Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Attitudes and Practices Regarding COVID-19 among General Practitioners from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Cross-Sectional Study

Attitudes toward COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) prevention and control may have influenced general practitioners’ (GPs’) work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate the attitudes and practices of GPs from Croatia and Bosna and Herzegovina regarding COVID-19 prevention and control as well as the factors which may have influenced them. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was conducted between February and May of 2022 on 200 Croatian and Bosnian GPs. The study revealed that the attitudes and practices of the surveyed GPs regarding COVID-19 prevention and control were satisfactory. The Croatian GPs reported a larger number of positive attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control (p = 0.014), while no significant differences in practices were established. Among the Croatian GPs, more positive attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control were reported by participants who had finished a formal education on the prevention of infectious diseases and occupational safety (p = 0.018), while among the Bosnian GPs, more positive attitudes were reported by older GPs (p = 0.007), males (p = 0.026), GPs with a longer length of service (p = 0.005), GPs who had finished a formal education on the prevention of infectious diseases and occupational safety (p < 0.001), GPs who had finished a formal education on adequate hand hygiene (p < 0.001), and GPs who had finished a formal education on COVID-19 prevention for GPs (p = 0.001). Considering GPs’ practices regarding COVID-19 prevention and control, among the Croatian GPs, more positive practices were reported by older GPs (p = 0.008), females (p = 0.002), GPs who had a partner (p = 0.021), GPs who were specialists in family medicine (p = 0.014), GPs with a longer length of service (p = 0.007), and GPs who had finished a formal education on the prevention of infectious diseases and occupational safety (p = 0.046), while among the Bosnian GPs, no significant correlations were determined. The general practitioners’ sociodemographic and employment characteristics strongly influenced their attitudes and practices regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19. The cultural differences between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the organizational specificities of their healthcare systems, probably modified the observed differences in the individual patterns of associations between the outcome and explanatory variables in the surveyed neighboring countries.
A scheme of random summation of an empirical Green's function to estimate ground motions from future large earthquakes

Abstract We present a scheme for random summation of an empirical Green9s function to synthesize ground motions from future large events. This scheme obeys the ω 2 scaling law at all frequencies and produces time histories whose envelopes are realistic. Assuming that the source parameters of the empirical Green9s function are known, one needs only to specify the stress parameter of the target event. In the method, the extended target area is approximated by a point source, whose rupture duration, however, is in accordance with its dimension. Although the method does not account for directivity of the source, tests with Mexican data show a good agreement between observed and synthesized motions. We use this approach to compute expected ground motions in the Valley of Mexico from a hypothetical M 8.2 event in the Guerrero gap.
Efficacy of Biological Control Agents and Resistance Inducer for Control of Mal Secco Disease

Mal secco, caused by Plenodomus tracheiphilus, is an economically important fungal vascular disease in citrus-growing countries of the Mediterranean basin. Preventing fungal infections usually requires a high number of copper treatments but European legislation imposes the minimization of their accumulation in soil. In our study, biological control agents (BCAs) and a plant resistance inducer (PRI), tested in four different experiments on citrus seedlings under controlled conditions, have resulted in promising strategies to control mal secco disease. Foliar (Experiment I) and soil (Experiment II) applications of two formulations of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747 (Amylo-X® LC and Amylo-X® WG) provided similar performances in reducing the disease amount (incidence and symptoms severity) over time compared to the untreated control, whereas copper hydroxide (Kocide Opti®) used as standard was the most effective treatment over time. In the third experiment, Pythium oligandrum strain M1 (Polyversum®) and Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC012 + Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC080 (Remedier®) were able to reduce disease incidence and symptoms severity compared to the untreated control. Remedier® provided the best performances in reducing the disease amount, whereas the Polyversum® application was the least effective treatment over time. The effectiveness of the Trichoderma spp. formulation in reducing P. tracheiphilus infections did not significantly differ from the standard copper compound (Kocide Opti®). Comprehensively, in the last experiment (IV), acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) alone and in mixture with metalaxyl-M proved as effective as B. amyloliquefaciens strain FZB24, with no dose–response relationships observed. These findings provide important insight for the integrated management of mal secco disease.
Liberator: A Data Reuse Framework for Out-of-Memory Graph Computing on GPUs

