Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using chitosan nanoparticles and N-acetyl thiazolidine 4-carboxylic acid for olive trees efficiency raising, improving fruits properties and oil quality.

Recently exposure of olive trees to many stresses particularly oil varieties led to decline in the olive yield. The target of the study is to improve vegetative growth and increase olive fruits quality as well as the fruit oil % and oil quality by applying chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) and N-acetyl thiazolidine 4-carboxylic acid (N-ATCA) under the conditions of Egypt. The experiment was carried out in the seasons of 2021 and 2022 on Arbosana olive trees 8 years old and 4×6 m apart the trees sprayed three times on 15th Sept. , 1st Oct. and 15th Oct. with (CHNPs at 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm), (N-ATCA at 50, 100 and 150 ppm) and a combination between them and evaluate the vegetative growth of trees, fruit physiochemical characteristics, and oil properties during both study seasons. The application of CHNPs and N-ATCA and a combination of them led to increasing leaf area, total chlorophyll and proline content also increment fruit weight, flesh weight, oil color and oil % moreover improving the quality of produced oil. The improvement in growth, fruit quality, oil % and oil quality, were associated with increasing concentrations of CHNPs, N-ATCA and a combination of them especially (CHNPs at 1500 ppm + N-ATCA at 100 ppm and CHNPs at 1500 ppm + N-ATCA at 150 ppm). Spraying (CHNPs at 1500 ppm + N-ATCA at 150 ppm) is recommended to improve the tree growth, fruit quality, oil % and quality of Arbosana olive.
A follow-up study on the recovery and reinfection of Omicron COVID-19 patients in Shanghai, China

ABSTRACT Limited follow-up data is available on the recovery of Omicron COVID-19 patients after acute illness. It is also critical to understand persistence of neutralizing antibody (NAb) and of T-cell mediated immunity and the role of hybrid immunity in preventing SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. This prospective cohort study included Omicron COVID-19 individuals from April to June 2022 in Shanghai, China, during a large epidemic caused by the Omicron BA.2 variant. A total of 8945 patients from three medical centres were included in the follow up programme from November 2022 to February 2023. Of 6412 individuals enrolled for the long COVID analysis, 605 (9.4%) individuals experienced at least one sequelae, mainly had fatigue and mental symptoms specific to Omicron BA.2 infection compared with other common respiratory tract infections. During the second-visit, 548 (12.1%) cases of Omicron reinfection were identified. Hybrid immunity with full and booster vaccination had reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by 0.29-fold (95% CI: 0.63–0.81) and 0.23-fold (95% CI: 0.68–0.87), respectively. For 469 participants willing to the hospital during the first visit, those who received full (72 [IQR, 36–156]) or booster (64 [IQR, 28–132]) vaccination had significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers than those with incomplete vaccination (36 [IQR, 16–79]). Moreover, non-reinfection cases had higher neutralizing antibody titers (64 [IQR, 28–152]) compared to reinfection cases (32 [IQR, 20–69]).
Fuzapladib reduces postsurgical inflammation in the intestinal muscularis externa

Postoperative ileus (POI) is a surgical complication that induces emesis and anorexia. Fuzapladib (FUZ), an inhibitor of leukocyte-function-associated antigen type 1 (LFA-1) activation, a leukocyte adhesion molecule, exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting leukocyte migration into the inflammatory site. In this study, we examined the prophylactic impact of FUZ on POI in a mouse model. POI model mice were generated by intestinal manipulation, and the effect of FUZ on intestinal transit and the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the ileal muscularis externa was assessed. The increased number of macrophages was significantly suppressed by FUZ, whereas the infiltration of neutrophils into the ileal muscularis externa was not sufficiently inhibited in the POI model mice. Additionally, FUZ did not ameliorate delayed gastrointestinal transit in POI model mice. In conclusion, our results suggest that FUZ does not improve delayed gastrointestinal transit but partially inhibits inflammation in the ileal muscularis externa in POI model mice. FUZ may be a potential anti-inflammatory agent for the management of post-surgical inflammation.
Paxlovid as a potential treatment for long COVID

