Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Oxygen Levels in 3D Bioprinted Cell-Laden Thick Constructs with Perfusable Microchannel Networks

The survival and function of thick tissue engineered implanted constructs depends on pre-existing, embedded, functional, vascular-like structures that are able to integrate with the host vasculature. Bioprinting was employed to build perfusable vascular-like networks within thick constructs. However, the improvement of oxygen transportation facilitated by these vascular-like networks was directly quantified. Using an optical fiber oxygen sensor, we measured the oxygen content at different positions within 3D bioprinted constructs with and without perfusable microchannel networks. Perfusion was found to play an essential role in maintaining relatively high oxygen content in cell-laden constructs and, consequently, high cell viability. The concentration of oxygen changes following switching on and off the perfusion. Oxygen concentration depletes quickly after pausing perfusion but recovers rapidly after resuming the perfusion. The quantification of oxygen levels within cell-laden hydrogel constructs could provide insight into channel network design and cellular responses.
Biobased Cryogels from Enzymatically Oxidized Starch: Functionalized Materials as Carriers of Active Molecules

Starch recovered from an agrifood waste, pea pods, was enzymatically modified and used to prepare cryogels applied as drug carriers. The enzymatic modification of starch was performed using the laccase/(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl TEMPO system, at a variable molar ratio. The characterization of the ensuing starches by solution NMR spectroscopy showed partial conversion of the primary hydroxyl groups versus aldehyde and carboxyl groups and successive creation of hemiacetal and ester bonds. Enzymatically modified starch after simple freezing and lyophilization process provided stable and compact cryogels with a morphology characterized by irregular pores, as determined by atomic force (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The application of cryogels as carriers of active molecules was successfully evaluated by following two different approaches of loading with drugs: a) as loaded sponge, by adsorption of drug from the liquid phase; and b) as dry-loaded cryogel, from a dehydration step added to loaded cryogel from route (a). The efficiency of the two routes was studied and compared by determining the drug release profile by proton NMR studies over time. Preliminary results demonstrated that cryogels from modified starch are good candidates to act as drug delivery systems due to their stability and prolonged residence times of loaded molecules, opening promising applications in biomedical and food packaging scenarios.
Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of Chara altaica (Charales, Charophyceae), a Monoecious Species of the Section Desvauxia

Chara altaica A. Braun (Charales, Charophyceae), a monoecious species of the section Desvauxia, was newly found in Japan and studied by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as gene sequence analysis of the large subunit of Rubisco (rbcL). Our first SEM observations of C. altaica oospores revealed that small papillae were scattered on the fossa wall, an SEM oospore wall ornamentation that is essentially different from that of the monoecious species C. (sect. Desvauxia) evoluta T. F. Allen. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that C. altaica and 10 European samples of the dioecious species C. (sect. Desvauxia) canescens Desvaux & Loiseleur-Deslongchamps formed a robust monophyletic group, in which the rbcL gene sequence from C. altaica is identical to those from 4 parthenogenetic samples, but different from 6 other bisexual and parthenogenetic samples of C. canescens.
Polypropylene as a Retrofitting Material for Shear Walls

In recent years, on account of their excellent mechanical properties, composite materials (made of epoxy-bonded carbon, glass, or aramid fibers) have been used to reinforce masonry walls against in-plane actions. These materials have proven to be an effective solution for the strengthening of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls. Lately, research has shifted to the study of different types of fibers to avoid the use of epoxy adhesives, whose long-term behavior and compatibility with masonry are poor. This paper describes an experimental program that investigated the behavior of URM shear walls strengthened with two types of commercially available polypropylene products: short fibers (fiber length = 12 mm) and polypropylene nets. This investigation aimed to evaluate the influence of polypropylene reinforcement, embedded into an inorganic matrix, in terms of the improvement of the lateral load-carrying capacity, failure mechanism, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity of URM wall panels, where nine walls were subjected to in-plane loads using a racking test setup. The study showed that using two layers of polypropylene fibers embedded into a cementitious matrix greatly increased the in-plane load capacity of the brickwork masonry. On the other hand, the test results indicated that polypropylene nets, used as a repair method for cracked shear walls, cannot improve the structural performance of the walls.
Bent DNA Bows as Sensing Amplifiers for Detecting DNA-Interacting Salts and Molecules

