Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maruca testulalis Damage in Determinate and Indeterminate Lines of Pigeonpea in Sri Lanka

To compare damage caused by M. testulalis [M. vitrata] in determinate (DT) and indeterminate (IDT) lines of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan], 271 short-duration genotypes were evaluated for percentage pod damage, days to 50% flowering and recovery from pod damage at the Field Crops Research and Development Institute, Maha Illuppallama, Sri Lanka during 1990-91. Mean pod damage of DT and IDT lines was 65-75 and 40-50%, respectively and none of the lines had less than 10% damage. Number of days to 50% flowering in DT lines was 54-84 and was not related to pod damage. In IDT lines, days to 50% flowering was 60-87 days and had a significant negative correlation with M. testulalis damage (r = -0.43), showing that early flowering lines suffered more damage than late flowering lines. In general, pod damage by M. testulalis caused serious flower drop in both DT and IDT types. Recovery from pod damage was poor in DT lines but excellent recovery was recorded in IDT lines ICPL88034, ICPL87113 and MG679. DT lines appear to be more prone to M. testulalis damage because they have clustered inflorescences compared to IDT types which have long fruiting branches and loose inflorescences.
Use of Data Mining Techniques for the Prediction of Surface Roughness of Printed Parts in Polylactic Acid (PLA) by Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): A Practical Application in Frame Glasses Manufacturing

In the present work, ten data mining algorithms have been used to generate models capable of predicting the surface roughness of parts printed on polylactic acid (PLA) by using fused deposition modeling (FDM). The models have been trained using experimental data measured on 27 horizontal (XY) and 27 vertical (XZ) specimens, printed using different values for the parameters studied (layer height, extrusion temperature, print speed, print acceleration and flow). The models generated by multilayer perceptron (MLP) and logistic model trees (LMT) have obtained the best results in a cross-validation. Although it does not obtain such optimal results, the J48 algorithm (C4.5) allows the generation of models in the form of a decision tree. These trees permit to determine which print parameters have an influence on the surface roughness. For XY specimens, the surface roughness measured in the direction parallel to the extrusion path (Ra,0,XY ) depends on the flow, the print temperature and the layer height; in the direction perpendicular to the extrusion path, the surface roughness (Ra,90,XY) depends only on the flow. For XZ specimens, the surface roughness measured in the direction parallel to the extrusion path (Ra,0,XZ) depends only on the print speed; in the direction perpendicular to the extrusion path (Ra,90,XZ), it depends on the layer height and the extrusion temperature. According to the study carried out, the most suitable set up provides values of Ra,0,XY, Ra,90,XY, Ra,0,XZ and Ra,90,XZ equal to 0.46, 1.18, 0.45 and 11.54, respectively. A practical application of this work is the manufacture of PLA frame glasses using FDM.
Production in Vero cells of an inactivated rabies vaccine from strain FRV/K for animal and human use.

: A new concentrated and purified rabies vaccine was produced in Vero cells. Two rabies virus strains, the fixed rabies virus Pasteur (FRV) and Pittman Moore (PM) were adapted to Vero cells by 20 cycles of alternating passages in the brain of weaning mice. Intracerebral (i.c.) inoculation of weaning mice was followed then by 17 and 20 serial passages in Vero cells of RFV and PM strains, respectively. The adapted strains designated as FRV/K and PM/K gave titres of 10(6) +/- 1.5 log (LD50/ml for i.c. inoculated mice) in several harvests taken from one infected cell culture. Pooled harvests were concentrated 20-fold by ultrafiltration and were tested as animal vaccine after inactivation with beta-propiolactone (BPL). Another vaccine preparation destined for human use, in addition to concentration and inactivation, was also purified by gel filtration. Control tests revealed that the antigenic content of different strain FRV/K harvests was very high in comparison with that of strain PM/K and the reference tissue culture vaccine (RIV, Netherland). In sheep the antibody response induced by the FRV/K strain was very high; serum neutralizing index (NI) higher than 4 was reached 40 days after the second vaccine dose, whereas the vaccine preparation from strain PM/K gave NI of 2.3 and the reference vaccine NI of 3.8, respectively. Safety tests in rabbits and guinea pigs showed neither pyrogenicity nor toxicity.
Targeted Retreatment of Incompletely Recovered COPD Exacerbations With Ciprofloxacin: A Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled, Multicentre Phase III Trial.

