Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening and Recognition of Chronic Kidney Disease in VA Health Care System Primary Care Clinics.

Background The successful implementation of interventions targeted to improve kidney health requires early identification of CKD which involves screening at-risk populations as well as recognizing CKD. We aim to determine CKD screening and recognition rates, factors associated with these rates, and evaluate the effect of CKD awareness on delivery of care. Methods A retrospective cohort study of veterans enrolled with Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 who had hypertension (HTN) and/or diabetes (DM) and were seen at least twice in primary care clinics within 18 months. The final cohort of 270,170 patients (52% HTN, 5% DM, and 44% both) was examined for serum creatinine/eGFR, urine protein/albumin, International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for CKD, and nephrology referral. CKD was defined as eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and/or urine albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR) >30 mg/g at least twice 90 days apart. Clinical covariates, HTN control, and prescription rates of renal prudent medications and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were assessed. Results Overall, 254,831 (94%) patients had either eGFR, urine protein/albumin, or both. However, screening for protein/albuminuria was low (56%), particularly in patients with isolated HTN (35%). Of 254,831 patients, 92,900 (36%) had laboratory evidence of CKD and, of these, 40,586 (44%) were recognized to have CKD by ICD code and/or nephrology referral. CKD due to presence of uACR criteria alone had the lowest recognition (19%) as compared with CKD due to eGFR criteria (44%) or both (67%). Frequency of emergency room visits, hospitalization, and cardiac and endovascular procedures requiring contrast had the highest odds and races other than white had the lower odds of screening. In contrast, CKD recognition was high in races other than white and increased with worsening eGFR and increasing uACR. In screened and recognized CKD, prescription was higher for angiotensin inhibitors, statins, and diuretics, and was lower for NSAIDs. Conclusions Although overall CKD screening rate was high, screening of protein/albuminuria in isolated HTN and overall recognition of CKD was low in at-risk veterans. Increased recognition was associated with a favorable prescription rate for renal prudent medications.
Mooted extinction of koalas at Eden: improving the information base

Abstract. A report in Wildlife Research, that koalas are extinct in most of the Eden region as a result of climate change, logging and clearing, is mistaken. Its recommendation, that logging should cease in a climate refuge where, supposedly, the last koalas persist, has been adopted by Government. Koalas are unlikely to benefit. It would be better to conduct radio-tracking studies of koalas in this area and in the wider region to inform their future management.
Fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMA) em porta-enxertos micropropagados de videira

The use of mycorrhizal fungi is an activity of great importance to accelerate the initial development of grape seedlings. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of two AMF on the vegetative growth of three grape rootstocks. Such experiment used the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus etunicatum and Scutellospora heterogama, and the rootstocks SO4, Paulsen 1103 e 043-43. The micropropagated rootstocks were transferred and acclimated in 300 mL plastic cups, and after 58 days were transplanted to 2 L plastic bags containing a mixture of carbonized rice husks and Plantmax® on the proportion 1:1, as sub- strate. The inoculum consisted of 20 g of rhizospheric soil and roots fragments containing the structures of AMF added to the substrate during the acclimatization stage. Fresh and dry matter of roots and shoots, length of roots and shoots, stem diameter and nutritional status of shoots were evaluated after 135 days of inoculation. The AMF Glomus etunicatum and Scutellospora heterogama provided better nutrition and greater vegetative growth of rootstock varieties when compared to the non-inoculated plants. The benefits of symbiosis were depended on the specific combination of the fungal isolate and rootstock variety employed, with 043-43 benefited mainly by AMF Glomus etunicatun and SO4 and Paulsen 1103 by Glomus etunicatum and Scutellospora heterogama.
Understanding Emerging Zoonotic Respiratory Viruses : Animal models for human influenza and coronavirus infections

