Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of B-Genome Specific High Copy hAT MITE Families in Brassica nigra Genome

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are non-autonomous class II transposons which have been shown to influence genome evolution. Brassica nigra L. (B-genome) is one of three Brassica diploids cultivated primarily as an oil crop, which harbors novel alleles important for breeding. Two new high copy hAT MITE families (BniHAT-1 and BniHAT-2) from the B-genome were characterized and their prevalence assessed in the genomes of the related diploids, rapa L. (A) and Brassica oleracea L. (C). Both novel MITE families were present at high copy numbers in the B-genome with 434 and 331 copies of BniHAT-1 and BniHAT-2, respectively. Yet less than 20 elements were identified in the genome assemblies of the A, and C -genomes, supporting B-genome specific proliferation of these MITE families. Although apparently randomly distributed across the genome, 68 and 70% of the B-genome MITEs were present within 2 kb flanking regions of annotated genes suggesting they might influence gene expression and/or function. In addition, MITE derived microRNAs and transcription factor binding sites suggested a putative role in gene regulation. Age of insertion analysis revealed that the major proliferation of these elements occurred during 2–3 million years ago. Additionally, site-specific polymorphism analyses showed that 44% MITEs were undergoing active amplification into the B-genome. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of two high copy MITE families, which were specifically amplified in the B-genome, suggesting a potential role in shaping the Brassica B-genome.
Evaluation of a (1→3)-β-d-Glucan Assay for Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Infections

ABSTRACT The Fungitell assay (Associates of Cape Cod, Inc.) is a commercial test that detects (1-3)-β-d-glucan (BG) and is intended for diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. To evaluate the Fungitell assay, we tested serum and plasma samples from healthy blood donors and from patients with blood cultures positive for yeast or bacteria. All 36 blood donors were BG negative, and 13 of 15 candidemic patients were BG positive. Of 25 bacteremic patients, 14 (10 with gram-positive bacteremia) were BG positive. One of the latter patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia also had invasive candidiasis, based on histological findings in a tissue biopsy; therefore, the BG result was a true positive. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the Fungitell assay, by patient, for these three groups were 93.3%, 77.2%, 51.9%, and 97.8%, respectively. We also performed the Fungitell assay on sera that had been tested for Aspergillus galactomannan or Histoplasma antigen. All six Histoplasma antigen-positive patients and 31 of 32 Aspergillus galactomannan-positive patients were also BG positive. BG results for the 10 Histoplasma antigen-negative and the 32 Aspergillus galactomannan-negative patients varied, but we were unable to confirm many of the results. Between-run coefficients of variance (CVs) for the assay ranged from 3.2% to 16.8%; within-run CVs were ≤4.8%. The correlation coefficient for an interlaboratory reproducibility study was 0.9892. Concentrations of hemoglobulin, bilirubin, and triglycerides that caused 20% interference were 588, 72, and 466 mg/dl, respectively. Our results suggest that the Fungitel assay may be most useful for excluding invasive fungal infection.
Effects of Equal Volume Heavy-Resistance Strength Training Versus Strength Endurance Training on Physical Fitness and Sport-Specific Performance in Young Elite Female Rowers

Strength training is an important means for performance development in young rowers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 9-week equal volume heavy-resistance strength training (HRST) versus strength endurance training (SET) in addition to regular rowing training on primary (e.g., maximal strength/power) and secondary outcomes (e.g., balance) in young rowers. Twenty-six female elite adolescent rowers were assigned to an HRST (n = 12; age: 13.2 ± 0.5 yrs; maturity-offset: +2.0 ± 0.5 yrs) or a SET group (n = 14; age: 13.1 ± 0.5 yrs; maturity-offset: +2.1 ± 0.5 yrs). HRST and SET comprised lower- (i.e., leg press/knee flexion/extension), upper-limbs (i.e., bench press/pull; lat-pull down), and complex exercises (i.e., rowing ergometer). HRST performed four sets with 12 repetitions per set at an intensity of 75–95% of the one-repetition maximum (1-RM). SET conducted four sets with 30 repetitions per set at 50–60% of the 1-RM. Training volume was matched for overall repetitions × intensity × training per week. Pre-post training, tests were performed for the assessment of primary [i.e., maximal strength (e.g., bench pull/knee flexion/extension 1-RM/isometric handgrip test), muscle power (e.g., medicine-ball push test, triple hop, drop jump, and countermovement jump), anaerobic endurance (400-m run), sport-specific performance (700-m rowing ergometer trial)] and secondary outcomes [dynamic balance (Y-balance test), change-of-direction (CoD) speed (multistage shuttle-run test)]. Adherence rate was >87% and one athlete of each group dropped out. Overall, 24 athletes completed the study and no test or training-related injuries occurred. Significant group × time interactions were observed for maximal strength, muscle power, anaerobic endurance, CoD speed, and sport-specific performance (p ≤ 0.05; 0.45 ≤ d ≤ 1.11). Post hoc analyses indicated larger gains in maximal strength and muscle power following HRST (p ≤ 0.05; 1.81 ≤ d ≤ 3.58) compared with SET (p ≤ 0.05; 1.04 ≤ d ≤ 2.30). Furthermore, SET (p ≤ 0.01; d = 2.08) resulted in larger gains in sport-specific performance compared with HRST (p < 0.05; d = 1.3). Only HRST produced significant pre-post improvements for anaerobic endurance and CoD speed (p ≤ 0.05; 1.84 ≤ d ≤ 4.76). In conclusion, HRST in addition to regular rowing training was more effective than SET to improve selected measures of physical fitness (i.e., maximal strength, muscle power, anaerobic endurance, and CoD speed) and SET was more effective than HRST to enhance sport-specific performance gains in female elite young rowers.
Mathematics Anxiety: An Intergenerational Approach