RATIONALE COPD exacerbations are prone to non-recovery but there are no data about the effectiveness of retreatment on these prolonged events. We examined whether further therapy with ciprofloxacin for incompletely resolved COPD exacerbations prolonged the time until the next event. METHODS This multi-centre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial studied retreatment with oral ciprofloxacin 500mg or matched placebo twice daily for 7 days in patients with GOLD stage II - IV COPD with persistent symptoms and/or serum C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥8mg/L initiated 14 (+/- 3) days after an index COPD exacerbation. The primary outcome was the time to the next exacerbation within a 90-day period. RESULTS Of 826 patients screened at 4 centres, 144 eligible participants with incomplete recovery were randomised to receive ciprofloxacin (n=72) or placebo (n=72). 57% of patients in the ciprofloxacin group had experienced 1 or more exacerbations, compared to 53% in the placebo group. The median time to the next exacerbation was 32.5 days (IQR 13-50) in the placebo arm and 34 days (IQR 17-62) in the ciprofloxacin arm, which was not significantly different (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.07, 95% CI 0.68-1.68; p=0.76). No significant differences were seen in quality of life scores or lung function between treatment groups. CONCLUSION In patients with persistent symptoms and/or raised CRP 14 days following a COPD exacerbation, an additional course of ciprofloxacin resulted in no additional benefit compared to placebo. This suggests that non-recovered exacerbations are not driven by ongoing bacterial infection and may potentially be targeted with anti-inflammatory therapy.
Immunomodulating Effects Depend on Prolactin Levels in Patients with Hyperprolactinemia

Abstract Prolactin is known to have immune modulatory effects acting through the prolactin receptor, which is present on a variety of immune cells. Certain chemokines contribute to form the type of T helper (Th) preponderance in the immune response. The objective of this work was to assess if hyperprolactinemia not related to pregnancy is associated with changes in circulating levels of chemokines and other immunological markers. In this cross sectional study, 35 patients with hyperprolactinemia (5 men), and 102 healthy blood donors (19 men) were included. Serum levels of Th1- Th2- and Th17-associated chemokines, C-reactive protein, immunoglobulins, and the B cell attracting chemokine CXCL13 were assessed. The hyperprolactinemic group had significantly higher levels of Th2 associated CCL22 (p=0.022), Th17 associated CXCL1 (p=0.001), B cell attracting CXCL13 (p=0.003), and C-reactive protein (p<0.001) compared to controls, and these proteins were also positively correlated with prolactin levels. While differences in CCL22, CXCL1, CXCL13, and C-reactive protein were present in patients with low or moderate hyperprolactinemia, no differences were observed at high (>3600 mU/l) prolactin levels. To evaluate a possible dose-associated response to prolactin, an in vitro model was used, showing prolactin-induced increase in T-helper cell activation at moderate levels, while activation decreased at higher levels. Hyperprolactinemia seems to have several immunomodulatory effects and was associated with increased levels of chemokines associated with Th2 and Th17 responses and B cell attraction. However, patients with greatly increased prolactin had normal levels of chemokines, and in vitro, high levels of prolactin decreased T-helper cell activation.
Metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma with high‐grade transformation (“dedifferentiation”) in pleural effusion and neck lymph node: A diagnostic challenge on cytology?

