Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic drug monitoring of polymyxin B by LC-MS/MS in plasma and urine.

Background: A robust and rapid method for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is urgently needed for polymyxin B, which is a last-line antibiotic for multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria infection. Methodology: A 3-min run of LC-MS/MS method was established to determine the main components of polymyxin B (polymyxin B1 and B2) in human plasma or urine. Solid-phase extraction was employed to eliminate the matrix effect from complicated samples from patients. Results: The calibration range was 0.050-5.00 and 0.0110-0.549 μg/ml for polymyxin B1 and B2, respectively, in plasma and urine. The precision and accuracy of quality controls, matrix effect, extraction recovery and stability were all validated and satisfied with the ICH requirements. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects and TDM in patients. Conclusion: The rapid LC-MS/MS method was validated for polymyxin B in plasma and urine, and robust for TDM.
Assembly theory applied to weed communities

Abstract Community assembly is a branch of ecology that looks at how communities are assembled as they follow trajectories through time. A trajectory is controlled by biotic and abiotic constraints (filters) that act at multiple scales. From a total species pool, environmental and dispersal constraints control which species enter an ecological species pool. Within this pool, internal dynamics determine which of these species becomes part of the extant community. Environmental filters act by removing species that lack specific traits. Thus, traits are filtered, and with them, species. In this paper, we present the basic ecological theory of community assembly and address how it can be used in conjunction with a trait-based approach to understand and possibly predict how weed community structure changes in response to imposed filters such as tillage or crop rotation. Weed ecologists have struggled with the need to place our practical knowledge of agriculture and weeds into a broader theory, and there have been many calls to integrate ecology with agronomy and weed science. Community assembly might be one way to do so.
The Ornithodoros hasei (Schulze, 1935) (Acari: Argasidae) species group in Argentina

Abstract Six larvae of the genus Ornithodoros were collected in Rio Lavayén, approximately 1km north of Santa Rita, San Pedro Department (24° 28′S, 64° 48′W), Jujuy Province, Argentina, on three species of bats: Molossops temminckii (Burmeister, 1854) (Molossidae), Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806) (Vespertilionidae) and Histiotus laephotis Thomas, 1916 (Vespertilionidae). All six larvae were identified as belonging to the Ornithodoros hasei species group, whose members are common parasites of bats throughout the Neotropical Zoogeographic Region. This is the first record of the O. hasei species group in Argentina, and M. temminckii and H. laephotis are new hosts for this tick. Studies of the morphology, genetics and ecology of O. hasei across its vast range will be necessary in order to determine whether sibling species are present.
Long-Term Outcomes in ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Versus Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for primary reperfusion in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has largely been superseded byf primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and is estimated to be performed in ≤ 5% of STEMI cases. OBJECTIVES To compare early CABG (within 30 days following admission) and primary PCI outcomes following STEMI. METHODS We analyzed a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized with acute STEMI for early reperfusion therapy between January 2008 and June 2016. Short- and long-term outcomes were assessed for patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI vs. early CABG as reperfusion therapy. RESULTS The study comprised 1660 STEMI patients, 38 of whom (2.3%) underwent CABG within 30 days of presentation. Unadjusted 30-day mortality was more than twice as high in the CABG group (7.5%) than in the PCI group (3.3%); however, it did not reach statistical significance. Similar results were demonstrated for mortality rates beyond 30 days (22% vs. 14%, P = 0.463). All patients undergoing CABG beyond 72 hours following admission survived past 2 years. Multivariate analysis found no differences between the two groups in long-term mortality risk. propensity score matched long-term mortality comparison (30 days-2 years) yielded a 22% mortality rate in the CABG groups compared with 14% in the PCI group (P < 0.293). CONCLUSIONS Early CABG was performed in only a minority of STEMI patients. This high-risk patient population demonstrated worse outcomes compared to patients undergoing PCI. Performing surgery beyond 72 hours following admission may be associated with lower risk.
Listening to Women: Recommendations from Women of Color to Improve Experiences in Pregnancy and Birth Care.