This study investigated mathematics anxiety from an intergenerational perspective, by investigating data on 172 primary-school children and both their biological parents. This family dataset (n = 516) allowed us to not only replicate previous findings per generation but also, importantly, explore intergenerational correlations. We found a significant negative association between sixth graders’ arithmetical performance and their mathematics anxiety. Gender differences occurred in each generation: females were more anxious than males about mathematics. Interestingly, these gender differences were not found in actual arithmetical performance. Analyses of our intergenerational data revealed that children’s mathematics anxiety was significantly associated with their mothers’ mathematics anxiety and both their mothers’ and fathers’ educational level. Regression analyses revealed that the significance level of mothers’ mathematics anxiety became borderline when considering mathematics anxiety and educational level of both parents simultaneously. Interestingly, mathematics anxiety as well as educational level of both biological parents was associated, suggesting that mathematics anxiety results from a complex entanglement of nature and nurture. Current intergenerational data suggest a complex familial basis of mathematics anxiety and indicate that the investigation of parental levels of education and mathematics anxiety contributes to the understanding of individual differences in children’s arithmetic performance.
Perceived Teacher Support and Communication in Strategizing Possible Selves

During high school, adolescents develop future plans for their lives and profession and teachers are generally believed to play an important role. At present, however, there is limited evidence about exactly how this support affects students. This study uses possible-selves theory to explore the link between perceived teacher support and communication about the future to adolescents’ own hoped-for and feared possible selves. Surveys and structured interviews were used to gather views of 85 Latina/o and White students (Mage = 15.5 years). Results indicate that greater perceived support and better communication from teachers were both associated with adolescents expressing more concrete strategies for achieving all types of possible selves. This study offers initial evidence about the important role teachers may play in supporting and shaping how adolescents construct an action plan that will lead to their desired future selves.
PRODUCCIÓN DE ÁCIDO LÁCTICO POR Lactobacillus sp. A PARTIR DE GLICEROL CRUDO DEL BIODIESEL

ABSTRACT L actic Acid (LA) is a versatile compound with extensive industrial usage. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are renowned for their capacity to ferment carbohydrates to LA. In the biodiesel industry, bioconversion of residual glycerol to monomers of biopolymers, such as LA, is an alternative for usage of this waste as raw material to produce a high value added biotechnological compound. This research evaluates LA production through fermentation processes using a Lactobacillus sp. native strain and raw glycerol from the biodiesel industry. Native strain was isolated from the processing of dairy, fruit, and vegetable products and through cultures in Man, Rogosa & Sharpe agar (MRS). After an adaptation phase, the fermentative capability of the strain was evaluated through chemical quantification of metabolites using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 H-NMR); fermentative potential was compared with a Lactobacillus sp . reference strain (ATCC 7469). The native strain Lactobacillus sp. CYP4 showed a higher bioconversion potential (LA concentration: 39.41 mM, conversion percentage: 39.27%, at 24 h, volumetric productivity: 1.28 g
Establishing the therapeutic potential of the P2X7 receptor ion channel in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

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Nutrition of draught oxen in semi-arid west Africa 3. Effect of body condition prior to work and weight losses during work on food intake and work output