Graph analytics are widely used including recommender systems, scientific computing, and data mining. Meanwhile, GPU has become the major accelerator for such applications. However, the graph size increases rapidly and often exceeds the GPU memory, incurring severe performance degradation due to frequent data transfers between the main memory and GPUs. To relieve this problem, we focus on the utilization of data in GPUs by taking advantage of the data reuse across iterations. In our studies, we deeply analyze the memory access patterns of graph applications at different granularities. We have found that the memory footprint is accessed with a roughly sequential scan without a hotspot, which infers an extremely long reuse distance. Based on our observation, we propose a novel framework, called Liberator, to exploit the data reuse within GPU memory. In Liberator, GPU memory is reserved for the data potentially accessed across iterations to avoid excessive data transfer between the main memory and GPUs. For the data not existing in GPU memory, a Merged and Aligned memory access manner is employed to improve the transmission efficiency. We also further optimize the framework by parallel processing of data in GPU memory and data in the main memory. We have implemented a prototype of the Liberator framework and conducted a series of experiments on performance evaluation. The experimental results show that Liberator can significantly reduce the data transfer overhead, which achieves an average of 2.7x speedup over a state-of-the-art approach.
Food Allocation under Asynchronous Hatching Conditions of Great Tits (Parus major)

Simple Summary In some species of birds, asynchronous hatching occurs when incubation begins before completion of clutch, resulting in age differences between nestlings. According to the brood reduction hypothesis, which explains the reason for asynchronous hatching, selective survival is permitted only for older nestlings when availability of food is unpredictable. Due to the feature of food distribution, passerines are not likely to practice selective feeding of older nestlings. The essential purpose of this study is to determine whether the brood reduction hypothesis can explain asynchronous hatching in passerines. Infrared cameras were installed inside nest boxes to determine whether great tit (Parus major) parents, which show asynchronous hatching, practices selective feeding of older nestlings. The results of this study showed that great tit parents did not practice selective feeding of older nestlings, highlighting that using the brood reduction hypothesis to explain asynchronous hatching of great tits is not reasonable. Further research is needed in order to explain the adaptiveness of asynchronous hatching. Abstract The brood reduction hypothesis, which explains asynchronous hatching in birds, as an adaptation that enables selective survival of older nestlings when availability of food is unpredictable. This study was conducted in order to determine whether the brood reduction hypothesis can explain asynchronous hatching in passerines. Infrared cameras were installed inside nest boxes where great tits (Parus major) were attempting to reproduce in order to determine whether the parents practiced selective feeding of older nestlings. According to the results of the study, no significant difference was observed between the hatching order and the average number of feedings per nestling. In addition, when examining the distribution of food according to hatching order over time, every 30 min, beginning at 9 a.m., selective distribution of food to older nestlings was not observed. In conclusion, use of the brood reduction hypothesis, which supports selective provision of beneficial feeding of older and larger nestlings, to explain the asynchronous hatching of passerines is problematic, thus conduct of future studies focusing on other hypotheses in order to explain the asynchronous hatching of this passerine bird will be necessary.
A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing the Efficacy of Various Growth Charts in Evaluating the Incidences of Small for Gestational Age and Large for Gestational Age at Birth Among Liveborn Neonates Delivered at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital

