Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific

Whale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) this has not been extensively studied. To identify the effects of WW on the behavioral patterns of this species, we studied its traveling and resting behaviors in a locality of north-central Chile from 2015 to 2018. Using a theodolite, we calculated the response variables of swim speed, directness index, and reorientation for each behavior. We used the number of WW boats and the WW scenarios of “before”, “during”, and “after” the presence of boats as possible factors to explain the differences in the response variables of the whales, along with the factors of year, month, group size, and distance from the observation point. Reorientation increased significantly and the directness index decreased significantly for both traveling and resting behaviors from “before” to “during” WW scenarios, indicating more erratic and sinuous movements in the presence of boats. These changes in movement patterns are a commonly reported evasion response of cetaceans to the presence of WW boats. For traveling behavior, the swimming speed significantly increased, and trends showed increased reorientation and a decrease in the directness index in the “after” WW scenario, which suggests perturbation of the whales potentially associated with the speed and the direction in which the boats left. During resting behavior, the trajectories of the fin whales became straighter (decrease in reorientation) as the number of boats increased, thus evasion (more erratic and sinuous movements) is a behavior used less by fin whales as the number of boats increases. Notwithstanding the fact that tourism development in the study area is small in scale, we found that WW generates adverse effects that are reflected in changes in the whales’ movement patterns. This kind of information is valuable to the adjustment and/or design of management strategies for the species, which is fundamental for WW to continue to be a sustainable activity.
The Study of Key Reactions Shaping the Post-Main Sequence Evolution of Massive Stars in Underground Facilities

The chemical evolution of the Universe and several phases of stellar life are regulated by minute nuclear reactions. The key point for each of these reactions is the value of cross-sections at the energies at which they take place in stellar environments. Direct cross-section measurements are mainly hampered by the very low counting rate and by cosmic background; nevertheless, they have become possible by combining the best experimental techniques with the cosmic silence of an underground laboratory. In the nineties, the LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics) collaboration opened the era of underground nuclear astrophysics, installing first a homemade 50 kV and, later on, a second 400 kV accelerator under the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy: in 25 years of experimental activity, important reactions responsible for hydrogen burning could have been studied down to the relevant energies thanks to the high current proton and helium beams provided by the machines. The interest in the next and warmer stages of star evolution (i.e., post-main sequence and helium and carbon burning) drove a new project based on an ion accelerator in the MV range called LUNA-MV, able to deliver proton, helium, and carbon beams. The present contribution is aimed to discuss the state of the art for some selected key processes of post-main sequence stellar phases: 12C(α,γ)16O and 12C+12C are fundamental for helium and carbon burning phases, and 13C(α,n)16O and 22Ne(α,n)25Mg are relevant to the synthesis of heavy elements in AGB stars. The perspectives opened by an underground MV facility will be highlighted.
Mycobiome of Fraxinus excelsior With Different Phenotypic Susceptibility to Ash Dieback

For the last two decades, large-scale population decline of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) has occurred in Europe because of the introduction of the alien fungal pathogen, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, from East Asia. Since European ash is a keystone species having critical importance for biodiversity, and only a small percentage of the ash population appears to show some tolerance against the pathogen, the loss of ash trees means that other associated organisms, especially those with high or obligate associations to ash, are at risk of further species declines. In this study, we used high throughput DNA sequencing and multivariate analysis to characterize: (i) the mycobiome in aerial tissues (i.e., leaf, bark, and xylem) of ash trees showing different phenotypic response to ash dieback, (ii) the temporal variation in fungal communities across the growing season, and (iii) the similarity in fungal community structure between ash and other common trees species that may serve as an ecological niche substitute for ash microfungi. Results showed that fungal communities differed among the three tissue types, susceptibility classes, in time and between sites. Trophic analysis of functional groups using the FUNGuild tool indicated a higher presence of pathotrophic fungi in leaves than in bark and xylem. The share of pathotrophic fungi increased along a gradient of low to high disease susceptibility in both bark and xylem tissue, while the proportion of symbiotrophic fungi correspondingly decreased in both tissue types. Neighboring, alternative host trees did not share all the fungal species found in ash, however, most microfungi uniquely associated to ash in this study are generalists and not strictly host specific. The progressive disappearance of ash trees on the landscape imposes a high risk for extinction of Red-listed macrofungal species, and breeding for resistance against ash dieback should help sustain important biodiversity associated to ash. Microfungal diversity though may be less prone to such demise since most ash-associated endophytes appear to occur on a broad range of host species.
Early Life Intervention Using Probiotic Clostridium butyricum Improves Intestinal Development, Immune Response, and Gut Microbiota in Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) Larvae

