Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The umbilical coiling index, a review of the literature

Our aim was to review the literature on umbilical cord coiling. Relevant articles in English published between 1966 and 2003 were retrieved by a Medline search and cross-referencing. The normal umbilical cord coiling index (UCI) is 0.17 (? ± 0.009) spirals completed per cm. Abnormal cord coiling, i.e. UCI <? 10th centile (? <? 0.07) or >? 90th centile (? >? 0.30) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Hypocoiling of the cord is associated with increased incidence of fetal demise, intrapartum fetal heart rate decelerations, operative delivery for fetal distress, anatomic-karyotypic abnormalities and chorio-amnionitis. Hypercoiling of the cord is associated with increased incidence of fetal growth restriction, intrapartum fetal heart rate decelerations, vascular thrombosis and cord stenosis. It is not clear whether abnormal coiling is actually a cause of pathology, or merely one of the sequelae, or both. We discuss the theories involving the cause of cord coiling, and the consequences of the degree of cord coiling on blood flow through the umbilical vessels. In the future ultrasonographic evaluation of the umbilical cord and the UCI may become an integral part of fetal assessment in high-risk pregnancies.
Effects of an anionic surfactant, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, on survival, reproduction and growth of the soil-living collembolan Folsomia fimetaria

Sewages sludge is widely used as a fertilizer or disposed of by land application. Sewage sludge often contains potentially toxic compounds and elements in significant concentrations. A major component is the anionic detergent, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), which is frequently used in industrial and household detergents, and which may be found in the range 4 to 10 g kg−1 dry matter. The effects of LAS on Folsomia fimetaria L. were investigated by use of a single species test system with 30 g soil spiked with LAS. Tests with either newly hatched individuals or adults (16–19 d old) were run for 3 weeks followed by extraction in a high-gradient extracting system. Juvenile mortality increased with increasing concentrations of LAS, whereas adult mortality was unaffected at the LAS levels tested (0–1,000 mg/kg dry soil). Effective concentration, 10%, values were estimated as 163 mg/kg for growth of juveniles, 185 mg/kg for molting frequency, and 147 mg/kg for reproductive output. Rough estimates show that significant negative direct effects on populations of F. fimetaria may be expected at concentrations 8 to 20 times higher than those likely to be found in sludge-amended soils.
Effects of Storage Temperature and Time on the Quality of Eggs from Laying Hens at Peak Production

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storage temperature and time on the quality parameters of eggs from laying hens at peak production. A total of 576 eggs were obtained from Lohmann Light-Brown hens, which were collected 3 times when the hens were 26, 27, and 28 weeks old. The fresh eggs were collected and measured within 2 h of being laid. Samples of 48 eggs each were stored in chambers for 2, 5, or 10 d inside a refrigerator (), at room temperature (), and at a high temperature (). As the storage temperature and time increased, egg weight, percentage of albumen, Haugh unit (HU), and yolk color significantly (p, egg weight loss dramatically increased from 1.74 to 3.67% at 5 and 10 d of storage time, respectively. With the exception of the storage temperature, HU dramatically decreased according to storage time and temperature, decreasing from 91.3 to 72.63 at and from 87.62 to 60.92 at during 10 d of storage; however, this decline was not found at . A rapid increase in albumen alkalinity was observed even after just 2 d of storage regardless of the storage temperature. Interactions between storage time and temperature were significant (p
Controlled Release Tacrine Delivery System for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that affects ~5 million people and is the fourth leading cause of death in America. Tacrine is one of the three drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, the drug has a short biologic half-life of 2? 3 hr and gastrointestinal, cholinergic, and hepatic adverse reactions that are associated with high doses of the drug. The aim of our study was to formulate a controlled release delivery system of tacrine that could be used to minimize the side effects associated with the drug. Microparticles of tacrine were formulated using poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG). PLG and tacrine were dissolved in mixed organic solvents and added to a polyvinyl alcohol solution that was stirred at a constant rate. The organic solvent was evaporated overnight and the formed microparticles were collected by filtration, dried, and sieve-sized. The effects of such formulation variables, as molecular weight of polymer, stir speed during preparation, and drug loading on encapsulation efficiency (EEF), and in vitro release profiles of tacrine were investigated. An increase in the molecular weight of polymer from 8,000 to 59,000 and 155,000 resulted in ~10-fold increase in EEF, but the rate of release decreased with increasing molecular weight. Stir speed during preparation had an effect on the EEF but not on the rate of release. Drug loading did not have a significant effect on the EEF but had an effect on the rate of tacrine release. The results suggest that tacrine could be delivered at controlled levels for weeks for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Stolidobranch ascidians from the tropical western Indian Ocean

