Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolism of 4β-Hydroxycholesterol in Humans*

One of the major oxysterols in the human circulation is 4β-hydroxycholesterol formed from cholesterol by the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4. Deuterium-labeled 4β-hydroxycholesterol was injected into two healthy volunteers, and the apparent half-life was found to be 64 and 60 h, respectively. We have determined earlier the half-lives for 7α-, 27-, and 24-hydroxycholesterol to be ∼0.5, 0.75, and 14 h, respectively. Patients treated with certain antiepileptic drugs have up to 20-fold increased plasma concentrations of 4β-hydroxycholesterol. The apparent half-life of deuterium-labeled 4β-hydroxycholesterol in such a patient was found to be 52 h, suggesting that the high plasma concentration was because of increased synthesis rather than impaired clearance. 4β-Hydroxycholesterol was converted into acidic products at a much slower rate than 7α-hydroxycholesterol in primary human hepatocytes, and 4β-hydroxycholesterol was 7α-hydroxylated at a slower rate than cholesterol by recombinant human CYP7A1. CYP7B1 and CYP39A1 had no activity toward 4β-hydroxycholesterol. These results suggest that the high plasma concentration of 4β-hydroxycholesterol is because of its exceptionally slow elimination, probably in part because of the low rate of 7α-hydroxylation of the steroid. The findings are discussed in relation to a potential role of 4β-hydroxycholesterol as a ligand for the nuclear receptor LXR.
Effect of Super Absorbent Polymer and Irrigation Deficit on Water Use Efficiency, Growth and Yield of Cotton

Sustainable use of water resources in agriculture is a necessity for many arid countries. In order to investigate the effect of water deficit, irrigation after 120 (control), 155 (moderate water stress) and 190 mm (sever water stress) pan evaporation and super absorbent polymer rates (SAP) (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha -1 ) on growth, yield and water use efficiency of cotton, an experiment was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Moreover, the effect of water quality (distilled water and solutions of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25% NaCl) was investigated on water holding capacity by SAP. Results revealed that moderate water stress (irrigation intervals of aprox. 15 days) along with 60 kg ha -1 SAP application was the best treatment in terms of growth and yield indices of cotton. The results for plant height, plant dry weight, boll number per plant and fiber yield in this treatment were 16, 28, 42 and 10% higher than control treatment, respectively. Water deficit and SAP application improved the water use efficiency (WUE) of cotton. The amount of WUE in moderate water stress treatment along with consumption of 60 or 90 kg ha -1 SAP was 26% higher than for control treatment. In addition, water holding capacity by SAP in distilled water treatment was 7 times higher than in the case of 1.25% NaCl solution. The overall results showed that irrigation deficit and SAP application are two appropriate strategies for crop production in areas affected by drought stress, especially if low saline water sources are used.
Correlations between emergency code awareness and disaster nursing competencies among clinical nurses: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS This study identified clinical nurses' awareness of emergency codes and disaster nursing competencies and investigated the relationships between these variables. BACKGROUND Nurses are on the front lines of disaster and emergency response; however, they report not feeling confident about their disaster preparedness. METHODS Participants included 234 nurses working at a general hospital in Korea. Emergency code awareness was measured by recognition of and self-confidence in eight emergency codes, and disaster nursing competencies were measured using the Disaster Nursing Preparedness Response Competency Scale. Data were collected from October 17-23, 2019. RESULTS The recognition rate of emergency codes was 87.4%, whereas the level of self-confidence was 3.30 out of 5. Nurses scored 2.98 out of 5 on disaster preparedness competencies and 3.37 out of 5 on disaster response competencies. Emergency code recognition was positively correlated with self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies (p < .05). CONCLUSION Higher recognition of emergency codes among clinical nurses was associated with higher self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies. Further studies need to develop strategies to improve nurses' awareness and confidence concerning emergency codes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Nurse managers should pay attention to provide more opportunities for disaster education to improve nurses' self-confidence and disaster nursing competencies.
BIOMOD – optimizing predictions of species distributions and projecting potential future shifts under global change

A new computation framework (BIOMOD: BIOdiversity MODelling) is presented, which aims to maximize the predictive accuracy of current species distributions and the reliability of future potential distributions using different types of statistical modelling methods. BIOMOD capitalizes on the different techniques used in static modelling to provide spatial predictions. It computes, for each species and in the same package, the four most widely used modelling techniques in species predictions, namely Generalized Linear Models (GLM), Generalized Additive Models (GAM), Classification and Regression Tree analysis (CART) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). BIOMOD was applied to 61 species of trees in Europe using climatic quantities as explanatory variables of current distributions. On average, all the different modelling methods yielded very good agreement between observed and predicted distributions. However, the relative performance of different techniques was idiosyncratic across species, suggesting that the most accurate model varies between species. The results of this evaluation also highlight that slight differences between current predictions from different modelling techniques are exacerbated in future projections. Therefore, it is difficult to assess the reliability of alternative projections without validation techniques or expert opinion. It is concluded that rather than using a single modelling technique to predict the distribution of several species, it would be more reliable to use a framework assessing different models for each species and selecting the most accurate one using both evaluation methods and expert knowledge.
Comparison of photosynthetically active radiation and cover estimation for measuring the effects of interspecific competition on jack pine seedlings