Due to the central role of DNA, its interactions with inorganic salts and small organic molecules are important. For example, such interactions play important roles in various fundamental cellular processes in living systems and are involved in many DNA-damage related diseases. Strategies to improve the sensitivity of existing techniques for studying DNA interactions with other molecules would be appreciated in situations where the interactions are too weak. Here we report our development and demonstration of bent DNA bows for amplifying, sensing, and detecting the interactions of 14 inorganic salts and small organic molecules with DNA. With the bent DNA bows, these interactions were easily visualized and quantified in gel electrophoresis, which were difficult to measure without bending. In addition, the strength of the interactions of DNA with the various salts/molecules were quantified using the modified Hill equation. This work highlights the amplification effects of the bending elastic energy stored in the DNA bows and the potential use of the DNA bows for quantitatively measuring DNA interactions with small molecules as simple economic methods; it may also pave the way for exploiting the bent DNA bows for other applications such as screening DNA-interacting molecules and drugs.
Evaluation of Data Generated from Lake Samples Collected by Volunteers

ABSTRACT The goals of the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program are to involve citizens in the collection of water samples to monitor lake trophic state and to provide outreach education about lake water quality. Results indicate data generated with volunteer help are of the same quality as that generated by a research laboratory. This conclusion is based on three different methods of evaluation: (1) Comparisons of volunteer and University collected samples showed trophic state classifications were the same for 74% of lakes based on total phosphorus, 84% for total nitrogen and 89% for chlorophyll; (2) Agreement between paired chlorophyll filters was assessed to gauge volunteer processing technique; 88% of the filter pairs was considered good or excellent based on a rating scale developed for this program; (3) Split sampling showed no significant differences for total suspended solids, chlorophyll or total nitrogen. Total phosphorus analysis showed a significant difference with volunteer samples being consis.
Produção integrada e convencional de pêssegos cv. Marli

The peach-trees cultivation is a very economic important activity in South of Brazil, where highlights the State of Rio Grande do Sul as the largest Brazilian producer. One of the most important aspects in actuality is the food prodution with reduction of agrochemicals components, reducing the risks of environment contamination. This work aimed to compare the Conventional Production systems (PC) and Integrated systems (PI) of peaches cultivation and took place in the year of 2001, in the county of Sao Jeronimo - RS, latitude 30°05'52" S, longitude 51°39'08" W and altitude of 46 meters. Commercial orchand areas of cv. Marli was evaluated regarding the mains handling practice of plant and soil, phytosanitary control, economic aspects, as well as fruit production and quality. In the area under PI, were used the handling practices praised by the Norms of Production Integrated of Peach (NPIP) and in the area conducted the PC system, the plants were managed according to the practices usually used by the producer. The peaches production, in both systems, was not affected. The area of PI, occured smaller number of peaches per plant, however the fruit was larger middleweight. Most peaches of PI were classified like CAT I (diameter up to 57 mm). The fruits produced in the PC were of the CAT II (48 to 57 mm). Regarding to titratable acidity, flesh firmness and epidermal color there was no difference between peaches from either system.With these results, we can conclude that is possible to produce quality peaches with productivity in PI's system. Index terms: Prunus persica, production sistems, quality.
Nutritional and functional biology of exudate‐feeding ants

Feeding extensively on plant exudates and honeydews, many tropical arboreal ant species exhibit δ15N values characteristic of herbivores. Consistent with hypothesized herbivory, these taxa behave in feeding assays as though more N‐deprived than are strictly carnivorous ants. However, to an as yet uncertain degree, relationships with N‐upgrading and/or recycling microsymbionts may lower isotopic ratios, making ants appear to be more herbivorous than they actually are. Nutritional (N) contributions from microsymbionts have been inferred for a variety of ant taxa based on intracellular or extracellular associations between ants and bacteria. However, stronger and more specific inferences are possible when variability in microsymbiont locations within the digestive system is considered in the context of taxonomic variability in ant diets and digestive anatomy. Diets of exudate feeders may vary predictably in ratios of usable carbohydrates (CHOs) to N, depending on the extent to which they tend melezitose‐producing Homoptera. Status of the peritrophic membrane, proventricular structure, and number and placement of Malpighian tubules can be interpreted as traits contributing to supply of N and/or CHOs to microsymbionts. In general, a more integrative understanding of ant diets, digestive anatomy, and associated microsymbionts helps to set out specific hypotheses to be tested experimentally and (where possible) in a phylogenetic context.
New Materials of Argentoconodon fariasorum (Mammaliaformes, Triconodontidae) from the Jurassic of Argentina and Its Bearing on Triconodont Phylogeny