High‐grade transformation (HGT) or “dedifferentiation” is an uncommon phenomenon among salivary gland carcinomas including adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), which is important to recognize because it is associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, with a high propensity for lymph node and distant metastases. ACC with HGT is histologically characterized by a distinct population of poorly differentiated cells with loss of the typical biphasic ductal and myoepithelial differentiation seen in conventional ACC, associated with pleomorphism, necrosis and increased mitotic activity. We report the cytologic features of a case of metastatic ACC‐HGT in cervical lymph node and effusion, which, to the best of our knowledge, have not been described previously. When ACC presents both in atypical locations and with HGT, the danger of misdiagnosis is increased if the clinical history is lacking, incomplete or inaccurate. Since ACC‐HGT are rare (and possibly underdiagnosed) and do not have a specific set of cytological and/or immunohistochemical features, it is important for practicing cytopathologists to be aware of the possibility of encountering them, especially in specimens from patients with a history of ACC, in order to render the correct diagnosis.
Offspring sex ratio in moose Alces alces in relation to paternal age: an experiment

In most of Fennoscandia, moose Alces alces is intensively managed by the use of age and sex specific harvesting. This includes strong male biased harvesting, which over the last decade has resulted in a change in the sex and age composition of the populations. During the same period of time, a reduction in the proportion of male calves in the harvest has occurred all over Norway, probably reflecting a change in the secondary sex ratio. In order to examine for any causal link between these two patterns, we manipulated the structural composition of an isolated island population of moose in northern Norway and at the same time closely monitored the variation in the secondary sex ratio. In the first stage of the project, which was assumed to represent the conditions in a natural, unhunted moose population, the proportion of male calves increased significantly with the age of their fathers. Potentially, as a consequence of the high mean adult male age in the population, the secondary sex ratio was highly male biased. When we altered the male segment of the population, leaving only young (≤ 2½ years old) males as potential mates for the females, a significant increase in the proportion of female calves occurred in the population. Finally, in the last 3-years stage of the project, we reduced the adult sex ratio in the population to about 23% males and kept the adult male age relatively high. This again led to an increasing secondary sex ratio. These results suggest that the age composition of males in the population may affect the secondary sex ratio. The general significance of these results was supported by a larger temporal decrease in the proportion of males that were shot in the areas of Norway with larger changes in the sex composition of the hunting quotas than in the regions in which a less extreme harvest strategy were practised.
Frugivory and seed dispersal by carnivores in the Rhodopi mountains of northern Greece

The frugivory and seed dispersal by carnivores were studied using a combination of vegetation surveys, fruit production counts and analysis of faeces distribution and content. The study site is situated close to the Greek-Bulgarian border within a protected area. The habitat comprises of a mixed forest of beech, pine, oak and spruce which is occasionally interrupted by patches of fruiting trees. Faecal samples were collected on five permanent transects which were sampled monthly between May and October of 1993 and 1994.Fruiting plant density was found to be slightly higher in the forest than along forest roads, however the species diversity was much higher on the latter. In some cases, immature fruiting plants were found on transects with no mature plants in the vicinity. Availability of ripe fruit was found to increase steadily between May and September. There was a significant difference between the numbers of faeces deposited by the carnivores, with fox being the most numerous, followed by marten, bear and wolf. There was spatial and temporal variation in the number of faeces deposited. Nevertheless, there was no variation between different altitudinal zones. Martens were found to defecate more often on stones when compared with the other carnivores. The analysis of fruit consumption revealed that bears were the most frugivorous carnivores followed by foxes, wolves and martens on the basis of frequency of consumption. The temporal availability of each ripe fruit species coincided with their consumption by the carnivores in most of the cases. A number of seed species were deposited at altitudes where the plants do not normally grow. Foxes dispersed the highest numbers of seeds in the study area and bears were second as they deposited large-size faeces which contained many seeds. Of the dispersed seeds, those of Rubus sp. , Rosa sp. and Fragaria vesca were deposited in the highest numbers. Only a small number fraction of seeds were damaged through handling by carnivores.
On an instance of parasitisation by the pea-crab (Pinnotheres sp.) on the backwater clam Mmeretrix casta (Chemnitz) from India, with a review of the work on the systematics, ecology biology and ethology of pea crabs of the genus Pinnotheres latreille