INTRODUCTION Women of color are at increased risk for poor birth outcomes, often driven by upstream social determinants and socially structured systems. Given the increasing rate of maternal mortality in the United States, particularly for women of color, there is a pressing need to find solutions to improving care quality and access for racially marginalized communities. This study aims to describe and thematically analyze the recommendations to improve pregnancy and birth care made by women of color with lived experience of perinatal health care. METHODS Twenty-two women of color living in the San Francisco Bay Area and receiving support services from a community-based nonprofit organization participated in semistructured interviews about their experiences receiving health care during pregnancy and birth. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, and transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to highlight recommendations for improving perinatal care experiences. RESULTS Participants shared experiences and provided recommendations for improving care at the individual health care provider level, including spending quality time, relationship building and making meaningful connections, individualized person-centered care, and partnership in decision making. At the health systems level, recommendations included continuity of care, racial concordance with providers, supportive health care system structures to meet the needs of women of color, and implicit bias trainings and education to reduce judgment, stereotyping, and discrimination. DISCUSSION Participants in this study shared practical ways that health care providers and systems can improve pregnancy and birth care experiences for women of color. In addition to the actions needed to address the recommendations, health care providers and systems need to listen more closely to women of color as experts on their experiences in order to create effective change. Community-centered research, driven by and for women of color, is essential to improve health disparities during pregnancy and birth.
Improving Care Experiences for Patients and Caregivers at End of Life: A Systematic Review

Background: End-of-life care is increasing as the US population ages. Approaches to providing high-quality end-of-life care vary across setting, diseases, and populations. Several data collection tools measure patient and/or caregiver care experiences at end of life and can be used for quality improvement. Previous reviews examined palliative care improvements or available measures but none explicitly on improving care experiences. We reviewed literature on improving patient and/or caregiver end-of-life care experiences. Design: We searched U.S. English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature after 2000 on adult end-of-life care experiences. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for quantitative studies, Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research approach for qualitative studies, and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool for the literature reviews. Setting: Palliative and hospice care. Population: Full-text abstraction of 84 articles, identifying 16 articles. Measures: Patient and/or caregiver end-of-life care experiences (captured through administrative data or direct report). Results: Articles examined palliative care experiences across settings; none studied hospice care experiences. Patients and/or caregivers assessed overall care experiences, clinician–staff interactions, provider communication, respect and trust, timeliness of care, spiritual support, caregiver knowledge of care plans, or bereavement support. Efforts aimed at improving end-of-life care experiences are limited and show mixed results. Conclusions: Literature on improving patient and/or caregiver end-of-life care experiences is emerging and focused on palliative care experiences. Evidence on improving hospice care experiences is lacking. Research on strategies for improving end-of-life care experiences should go beyond overall care experiences to include specific aspects of palliative and hospice care experiences.
The variation in the cell count of cow's milk throughout lactation and from one lactation to the next

Summary Total and differential cell counts were obtained for approximately 38000 fore-milk samples taken from cows of the Institute herd during a period of 12 years. For most of the period of the experiment the incidence of subclinical mastitis associated with coagulase-positive staphylococci was about 5% of all the quarters in milk, but for a period of about 12 months in the 7th and 8th year of the experiment the herd was free from infection with coagulase-positive staphylococci. The average cell count for cows in each lactation up to the 7th was calculated, and in addition each lactation was divided into 4 equal periods, and the average cell count for each period determined. It was found that the average total cell count increased from one lactation to the next, and that this rise was due mainly to an increase in the number of polymorphs in the samples, the counts of cells other than polymorphs remaining relatively constant. It was also found that the average total cell count rose during the course of any one lactation; but this was due to an increase in both the number of polymorphs and the number of cells other than polymorphs. During the period when the herd was free from infection with coagulase-positive staphylococci the average lactation age of the cows was 4·3 lactations, and the average total cell count was 0·30 million cells/ml, a figure which was the same as that obtained throughout the experiment for animals in their 1st lactation. Possible relationships between the rise in cell counts and the pathology of mastitis are discussed.
A computational model‐based analysis of basal ganglia pathway changes in Parkinson’s disease inferred from resting‐state fMRI

Previous computational model‐based approaches for understanding the dynamic changes related to Parkinson's disease made particular assumptions about Parkinson's disease‐related activity changes or specified dopamine‐dependent activation or learning rules. Inspired by recent model‐based analysis of resting‐state fMRI, we have taken a data‐driven approach. We fit the free parameters of a spiking neuro‐computational model to match correlations of blood oxygen level‐dependent signals between different basal ganglia nuclei and obtain subject‐specific neuro‐computational models of two subject groups: Parkinson patients and matched controls. When comparing mean firing rates at rest and connectivity strengths between the control and Parkinsonian model groups, several significant differences were found that are consistent with previous experimental observations. We discuss the implications of our approach and compare its results also with the popular “rate model” of the basal ganglia. Our study suggests that a model‐based analysis of imaging data from healthy and Parkinsonian subjects is a promising approach for the future to better understand Parkinson‐related changes in the basal ganglia and corresponding treatments.
Complex competitive interactions in four species of Lucilia blowflies