Background and objective Growth charts are important in monitoring the growth of neonates. The growth of Indian fetuses is understood to be different from the Western population due to multiple factors. In this study, we aimed to analyze the utility of the application of various growth charts in evaluating the birth weights of liveborn neonates at a tertiary teaching hospital. Methodology A total of 729 liveborn neonates between 24 to 42 weeks of gestation delivered at the study institute during the study period were included. Birth weights were plotted on three growth charts - Fenton 2013, INTERGROWTH-21st (IG-21), and Kandraju et al. chart - and classified as small for gestational age (SGA), or appropriate for gestational age (AGA), or large for gestational age (LGA) according to the respective centiles and sex. The incidences of SGA and LGA were calculated with respect to various charts and compared. Statistical analysis was done using the McNemar Chi-square test for paired categorical variables. Cohen’s kappa (K) was used to analyze the concordance between the growth charts. A p-value <0.005 was considered statistically significant. Results Among 668 term neonates, the number of neonates classified as SGA was 313 (46.86%), 236 (35.33%), and 219 (32.78%) according to Fenton 2013, IG-21, and Kandraju et al. chart respectively. The difference in incidences of SGA between Fenton 2013 and IG-21 for term neonates was significant (p=0.0001). The difference between incidences of SGA among term neonates according to Fenton 2013 and Kandraju et al. and IG-21 vs. Kandraju et al. was significant (p=0.0001). Among 61 preterm neonates, the number of neonates classified as SGA was 15, 11, and five according to Fenton 2013, IG-21, and Kandraju et al. respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the three charts. Among 729 neonates, the number of neonates classified as LGA was 10 (1.37%), 22 (3.02%), and 32 (4.39%) according to Fenton 2013, IG-21, and Kandraju, et al. respectively. The difference in incidences of LGA between Fenton 2013 and IG-21 was significant (p=0.0015). The difference in incidences of LGA between Fenton 2013 and Kandraju et al. was significant (p=0.0001). The difference in incidences of LGA between IG-21 and Kandraju et al. was also significant (p=0.0044). Conclusion Fenton 2013, IG-21, and Kandraju et al. growth charts vary significantly in detecting the incidence of SGA and LGA among term neonates. Among term neonates, IG-21 and Kandraju et al. growth charts are comparable in terms of the estimation of SGA. The Fenton 2013 growth chart showed a higher incidence of SGA among term neonates. The incidence of LGA was highest according to Kandraju et al. growth chart and least according to Fenton 2013. Among preterm neonates, the incidence of SGA as per birth weight was comparable across the three growth charts.
On the relative importance of resource availability and habitat connectivity as drivers of soil biodiversity in Mediterranean ecosystems

Soil biota influences nutrient cycling and climate regulation and represents an important fraction of global biodiversity, yet we know very little about how this soil biota responds to habitat fragmentation and degradation of habitat quality. We studied the response of different soil trophic groups (microbes and soil fauna), and their trophic structure, to changes in their habitat derived from forest long‐term management and extensive tree die‐off in a Mediterranean ecosystem. Specifically, we evaluated changes in (i) habitat size, (ii) habitat resource availability and heterogeneity and (iii) habitat connectivity. To do this, we sampled the soil biota of 43 holm oak trees (and five open interspaces) differing in size, quality, heterogeneity, connectivity and the effect of die‐off (healthy or affected). We sorted soil biota by trophic group and related their richness to habitat characteristics. Seven of the 12 trophic groups evaluated increased their species richness with soil organic carbon content, which was the most frequently selected driver of soil biota (both microbial and faunal richness). Habitat connectivity positively affected the richness of larger organisms (fauna) and plant attributes (richness, productivity and specific leaf area) also showed significant but contrasting effects depending on the group evaluated. Due to the idiosyncratic responses of different groups, the entire trophic structure (microbes and fauna) was affected by a more complex set of factors than most trophic groups in isolation, including interactions between habitat size and resource availability or connectivity. A major factor influencing habitat resource availability was the die‐off of the dominant tree species (drastically altering tree productivity). We found weaker and more negative relationships between trophic groups under trees suffering from die‐off than beneath healthy trees, particularly between microbial rather than faunal groups. Synthesis. We provide a comprehensive assessment of the response of key members of the soil food web to habitat fragmentation and tree die‐off (landscape‐level plant–soil interactions), illustrating the major role of soil carbon, habitat connectivity and tree die‐off in driving soil biodiversity and trophic structure.
The effect of dietary resveratrol supplementation on growth performance, carcase trait, meat quality and antioxidant status of Chinese indigenous chicken