ABSTRACT Argentoconodon fariasorum is the only triconodont from the Jurassic of South America. Originally described on the basis of an upper molariform, A. fariasorum is now known by several specimens, including one that preserves most of its dentition, upper and lower jaws, and several postcranial elements. Close anatomical similarity exists between Argentoconodon fariasorum, Ichthyoconodon jaworowskorum, from the Cretaceous of Morocco, and the likely Jurassic Volaticotherium antiquus, from China. The results of a phylogenetic analysis including most taxa relevant to addressing triconodont phylogenetic relationships show Argentoconodon and Volaticotherium as a clade, which in turn is more closely related to Ichthyoconodon than to any other taxon. Our most parsimonious hypotheses support a triconodontid ancestry for Argentoconodon, Ichthyoconodon, and Volaticotherium as members of the monophyletic traditional subfamily Alticonodontinae. The inclusion of Argentoconodon among alticonodontines extends the geographical and temporal distribution of this triconodont subfamily to the South American Early Jurassic, resulting in extensive ghost lineages for many triconodontid groups. Postcranial similarities between Argentoconodon and Volaticotherium make it possible that the Argentinean taxon might have had gliding capabilities; if this is the case, our cladistic analysis highlights the possible existence of a gliding clade of triconodonts of wide distribution from at least as early as the Early Jurassic.
Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on the Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus.

CONTEXT The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains controversial because most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been small or have reported low doses of vitamin D. OBJECTIVE To conduct a meta-analysis of RCTs testing vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of T2DM. DATA SOURCES Database search of Pubmed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library was performed by two reviewers from inception through September 15, 2019. STUDY SELECTION We included RCTs that reported the effect of vitamin D supplementation for at least 1 year on T2DM prevention. DATA EXTRACTION Two independent reviewers extracted the data. The risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Primary outcome of the meta-analysis was the incidence of T2DM. DATA SYNTHESIS Nine RCTs were included (43,559 participants). The mean age (SD) was 63.5 (6.7) years. The RR for vitamin D compared with placebo was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.90-1.03); P = 0.30. In trials testing moderate to high doses of supplementation (≥1000 IU/d), all conducted among participants with prediabetes, the RR for vitamin D compared with placebo was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.79-0.99). In contrast, the trials testing lower doses, which were conducted in general population samples, showed no risk reduction (RR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.94-1.10]); P, interaction by dose = 0.04. CONCLUSION In patients with prediabetes, vitamin D supplementation at moderate to high doses (>1000 IU/d), but not at lower doses, significantly reduced the incidence risk of T2DM, compared with placebo.
Prévalence et rôle des lipides dans l’avènement de l’obésité au Bénin

Le recueil des mesures anthropometriques des etudiants de l’Institut National Medico-Social (INMES) au Benin nous a permis de calculer l’Indice de Masse Corporelle de cette population, seul indicateur pour evaluer l’etat nutritionnel des adultes de point de vue energetique. Au terme de cette evaluation, il ressort que la prevalence de l’obesite est plus elevee chez les femmes (9,81%) que chez les hommes (0,8%). L’indice de Masse Corporelle (IMC) median est estime a 23,03 chez les femmes contre 21,45 chez les hommes. Pour savoir les causes eventuelles de l’obesite, nous avons preleve le sang de 41 etudiants supposes obeses et 92 en surpoids et avons dose les parametres biologiques comme Cholesterol Total, Cholesterol-HDL, Cholesterol-LDL et Triglycerides. Il ressort de cette etude que, sur les quatre (04) composants lipidiques doses, seul le taux de cholesterol-LDL est eleve au sein de cette population avec une valeur mediane de 1,52 g/l. Aussi, nous constatons une disparite dans les parametres doses. Par ailleurs, presque le quart (25%) des individus en surpoids ou obeses ont une lipidemie normale. D’apres nos resultats, c’est le metabolisme de Cholesterol-LDL qui est perturbe et que l’etat d’obesite serait lie a d’autres facteurs tels que genetiques, hormonaux et autres.
Salt Distribution and Potato Response to Irrigation Regimes under Varying Mulching Materials

Water scarcity and frequent drought spells are becoming critical challenges to sustainable agricultural development, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, this work aims to investigate the effect of deficit irrigation and varying mulching materials on soil moisture content, salt distribution, and potato yield. The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes (I100%, I80%, and I60%) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), designated as I100%, I80%, and I60% of ETc, and five mulching treatments viz. (i) without mulch (WM), (ii) poultry manure mulch (PMM), (iii) rice straw mulch (RSM), (iv) white plastic mulch (WPM), and (v) black plastic mulch (BPM), which were continued for two consecutive growing seasons. The results showed that soil salinity was affected by mulching and irrigation levels as the salt content increased from the initial soil salinity. Moreover, I60% recorded the highest salt accumulation in the soil profile for WM treatment compared to the rest of the irrigation and mulching treatments. It was also revealed that PMM remained unmatched by significantly producing the highest potato yield compared to other mulching materials. However, the average potato yield decreased by 13.83% and 29.16% in the 2016 season for I80% and I60% and by 12.95% and 30.91% in the 2017 season, respectively, in comparison to full irrigation (I100%). So, when sufficient irrigation water is available, full irrigation (I100%) and PMM treatment are recommended to achieve the maximum potato tuber yield, which has a minimum impact on increasing salinity. However, when the discharge is insufficient, deficit irrigation (I80%) and PMM treatment are recommended to conserve 20% of the irrigation water applied with a minimum reduction in tuber yield and a slight increase in soil salinity.
Effects of precipitation on parasite burden along a natural climatic gradient in southern Africa - implications for possible shifts in infestation patterns due to global changes