Marine fish larvae are vulnerable during the early life period. The early intervention using probiotics may be a promising method to improve growth of fish larvae. In this study, a 30-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of early life intervention using probiotic Clostridium butyricum (CB) on growth performance, intestinal development, immune response and gut microbiota of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) larvae. Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with the supplementation of four different levels of CB (5 × 109 CFU g−1), 0.00% (Control), 0.10% (CB1), 0.20% (CB2), and 0.40% (CB3). Results showed that larvae fed diets with CB had significant higher final length than the control group. Meanwhile, larvae fed the diet with 0.10% CB had significant higher final weight and specific growth rate (SGR) than the control group. However, no significant difference in survival rate was observed among dietary treatments. CB supplementation significantly increased the height of intestinal villus and the length of intestinal enterocyte. Similarly, CB supplementation significantly increased the expression of tight zonula occludens-2 (zo-2) and ornithine decarboxylase (odc) than the control group. Larvae fed the diet with 0.20% CB had significant higher lipase and leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP) activity than the control group. Moreover, CB supplementation significantly improved immune enzyme activities than the control group. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA V4-5 region indicated that dietary CB altered intestinal microbiota profile and decreased intestinal microbial diversities of larvae. CB supplementation could effectively increase the abundance of CB, and decrease the abundance of some potential pathogenic bacteria in larval gut. These results revealed that early life intervention using 0.10–0.20% CB could promote growth of large yellow croaker larvae probably through promoting intestinal development, improving immune enzyme activities and modulating gut microbiota.
Influence of YES1 Kinase and Tyrosine Phosphorylation on the Activity of OCT1

Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) is a transporter that regulates the hepatic uptake and subsequent elimination of diverse cationic compounds. Although OCT1 has been involved in drug-drug interactions and causes pharmacokinetic variability of many prescription drugs, details of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the activity of OCT1 remain incompletely understood. Based on an unbiased phospho-proteomics screen, we identified OCT1 as a tyrosine-phosphorylated transporter, and functional validation studies using genetic and pharmacological approaches revealed that OCT1 is highly sensitive to small molecules that target the protein kinase YES1, such as dasatinib. In addition, we found that dasatinib can inhibit hepatic OCT1 function in mice as evidenced from its ability to modulate levels of isobutyryl L-carnitine, a hepatic OCT1 biomarker identified from a targeted metabolomics analysis. These findings provide novel insight into the post-translational regulation of OCT1 and suggest that caution is warranted with polypharmacy regimes involving the combined use of OCT1 substrates and kinase inhibitors that target YES1.
Unexpectedly High False-Positive Rates for Haemophilus influenzae Using a Meningoencephalitis Syndromic PCR Panel in Two Tertiary Centers

False-positive results in the diagnostic of meningitis and encephalitis pose important challenges. This study aimed to determine false-positive rates for Haemophilus influenzae in cerebrospinal fluids evaluated by the BioFire FilmArray® Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel. We conducted a retrospective study of all H. influenzae-positive FilmArray®. Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel results from June 2016 to October 2019 in two Swiss university hospitals. Cases were classified as true positive, likely true-positive, and likely false-positive results according to cerebrospinal fluid culture, H. influenzae-specific quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and Gram staining, as well as culture of other materials. We performed 3,082 panels corresponding to 2,895 patients: 0.6% of the samples (18/3,082) were positive for H. influenzae. Culture and H. influenzae-specific qPCR were performed on 17/18 (94.4%) and 3/18 (16.7%) cerebrospinal fluid samples, respectively; qPCR was negative in all cases. Among 17 samples sent for culture, 10 concerned patients were not treated with antibiotics prior to lumbar puncture. Only 1/17 revealed growth of H. influenzae and was classified as a true positive. We further classified 3/18 (16.7%) cases with the identification of Gram-negative rods in the cerebrospinal fluid or positive blood cultures for H. influenzae as likely true-positive and 14/18 (77.8%) cases as likely false-positive. Diagnostic results should always be interpreted together with the clinical presentation, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and other available microbiological results. All H. influenzae-positive results should be viewed with special caution and a H. influenzae-specific qPCR should be systematically considered.
Performance of the Surgical Pleth Index and Analgesia Nociception Index in Healthy Volunteers and Parturients