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to explore the effects of resveratrol on production performance of Chinese indigenous broilers. A total of 432 female broilers (1-day-old) with similar BW were selected and randomly allotted to 4 groups with 6 replicated of 18 birds each. These four groups were fed on a 0, 250, 500, or 1000 mg/kg resveratrol supplemented basic diet for 51 days. The results demonstrated that birds in the resveratrol treated groups exhibited higher final BW and ADG, and lower F/G ratio. The resveratrol treatments also resulted a higher breast and drumstick muscle rates, relative jejunum weight, relative jejunum length, and lower abdominal fat rate. The serum biochemical parameters were positively affected by each resveratrol treatment, including TP, GLB, TC, LDL, and ALP. The L*45min and shear force values of both breast and drumstick muscle tissues were significantly reduced in the resveratrol treatments, whilst resveratrol treatments induced higher a*45min in breast muscle tissue and lower b*45min in drumstick muscle tissue compared the basic diet treatment. In addition, dietary resveratrol supplementation significant reduced the MDA content and elevated the activity of anti-oxidative enzymes in serum and liver tissue, as well as up-regulated the mRNA expression of Nrf2 gene and antioxidant genes (HO-1, GPX, and CAT) in drumstick muscle tissues. Collectively, this study determined that dietary supplementation with 250 and 500 mg/kg resveratrol improved the growth performances, carcass characters, and meat quality of Chinese indigenous broiler chickens.
Aberrant Resting-State Functional Connectivity in MDD and the Antidepressant Treatment Effect—A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Background: The mechanism by which antidepressants normalizing aberrant resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is still a matter of debate. The current study aimed to investigate aberrant rsFC and whether antidepressants would restore the aberrant rsFC in patients with MDD. Methods: A total of 196 patients with MDD and 143 healthy controls (HCs) received the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and clinical assessments at baseline. Patients with MDD received antidepressant treatment after baseline assessment and were re-scanned at the 6-month follow-up. Network-based statistics were employed to identify aberrant rsFC and rsFC changes in patients with MDD and to compare the rsFC differences between remitters and non-remitters. Results: We identified a significantly decreased sub-network and a significantly increased sub-network in MDD at baseline. Approximately half of the aberrant rsFC remained significantly different from HCs after 6-month treatment. Significant overlaps were found between baseline reduced sub-network and follow-up increased sub-network, and between baseline increased sub-network and follow-up decreased sub-network. Besides, rsFC at baseline and rsFC changes between baseline and follow-up in remitters were not different from non-remitters. Conclusions: Most aberrant rsFC in patients with MDD showed state-independence. Although antidepressants may modulate aberrant rsFC, they may not specifically target these aberrations to achieve therapeutic effects, with only a few having been directly linked to treatment efficacy.
Sorangicin A Is Active against Chlamydia in Cell Culture, Explanted Fallopian Tubes, and Topical In Vivo Treatment