ABSTRACT Introduction On 31 July 2023, the United States Department of Health and Human Services announced the formation of the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice and the United States National Institutes of Health opened enrollment for RECOVER-Vital, a randomized study to evaluate new treatment options for long Coronavirus (long COVID). Areas covered The RECOVER Initiative is a $1.15 billion research platform intended to describe, categorize, treat, and prevent long-term symptoms following infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes Coronavirus (COVID-19). More than 200 symptoms have been associated with long COVID, potentially affecting nearly all body systems, and current estimates suggest that between 7 million and 23 million Americans have developed long COVID. However, there are no approved treatments for this condition. Expert opinion The first prospective, randomized study of the RECOVER research initiative, RECOVER-Vital, will evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 antiviral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) as a potential treatment for long COVID. This manuscript explores what is known about Paxlovid to treat and prevent long COVID and examines the rationale for addressing this condition with an antiviral agent.
Endophthalmitis rates and risk factors following intraocular surgeries in the medicare population from 2016 to 2019

Aims To determine endophthalmitis rates and risk factors following intraocular surgeries in the Medicare population. Methods Retrospective, cross-sectional study from 2016 to 2019 in Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. 100% Medicare claims were used to identify eyes that underwent intraocular surgery. Exclusion criteria included eyes that had intraocular surgery 42 days before or after and eyes in patients with a history of endophthalmitis within 12 months. Results 9 744 400 intraocular surgeries were performed among Medicare beneficiaries from 2016 to 2019. A 42-day postoperative endophthalmitis rate was 0.09%. Endophthalmitis rate by surgery type was 0.43% for corneal transplant, 0.36% for secondary intraocular lens (IOL), 0.24% for retina, 0.16% for glaucoma, 0.11% for cataract combined with other procedures and 0.08% for cataract surgeries alone. On multivariable analysis, the risk of endophthalmitis was increased for all intraocular surgery types when compared with cataract surgeries; adjusted OR (aOR) 5.30 (p<0.01) for corneal transplant, aOR 4.50 (p<0.01) for secondary IOL, aOR 3.00 (p<0.01) for retina, aOR 1.93 (p<0.01) for glaucoma, aOR 1.45 (p<0.01) for combined cataract surgeries. Increased risk of developing endophthalmitis was associated with older age (≥85 vs 65–75 years: aOR 1.36; p<0.01), male sex (aOR 1.20; p<0.001) and greater Charlson Comorbidity Index (≥7 vs 0: aOR 1.79; p<0.01). Conclusions Postoperative endophthalmitis rate after intraocular surgeries was 0.09% between 2016 and 2019 for Medicare beneficiaries. Endophthalmitis rates were highest for corneal transplant surgeries followed by secondary IOL surgeries and lowest for cataract surgeries. Older age, male gender and higher comorbidity index were associated with risk of endophthalmitis.
Psychological distress and self-reported mental disorders: the partially mediating role of coping strategies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Accumulating evidence suggests a substantial prevalence of mental health disorders worldwide and the association between psychological distress and mental disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are underexplored. Using longitudinal data, this study examined coping strategies as a potential mechanism. METHODS Participants (N = 2,333) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) completed psychosocial and mental health surveys over 19 years. A parallel mediation model was used to test the direct association between psychological distress (baseline) and self-reported mental disorders (17-19 years follow-up) and the indirect associations via coping strategies (8-11 years follow-up), controlling for demographics and baseline self-reported mental disorders. RESULTS Psychological distress predicted an increased likelihood of mental disorders later in life. Emotion-focused coping was a significant mediator of this association, but problem-focused coping was not. Psychological distress was positively associated with emotion-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping was positively associated with mental disorders. Psychological distress was negatively associated with problem-focused coping; however, no association was found between problem-focused coping and mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS Findings provide further support for the longitudinal association between psychological distress and mental health disorders and extend prior research by showing the partial mediating role of emotion-focused coping in this association.
The tropical rain forest butterfly fauna of Rondônia, Brazil: species diversity and conservation.