Abstract. 1 The effects of intraspecific and interspecific larval competition on larval survival, adult size, adult longevity and fecundity were quantified in four species of coexisting Lucilia blowflies: illustris, silvarum, sericata and caesar. 2 There was a general negative effect of increasing density on larval and adult survival, size and fecundity. Additionally, complex species‐specific and frequency‐dependent responses were identified, which were not expected in these biologically and morphologically closely similar species. 3 Lucilia illustris, the numerically dominant species in the natural community, was a superior competitor to L.silvarum at intermediate densities but an inferior competitor at high density. Such nonlinear responses may be related to differences in the life histories and larval behaviour of the species (bigger eggs and more contest‐type outcome of competition in L.silvarum). 4 We parameterized a model of interspecific competition on a subdivided resource in an attempt to reconcile the conflicting results on larval competitive abilities and the abundances of the species in the field. Using laboratory and field‐estimated parameter values the model predicted coexistence of L.illustris and L.silvarum and the observed numerical dominance of the former species. The average densities of flies in the field are limited to relatively low levels, apparently preventing L.silvarum (the superior competitor at high density) from dominating and excluding L. illustris.
Evaluating the accuracy of morphological traits used in Anguis (sub)species differentiation

Qualitative and quantitative data were used in the differentiation of the subspecies of Anguis fragilis. Now the same characters could be used for morphological differentiation in the species complex of A. fragilis. Earlier studies dealing with this topic failed to investigate high numbers of specimens from one locality. Thus the constancy or the continuity of respective characters has never been investigated in one particular population. As consistent data from one population were available from the Corner of Carpathians area (central part of Romania), this was one of the issues considered in this study. In several recent studies with similar purposes the specimen data were used without segregation by sex. The second goal of this study was to identify the effect of sexual dimorphism on these characters. The studied population belongs to the eastern subspecies, A. f. colchica (Nordmann, 1840), as was previously reported for other populations from the area. Recently the form is described as part of the new species A. colchica (Nordmann, 1840) as A. c. incerta, Krynicki, 1837. The presence or absence of ear openings and the number of longitudinal series of scales shows the highest constancy in investigated specimens. The occurence of a blue-spotted form, the contrast in color between back and flanks and the state of the vertebral line showed differences in sexes. The blue spotted morph appears mostly in larger male lizards. The contrast between back and flanks and the vertebral line in most females remain in juvenile stage, while in large males they usually disappear.
Oleic and linoleic acids alter fermentation characteristics, methane and fatty acid isomers production during in vitro incubation with mixed ruminal microbes

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of oleic acid (OA) and linoleic acid (LA) supplementation on in vitro fermentation characteristics, methane and hydrogen production, and fatty acid isomer production of Leymus chinensis using in vitro gas production technique. The experiment was consisted of three treatments: control (CON), OA (50 mg OA/500 mg substrate, dry matter basis) and LA (50 mg LA/500 mg substrate, dry matter basis). OA supplementation of 50 mg increased (P 0.05) in vitro rumen fermentation parameters, including pH, and the concentrations of ammonia-N, acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate and total VFA of incubation fluids but decreased (P<0.001) the ratio of acetate to propionate at 24 h of in vitro incubation. The LA supplementation increased (P<0.001) the concentrations of C18:1 (trans 11) at 24 h and 48 h, and C18:2 (c9t11-CLA) at 24 h when compared to CON or OA. The LA supplementation increased (P<0.001) total n-6 PUFA concentration at 24 h, but OA supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) the concentration of total n-3 PUFA at 48 h when compared to CON. The current results implied that unsaturated fatty acid supplementation can suppress methane release and alter biohydrogenation of fatty acids in the rumen.
Overcoming failure in higher education: Social inequalities and compensatory advantage in dropout patterns

