Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative analysis of selected plastics in high commercial value Australian seafood by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry.

Microplastic contamination of the marine environment is widespread, but the extent to which the marine food web is contaminated is not yet known. The aims of this study were to go beyond visual identification techniques and develop and apply a simple seafood sample clean-up, extraction and analysis method using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry to improve the detection of plastic contamination. The method allows the identification and quantification of polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and poly (methyl methacrylate) in the edible portion of five different seafood organisms: oysters, prawns, squid, crabs and sardines. Polyvinyl chloride was detected in all samples and polyethylene at the highest total concentration of between 0.04 - 2.4 mg g-1 of tissue. Sardines contained the highest total plastic mass concentration (0.3 mg g-1 tissue) and squid the lowest (0.04 mg g-1 tissue). Our findings show that the total concentration of plastic is highly variable among species and that microplastic concentration differs between organisms of the same species. The sources of microplastic exposure, such as packaging and handling with consequent transference and adherence to the tissues are discussed. This method is a major development in the standardization of plastic quantification techniques in seafood.
Private patient rooms and hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A hospital-level analysis of administrative data from the United States

Objective To use hospital-level data from the US to determine whether private patient rooms (PPRs) are associated with fewer in hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) infections. Methods We retrospectively analyzed Texas Inpatient Public Use Data with discharges between September 2015 and August 2016 merged with American Hospital Association annual survey data. We used negative binomial regression to estimate the association between the proportion of PPRs within a hospital and the count of discharges with HA-MRSA infections, adjusting for potentially confounding variables. Results We analyzed data for 340 hospitals and 2,670,855 discharges. HA-MRSA incidence within these hospitals was 386 per 100,000 discharges (95% CI: 379, 393) and, on average, 62.73% (95% CI: 58.99, 66.46) of rooms in these hospitals were PPRs. PPRs were significantly associated with fewer HA-MRSA infections (unadjusted IRR = 0.973, 95% CI: 0.968, 0.979; adjusted IRR = 0.992, 95% CI: 0.991, 0.994; p<0.001 for both); at the hospital level, as the percentage of PPRs increased, HA-MRSA infection rates decreased. This association was non-linear; in hospitals with few PPRs there was a stronger association between PPRs and HA-MRSA infection rate relative to hospitals with many PPRs. Conclusion We identified 0.8% fewer HA-MRSA infections for each 1% increase in PPRs as a proportion of all rooms, suggesting that private rooms provide substantial protection from HA-MRSA. Small changes may not induce significant improvements in HA-MRSA incidence, and hospitals seeking tangible benefits in HAI reduction likely need to markedly increase the proportion of PPRs through large-scale renovations. The effect of private rooms is disproportionate across hospitals. Hospitals with proportionately fewer PPRs stand to gain the most from adding additional PPRs, while those with an already high proportion of PPRs are unlikely to see large benefits. Our findings enable hospital administrators to consider potential patient safety benefits as they make decisions about facility design and renovation.
A nomogram prediction for mandibular molar survival in Chinese patients with periodontitis: a 10-year retrospective cohort study.

AIMS To develop a nomogram prediction model of mandibular molar survival by comprehensively analyzing clinical and radiographic risk factors of mandibular molar loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS 478 mandibular molars of 139 subjects who underwent non-surgical periodontal treatment were examined retrospectively within a mean follow-up period of 11.1 years. The association of risk factors including clinical and radiographic parameters with mandibular molar loss was assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. A nomogram prediction model was developed, and the validation and discriminatory ability of it were analyzed. RESULTS 104 molars were lost in this study. Probing depth (PD), attachment loss (AL), furcation involvement (FI), bleeding on probing (BOP), tooth mobility and radiographic bone loss were significantly associated with tooth loss (P<0.01). A gradient effect of degree of FI on mandibular molar loss existed increasing from degree Ⅱ (HR=2.37, 95%CI: 1.48, 3.79) to Ⅲ (HR=5.61, 95%CI: 3.01, 10.45) versus none & degree Ⅰ. The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.891. The calibration curve and decision curve analysis demonstrated good performance and high net benefit of nomogram respectively. CONCLUSIONS A specific nomogram could be adopted to predict the mandibular molar survival and formulate tailored treatment plans in Chinese.
Mechanisms of micronutrient uptake in plants