A few species of the genus Pinnotheres Latreille are known to be definite parasites of some bivalves, while the great majority of the pea-crabs may be classed as obligate commensals and live in bivalve molluscs, echinoderms and ascidians. The backwater clam Meretrix casta (Chemintz) from Malpe, on the west coast of India was found to be infested with a species of the pea-crab and a careful study of the infected clams indicated definite damages caused by the crab to the gills, mantle, gonad and digestive gland of the host indicating a clear case of parasitism. Descriptive account of the pea-crab, the meat weight-total weight ratio in the infected and uninfected clams, and other details are dealt with here.
Aromatic hydrocarbons removal by immobilized bacteria (Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp.) in fluidized bed bioreactor

Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus sp. isolated from hydrocarbons- contaminated river in Morocco appeared to be able to use benzene, toluene, and naphthalene as sole source of carbon and energy. These bacterial strains were immobilized in vermiculite and used for removing hydrocarbons from synthetic water polluted by benzene, toluene or naphthalene by using a fluidized bed bioreactor. Immobilized bacterial cells of Pseudomonas sp. and of Staphylococcus sp. could completely eliminate the tested hydrocarbons. Moreover, the efficiency of treatment was much greater than with the native cells.
Mutagénèse semi-aléatoire au site actif de la DHFR humaine : création et caractérisation de variantes hautement résistantes au MTX

Human dihydrofolate reductase (hDHFR) is an enzyme that is essential to cell proliferation. It reduces dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate, an important cofactor involved in purine and thymidylate biosynthesis. hDHFR is a choice target for chemotherapeutic drugs like methotrexate (MTX), which specifically inhibits the enzyme, stopping cell proliferation and leading to cellular death. MTX is used for the treatment of many proliferative diseases, including cancers. Widespread use of MTX has lead to the development of resistance mechanisms appear which impair treatment efficiency. The present work focuses on a mechanism of resistance, namely mutations in hDHFR that reduce its affinity for MTX, to better understand the underlying mechanisms of inhibitor recognition at the active site of the enzyme. In parallel, we aim at identifying the most MTX-resistant variants to offer novel selectable markers for particular cell culture systems, such as hematopoietic cell culture, which offer important perspectives for cellular therapy. To study the role of different regions of the hDHFR active site, and to verify if a correlation exists between mutations in these regions and increased resistance to MTX, a combinatorial strategy was developed enabling the creation of several hDHFR variant libraries at active site residues located in proximity to bound MTX. The libraries were selected in vivo in a bacterial system using culture media containing high concentration of the inhibitor. One library in particular, hDHFR 31/34/35, yielded a considerable number of highly MTX-resistant combinatorial hDHFR variants. The most interesting candidates were tested for their potential as selectable markers in various cell lines, including transduced hematopoietic cells. Complete protection from MTX-cytotoxicity was obtained for these cells following infection with the combinatorial variants. To better understand the molecular causes of MTX resistance, resolution of the crystal structures of variant proteins in presence of MTX was attempted. Resolution of the F31R/Q35E double variant revealed that the resistance phenotype was related to important differences in the active site relative to WT, possibly attributable to a dynamic motion effect. A more general comprehension of
Survey of eastern Ontario alfalfa fields to determine common fungal diseases and predominant soil-borne species of Pythium and Fusarium

One hundred alfalfa Medicago sativa) fields in 12 counties of eastern Ontario were surveyed in 1981. Based on symptoms and isolations from host tissues and soil samples, the following pathogens were detected. Phoma medicaginis (spring black stem), Colletotrichum trifolii (anth racnose) , Ph ytophthora megasperma f. sp. medicaginis (root rot), and Sclerotinia trifoliorum (sclerotinia crown and stem rot) were found in 19, 10, 9, and 1 fields, respectively. Pseudopezize mediceginis (common leaf spot) and Stemphylium botryosum (Stemphylium leaf spot) were present in most fields while Asronospora trifoliorum (downy mildew) occurred sporadically. Verticillium albo-atrum (wilt) was not found. Pythium irregulare. Fusarium oxysporum and F. equiseti were widely distributed in soil, but their population densities seemed to bear no significant relationship to fields visually rated as being in good, fair or poor condition; however, in laboratory tests, certain isolates of each of the latter three fungi were pathogenic to alfalfa seedlings.
A Study of Enamel Defects and Dental Caries of Permanent Dentition in School Children with Intellectual Disability