markdownabstractThe objective of the work presented in this thesis was to improve understanding of, and response to, emerging zoonotic respiratory viruses. To this end, various animal models were employed to represent respiratory viral infections in humans. The introduction serves to provide a background on the currently available animal models and (potential) vaccine strategies for human influenza and coronavirus infections. For the work presented in this thesis, animal models were used in three distinct ways, underlining that the choice of animal model depends largely on the research question. In Chapter 2-4 a new isogenic guinea pig model was developed that provides unique features compared to established influenza virus models. The baseline parameters of influenza infection in this model were assessed to determine its suitability for use to simultaneously study transmission and cell mediated immunity to influenza infections. In Chapter 5, an established model was used to test a novel intervention strategy for an emerging influenza subtype. We showed that the modified vaccinia ankara (MVA)- H7 vaccine is effective against the newly emerging influenza A/H7N9 virus in the ferret model and that it satisfies one of the main aims of the novel influenza vaccines: rapid availability. Finally in Chapter 6, a new model was explored to gain understanding of the pathogenesis of a recently emerged coronavirus. Cynomolgous macaques were used to study underlying mechanisms that appear to restrict MERS-CoV replication in some hosts and data was compared to two other coronaviruses SARS-CoV and NL63-CoV. In the summarizing discussion (Chapter 7), further attention is paid to the parallels and differences between coronaviruses and influenza viruses, what questions remain to be answered and how we may hope to answer them.
Growth, Development, and Seed Biology of Feather Fingergrass (Chloris virgata) in Southern Australia

Feather fingergrass is a major weed in agricultural systems in northern Australia and has now spread to southern Australia. To better understand the biology of this emerging weed species, its growth, development, and seed biology were examined. Under field conditions in South Australia, seedlings that emerged after summer rainfall events required 1,200 growing degree days from emergence to mature seed production and produced 700 g m-2 shoot biomass. Plants produced up to 1,000 seeds panicle-1 and more than 40,000 seeds plant-1, with seed weight ranging from 0.36 to 0.46 mg. Harvested seeds were dormant for a period of about 2 mo and required 5 mo of after-ripening to reach 50% germination. Freshly harvested seed could be released from dormancy by pretreatment with 564mM sodium hypochlorite for 30 min. Light significantly increased germination. Seed could germinate over a wide temperature range (10 to 40 C), with maximum germination at 15 to 25 C. At 20 to 25 C, 50% germination was reached within 2.7 to 3.3 d, and the predicted base temperature to germinate was 2.1 to 3.0 C. The osmotic potential and NaCl concentration required to inhibit germination by 50% were -0.16 to -0.20 MPa and 90 to 124 mM, respectively. Seedling emergence was highest (76%) for seeds present on soil surface and was significantly reduced by burial at 1 (57%), 2 (49%), and 5 cm (9%). Under field conditions, seeds buried in the soil persisted longer than those left on the soil surface, and low spring—summer rainfall increased seed persistence. This study provides important information on growth, development, and seed biology of feather fingergrass that will contribute to the development of a more effective management program for this weed species in Australia. Nomenclature: Feather fingergrass, Chloris virgata Sw.
Interdecadal Variation and Causes of Drought in Northeast China in Recent Decades

This paper focuses on the interdecadal variation in drought in Northeast China (NEC) in recent decades. Two dry and wet periods have occurred in the past 61 years (1950–2010). The mechanism underlying the interdecadal variation in drought in NEC is further analyzed; the results indicate that the direct cause is the interdecadal change of the Okhotsk High (OH). A strong (weak) OH is conducive (detrimental) to the convergence of cold air transported by northeast cold vortex and water vapor from the east of NEC, eventually leading to an increase (decrease) in precipitation. Furthermore, we seek to understand why OH displays such an interdecadal variation. The interdecadal increases and decreases in sea ice in the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea explain most of the interdecadal change of the OH. When more sea ice is present in this area, more energy is transferred eastward from the sea ice area to Northeast Asia, weakening the OH; in contrast, less sea ice strengthens the OH. Sensitivity simulations by Community Atmosphere Model, version 4 (CAM4) using sea ice forcing in the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea yield similar results to the observed data, further confirming our conclusion. The results of this paper provide a new understanding of the interdecadal variation in drought in NEC, and it may help to improve our ability to predict drought and provide early warning in the future.
Insight-HXMT observations of Swift J0243.6+6124: the evolution of RMS pulse fractions at super-Eddington luminosity