In plants, the elements Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, B, Mo and Cl are considered to be micronutrients essential for plant growth. Micronutrient uptake systems are intrinsically more difficult to investigate than their macronutrient counterparts because of the low fluxes involved. Currently, the mechanism of transport for these micronutrients has not been clearly identified, except for Cl. In the case of the trace metal micronutrients, uptake studies point to the presence of high and low affinity transporters with broad substrate specificity. The kinetics of these transporters is clouded by the failure of many investigators to consider the effects of the electrostatic nature of the plasma membrane on cation uptake. Recent work has helped to clarify the nature of B movement across membranes and there is now evidence of a facilitated transport system for B, in addition to its passive permeation directly through the membrane. The uptake of Mo is known to be induced by NO3 and inhibited by W, but little further information is available on how Mo enters cells. In recent years, the emphasis has shifted from physiological studies of micronutrient uptake to molecular investigations of transporters cloned in plants and characterized in heterologous expression systems. There is now a substantial catalogue of transporter genes, mostly for trace metals, whose functions in plants have yet to be clearly defined.
The Use of Testicular Sperm for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection in Patients with High Sperm DNA Damage: A Systematic Review

The advent of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has changed the human reproduction landscape by overcoming several limitations related to both male and female infertility factors. However, despite the development of new technologies, the live-birth rate with ICSI has not exceeded 30%. In order to improve assisted reproductive technology outcomes, advanced sperm function analysis have gained increased attention and the effects of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) on assisted reproduction success are being extensively studied. Utilizing ejaculated sperm with an elevated SDF has been found to result in poor ICSI outcomes. Furthermore, studies have reported that testicular sperm has lower SDF level, when compared to ejaculated sperm. This has led a number of clinicians world-wide to offer testicular sperm retrieval for ICSI in non-azoospermic males with high SDF. This practice has remained controversial due to lack of high quality evidence.
Policy Machine: Features, Architecture, and Specification

The ability to control access to sensitive data in accordance with policy is perhaps the most fundamental security requirement. Despite over four decades of security research, the limited ability for existing access control mechanisms to enforce a comprehensive range of policy persists. While researchers, practitioners and policy makers have specified a large variety of access control policies to address real-world security issues, only a relatively small subset of these policies can be enforced through off-the-shelf technology, and even a smaller subset can be enforced by any one mechanism. This report describes an access control framework, referred to as the Policy Machine (PM), which fundamentally changes the way policy is expressed and enforced. The report gives an overview of the PM and the range of policies that can be specified and enacted. The report also describes the architecture of the PM and the properties of the PM model in detail.
Energy utilisation and postprandial responses during sitting interrupted by regular activity breaks

ABSTRACT Interrupting sedentary behaviour with regular activity breaks benefits glycaemic control; however, the influence of the energy utilised during these activity breaks on postprandial metabolic response is relatively unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the energy utilisation of regular (every 30 min) short (1 min 40 s or 2 min) activity breaks was associated with the lowering of postprandial glycaemia, insulinemia and lipidemia. Using separate data from two previously performed studies (ALPhA Study n = 65, age 25.7 (5.2) y, 40% male, BMI 23.6 (4.1) kg · m−2. ABPA study n = 35, age 25.1 (3.7) y, 31% male, BMI 23.4 (3.2) kg · m−2) we investigated the association between energy utilisation (measured by indirect calorimetry) and postprandial glucose, insulin and triglycerides during prolonged sitting, and regular activity breaks.Results Mixed effects regression models indicated that energy utilisation was not consistently associated with postprandial glucose, insulin or triglyceride responses (p > 0.05 for all). Additionally, there was some indication that energy utilisation was obscuring (mildly suppressing) the effects of regular activity breaks on glucose, insulin and triglyceride iAUC.Conclusions If energy utilisation does not mediate the association between regular activity breaks and postprandial glycaemic response, it is possible that it is the frequency of the activity breaks that is beneficial.
Clinical Features and CD4+ T Cells Count in AIDS Patients with CMV Retinitis: Correlation with Mortality

ABSTRACT Purpose To explore the all-cause mortality in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients with CMV retinitis (CMVR) presented to a tertiary referral center in Singapore from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2015. Results A total of 144 patients were studied (87 survived, 11 lost to follow up, 46 died). Patients with bilateral CMVR and six-month follow up CD4 + T cell count < 50 cells/mm3 have shorter time to mortality, compared to patients with CD4 + T cell count > 50 cells/mm3 (p < .001) and unilateral disease (p = .043). Baseline CD4 + T cell count, size and zone of initial primary retinitis lesions, recurrences of retinitis, and timing of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) are not significantly associated with mortality. Conclusion Bilateral ocular involvement and lack of immune recovery in patients with AIDS and CMVR are associated with shorter survival time.
The efficacy and safety of azithromycin in chronic respiratory diseases related cough.