Coastal ascidians collected over two centuries from Suez to Mozambique have been successively deposited in the MNHN and are now described and figured. Some of them were already known from the Indian Ocean, others are common to the Pacific, and some others are new species. Even though the present taxonomic work notably increases our knowledge of the tropical eastern African coast, it comprises so many miscellaneous collections from such distant points that it can only begin to suggest the diversity of ascidians there. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 135, 65–120.
Biohydrogen production from engineered microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtti is well-known specie in the terms of H2 production by photo fermentation and has been studying for a long time. Although the H2 production yield is promising; there are some bottlenecks to enhance the yield and efficiency to focus on a well-designed, sustainable production and also scaling up for further studies. D1 protein of photosystem II (PSII) plays an important role in photosystem damage repair and related to H2 production. Because Chlamydomonas is the model algae and the genetic basis is well-studied; metabolic engineering tools are intended to use for enhanced production. Mutations are focused on D1 protein which aims long-lasting hydrogen production by blocking the PSII repair system thus O2 sensitive hydrogenases catalysis hydrogen production for a longer period of time under anaerobic and sulfur deprived conditions. Chlamydomonas CC124 as control strain and D1 mutant strains (D240, D239-40 and D240-41) are cultured photomixotrophically at 80 μmol photons m -2 s -1 , by two sides. Cells are grown in TAP medium as aerobic stage for culture growth; in logarithmic phase cells are transferred from aerobic to an anaerobic and sulfur deprived TAP - S medium and 12 mg/L initial chlorophyll content for H2 production which is monitored by the water columns and later detected by Gas Chromatography. Total produced hydrogen was 82 ± 10, 180 ± 20, 196 ± 20, 290 ± 30 mL for CC124, D240, D239-40, D240-41, respectively. H2 production rates for mutant strains was 1.3 ± 0.5 mL/L.h meanwhile CC124 showed 2-3 fold lower rate as 0.57 ± 0.2 mL/L.h. Hydrogen production period was 5 ± 2 days for CC124 and mutants showed a longer production time for 9 ± 2 days. It is seen from the results that H2 productions for mutant strains have a significant effect in terms of productivity, yield and production time.
Letters to the Editor

Entry to medical courses is highly competitive with preadmission examination performance (in the UK, A-level grades) being the major criterion used. Our institution has recently introduced an honours BSc course in Biomedical Science; the majority of the teaching in the first two years is common to the Biomedical Science and medical courses. Based on their examination performance in the first two years, approximately one-third of the medical students are allowed to intercalate a year to obtain a BSc degree. The final year of the Biomedical Science course is identical to this intercalated year, where students can select from a wide range of taught courses and also undertake a research project. The minimum entry requirement for this course in the years studied was approximately 80 points lower on the UCAS tariff than the minimum required to enter medicine, although many students entering the course did have A-level scores above the minimum required for the medicine course. Since this group of students is more diverse in terms of preadmission examination performance than is normally taught on medical courses, we were interested to evaluate how well the students on the Biomedical Science BSc course performed compared with the medical intercalated students who had been more highly selected based on performance at A-level and in the first two years of the medical course. The period studied covers those graduating in years 2002– 2004 – Intercalated: 147 students, A-level scores 373 60, final year marks 65.31 3.85; Biomedical Science: 72 students, A-level scores 279 50; final year marks 58.79 5.70). There was no significant correlation between A-level score and BSc degree mark within either student group, although for Biomedical Science this approached statistical significance (Pearson analysis: Biomedical Science r 1⁄4 0.226, p 1⁄4 0.057; Intercalated r 1⁄4 0.004, p 1⁄4 0.962). The final year performance of over half of the Biomedical Science students (42/72; 58.3%) was within two SD of the mean (i.e. 95% range) for the Intercalated students. Our analysis demonstrates that students with somewhat lower A-level grades than normally required to enter a medical course can nevertheless benefit from such a course (at least the first two years) and perform more than adequately in the final year when compared with medical students undertaking an intercalated year. These findings also suggest that widening access might not necessarily have a substantial impact on outcome. Some of the Biomedical Science students have subsequently entered a medical course and it will be interesting to follow their progression during the clinical years.
Hepatitis C Virus Kinetics During Induction and Standard 3 Times a Week Interferon-alpha Therapy

We studied HCV kinetics during the first 84 d of interferon-alpha (IFN) treatment. IFN was administered either at a dose of 3 million units daily for the first 14 d and thereafter 3 times per week (t.i.w.) (induction treatment), or at a dose of 3 million units t.i. w. throughout (standard treatment). No patient had received HCV treatment previously, and all had a pretreatment viral load of <1.2 × 106 IU/ml at screening. Ten patients were given induction treatment and 21 received the standard t.i. w. regimen. Twenty patients were infected with genotype 1. At Day 2, the median HCV RNA level in the induction group was significantly lower compared to that of the standard treatment group. This significant difference persisted during the study period for patients infected with genotype 1, but was not maintained from Day 14 onwards for patients with genotype non-1. At Day 84, 80% (8/10) of patients in the induction group, compared to 16% (3/19) in the standard treatment group, had undetectable (<600 IU/ml) HCV RNA levels (p <0.05). We conclude that induction treatment resulted in a significantly greater decline in HCV RNA levels than standard treatment.
Characterization of “pollen balls” in commercial populations of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata in Canada