The state of Rondonia in west central Brazil apparently has the highest reported butterfly diversity in the world, with an estimated 1,500-1,600 species living within several square kilometers in the central part of that state. A preliminary checklist of over 800 identified species is given, and some of the factors contributing to this diversity are described. The tropical rain forest in this area is being rapidly cleared for development and the creation of one or more inviolate biological preserves is urgently needed in order to save a living sample of the incredibly diverse fauna and flora for study by future generations.
Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus enters cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway in a pH-, dynamin-, microtubule-, rab5-, and rab7-dependent manner

ABSTRACT Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) is an important fish pathogen that infects largemouth bass. To date, the entry process for MSRV remains obscure. Here, the dynamic process of MSRV entry and internalization was analyzed using biochemical inhibitors, RNA interference, and single-virus tracking technology. Accordingly, DiD was used as a fluorescent label for sensitive, long-term tracking of MSRV entry in living cells. The motion analysis suggested that MSRV initially experiences slow movement in the cell periphery, while it undergoes relatively faster and directed motion toward the cell interior, dependent on the microtubule. Besides, our data demonstrated that the MSRV enters epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a low pH-, dynamin-, and clathrin-dependent manner. Furthermore, after endocytosing into EPC cells, MSRV moves along the classical endosome/lysosome trajectory. This study reveals the entry pathway and intracellular dynamics of MSRV in EPC cells, providing new insights into the infection mechanism of rhabdoviruses. IMPORTANCE Although Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) causes serious fish epidemics worldwide, the detailed mechanism of MSRV entry into host cells remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigated the mechanism of MSRV entry into epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. This study demonstrated that MSRV enters EPC cells via a low pH, dynamin-dependent, microtubule-dependent, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, MSRV transports from early endosomes to late endosomes and further into lysosomes in a microtubule-dependent manner. The characterization of MSRV entry will further advance the understanding of rhabdovirus cellular entry pathways and provide novel targets for antiviral drug against MSRV infection. Although Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) causes serious fish epidemics worldwide, the detailed mechanism of MSRV entry into host cells remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigated the mechanism of MSRV entry into epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. This study demonstrated that MSRV enters EPC cells via a low pH, dynamin-dependent, microtubule-dependent, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, MSRV transports from early endosomes to late endosomes and further into lysosomes in a microtubule-dependent manner. The characterization of MSRV entry will further advance the understanding of rhabdovirus cellular entry pathways and provide novel targets for antiviral drug against MSRV infection.
Intentional mind wandering is objectively linked to low effort and tasks with high predictability

BACKGROUND: Intentional Mind Wandering (IMW) is proposed to be a low arousal state resulting from boredom, to distinguish it from unintentional mind wandering (UMW), which may be a low executive control state resulting from exhaustion of resources. AIM: To demonstrate that there are objective differences between IMW and UMW reflecting the subjective difference that IMW is a low effort and high predictability strategy. METHODS: The metronome response task (MRT) requires participants to predict when the next tone in a regular series will occur. Inter-Trial Interval (ITI) variants of the MRT were presented in blocks of ∼ 90 seconds. RESULTS: The most predictable version of MRT resulted in the percentage of reported IMW doubling, whereas UMW remained similar in all three versions of the MRT. IMW necessitated subjective effort to be low (maximum 5 on a 1-9 scale). IMW in easy and predictable versions of the task resulted in normal performance, whereas IMW during difficult tasks that required sustained attention led to poor performance and occasional errors. IMW during the least predictable MRT led to a significantly higher rate of omission errors (compared to on-task or UMW), and also to a higher maximum-in-block reaction time, as predicted by the worst performance rule. Conscientiousness was linked to reduced IMW (but not reduced UMW), higher on-task probes, increased effort, and improved prediction accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective assessment of low task difficulty predisposes to IMW, evoking increases of both omission errors and slow lapses and decreases in willingness and in compliant allocation of cognitive resources.
Exploring medications amongst Tongan households in New Zealand