Using an additive-density study with 10 woody and herbaceous plant species of the boreal forest, we compared equations predicting the biomass growth of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings using measurements of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmission and visual estimates of vegetation cover. Nonlinear regression equations accounted for between 77 and 83% of the variation in the annual biomass increment of jack pine when all competing species were combined. Our objective was to determine whether measuring PAR provided any advantage over cover estimation for predicting the effects of interspecific competition. We found no difference in the predictive ability of visual cover estimates and either a single PAR measurement at the point of maximum canopy development or repeated PAR measurements throughout the growing season. Results were consistent among experimental plots that contained a variety of competing plant species with different growth forms. Measurements of PAR transmission once during the growing season performed as well as PAR measurements taken throughout the growing season. Although the precision of plant cover estimates in vegetation sampling has been a concern for some time, high variation in PAR measurements can be created by sensor location sensitivity, narrow sampling windows, and the need for sensor calibration.
EFFECT OF MOTHER-LITTER SEPARATION AND PMSG ON THE FERTILITY OF LACTATING DOES AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR LITTER.

Two batches of 80 does each were inseminated (Al) 11 d post parturition during 10 months in arder to judge the effect of oestrus synchronisation of lactating does. Three different methods were comparad with the not treated control: a separation mother­young during 40 h before Al, a 4 d. flushing prior to the Al with an energetic diet and a PMSG treatment (20 IU, 2 days before Al). A total of 991 inseminations, exclusively of lactating does, were analysed. After a 40 h separation, both receptivity and fertility (78.8 and 78.0%, respectively) were signlficantly higher (P<0.01) than the control (40.8 and 66.9%) and comparable with the PMSG treatment (75.1 and 76.7%, respectively). Effects were most pronounced for primiparous and does in their second lactation. However, the separation reduced (P<0.01) weaning weight of the young (40 - 47g). Flushing with the concentrated diet had a negativa effect on fertility (54. 7 vs 66.9% for controls). This was probably due to the low palatability of the experimental diet. In fact, the daily energy intake during the flushlng period was lower (-0.15 MJ ME/day) than in the control group. From this experiment it can be concluded that the bio-stimulation method applied is a real alternativa to hormonal treatments for inducing oestrus synchronisation. However, further research is necessary to better define the optimal mother-litter separation time by taking into account also considerations on animal welfare.
Microbial Aldonolactone Formation and Hydrolysis: Kinetic and Bioenergetic Aspects

From previous work, it was observed that during growth on mixtures of acetate and aldose sugars the growth yield of the bacterium Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was increased when aldonolactone hydrolysis occurred. In this paper, the underlying mechanism was investigated by studying the relationship between cellular yield and lactone hydrolysis in a quantitative way. The literature on the kinetics of acid formation from aldono‐lactones was reviewed. It appears that the reaction pattern is composed of lactone isomerization and hydrolysis steps which occur in series. In the acid pH range, lactone interconversion is the rate‐limiting step for acid formation, whereas above pH 7 hydrolysis is slowest. Only for D‐gluconolactone could the detailed mechanistic kinetics be evaluated. For a number of other aldonolactones, including D‐xylono‐ and D‐galactonolactone, an empirical kinetic equation was derived. The reaction rate constants of these lactones are much smaller than for gluconolactone. The kinetic model for the hydrolysis of xylonolactone was experimentally verified, by application of the electrical charge balance to measurement data from A. calcoaceticus cultures. Comparison of the published biomass yield data and the calculated rate of lactone hydrolysis revealed that they do not quantitatively agree. It can be concluded that the observed relation between biomass yield and lactone hydrolysis is only apparent. The results demonstrate the power of the electrical charge balance in the study of processes in which charged compounds are being converted.
A comparative study on rumen ecology of water buffalo and cattle calves under similar feeding regime