Based on Insight-HXMT data, we report on the pulse fraction evolution during the 2017–2018 outburst of the newly discovered first Galactic ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) source Swift J0243.6+6124. The pulse fractions of 19 observation pairs selected in the rising and fading phases with similar luminosity are investigated. The results show a general trend of the pulse fraction increasing with luminosity and energy at supercritical luminosity. However, the relative strength of the pulsation between each pair evolves strongly with luminosity. The pulse fraction in the rising phase is larger at luminosity below 7.71 × 1038 erg s−1, but smaller at above. A transition luminosity is found to be energy independent. Such a phenomenon is first confirmed by Insight-HXMT observations and we speculate that it may have relation with the radiation-pressure-dominated accretion disc.
Analyzing the influence of microstructured surfaces on the lactic acid production of Lactobacillus delbrueckii lactis in a flow‐through cell system

Microorganisms growing in biofilms might be possible biocatalysts for future biotechnological production processes. Attached to a surface and embedded in an extracellular polymeric matrix, they create their preferred environment and form robust cultures for continuous systems. With the objective of implementing highly efficient processes, productive biofilms need to be understood comprehensively. In this study, the influence of microstructured metallic surfaces on biofilm productivity was researched. To conduct this study, titanium and stainless steel sheets were polished, micromilled, as well as coated with particles. Subsequently, the metal sheets were exposed to the lactic acid producing Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis under laminar and homogeneous flow conditions in a custom‐built flow cell. A proof‐of‐concept showed that biofilm formation in the system only occurred on the designated substratum. Following a 24‐h batch cultivation for primary biofilm development, the culture was continuously provided with glucose containing medium. As different experimental series have indicated, the process resulted to be stable for up to eleven days. Primary metabolite productivity averaged around 6–7 g/(L h). Interestingly, the productivity was shown to be affected neither by the type of metal, nor by the applied microstructures. Nevertheless, a higher dry biomass weight determined on micro‐milled substratum indicates a complementary differentiation of biofilm components in future experiments.
Potential of Straw for Energy Purposes in Poland—Forecasts Based on Trend and Causal Models

The mitigation of climate change poses a major challenge to the legal framework which aims to stimulate the development of renewable energy sources. The European Union’s direction for the use of renewable energy is distributed generation and an increased use of by-products and organic waste, especially in the production of next-generation biofuels. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the production potential of straw in Poland and the possibility of its use for energy purposes, including a forecast for 2030, on the assumption that the management of this resource is in accordance with the provisions of the Polish Code for Good Agriculture Practice. In Poland, in the years 1999–2018, the average annual surplus of straw harvested over agricultural consumption equalled 12.5 million tons (4.2 Mtoe). Its largest surpluses were in the Dolnośląskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Wielkopolskie, and Zachodniopomorskie voivodeships (NUTS2). Based on the developed panel models, forecasts for straw surpluses in Poland are presented in three perspectives: realistic, pessimistic, and optimistic. The forecasts show regional differentiation until 2030. Each of the three perspectives indicate a slow increase in these surpluses, and depending on the adopted version, it will range from 10.6% to 21.9%.
Keep crafting and carry on: Nostalgia and domestic cultures in the crisis