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . v TABLE OF CONTENTS . viii LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF APPENDICES . xi GLOSSARY . xii Chapter 1: Introduction . 15 The People and Kingdom of Tonga . 16 Migration motivations . 19 Illness and social relationships . 23 Restoring wellness . 26 Medications in New Zealand . 33 Chapter Two: Methodology . 35 Introduction . 35 Ethics . 35 Approach Broad Ethnography . 35 Why Focus on Households? 36 Participants . 37 Methods . 38 Data Analysis . 48
Identification of the first signs or symptoms in different spondyloarthritis subtypes and their association with HLA-B27: data from REGISPONSER and RESPONDIA registries

Objective To describe and analyse the initial symptoms attributable to patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and their association with HLA-B27 status. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional and multicentre study with patients who fulfilled the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group criteria for SpA from the Registry of Spondyloarthritis of Spanish Rheumatology (REGISPONSER) and Ibero-American Registry of Spondyloarthropathies (RESPONDIA) united registries. Differences in the first sign(s) or symptom(s) were compared across diagnoses and between HLA-B27 status. The diagnostic delay between patients who start the disease with musculoskeletal manifestations (MMs) and extra-MMs (EMMs) was compared. Results A total of 4067 patients were included (2208 from REGISPONSER and 1859 from RESPONDIA) (ankylosing spondylitis (AS): 68.3%, psoriatic arthritis (PsA): 19.9%, undifferentiated SpA: 11.8%). Overall, 3624 (89.1%) patients initiated the disease with MMs and 443 (10.9%) with EMMs. Low back pain (61.7%) and lower-limb arthritis (38.5%) were the most frequent initial symptoms. In AS patients, the absence of HLA-B27 seems to be related to an increase in the probability of starting the disease with cervical pain and peripheral manifestations. In PsA, the onset of arthritis and psoriasis was more prevalent in HLA-B27-negative patients, while initiation with axial manifestations was more predominant in HLA-B27-positive patients. The diagnostic delay was longer in patients with initial MMs than in those with EMMs (7.2 (34.8) vs 4.5 (7.6) years, respectively). Conclusion In this SpA population, MMs were the most prevalent initial symptoms, with differences across diagnoses and depending on the presence of the HLA-B27 antigen.
Asymmetries in the Moral Judgements for Human Decision-Makers and Artificial Intelligence Systems (AI) Delegated to Make Legal Decisions

The evaluation of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in legal decisions may concern several factors. We structured a study conducted by administering an online questionnaire in which the participants had to consider different scenarios in which a decision-maker, human or artificial, made an unintentionally benevolent or malevolent error of judgement for offences punishable by a fine (Civil Law infringement) or years in prison (Criminal Law infringement). We found that humans who delegate AIs are blamed less than solo humans. In addition, people consider the error more serious if committed by a human being when a sentence for a crime of the penal code is mitigated, and for an AI when a penalty is aggravated for an infringement of the civil code.
SWMM Model and Level of Discretization

The costs of setting up and running a storm water management model are largely determined by the level of discretization used for a particular catchment. This study investigates the level of discretization needed to adequately represent an urban watershed and to illustrate the effects of reducing the number of subcatchments on the accuracy of runoff simulation. A methodology is defined to achieve a representative equivalent catchment from theorectical considerations. Verification of the procedures involved a series of applications on both hypothetical and real areas. The simulation results of the simplified (coarse) discretization are compared with those of the detailed (fine) discretization of the same rainfall storms. The accuracy of the simulation is maintained by careful aggregation of the subcatchment parameters and the proper selection of the aggregated hydraulic width.
Bottom Scattering Strengths Measured in Deep and Shallow Water Using the Deep Towed Acoustics/Geophysics System.