As a consequence of environmental change, it is expected that shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns will infl uence parasite communities and their hosts with unpredictable impact. Parasites play a vital role in ecosystems but there is only limited quantitative data which describe the eff ects of environmental parameters under natural conditions. We investigated the infl uence of rainfall, relative humidity and temperature on the prevalence, abundance and infection intensity of nematodes in southern Africa by studying the gastro-intestinal helminth community of the striped mouse Rhabdomys pumilio. Along a precipitation gradient from the Cape of South Africa to northern Namibia we trapped 470 mice over a geographical distance of about 1400 km. Faecal egg counts of 439 sampled individuals and dissections of 161 gastro-intestinal tracts revealed 15 diff erent helminth species. Th e most abundant nematode species harboured in 62.6% of all infected mice were the oxyurid Syphacia obvelata followed jointly by two species (Heligmonina spira and Neoheligmonella capensis) of the subfamily Nippostrongylinae (43.7%). We found a signifi cant positive correlation between mean annual precipitation (rainfall and relative humidity) and nematode infestation rates of animals and a negative correlation with temperature. In addition, we found associations between precipitation and diff erent qualitative measurements of parasite burden (mean nematode species richness, mean number of nematode worms and infection intensity per individual host). Th e similarity in nematode species composition decreased with distance between all study sites. Our study indicates for the fi rst time an association between climatic variables and parasite prevalence and abundance along a continuous natural climatic gradient in a small mammal. Th ese results might be incorporated in the development of models which can predict possible threats for the balance of ecosystems and shifts in infestation patterns due to global changes.
Spatial heterogeneity and the population dynamics of a host: parasitoid system

The cabbage root fly, Delia radicum, at Silwood Park is attacked by both generalist and specialist natural enemies. This paper uses spatial and temporal census data to examine the relative contributions of these natural enemies to the population dynamics of D. radicum. Data on the distributions and mortalities of D. radicum on 40 swede plants in nine consecutive years have been analysed. Using a maximum likelihood technique, the parameters (together with their support limits) have been estimated from these data for a model of an insect host - generalist - specialist interaction. Three particular cases of the model are analysed: (i) only the generalist, Aleochara bilineata, is present; (ii) only the specialist, Trybliographa rapae, is present; and (iii) both species of natural enemy are present
SELECTED ASCOMYCOTA AND BASIDIOMYCOTA FROM CEDYNIA LANDSCAPE PARK (NW POLAND)

In the course of mycosociological investigations carried out in the Cedynia Landscape Park in 1985-2001, 707 species of macroscopic ascomycetous and basidiomycetous fungi were found. The paper characterizes the distribution of 172 selected species of fungi. This group includes species endangered in Poland and recorded on the 'Red List' (134 species), fungi strictly protected in Poland (10 species), fungi monitored in Poland (18 species), and fungi whose distribution has been mapped in Europe (49 species).
Cognitive profiles of healthy siblings of first‐episode schizophrenia patients

Aim: Cognitive deficit in psychotic illness is intensively studied, different cognitive subtypes have been suggested. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies in patients with schizophrenia and their relatives searching for endophenotypes of the disease. The aim of our study was to investigate cognitive performance and cognitive subtypes in the siblings of the patients.
Vessel Chronologies from Teak in Northern Thailand and their Climatic Signal

Five teak trees in northem Thailand were selected for the study of vessels in terms of dendroclimatology. The tree rings were divided into earlywood and latewood, and fourparameters (average vessel area, average vessel diameter, average conductive area, and vessel density) were measured by automatie image analysis technique to obtain 50-year (1947-1996) time series. Two questions were addressed: 1) How strongly are the vessel characteristics related to climate and 2) are these relationships different from those of ring widths? All vessel parameters of the total ring and of the earlywood were negatively correlated with precipitation during the transitional period between the dry and the wet season. The latewood vessel parameters, however, are negatively correlated with J une temperature. The climatic signals of the vessel parameters and of the tree-ring width are different from each other.