Various commercially available nociception devices have been developed to quantify intraoperative pain. The Surgical Pleth Index (SPI) and Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) are among the analgesic indices that have been widely used for the evaluation of surgical patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the SPI and ANI in conscious healthy volunteers and parturients. Ten healthy volunteers and 10 parturients participated in this study. An algometer was used to induce bone pain in the volunteers until they rated their pain as five on the numerical rating scale (NRS); this procedure was repeated during the administration of remifentanil or normal saline. The study comprised two periods, and the volunteers were infused with different solutions in each period: normal saline during one period and remifentanil during the other in a randomized order. The parturients’ SPI and ANI data were collected for 2 min when they rated their pain levels as 0, 5, and 7 on the NRS, respectively. Both the SPI and ANI values differed significantly between NRS 0 and NRS 5 (P < 0.001) in the volunteers, irrespective of the solution administered (remifentanil or normal saline). At NRS 5, the SPI showed similar values, irrespective of remifentanil administration, while the ANI showed significantly lower values on remifentanil administration (P = 0.028). The SPI and ANI values at NRS 5 and NRS 7 did not differ significantly in the parturients (P = 0.101 for SPI, P = 0.687 for ANI). Thus, the SPI and ANI were effective indices for detecting pain in healthy volunteers and parturients.
The Impact of Nutrients on Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights From the Literature

A good nutritional status is important for maintaining normal body function and preventing or mitigating the dysfunction induced by internal or external factors. Nutritional deficiencies often result in impaired function, and, conversely, intakes at recommended levels can resume or further enhance body functions. An increasing number of studies are revealing that diet and nutrition are critical not only for physiology and body composition, but also have significant effects on mood and mental well-being. In particular, Western dietary habits have been the object of several research studies focusing on the relationship between nutrition and mental health. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the relationship between the intake of specific micro- and macronutrients, including eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, alpha-tocopherol, magnesium and folic acid, and mental health, with particular reference to their beneficial effect on stress, sleep disorders, anxiety, mild cognitive impairment, as well as on neuropsychiatric disorders, all significantly affecting the quality of life of an increasing number of people. Overall data support a positive role for the nutrients mentioned above in the preservation of normal brain function and mental well-being, also through the control of neuroinflammation, and encourage their integration in a well-balanced and varied diet, accompanied by a healthy lifestyle. This strategy is of particular importance when considering the global human aging and that the brain suffers significantly from the life-long impact of stress factors.
Extensively Drug-Resistant Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae From a Series of Neonatal Sepsis in a Tertiary Care Hospital, India

The recent emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae with hypervirulent traits causing severe infections and considerable mortality is a global cause for concern. The challenges posed by these hypermucoviscous strains of K. pneumoniae with regard to their optimal treatment, management, and control policies are yet to be answered. We studied a series of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae ST5235 isolates with resistance to carbapenems and polymyxins causing neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital in India. A total of 9 K. pneumoniae isolates from 9 cases of neonatal sepsis were studied with respect to their clinical relevance, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, presence of extended spectrum β lactamase (ESBL) production, and responsible genes, carbapenemases (classes A, B, and D), and aminoglycoside-resistant genes. Hypervirulence genes encoding hypermucoid nature, iron uptake, and siderophores were detected by multiplex PCR. The plasmid profile was studied by replicon typing. Isolates were typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR to study the sequence types (STs) and clonal relation, respectively. The neonates in the studied cases had history of pre-maturity or low birth weight with maternal complications. All the cases were empirically treated with piperacillin–tazobactam and amikacin followed by imipenem/meropenem and vancomycin and polymyxin B as a last resort. However, all the neonates finally succumbed to the condition (100%). The studied isolates were XDR including resistance to polymyxins harboring multiple ESBL genes and carbapenemase genes (blaNDM and blaOXA−48). Hypervirulence genes were present in various combinations with rmpA/A2 genes present in all the isolates. IncFI plasmids were detected in these isolates. All belonged to ST5235. In ERIC PCR, 6 different clusters were seen. The study highlighted the emergence and burden of XDR hypervirulent isolates of K. pneumoniae causing neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital.
ANTIOXIDANT AND PHYTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF AEGLE MARMELOS FRUIT PULP

Aegle marmelos fruit pulp has been used as a remedy for gastrointestinal infections of human. This study reveals the antioxidant potentials of Aegle marmelos fruit pulp extracts. Standard methods were adopted to screen antioxidant and phytochemical nature of A. marmelos fruit pulp. Results of Phytochemical screening of the aqueous extract revealed the presence of steroid, terpinoids, saponins, tannis, lignin, flavonoids. Alcoholic extract showed the availability of alkaloids and devoid of saponin. In vitro antioxidant activity of the plant extract revealed that both the extracts showed good antioxidant power with IC50 value ranges for 37.11±3.50 to 158.99±59.46 µg/ml for aqueous extract and 35.02±8.10 to 283.06 ± 135. 80µg/ml for alcoholic extract.
Maternal and Child Undernutrition Progress 2 Mobilising evidence, data, and resources to achieve global maternal and child undernutrition targets and the Sustainable Development Goals: an agenda for action