In this piece, I think through some of the responses to the COVID-19 crisis in British popular culture, particularly the significance of the turn to one of the most prominent domesticity experts in mainstream British television: Kirstie Allsopp. I consider what it is that the nation appears to find particularly comforting about Kirstie as a public figure who emerged in the context of, and formed her domestic goddess celebrity persona through, articulations with austerity culture. I argue that the turn towards a nostalgic domesticity within austerity culture in the United Kingdom has intensified during the COVID-19 crisis, paving the way for more discourses which accept escalating inequalities under the guise of a particular notion of White nostalgic femininity, as well as British blitz spirit, invoking a form of patriotic stoicism and nationalistic sentiment. Just 4 weeks after the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson initiated a nationwide lockdown, the television network Channel 4 launched Kirstie: Keep Crafting and Carry On in April, a 10-episode series filmed at her second home in Devon. The programme description reads, ‘With the nation in lockdown, queen-of-craft Kirstie Allsopp teaches the nation new crafts and skills that can help navigate these unique times’. In each episode, Kirstie’s mode of address is, as always, direct to the audience and employed to create an illusion of intimacy. She assures viewers that they are in her dining room which has been hastily reconfigured for filming, going so far as to film the production staff on her iPhone. This footage is then integrated into the show in post-production, providing a particular form of intimate access and invoking a sense of authenticity which I argue in my doctoral research is central to the star text of an ‘austerity celebrity’ (Martin, 2020). The programme consists of crafting exercises filmed in this ‘authentic’ socially distanced way, which are interspersed with segments from Kirstie’s other programmes including Kirstie’s Vintage Homes and Kirstie’s Handmade Britain. This firmly situates Keep Crafting and Carry On within Kirstie’s established aesthetic and narrative style,
Eco-biology of the dark grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria karsandra (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera: Lycaenidae) from the Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh

The life history of the dark grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria karsandra (Moore) and its larval performance in terms of food consumption and utilization, and the length of life cycle on its host plant Amaranthus spinosus (Amaranthaceae) are described for the first time in Southern Andhra Pradesh. The dark grass blue, Zizeeria karsandra was a species of Lycaenidae butterfly usually seen in open scrub and grassland habitats. The study was conducted during January to December 2014 at Sri Lankamalleshwara wild life sanctuary (Kadapa) (79 o 07’ – 78 o 80’ E) of Southern Andhra Pradesh. Zizeeria karsandra completes its life cycle in 17 – 23 (19.20 ± 0.84) days. (Egg: 3-4; Larva: 9-13; Pupa: 5-6 days). The values of nutritional indices across the instars were AD (approximate digestibility) 98.00 - 63.43%; ECD (efficiency of conversion of digested food) 3.52 – 59.45%; ECI (efficiency of conversion of ingested food) 05.00 – 40.80%, measured at the temperature of 29 ± 2 o C and RH of 80 ± 10% in the laboratory. These relatively high values of ECD and ECI explain at least partially the ecological success of Zizeeria karsandra in the present study environment.
Molecular motions and free-energy landscape of serine proteinase K in relation to its cold-adaptation: a comparative molecular dynamics simulation study and the underlying mechanisms

The physicochemical bases for enzyme cold-adaptation remain elusive. The current view is that psychrophilic enzymes are often characterized by enhanced flexibility at low temperature to obtain higher catalytic efficiency, but the determinant behind this phenomenon is less well known. To shed light on the physicochemical bases for enzyme cold-adaptation, we conducted comparative molecular dynamics simulations on mesophilic proteinase K and its homologous psychrophilic counterpart. Results revealed that psychrophilic proteinase K had increased flexibility in regions near or opposite to active site or substrate-binding pocket. Comparison between the large concerted motions derived from essential dynamics (ED) analyses indicated that the degree of motion and direction of some regions in psychrophilic proteinase K could enlarge the substrate-binding pocket, thereby favoring catalytic efficiency and cold-adaptation. Free-energy calculations based on metadynamics simulations revealed a more “rugged” and complex free-energy landscape (FEL) for psychrophilic proteinase K than that for mesophilic proteinase K, implying that the former had richer conformational diversity. Comparison between the structural properties of the mesophilic and psychrophilic forms of proteinase K during MD simulations showed that the increased flexibility of the psychrophilic form resulted most probably from the reduced number of inter-atomic interactions and increased number of dynamic hydrogen bonds. A refined model of FEL was proposed to explain the effect of water molecules in facilitation of enzyme cold-adaptation.
Factors Influencing Consumer Adoption of Electronic Health Records

