict using their production system (i.e., prediction-by-production): They covertly imitate the linguistic form of the speaker’s utterance and construct a representation of the underlying communicative intention. Comprehenders can then run this intention through their own production system to prepare the predicted utterance. But doing so takes time and resources, and comprehenders vary in the extent of preparation, with many groups of comprehenders (non-native speakers, illiterates, children, and older adults) using it less than typical native young adults. We thus argue that prediction-by-production is an optional mechanism, which is augmented by mechanisms based on association. Support for our proposal comes from many areas of research (electrophysiological, eye-tracking, and behavioral studies of reading, spoken language processing in the context of visual environments, speech processing, and dialogue).
Prototypes are Key Heuristic Information in Insight Problem Solving

Evidence from a range of fields indicates that inventions are often inspired by drawing a parallel to solutions found in nature. However, the cognitive mechanism of this process is not well understood. The cognitive mechanism of heuristic prototype in scientific innovation was tested with 3 experiments. First, 84 historical accounts of important scientific innovations were collected and the prototype solution underlying them was extracted. Experiment 1 tested the validity of these materials and showed that knowledge of the prototype facilitated insight solutions. Experiment 2 and 3 suggested that activation of the prototype was indeed the critical element in the process of insight. Also, the mechanism of this activation was linked to the semantic similarity between the feature function of the prototype and the required function of the problem. In addition, Experiment 3 showed that participants who were better at excluding interference information more readily activated the relevant prototype. To sum up, the experiments suggested that activating a memory of the heuristic prototype was important in solving scientific innovation insight problems. Activating the feature function of right heuristic prototype and linking it by way of semantic similarity to the required function of the problem was the key mechanism people used to solve scientific insight problem.
Breeding for robust sows : Association between leg conformation , fertility and sow stayability

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the possibility to breed for robust sows by improving the leg quality and conformation traits. The specific goals were to estimate the genetic correlations between leg conformation, reproduction and longevity in Swedish and Danish sows; and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) as well as possible causal genes underlying leg conformation traits in pigs. Data on leg conformation traits recorded on young pigs in Sweden and Denmark was used in this thesis. In study 1 and 2, the heritabilities of leg conformation traits and their correlations with reproduction and longevity traits in Swedish Yorkshire pigs were estimated. Heritability estimates for leg conformation traits were relatively low, and higher if estimated with a linear-threshold model compared with a linear model. Good leg conformation was favourably correlated with reproduction in study 1 and with sow stayability in study 2. These findings indicate that breeding for better legs would increase the sow reproductive performance and reduce the risk of being early culled. The genetic correlation between leg conformation, reproduction and longevity were examined in Danish Landrace and Yorkshire pigs (study 3). Heritability estimates were low for leg conformation and low to moderate for longevity traits. Both leg conformation and reproduction traits were favourable correlated with longevity traits, implying the potential of improving longevity by selecting for leg conformation and early reproduction traits. A genome-wide association study was performed (study 4) to identify possible genes affecting conformation traits in three Danish pig breeds (Landrace, Yorkshire and Duroc). A number of associated QTL regions and diverse candidate genes indicate the complex genetic background of conformation. These traits might be controlled by several genes involved in different biological processes including bone and skeleton development, muscle and fat metabolism and body growth. Meta-analyses can improve the power to detect QTLs compared with single trait association analysis.