Data concerning the prevalence of developmental enamel defects and their association with dental caries in individuals with intellectual disability are scarce. This paper aims to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of developmental enamel defects and dental caries in the permanent dentition of special-care school children from Poznan (Poland). Out of 1091 students attending all special-care schools in the city, the study covered 268 subjects with intellectual disability (mild, moderate, severe, and profound) with permanent dentition, aged 10–20. One calibrated dentist performed dental examinations. The Statistica Software v10 was used for statistical analysis, assuming the level of statistical significance p ≤ 0.05. Among the subjects of the study, 19.40% presented developmental enamel defects. The number of teeth with changes ranged from 1 to 28, with maxillary incisors most frequently affected. Students without developmental enamel defects had more teeth observed with active caries compared to those with such changes (10.92% vs. 7.82%, p < 0.01). The highest number of students with developmental defects of enamel was observed in the group of individuals with mild intellectual disabilities. The present study revealed that in special-care students from Poznan, enamel defects and dental caries were frequently observed. However, individuals with developmental enamel defects did not show higher dental caries indices.
Using Ductus Venous Blood Flow Waveform as a Clinical Biomarker for the Detection of Aneuploidies-A Meta Analysis

Background: Ductus venosus (DV) Doppler has been suggested as a biomarker for the early screening of fetal aneuploidy. However, results from different studies are not always consistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between DV and fetal aneuploidy by systematically reviewing the published literature and performing a meta-analysis.Methods: DV-Aneuploidy relationship data were extracted from previous publications, including 35,122 pregnant women. Among these, 613 fetuses had aneuploidy, 1522 had abnormal DV, and 382 had both abnormal DV and aneuploidy. Literature search was performed using PubMed Central, Medline, RePORTER and Elsevier Full-text Articles.Results: Results from random-effects model showed that DV and aneuploidy are strongly correlated (Log odds ratio: 3.86 0.35, p-value 0.27). Conclusion: This study shows that abnormal DV is significantly associated with the incidence of aneuploidies, supporting the use of DV as a clinical maker for fetal aneuploidy screening. Further study will explore the influence factors for DV-Aneuploidy relationship that lead to variations among different sample groups.
Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity among Mothers of Young Children in an Asian City: The Mediating Role of Household Activities and Domestic Help

Mothers of preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) risk being physically inactive. This study aimed to examine associations between socioeconomic status (education, employment, income) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among mothers of preschoolers in Hong Kong. Family functioning (e.g., having a domestic helper, division of household chores and child-related activities) was explored as a potential mediator of associations between socioeconomic indicators and the mother’s self-reported MVPA. Using zero-inflated negative binomial modelling confounder-adjusted associations between socioeconomic indicators and MVPA (total effects) were estimated. Mediation analyses (joint-significance test) were also performed. Using generalized linear mixed models, intermediate pathways were identified. No significant total effects of any socioeconomic indicator on the mother’s MVPA were found. However, mediation analyses identified a complex network of inconsistent mediators partly explaining their associations via eight pathways. Also, whilst non-residents/extended family playing with the child(ren) was not associated with any socioeconomic indicator, this was negatively associated with the mother’s MVPA. A further pathway was mediated by the mother playing with her child(ren). Extended family playing with the child(ren) was inversely associated with the mother doing so. Associations between socioeconomic indicators and MVPA among preschoolers’ mothers are complex and inconsistent, requiring further investigation in diverse contexts. Encouraging active play with their preschoolers may increase mothers’ physical activity levels.