Abstract In all, 12 male water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves and Holstein (Bos taurus) calves of similar age (10 ± 5 days) were selected to explore the mechanism underlying the differences in growth performance and feed conversion ratio between the two species. The experiment contains 33 days of sucking period and 40 days of post‐weaning period. Both calves were fed the same amounts of milk in sucking period, and starter and oat grass were supplied ad libitum both before and after the weaning period. Feed intake, growth performance, ruminal fermentation parameters and the ruminal microbial community were measured the during experiment period. Results showed no differences in growth performance and feed intake between the two species in sucking period; however, the feed/gain ratio (F/G) of the water buffalo was higher than that of Holstein calve (p > 0.05). After weaning, the intake of starter by the Holstein calf was higher while intake of grass by the water buffalo was higher resulting in higher growth performance of and a lower F/G ratio for Holstein (p < 0.05). The rumen of Holstein calf showed higher levels of propionate, lower levels of acetate and branched‐chain fatty acids than that of water buffalo during both periods (p < 0.05). The rumen of water buffalo showed a higher number of observed bacterial species and Shannon diversity as compared with that of Holstein calf. The members belonging to the bacterial phylum Bacteroides and genus Prevotella in the rumen of Holstein calf were higher (p < 0.05), while Firmicutes and fibrolytic bacteria Ruminobacter and Ruminococcus were lower (p < 0.05) than that of water buffalo. In conclusion, the water buffalo calves demonstrated clearly of having significant population of bacterial community and better fibre digestion than those of cattle calves.
Different floristic patterns of woody understorey and canopy plants in Colombian Amazonia

Distribution patterns of vascular plants with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 2.5 cm were studied on the basis of compositional data from 30 small plots located in a rain-forest area in Colombian Amazonia. The research questions were: How are distribution patterns of species in relation to local abundance in plots? Do understorey species (defined as species with individuals that never attained dbh ≥ 10 cm anywhere) show better correlations with soils and environment than canopy species (defined as species with individuals that attained dbh ≥ 10 cm)? Are patterns found in the entire range of landscape units comparable to those found in well-drained uplands alone? Species that occurred in more than one plot showed higher local abundances. This pattern was consistent among environmental generalists and specialists. Locally rare species (with only one individual in a plot) occurred mostly in well-drained uplands. Considering all landscape units, Mantel tests showed substantial correlations between environmental data (soil chemical data, drainage and flooding) and species composition. Canopy species were only slightly less correlated with environmental data than understorey species. Elimination of the spatial component in the data did not reduce these correlations. In well-drained uplands, understorey species were better correlated with soils than canopy species. Here, however, the spatial configuration of the plots became more important in explaining species patterns.
Prevalência de tuberculose, brucelose e infecções víricas em bovinos leiteiros do município de Passo Fundo, RS

Two thousand one hundred and nineteen bovines belonging to 156 dairy herds distributed among 22 counties in Passo Fundo, RS, were tested for bovine tuberculosis (BT) and bovine brucellosis (BB). The prevalence of antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), enzootic bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and bovine herpesvirus (BHV-1) was estimated by random sampling in 28 properties; considering a prevalence of infection of at least 30% and a confidence interval of 90%, 204 serum samples were tested. Among de 2119 bovines, 32 (1.51%) were positive for TB and 26 (1.22%) were positive for BB. The serological tests of the animals belonging to the 28 herds indicated the presence of antibodies to BHV-1, BVDV and BLV in 22 (92.35%), 19 (67.35%) and 17 (60.71%) herds, respectively; 11 (39.28%) properties had animals positive to BHV-1, BVDV and BLV, and in only 1 (3.57%) herd all animals tested were negative to these infections.
PERFORMANCE OF BIVOLTINE HYBRID SILKWORM (BOMBYX MORI LINN)BREEDS OF WEST BENGAL IN DIFFERENT SEASONS OF UTTAR PRADESH ONTHE BASIS OF FEED EFFICIENCY PARAMETERS

The present study has been conducted at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow. Twenty bivoltine silkworm hybrid breeds i.e. SF19 x KA, NB18 x KA, NB7 x KPG-B, SH6 x KA, NB4D2 x KA for monsoon KA x NB4D2, NB7 x NB18, NB4D2 x SH6, KA x KB, NB18 x NB4D2 for autumn P5 x KB, P5 x KPG-B, NB4D2 x NB18, P5 x NB18, KPG-B x NB7 for spring KPG-B x NB18, NB18 x P5, NB18 x NB7, SH6 x NB18 and KA x NB18 for summer season were reared. These breeds were selected from different seasons of West Bengal by survey (questioner method) from different part of West Bengal on the basis of climatic factors (Temperature and Humidity) and check their economic traits in the U.P climatic conditions. The selected breeds were maintained for control and field conditions separately to draw comparisons between feed utilization by different hybrids. The feed utilization study was confined to fifth larval instar as 80-85% of total leaf consumption was in this instar and same quantum of fresh mulberry leaves under each treatments was offered to silkworm four times a day taking almost care to maintain the leaf moisture content to maximum possible. The healthy larvae were counted daily in each replicate and unequal and unhealthy / dead larvae were removed. The litter was collected carefully on subsequent days of feeding at 10 am. The excreta and left over leaf in the litter were manually separated and oven dried to a constant weight. Data analyzed for nutritional indices like V Instar Ingesta / 10000 Larvae, Leaf Cocoon Conversion Rate, Leaf Silk Conversion Rate, V Instar Ingesta / 10000 Larvae and Cocoon Yield 10000 Larvae. Our result showed that the breeds SH6 x KA, KA x NB4D2, P5 x NB18, KA x NB18 showed better perform in conversion of ingested food into cocoon and silk among other selected breeds in monsoon, autumn, spring and summer season respectively for Uttar Pradesh climatic conditions.
Predicting changes in performance due to cognitive fatigue: A multimodal approach based on speech motor coordination and electrodermal activity