The large proportion of dropout students from higher education has become a major concern in many industrialized countries. Despite consistent evidence of the association between social origin and dropout behaviour, it is unclear through which mechanisms social origin influences trajectories and educational outcomes in higher education, especially in countries with low financial costs for higher education studies. This study builds on the compensatory advantage mechanism to investigate the relationship between social origin, academic failure in higher education and dropout behaviour. Using a French longitudinal survey and event history analysis, results confirm that academic failure in the first year of higher education is a strong predictor of dropout, even after controlling for academic readiness for higher education. Supporting the compensatory advantage hypothesis, students from advantaged backgrounds are much less likely to drop out after academic failure than disadvantaged students and this result also holds for high-performing high-school graduates. These results stress the importance of taking into account the interplay between social origin and academic performance during higher education to reduce dropout behaviour.
Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the South American Grasshopper Dichroplus elongatus (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Abstract Dichroplus elongatus (Giglio-Tos) is a phytophagous grasshopper widely distributed in Argentina. In the current work, the genetic variation and phylogeography of this species was studied with mtDNA techniques. In total, 171 individuals from northwestern (Las Yungas province) and eastern (Espinal and Pampeana provinces) Argentina populations were analyzed using restriction fragment-length polymorphism. The number of substitutions per site between pairs of haplotypes ranged from 0.65 to 3.84%. The neighbor-joining phenogram yielded two main groups; one clusters together the haplotypes restricted to the east and the other the haplotypes restricted to the northwestern region. Phylogenetic consensus unrooted tree among mtDNA haplotypes allowed us to propose the ancestral haplotype, which occupies the central position of the network. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average dendrogram from nucleotide divergence among populations showed that populations are roughly grouped according to their geographic distribution. There was a significant heterogeneity of the mtDNA distribution when populations from all three biogeographic provinces were compared. The distribution patterns of mtDNA variation observed in D. elongatus may be explained by isolation by distance when referring to the main biogeographic provinces. In Las Yungas and Pampeana provinces, ecological factors seem to have contributed to the genetic differentiation among populations.
Utilising sigmoid models to predict the spread of antimicrobial resistance at the country level

Background The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of worldwide concern. Public health policymakers and pharmaceutical companies pursuing antibiotic development require accurate predictions about the future spread of AMR. Aim We aimed to identify and model temporal and geographical patterns of AMR spread and to predict future trends based on a slow, intermediate or rapid rise in resistance. Methods We obtained data from five antibiotic resistance surveillance projects spanning the years 1997 to 2015. We aggregated the isolate-level or country-level data by country and year to produce country–bacterium–antibiotic class triads. We fitted both linear and sigmoid models to these triads and chose the one with the better fit. For triads that conformed to a sigmoid model, we classified AMR progression into one of three characterising paces: slow, intermediate or fast, based on the sigmoid slope. Within each pace category, average sigmoid models were calculated and validated. Results We constructed a database with 51,670 country–year–bacterium–antibiotic observations, grouped into 7,440 country–bacterium–antibiotic triads. A total of 1,037 triads (14%) met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 326 (31.4%) followed a sigmoid (logistic) pattern over time. Among 107 triads for which both sigmoid and linear models could be fit, the sigmoid model was a better fit in 84%. The sigmoid model deviated from observed data by a median of 6.5%; the degree of deviation was related to the pace of spread. Conclusion We present a novel method of describing and predicting the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Digitizing observations from the Met Office Daily Weather Reports for 1900–1910 using citizen scientist volunteers

We describe the digitization of 1.8 million sub‐daily and daily weather observations which were recorded in the UK Met Office Daily Weather Reports during the 1900–1910 period. The data were rescued from scanned images of the original documents by 2,148 volunteer citizen scientists using the weatherrescue.org website. The rescued observations include dry and wet bulb temperatures, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, daily rainfall amounts and sub‐daily sea‐level pressure from 72 different locations across western Europe. These observations will be used to fill gaps in existing pressure, temperature and rainfall records and are one of the largest recoveries of weather data by citizen scientists. The value of these additional observations is highlighted by comparing the pressure observations to the Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 3 ensemble for some specific case studies.
Children’s preferences for schoolyard features and understanding of ecosystem service innovations – a study in five Swedish preschools

ABSTRACT This study was carried out within a project to promote health and ecosystem services, ‘the benefits people obtain from ecosystems’, in preschools in Sweden. The paper applies the concept ‘affordance’ to capture the functional meaning that children assign to different material aspects of their schoolyards before and after the installation of additional environmental features. The findings from walk-and-talks with 23 preschool children highlight what features children preferred in their yards and why. Few children showed spontaneous attention to the installed features, e.g. insect hotels. This might be more because children were not enough involved within the schoolyard development and experienced little guided exploration of environmental affordances, rather than a lack of interest per se. Given this, we suggest that development projects to upgrade schoolyards for improved ecosystem services should involve children in the design of the ecosystem services promoting features throughout the development work, and thereby, integrally, promote ecological literacy.