Eighteen oxen 1vere allotted to three treatment groups according to their body condition: poor, medium and good. Work output, speed, live weight and body condition were measured during 7 weeks when animals u/orked 4 days/ week, 4 h/day, pulling loads equivalent to 12.5 kgf/lOO kg live weight. The animals were given millet stover ad libitum during hours they did not work plus 10 g/kg M of a concentrate mix. Work did not influence intake of millet stover. However, food intake improved as work progressed and animals in bad condition ate more millet stover than animals in good body condition. Work performance was affected by live weight but not body condition. Live-weight losses did not have a detrimental effect on work performance. P01ver output improved during the course of the experiment while animals u/ere losillg weight Animals in all treatment groups lost body 1veight during the 7 weeks ~f work but weight losses lvere more pronounced in oxen in good than in poor body condition. At the end of the working period, animals were put on natural pastures without supplementation. It took 4 weeks for animals in poor and medium body condition and 6 weeks for animals in good body condition to reach their pre-lvork lh'e
Genomic and Phenotypic Analysis of an ESBL-Producing E. coli ST1159 Clonal Lineage From Wild Birds in Mongolia

Background In addition to the broad dissemination of pathogenic extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia (E.) coli in human and veterinary medicine and the community, their occurrence in wildlife and the environment is a growing concern. Wild birds in particular often carry clinically relevant ESBL-producing E. coli. Objectives We analyzed ESBL-producing and non-ESBL-producing E. coli obtained from wild birds in Mongolia to identify phylogenetic and functional characteristics that would explain the predominance of a particular E. coli clonal lineage in this area. Methods We investigated ESBL-producing E. coli using whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetics to describe the population structure, resistance and virulence features and performed phenotypic experiments like biofilm formation and adhesion to epithelial cells. We compared the phenotypic characteristics to non-ESBL-producing E. coli from the same background (Mongolian wild birds) and genomic results to publicly available genomes. Results and Conclusion We found ESBL-producing E. coli sequence type (ST) 1159 among wild birds in Mongolia. This clonal lineage carried virulence features typical for extra-intestinal pathogenic or enterotoxigenic E. coli. Comparative functional experiments suggested no burden of resistance in the ST1159 isolates, which is despite their carriage of ESBL-plasmids. Wild birds will likely disseminate these antibiotic-resistant pathogens further during migration.
School Health Needs Assessment in Chanchamayo, Peru: A Health Promoting School Project

Background: School-based health promotion can be particularly valuable in developing countries. However, there is a lack of information about the health needs of Peruvian school students. The purpose of this study was to conduct a health needs assessment to develop strategies for a school health promotion program in a jungle and indigent region in Chanchamayo, Peru. Methods: This study was conducted using a mixed method approach that included a literature review, national and local statistics, stakeholder interviews, and a survey. Participants of the survey were 210 teachers, 2,504 elementary school students, and 2,834 secondary school students from six ‘schools in two planned project implementation regions. A self-administered questionnaire for students was developed based on WHO's Global School-based Student Health Survey. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and t-tests for the survey data and content analysis for the interviews. Results: Weak school health systems were identified, including school health policies, curriculum, trained health care personnel, and health-related facilities and equipment. Common health problems of students were anemia, nutritional deficiency, infectious diseases, tuberculosis, drug abuse, poor hygiene, and sex-related problems. High absence rates from school due to family problems and high dropout rates due to pregnancy were also critical issues. Teachers identified personal hygiene, nutrition, reproductive health, and sex education as high priorities for school health education, while students identified prevention of infectious diseases, nutrition education, psychological health, and healthy lifestyles as priorities. Identified strategies included: establishment of school health policies, curriculum-based interventions, increasing community participation and raising school health awareness, capacity building for health care promotors, training of trainers, and partnership between schools and communities. Conclusions: Findings from this study will help guide the development and implementation of a school-based health promotion program in Chanchamayo. Multicomponent school-based interventions that consider feasibility and sustainability will be developed and evaluated based on WHO's Health Promoting School concepts.
Dairy Product Consumption and Bladder Cancer Risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cohort

Evidence has suggested that dairy product consumption lowers the risk of several cancers, but these benefits may not occur with bladder cancer. In a cohort of 101,721 subjects in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, we analyzed the effects of dairy product intake on bladder cancer risk using Cox proportional hazards regression. After a median of 12.5 years of follow-up, 776 new cases of bladder cancer were identified. We found no statistically significant association between total milk intake and bladder cancer risk. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of bladder cancer for participants in the highest category of total milk intake compared with those in the lowest category was 1.13 (95% CI: 0.92–1.40; p for trend = 0.436). Among individual dairy foods, no statistically significant association was observed for a broad range of dairy products, including whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk, skim milk, yogurt, regular butter, low fat butter, regular cheese, low fat cheese, and no fat cheese. These associations were not modified by smoking status (p for interaction > 0.05). In conclusion, findings from this large prospective analysis do not support an inverse association between dairy product consumption and bladder cancer risk.
Growth dynamics of Olisthodiscus luteus in outdoor tanks with flowing coastal water and in small vessels