Abstract Objective Military job and training activities place significant demands on service members’ (SMs’) cognitive resources, increasing risk of injury and degrading performance. Early detection of cognitive fatigue is essential to reduce risk and support optimal function. This paper describes a multimodal approach, based on changes in measures of speech motor coordination and electrodermal activity (EDA), for predicting changes in performance following sustained cognitive effort. Methods Twenty-nine active duty SMs completed computer-based cognitive tasks for 2 h (load period). Measures of speech derived from audio were acquired, along with concurrent measures of EDA, before and after the load period. Cognitive performance was assessed before and during the load period using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics Military Battery (ANAM MIL). Subjective assessments of cognitive effort and alertness were obtained intermittently. Results Across the load period, participants’ ratings of cognitive workload increased, while alertness ratings declined. Cognitive performance declined significantly during the first half of the load period. Three speech and arousal features predicted cognitive performance changes during this period with statistically significant accuracy: EDA (r = 0.43, p = 0.01), articulator velocity coordination (r = 0.50, p = 0.00), and vocal creak (r = 0.35, p = 0.03). Fusing predictions from these features predicted performance changes with r = 0.68 (p = 0.00). Conclusions Results suggest that speech and arousal measures may be used to predict changes in performance associated with cognitive fatigue. This work supports ongoing efforts to develop reliable, unobtrusive measures for cognitive state assessment aimed at reducing injury risk, informing return to work decisions, and supporting diverse mobile healthcare applications in civilian and military settings.
Association of MDR1 gene polymorphism (G2677T) with chronic myeloid leukemia

Imatinib mesylate is the most opted drug used for treating ph+ve chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. The up-regulation of drug transporters (ABCB1-ABCG2) is one of specific causes of Imatinib resistance. Imatinib (IM) is a substrate of the P-glycoprotein pump, which is encoded by MDR1/ABCB1 gene. Our main objective is to investigate the influence of MDR1 gene polymorphisms in CML patients. A total of 262 CML and 252 control samples were analysed for MDR1 gene (G2677T) polymorphism using PCR- RFLP technique. Genotype distribution revealed slight elevation of TT genotype frequency in CML patients (42.7%) compared to controls (38.5%). Patients in advanced phase had higher TT genotype frequency compared to patients in early phases. The frequency of heterozygous GT genotype was found to be increased in hematological poor responders (52.4%) compared to major responders (32.4%) and minor responders (30.0%). Interestingly, the frequencies of GG and GT genotypes were increased in cytogenetic poor responders with corresponding increase in G allele frequency (0.54) as compared to major responders (0.34). These results suggest that the 2677G allele with increased efflux of IM might be responsible for poor response in CML patients.
Predictors of length of hospital stay among preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit: Data from a multicentre collaborative network from India (INNC: Indian National Neonatal Collaborative)

Prediction of length of stay (LOS) among preterm neonates is important for counselling of parents and for assessing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) census and economic burden. The aim of this study is to evaluate perinatal and postnatal factors that influence LOS in preterm infants (25–33 weeks of gestation) admitted to participating NICUs of Indian National Neonatal Collaborative (INNC).
A Re-Description of Balaustium leanderi Comb. Nov. (Actinotrichida, Erythraeidae) with First First Report on Characteristics of All Active Instars and Taxonomic Notes on the Genus

Abstract Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) comb. nov. (Actinotrichida: Erythraeidae), previously known only from the larval stage is re-described based on material originating from a laboratory culture of specimens collected in Colombia. This is also the first report of Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) in this country. The taxonomic characters of adult (female), deutonymph and larva are provided. The species re-described in this paper, is one of 37 nominal species presently assigned to the genus. With Balaustium leanderi (Haitlinger, 2000) there are just 6 species known both from larvae and active postlarval forms. Palenqustium Haitlinger (2000) is considered a junior synonym of Balaustium, which is one of 12 genera recognized within the Balaustiinae. A modified diagnosis of Balaustium von Heyden, 1826 is provided.