Summary To determine the quality of their leafcutting bees (Megachile rotundata), Canadian producers submit samples of loose cells to the Canadian Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee Cocoon Testing Centre (CCTC), Brooks, Alberta, for x-ray analysis. As part of the x-ray analysis report, the CCTC uses the category “pollen balls” to describe bee cells that have been provisioned with nectar and pollen, but in which the presence of larval development is not apparent. We determined the nature of this pollen ball category by comparing results obtained through x-ray analysis to those determined by visual examination of cut-open cells. A total of 35,241 cells were cut open and characterized as either: mouldy; broodless dry or wet provisions; collapsed egg; dead larvae (Instar 1, 2, 3 or 4); live prepupa; parasite; predator; or chalkbrood. Accuracy analysis indicated that the best agreement between the estimates of percent pollen balls obtained visually and using the x-ray method, occurred when wet and dry provision, collapsed egg, dead first or second larvae and all cell types characterized as mouldy were included in the visual categories used to define pollen balls. Overall, dry provisions constituted the highest proportion of pollen balls, followed by mouldy cells, collapsed eggs, wet provisions and finally dead first and second instar larvae. All correlation analyses between the categories making up pollen balls and the total number of pollen balls indicated that none of the single categories is consistently responsible for the overall increase in the percentage of pollen balls.
LABORATORY STUDIES OF THE FOOD PREFERENCES OF SOME ORCHARD CARABIDS (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)

Abstract Laboratory studies of the food preferences of several adult carabids showed that Amara aenea DeG. , Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F. , Harpalus affinis Schr. , and Stenolophus comma F. were polyphagous and readily fed on the seeds of several weeds as well as on young codling moth larvae and apple maggot pupae. H. affinis also attacked 4th and 5th instar codling moth larvae and pupae more readily than the other species. Pterostichus melanarius III. showed a strong preference for the larger prey such as 5th instar codling moth larvae, earthworms, and scarabaeid larvae. The potential of these species as predators of the codling moth and the apple maggot is discussed. Résumé Des études de laboratoire sur les préférences alimentaires de plusieurs carabidés adultes ont révélé que Amara aenea DeG. , Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F. , Harpalus affinis Schr. et Stenolophus comma F. étaient polyphages et n'hésitaient pas à se nourrir des graines de plusieurs espèces de mauvaises herbes, ainsi que de jeunes larves du carpocapse et de pupes de la mouche de la pomme. H. affinis s'attaque également davantage aux pupes et aux larves des 4e et 5e stades du carpocapse qu'aux autres espèces. Pterostichus melanarius III. montre une préférence marquée pour les proies plus volumineuses comme les larves du 5e stade du carpocapse, les lombrics et les larves de scarabéidés. L'auteur étudie l'efficacité prédatrice de ces espèces sur le carpocapse et la mouche de la pomme.
Drivers of beta-diversity variation in Bromus erectus semi-natural dry grasslands

Questions What are the main drivers of variation in beta-diversity for Bromus erectus semi-natural dry grasslands of habitat 6210(*) at different scales? How should environmental variables and spatial patterns be taken into account to conserve the maximum possible beta-diversity within the habitat? Location Central Italy. Methods We used 195 vegetation releves distributed in three nested extents: a single mountain, a mountain chain and southern Lazio. Multiple regression on distance matrices was performed using dissimilarity matrices based on: (1) species abundances as response variables; (2) spatial coordinates and environmental parameters (altitude, slope, percentage of rock and stone coverage, aspect, annual rainfall) as explanatory variables. The two groups of explanatory variables were used separately to partition the variation, and jointly to assess the relative contribution of each individual variable. Those variables found to significantly affect beta-diversity were used to: (1) compare beta-diversity levels between a set of randomly selected and a set of stratified releves; and (2) analyse the habitat distribution across environmental gradients. These analyses, together with the curves describing the relationships between spatial distances and composition dissimilarities, were used to inform management decisions for the habitat. Results Most of the variance was explained by environmental variables, whose share was higher in the smallest and intermediate extent than in the broadest extent. Community dissimilarity increased in proportion to differences in altitude and spatial distances at every extent. Accordingly, at all the extents, the selection of releves stratified by altitude or selected taking into account a minimum spatial distance included significantly higher levels of within-habitat beta-diversity, than randomly selected releves. The relation of beta-diversity to the variation in aspect and annual rainfall varied at different extents. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that dry grassland management plans aimed at conserving the maximum within-habitat beta-diversity should take into account variation in environmental variables, among which altitude proved to be a critical factor at every extent. Also, spatial distances positively affect within-habitat beta-diversity levels, and scale-dependent minimum distances among habitat patches should be taken into account when selecting patches of habitat 6210(*) to be conserved in the study area.
Intensive Exposure as a Risk Factor for Severe Polio: A Study of Multiple Family Cases