Abstract : The Deep Towed Acoustics/Geophysics System (DTAGS) has been used for some years by Naval Research Laboratory investigators to examine the structure of ocean bottom sediments. With the replacement of the DTAGS horizontal array by a vertical array, it became possible to use the system to measure bottom scattering strengths in both deep and shallow water. The first DTAGS scattering measurements with the vertical array were taken in two general locations: in deep water near the MidAtlantic Ridge, and in shallow water near the Hudson Canyon. Analysis of the deep water results shows scattering strengths from a thicldy sedimented area to he somewhat lower than Mackenzie scattering levels, with a relatively flat dependence on grazing angle. The scattering strengths decrease slightly as frequency increases from 300 to 540 Hz, consistent with other measurements of this type. Scattering strength measurements were successfully carried out in shallow water as well. Although aspects of the data collection led to low confidence in the absolute levels, the feasibility of the low frequency measurement approach was demonstrated.
Parallel evolution of local adaptation in Littorina saxatilis inferred with whole-genome pool-seq data

Parallel evolution of phenotypic divergence offers compelling evidence supporting the influence of natural selection on the divergence process. However, the existence of ecotypes adapted to different habitats in separate locations is not a definitive proof of parallel evolution. Here, we leverage a large pool-seq dataset of the rocky-shore gastropod, Littorina saxatilis to compare and contrast two explicit scenarios of ecotype formation. Populations of this species inhabit contrasting habitats, where the main selective pressure is either wave action or crab predation. Using approximate Bayesian computation to jointly infer demographic parameters and account for pool-seq specific sources of uncertainty, our analysis reveals that ecotype formation at a large geographical scale has occurred in parallel. Parameter estimates provide strong support for a demographic history marked by the spatial separation of the ancestral populations that later gave rise to parallel evolution of ecotypes in Spain and Sweden. Additionally, ecotype formation occurred in the face of continuous gene flow between the diverging ecotypes. These results shed new light on a important model of speciation driven by ecological factors and emphasize the effectiveness of combining pool-seq with ABC for studying parallel evolution across diverse geographical regions.
Nanopore sequencing for accurate bacterial outbreak tracing

Background Our study investigated the effectiveness of Oxford Nanopore Technology for accurate outbreak tracing by resequencing a three-year-long Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak with Illumina short-read sequencing data as the point of reference. Results We detected considerable base errors through cgMLST and phylogenetic analysis of genomes sequenced with Nanopore compared to the Illumina data, leading to the false exclusion of some outbreak-related strains from the outbreak cluster. Nearby methylation sites cause these errors and can also be found in other species besides K. pneumoniae. Based on this data, we explored PCR-based sequencing and a masking strategy, which both successfully addressed these inaccuracies and ensured accurate outbreak tracing. Additionally, we offer a bioinformatic workflow (MPOA is freely available on GitHub under the GNUv3 license: github.com/replikation/MPOA) to identify and mask problematic genome positions in a reference-free manner. Conclusions Our research identified limitations in using Oxford Nanopore Technologies for sequencing prokaryotic organisms, especially for investing outbreaks. Without further technological developments, our study recommends either PCR-based sequencing or using our provided bioinformatic workflow to mask problematic genome positions.
Multifunctional evolution of palm squirrel coat colour and pattern

Complex colour pattern traits often evolve in response to multiple selective pressures, emphasizing the need for their investigation in an integrative framework. We use museum specimens (n=718) to study the evolution of coat colouration in three palm squirrel species (Funambulus spp.) in the Indian subcontinent, with climate, vegetation, and predators as the potential selective forces. Our results indicate a strong geographical trend in coat colour distribution within and across species, with darker individuals in the southern and lighter individuals in the northern regions. We find significant darkening of coat colouration in more humid, densely vegetated regions with dark soils. Fine-scale intra-specific analyses suggest that species respond differently to multiple abiotic selective pressures. Investigation of stripe pattern elements suggests that the colour-based elements are more visible to raptors, while luminance-based elements are more visible to ferrets. We also find that squirrel species are darker in areas with denser and taller canopies, with low-contrast stripes specific to each predator’s vision. Overall, squirrel coat colouration evolves in response to multiple abiotic factors, including climate and habitat, and specific stripe elements provide particular visual effects on predators depending on the habitat.