ABSTRACT Electronic health records (EHRs) are electronic versions of longitudinal individual health records that are easily accessible and can be shared among relevant stakeholders. Their use can contribute to improved health outcomes. This research aimed to identify the key factors influencing healthcare consumer adoption of EHRs by testing an EHR consumer adoption model that extends the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior to include security and privacy concerns and perceived health literacy. The model explained 65% of the variation in intention tgo use EHRs, with attitude and subjective norm as the key factors directly influencing it. Security and privacy concerns were found to be an important predictor of attitude toward EHRs, but contrary to expectations perceived health literacy did not play a role. These results can inform healthcare educators and professionals, as well as government policymakers as they try to better understand EHR acceptance from a consumer perspective.
The Automaker that Changed theWorld. High Automation, Total QualityManagement andDigitalization at FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). A Comment on “Working conditions within Italian FCAGroup plants” byMatteo Gaddi

Whatwe observe today are not the unintended social effects of the “Machinewho changed the world. ” Rather they are the outcomes produced by automakers and other leading industries, who have pursued a strategy intended to maximize profitability by thereby attempting to change “theMachine. ” WhenWomack, Jones, andRoos wroteTheMachine that Changed the World in 1990, Japanese automakers, and Toyota in particular, were applying the principles of lean production. However, the outcomes and power of lean principles were still unproven, and they had not been applied outside of the automobile industry, yet. Today, surveys on the working conditions within Italian FIATChrysler Automobiles (FCA) Groups plants illustrate that lean principles may be problematic.
Abnormal craniofacial and spinal bone development with col2a1a depletion in a zebrafish model of CHARGE syndrome

CHARGE syndrome patients commonly display craniofacial abnormalities. Furthermore, most patients show features of idiopathic scoliosis, reduced bone mineral density and in a few cases osteopenia. While several clinical cases and studies have documented the skeletal deformities in CHARGE syndrome bearing CHD7 mutations, the underlying mechanisms of the disorder remain elusive. Here, we detect and quantitatively analyze skeletal abnormalities in larval and adult chd7-/- zebrafish. We show that young chd7-/- larvae present with abnormal craniofacial development, especially related to cartilage. We also observe scoliosis-like spinal deformations at 9 dpf. Gene expression analysis confirmed the reduction of osteoblast markers and Pparγ targets. MicroCT analyses identified abnormal craniofacial structures, Weberian apparatus and vertebral body morphology in chd7-/- mutants, with highly mineralized inclusions, along with significant variances in bone mineral density and bone volume. Notably, we detect a specific depletion of Col2a1a in the cartilage of craniofacial regions and vertebrae, in line with a significantly reduced number of chondrocytes. Our study is the first to elucidate the mechanisms underlying morphological changes in craniofacial structure and vertebrae of adult chd7-/- zebrafish. The chd7-/- mutant zebrafish will be beneficial in future investigations of the underlying pathways of both craniofacial and spinal deformities commonly seen in CHARGE syndrome.
Role of insulin during the development of oligofructose (OF)-induced equine laminitis

Abstract Horses (n = 20) were divided into 2 groups: oligofructose (OF)-induced equine laminitis group (group OF; n = 11) which received 10 g/kg b.w. of OF dissolved in 4 L water via nasogastric intubation, and control group (NS; n = 9) which received 4 L of saline. Blood was collected at 4 h intervals over 72 h study period and analysed by ELISA, kinetic limulus amoebocyte lysate assay, and glucose-oxidase methods. The level of insulin changed significantly in horses which received OF (P < 0.01); there was a significant negative correlation between the level of adiponectin and insulin over time. The results suggested that insulin may play an important role in the development of OF-induced equine laminitis by altering the level of endothelin-1 and nitric oxide.