Current treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis using doxycycline and azithromycin introduces detrimental side effects on the host’s microbiota. As a potential alternative treatment, the myxobacterial natural product sorangicin A (SorA) blocks the bacterial RNA polymerase. In this study we analyzed the effectiveness of SorA against C. trachomatis in cell culture, and explanted fallopian tubes and systemic and local treatment in mice, providing also pharmacokinetic data on SorA. Potential side effects of SorA on the vaginal and gut microbiome were assessed in mice and against human-derived Lactobacillus species. SorA showed minimal inhibitory concentrations of 80 ng/mL (normoxia) to 120 ng/mL (hypoxia) against C. trachomatis in vitro and was eradicating C. trachomatis at a concentration of 1 µg/mL from fallopian tubes. In vivo, SorA reduced chlamydial shedding by more than 100-fold within the first days of infection by topical application corresponding with vaginal detection of SorA only upon topical treatment, but not after systemic application. SorA changed gut microbial composition during intraperitoneal application only and did neither alter the vaginal microbiota in mice nor affect growth of human-derived lactobacilli. Additional dose escalations and/or pharmaceutical modifications will be needed to optimize application of SorA and to reach sufficient anti-chlamydial activity in vivo.
Variation of the Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Potential in Edible Macroalga Saccharina latissima Cultivated from Atlantic Canada Subjected to Different Growth and Processing Conditions

Macroalgae are a new food source in the Western world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of harvest months and food processing on cultivated Saccharina latissima (S. latissima) from Quebec. Seaweeds were harvested in May and June 2019 and processed by blanching, steaming, and drying with a frozen control condition. The chemical (lipids, proteins, ash, carbohydrates, fibers) and mineral (I, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe) compositions, the potential bioactive compounds (alginates, fucoidans, laminarans, carotenoids, polyphenols) and in vitro antioxidant potential were investigated. The results showed that May specimens were significantly the richest in proteins, ash, I, Fe, and carotenoids, while June macroalgae contained more carbohydrates. The antioxidant potential of water-soluble extracts (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity [ORAC] analysis–625 µg/mL) showed the highest potential in June samples. Interactions between harvested months and processing were demonstrated. The drying process applied in May specimens appeared to preserve more S. latissima quality, whereas blanching and steaming resulted in a leaching of minerals. Losses of carotenoids and polyphenols were observed with heating treatments. Water-soluble extracts of dried May samples showed the highest antioxidant potential (ORAC analysis) compared to other methods. Thus, the drying process used to treat S. latissima harvested in May seems to be the best that should be selected.
Transcriptomics Combined with Photosynthetic Physiology and Leaf Structure Analysis Revealed Increased Sugarcane Yield by Fenlong-Ridging

Fenlong-ridging (FL) is a new type of conservation tillage. In many crops, FL increases crop yield and quality; however, the cytology and molecular mechanisms of crops under FL is not completely understood. This study investigated soil physical and chemical properties under FL and conventional tillage (CK) during 2018–2019 (plant cane) and 2019–2022 (first stubble), and analyzed the agronomic trait, physiology, leaf anatomical structure, and gene expression related to photosynthesis between FL and CK of sugarcane (Guitang 42). Soil bulk density significantly increased, and soil porosity, water storage, and content of available nitrogen and phosphorus under FL were significantly higher than those under CK. Plant height, stem diameter, single stem weight, effective stem number and yield significantly increased under FL compared to under CK. Sugar content significantly increased in plant cane under FL. Chlorophyll content and the photosynthetic rate increased, with significantly higher activity of photosynthetic enzymes including NADP-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) under FL compared to CK. Fenlong-ridging cytology results showed that the mesophyll cells were large and arranged well, the Kranz anatomy was noticeable, and there were a high number of large chloroplasts in mesophyll cell and in the vascular bundle sheath. Furthermore, the bundle sheath in FL was larger than that in CK. Transcriptomics results showed that 19,357 differentially genes (DEGs) were up-regulated and 28,349 DEGs were down-regulated in sugarcane leaves under FL vs. CK. The Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed that abundant DEGs were enriched in photosynthesis, photosynthesis-antenna protein, carotenoid biosynthesis, and other pathways associated with photosynthesis. Most expression was up-regulated, thus, facilitating photosynthesis regulation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the up-regulation of genes related to photosynthesis (PsaH and PsbS) under FL. Overall, this study provides insights into the role of FL in increased sugarcane yield by integrating physiology, cytology, and proteomics analysis. These findings could be used to further improve its application and promotion.