To examine the importance of intensity of exposure for the outcome of the poliomyelitis infection 429 polio cases were identified belonging to families with 2, 3 or 4 polio cases, all hospitalized in Copenhagen from 1919 to 1953. Furthermore, 87 pairs of polio cases living on the same stairway, but not in the same household, were identified. Severity among multiple cases in families analysed according to time of appearance showed a U-shaped curve. Initial cases had a higher risk of developing paralysis [relative risk (RR) = 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2? 1.9] and of dying (RR =2.5, 95% CI 0.9? 6.9). Decreased severity was observed among subsequent cases appearing within 11 d after the initial case (RR =1.0); however, severity increased again, with higher mortality for cases likely to have been infected by the initial case (cases appearing more than 11 d later) (RR = 5.7, 95% CI 1.8? 17.8). The pattern described among multiple family cases was not found among cases from the same stairway. Since family cases appearing within 11 d were probably infected simultaneously, a short incubation period is associated with severe disease and a prolonged incubation period with milder infections. Furthermore, intensive exposure from being infected in the household increased severity. These observations therefore suggest that intensity of exposure and dose of infection are important factors in the severity of poliomyelitis.
Plantas medicinais utilizadas na comunidade urbana de Muribeca, Nordeste do Brasil

As modernas condicoes de vida das comunidades urbanas comprometem o uso e transmissao do conhecimento tradicional sobre plantas medicinais. Neste trabalho foi verificada a alteracao provocada por treinamento sobre plantas medicinais de um grupo de seis moradoras da comunidade de Muribeca (Jaboatao do Guararapes, PE), comparando-as com vinte moradores com conhecimento adquirido tradicionalmente. A partir de 26 entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram calculados o Fator de Consenso dos Informantes (FCI) e a Importância Relativa (IR) das plantas citadas pelos dois grupos. As moradoras com treinamento no uso e manipulacao citaram 70 especies, das quais Petiveria alliacea L. e Ocimum selloi Benth. apresentaram os maiores valores de IR (2,0 e 1,6); os sistemas corporais mais indicados e respectivos FCI foram: doencas infecciosas (1,0), doencas das glândulas endocrinas, da nutricao e metabolismo (0,9) e do sistema osteomuscular e tecido conjuntivo (0,89). Os moradores sem treinamento citaram 55 especies, com maiores valores de IR para Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf (2,0), Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. (2,0) e Mentha x villosa Huds. (1,8); os sistemas corporais mais indicados e respectivos FCI foram: doencas parasitarias (1,0), transtornos dos sistemas nervoso (0,79) e gastrintestinal (0,72). As especies citadas sao semelhantes, mas o treinamento influenciou a importância relativa e indicacoes de usos das plantas.
Effects of life history traits and sampling strategies on genetic diversity estimates obtained with RAPD markers in plants

Abstract A compilation of studies using RAPD markers for evaluating population differentiation resulted in 78 estimates of AMOVA-derived Φ ST and 31 estimates of Nei's G ST , as well as in 41 estimates of Nei's within-population diversity. In outcrossing taxa, estimates of between-population diversity were closely correlated with maximum geographic distance between sampled populations. A corresponding association was not found in selfing taxa. These results suggest that RAPD can be a sensitive method for detection of genetic structuring according to the isolation-by-distance model. However, it also means that sampling strategies, as applied in individual studies, can seriously influence the resulting estimates of between-population diversity. Other sampling strategies, like number of plants per population and number of scored polymorphic markers, do not seem to impart any serious artefacts. As previously verified with allozyme data, RAPD markers showed that long-lived, outcrossing, late successional taxa retain most of their genetic variability within populations. By contrast, annual, selfing and/or early successional taxa allocate most of the genetic variability among populations. Estimates for between- and within-population diversity, respectively, proved to be negatively correlated, as previously reported for allozyme data. The only major discrepancy between allozymes and RAPD markers concerns geographic range; within-population diversity was strongly affected by distributional range of the investigated species in the allozyme data but not in the RAPD data. Moreover, RAPD-based values for between-population diversity increased with increasing distributional range whereas the opposite has been reported in a large allozyme data compilation. Contrary to allozymes, RAPD marker-derived within-population diversity is probably therefore not a very good predictor of total species genetic diversity.