As the world counts down to the 2025 World Health Assembly nutrition targets and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, millions of women, children, and adolescents worldwide remain undernourished (underweight, stunted, and deficient in micronutrients), despite evidence on effective interventions and increasing political commitment to, and financial investment in, nutrition. The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled health systems, exacerbated household food insecurity, and reversed economic growth, which together could set back improvements in undernutrition across low-income and middle-income countries. This paper highlights how the evidence base for nutrition, health, food systems, social protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions has evolved since the 2013 Lancet Series on maternal and child nutrition and identifies the priority actions needed to regain and accelerate progress within the next decade. Policies and interventions targeting the first 1000 days of life, including some newly identified since 2013, require renewed commitment, implementation research, and increased funding from both domestic and global actors. A new body of evidence from national and state-level success stories in stunting reduction reinforces the crucial importance of multisectoral actions to address the underlying determinants of undernutrition and identifies key features of enabling political environments. To support these actions, well-resourced nutrition data and information systems are essential. The paper concludes with a call to action for the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit to unite global and national nutrition stakeholders around common priorities to tackle a large, unfinished undernutrition agenda—now amplified by the COVID-19 crisis.
Biological effects and health implications in magnetic resonance imaging

In this work, the safety aspects of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) systems are reviewed. Focus is placed on the interaction between the electric and magnetic fields generated by such instruments and the human body. An understanding of these interactions has become ever more important with the push to higher field strengths. Knowledge of MRI safety can not only guide RF coil and pulse sequence design but can also affect sequence selections, thereby ensuring safe and efficient system operation. Due to the signal to noise advantages of high field MRI systems, increases in the static magnetic field are inevitable. However, in addition to the static magnetic field, power intense sequences, fast gradient switching, and localized imaging/spectroscopy all have the potential of subjecting the human body to intense magnetic and electric field fluctuations. This further accentuates the need for a detailed understanding of the effects of exposure to these fields. In this work, some of the issues addressed are new, while others are well established. In either case, it is hoped that this compilation will enable all of us to pay greater attention to these matters and increase the current state of understanding through novel experimental studies. The discussion broadens the range of radio frequency effects to the microwave limit. This was accomplished in view of the latest efforts for realization of ultra high field (UHF) human MRI. In this regard, recently constructed ultra high field whole body systems will provide a new testing ground for safety issues. The proliferation of high field (1.0–3.0 tesla), very high field (3.0–7.0 tesla), and ultra high field (≥7 tesla) whole body MRI's calls for a review of the safety literature that can guide future studies of critical health related issues. An effort has been made to present an up to date analysis of the biological effects within MR, covering a wide range of properties from cellular and physiological to clinical. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 12: 321–359, 2000
Effect of Hydrocyanic Acid Intake on Sensory Properties of Broiler Meat

A study was conducted to evaluate the sensory properties of meat obtained from broilers fed different levels of Cassava Flour Meal (CFM). Cassava Flour Meal was used to substitute maize at 0, 20 and 40% level. It was discovered that the weekly intake of 75.96mg /100g and 225.31mg/100g of Hydrocyanic Acid (HCN) significantly (p<0.05) led to an increase in cooking losses and a corresponding decrease in the cooking yield of meat obtained from birds fed HCN. The intake of HCN also affected (p<0.05) tenderness, juiciness and palatability in birds fed cassava flour meal based diets. It was concluded that the intake of HCN had a negative effect on the sensory parameters measured and that this effect is most felt in birds fed above 124.23 mg /100g of HCN.
Thermal generation of vacancies from voids in aluminium

Abstract The thermal generation kinetics of vacancies from octahedral voids in aluminium has been studied by the measurement of residual resistance due to vacancies generated during pulse heating of the specimen for short time, and also by electron microscopic observation of the voids. The vacancy generation curves saturated at the levels of 3. 2Δρ0 and 2. 3Δρ0 for the voids with edge length l = 6 nm at 543K and 573K, respectively, where Δρ0 is the resistivity due to the thermal equilibrium concentration of vacancies. For the voids with edge length l = 17nm the generation curves saturated at the levels of (1.02–1.05)Δρ0 for both temperatures. These results are consistent with a newly proposed model that takes account of diffusion limited vacancy generation from the edge and the surface parts of the voids, with the respective promotive energies of vacancy formation ΔE and ε. The new model yielded the best fit value sets ΔE = (0.16±0.01)eV and ε = 0 for the voids with l = 6nm, and ΔE = (0.04 ± 0.01) eV and ε = 0 for l = 17nm voids. These results indicate that the contribution from the surface part to the vacancy generation curves is dominant in the large voids, while the contribution from the edge part becomes significant in the small voids.