BACKGROUND Azithromycin is potential for preventing exacerbations in chronic respiratory diseases. However, rare attention was paid to the cough symptom of such airway diseases by azithromycin intervention. We summarized the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in chronic respiratory diseases related cough. METHODS We searched 4 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the change of Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score, cough visual analogue scale (VAS) and side effects of azithromycin in patients of chronic respiratory diseases with cough. RESULTS We identified 5 RCTs (n=879 patients) in pooled analyses. Compared to placebo, azithromycin intervention had no effect in reducing cough [mean difference (MD) 0.73; 95% CI: -0.78 to 2.24; P=0.34] with significant heterogeneity (P=0.03, I2 =71%). However, heterogeneity is caused by one study. After removal of this study, azithromycin administration had shown clinically important improvement in LCQ score (MD 1.30; 95% CI: 1.15-1.46; P<0.00001; I2 =0%). In addition, no significant difference was detected in adverse events and azithromycin administration probably had less central nervous system side effects for chronic respiratory diseases with cough. CONCLUSIONS The addition of oral azithromycin may result in significant benefit for chronic respiratory diseases related cough. Azithromycin was safe for those patients with cough.
The environmental consequences of electrifying space heating.

Decarbonization may require the efficient electrification of applications, like natural gas furnaces for space heating, that currently involve burning fossil fuels. The environmental consequences of such a fuel switch depend on location and time. Here we show that, in most parts of the U.S., a switch from natural gas to electric heat pumps would raise household heating bills and increase damages from carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants. For single-family homes in 658 of the 883 locations we analyze, a shift to heat pumps would increase annual hourly peak demand for electricity. For 265 of these 658 locations peak demand already occurred in winter; for the remaining 393 heat pumps would shift peak demand from summer to winter. An economy-wide tax on CO2 emissions designed to substantially decarbonize electricity generation would make a switch to heat pumps beneficial for the environment and make electrified heating cheaper than burning natural gas. However, a sufficiently large tax would increase heating bills in cold parts of the country much more than in places with more moderate climates, even while making electric heat pumps cheaper to operate than natural gas furnaces. This differential impact raises questions about the feasibility of a carbon tax that is returned to each citizen as a uniform dividend.
Reversal of phenytoin induced hepatotoxicity by alpha lipoic acid in rats

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Division of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, Sri Padmavathi Mahila Visvavidyalayam (Women’s University), Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Global Distribution of Column Satellite Aerosol Optical Depth to Surface PM2.5 Relationships

Using a combined Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) mid-visible aerosol optical depth (AOD) product at 0.1 × 0.1-degree spatial resolution and collocated surface PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm) monitors, we provide a global five-year (2015–2019) assessment of the spatial and seasonal AOD–PM2.5 relationships of slope, intercepts, and correlation coefficients. Only data from ground monitors accessible through an open air-quality portal that are available to the worldwide community for air quality research and decision making are used in this study. These statistics that are reported 1 × 1-degree resolution are important since satellite AOD is often used in conjunction with spatially limited surface PM2.5 monitors to estimate global distributions of surface particulate matter concentrations. Results indicate that more than 3000 ground monitors are now available for PM2.5 studies. While there is a large spread in correlation coefficients between AOD and PM2.5, globally, averaged over all seasons, the correlation coefficient is 0.55 with a unit AOD producing 54 μgm−3 of PM2.5 (Slope) with an intercept of 8 μgm−3. While the number of surface PM2.5 measurements has increased by a factor of 10 over the last decade, a concerted effort is still needed to continue to increase these monitors in areas that have no surface monitors, especially in large population centers that will further leverage the strengths of satellite data.
Assessment of Remotely Sensed and Modelled Soil Moisture Data Products in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

Soil moisture (SM) plays a crucial role in the water and energy flux exchange between the atmosphere and the land surface. Remote sensing and modeling are two main approaches to obtain SM over a large-scale area. However, there is a big difference between them due to algorithm, spatial-temporal resolution, observation depth and measurement uncertainties. In this study, an assessment of the comparison of two state-of-the-art remotely sensed SM products, Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESACCI), and one land surface modeled dataset from the North American Land Data Assimilation System project phase 2 (NLDAS-2), were conducted using 17 permanent SM observation sites located in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) in the U.S. We first compared the daily mean SM of three products with in-situ measurements; then, we decompose the raw time series into a short-term seasonal part and anomaly by using a moving smooth window (35 days). In addition, we calculate the daily spatial difference between three products based on in-situ data and assess their temporal evolution. The results demonstrate that (1) in terms of temporal correlation R, the SMAP (R = 0.78) outperforms ESACCI (R = 0.62) and NLDAS-2 (R = 0.72) overall; (2) for the seasonal component, the correlation R of SMAP still outperforms the other two products, and the correlation R of ESACCI and NLDAS-2 have not improved like the SMAP; as for anomaly, there is no difference between the remotely sensed and modeling data, which implies the potential for the satellite products to capture the variations of short-term rainfall events; (3) the distribution pattern of spatial bias is different between the three products. For NLDAS-2, it is strongly dependent on precipitation; meanwhile, the spatial distribution of bias represents less correlation with the precipitation for two remotely sensed products, especially for the SMAP. Overall, the SMAP was superior to the other two products, especially when the SM was of low value. The difference between the remotely sensed and modeling products with respect to the vegetation type might be an important reason for the errors.
Ontogeny of dive performance in pup and juvenile Steller sea lions in Alaska