Growth rates and periodicity of division of Olisthodiscus Zuteus were studied in outdoor tanks provided with a continuous flow of coastal water carrying a low density of wild plankters including 0. luteus, during summer in 198 1-1983. Cells collected from the tanks were individually cultured in small tissue culture chambers in the laboratory to observe growth rates and periodicity of division. A portion of an 0. Zuteus patch on the wall of the tank was also cultured in a l,OOO-ml volumetric flask hung in the tank. High growth rates, 2.0-5.0 div d-l, were observed in the tank. There was a strong tendency for large cells to dominate in the tank at the beginning of their fast growth phases and to be replaced by small cells toward the end of these growth phases. In small chambers 0. luteus attained a growth rate of 3.3 div d-l; growth rates of large cells inoculated into these chambers were much higher than those of small cells. Growth rate in the flask was 2.3 div d-l. Olisthodiscus Zuteus showed a great preference for dark-associated cell division. An apparent reciprocal codominance was observed between 0. luteus and diatoms in the tank.
The Interactions of Airway Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Clinically Stable Asthma

Dysbiotic airway microbiota play important roles in the inflammatory progression of asthma, and exploration of airway microbial interactions further elucidates asthma pathogenesis. However, little is known regarding the airway bacterial-fungal interactions in asthma patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the sputum bacterial and fungal microbiota from 116 clinically stable asthma patients and 29 healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene and ITS1 sequencing. Compared with healthy individuals, asthma patients exhibited a significantly altered microbiota and increased bacterial and fungal alpha diversities in the airway. Microbial genera Moraxella, Capnocytophaga, and Ralstonia (bacteria) and Schizophyllum, Candida, and Phialemoniopsis (fungi) were more abundant in the asthma airways, while Rothia, Veillonella and Leptotrichia (bacteria) and Meyerozyma (fungus) were increased in healthy controls. The Moraxellaceae family and their genus Moraxella were significantly enriched in asthma patients compared with healthy controls (80.5-fold, P = 0.007 and 314.7-fold, P = 0.027, respectively). Moreover, Moraxellaceae, along with Schizophyllum, Candida, and Aspergillus (fungal genera), were positively associated with fungal alpha diversity. Correlation networks revealed 3 fungal genera (Schizophyllum, Candida, and Aspergillus) as important airway microbes in asthma that showed positive correlations with each other and multiple co-exclusions with other common microbiota. Moraxellaceae members were positively associated with asthma-enriched fungal taxa but negatively related to several healthy-enriched bacterial taxa. Collectively, our findings revealed an altered microbiota and complex microbial interactions in the airways of asthma patients. The Moraxellaceae family and their genus Moraxella, along with 3 important fungal taxa, showed significant interactions with the airway microbiota, providing potential insights into the novel pathogenic mechanisms of asthma.
Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood of Cats: Technique and Normal Values

Examination of bone marrow and peripheral blood is necessary to diagnose and study many diseases affecting the hematopoietic system of cats. A simplified technique for obtaining marrow from cats, modified from a previously reported method, employs local anesthesia and minimal restraint. Skin and periosteum over the iliac crest are anesthetized with 2% procaine; a 3/4-inch, 18 gauge needle with short beveled point and seated stylet is introduced into the ilium through a small skin incision. Marrow is aspirated with a syringe and smears are made directly. Wright and Giemsa stains are used and 500 nucleated cells are differentiated. Average differential values on marrow from 15 clinically normal cats were: rubriblast 1.2%, prorubricyte 2.8%, rubricyte 16.1%, metarubricyte 18.2%, (total erythrocytic cells, 38.4%), myeloblast 1.1%, progranulocyte 2.8%, neutrophil myelocyte 5.9%, eosinophil myelocyte 0.3%, neutrophil metamyelocyte 15.0%, eosinophil metamyelocyte 0.2%, neutrophil band 14.7%, eosinophil band 0.3%, neutrophil segmenter 14.0%, eosinophil segmenter 1.3% (total myelocytic cells, 55.6%), lymphocytes 5.1%, plasma cells 0.5%, reticulum cells 0.3%. The average myeloid: erythroid ratio was 1.6:1. Peripheral blood for determining hematocrits (PCV), total leukocyte counts (WBC) and differential leukocyte counts on the same animals was obtained by puncturing the marginal ear vein. Average values for these determinations were: PCV 37%, WBC 15,250/cmm. , segmenters (neutrophil) 59%, bands (neutrophil) 4%, eosinophils 6%, lymphocytes 27%, monocytes 3%. Terminology used to classify the cells described and illustrated in this report is that recommended by the Committee for Clarification of the Nomenclature of Cells and Diseases of the Blood and Blood-Forming Organs.