Development of competent diving ability is critical to obtaining nutritional independence in marine mammals such as Steller sea lions (SSLs), Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776). We studied diving performance in pup (75) and juvenile (36) SSLs using satellite data recorders. In general, dives by SSLs were brief and shallow. Overall, 82.3% of dives were 5 min) and deep dives (>100 m) constituted only 2.49% and 0.77%, respectively, of total dives. We used linear mixed-effects models to investigate the relationships between the response variables maximum-daily-depth, time-at-depth, mean-dive-duration, dive rate, and time-at-sea and the predictor variables age, sex, population (eastern and western Alaska populations), time-of-day, and month-of-year. All response variables except dive rate were positively related (P < 0.05) to age. Dive rate declined (P < 0.001) with age. Time-of-day, month, population, sex, and some first-order interactions were all significantly (P < 0.05) related to some measure of diving performance. With large samples we were able to identify significant relationships between the response variables and the predictor variables, even though the total amount of variation explained by the models was low, because most dives were short and shallow regardless of age, sex, population, time-of-day, or month-of-year. Depths and durations of dives by juvenile animals increased throughout the range of ages studied and were similar to or greater than those previously reported for juveniles and adult females. We expect maximum depths and durations to continue to increase with age until body mass plateaus at about 10 years of age. Therefore, we expect older animals to be more efficient foragers, as they would have greater aerobic dive limits as well as more experience locating and cap- turing prey. 1231
Cytogenetic characterization of hybrids offspring between Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1818) and Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier, 1817) from Caicara del Orinoco, Venezuela

Abstract Conventional karyotype and nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) of C. macropomum x P. brachypomus hybrids and parental species are reported. A modal diploid number of 54 chromosomes and a fundamental number (NF) of 108 were found for C. macropomum, P. brachypomus and their hybrids. P. brachypomus shows a pair of silver stained chromosomes, while cells with three and four Ag-NOR bearing chromosomes were observed in C. macropomum. The hybrids consistently presented cells with a single metacentric Ag-NOR bearing chromosome and cells with three Ag-NOR bearing chromosomes. The FISH technique was employed to localize 18S rDNA in the chromosomes of the parentals and the hybrids. In P. brachypomus the FITC signals appeared in the SM pair as when stained with silver salts. In C. macropomum the signals were evidenced in six chromosomes. In the hybrids, as expected, the FITC dots were observed in four chromosomes. All the techniques employed in the present work represent good tools to identify the parentals and distinguish them of the hybrids.
Social Class and Grammatical Development: a Comparison of the Speech of Five Year Olds From Middle and Working Class Backgrounds

A picture-strip task was used to elicit speech from 36 middle and working class children; this speech was later transcribed and analysed according to traditional grammar. It was found that the working class children made greater use of verbs and pronouns, whereas the middle class children made greater use of subordinate clauses. When further analysis was carried out into the choice made between nouns and pronouns in the subject position of sentences, working class children were found to make greater use of pronouns in this position, while middle class children made greater use of nouns. It was suggested that this preference may arise from social class differences in the functional use of language by young children, and the communication demands made of them in their social environment.
Territoriality

Students' degree of territoriality based on gender and seat preferences in different types of classroom arrangements was studied. The types of classroom arrangements included rows of tablet-arm chairs, U-shaped, clusters, and rows of tables with individual chairs. The study was carried out through a survey at a large public institution in the southeast region of the United States. Results indicate that students who preferred seats at the end of rows of tables with individual chairs and tablet-arm chair arrangements had higher scores on claiming a particular seat than those who preferred middle seats in a row. In the rows of tables with individual chair arrangement, students who preferred seats at the end of rows also had more need to define their own territory than students who preferred middle seats in a row. No significant results were found in the U-shaped and cluster layouts. Females had higher scores on claiming a particular seat than males regardless of seating arrangement.