Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioimpedance Vector Patterns Changes in Response to Swimming Training: An Ecological Approach

Background and aim: Monitoring bioelectric phase angle (PhA) provides important information on the health and the condition of the athlete. Together with the vector length, PhA constitutes the bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA) patterns, and their joint interpretation exceeds the limits of the evaluation of the PhA alone. The present investigation aimed to monitor changes in the BIVA patterns during a training macrocycle in swimmers, trying to ascertain if these parameters are sensitive to training load changes across a 13-week training period. Methods: Twelve national and international level swimmers (four females; eight males; 20.9 ± 1.9 years; with a competitive swimming background of 11.3 ± 1.8 years; undertaking 16–20 h of pool training and 4–5 h of dry-land training per week and 822.0 ± 59.0 International Swimming Federation (FINA) points) were evaluated for resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) using a single frequency phase sensitive bioimpedance device at the beginning of the macrocycle (M1), just before the beginning of the taper period (M2), and just before the main competition of the macrocycle (M3). At the three-time assessment points, swimmers also performed a 50 m all-out first stroke sprint with track start (T50 m) while time was recorded. Results: The results of the Hotelling T2 test showed a significant vector displacement due to simultaneous R and Xc changes (p < 0.001), where shifting from top to bottom along the major axis of the R-Xc graph from M1 to M2 was observed. From M2 to M3, a vector displacement up and left along the minor axis of the tolerance ellipses resulted in an increase in PhA (p < 0.01). The results suggest a gain in fluid with a decrease in cellular density from M1 to M2 due to decrements in R and Xc. Nevertheless, the reduced training load characterizing taper seemed to allow for an increase in PhA and, most importantly, an increase of Xc, thus demonstrating improved cellular health and physical condition, which was concomitant with a significant increase in the T50 m performance (p < 0.01). Conclusions: PhA, obtained by bioelectrical R and Xc, can be useful in monitoring the condition of swimmers preparing for competition. Monitoring BIVA patterns allows for an ecological approach to the swimmers’ health and condition assessment without resorting to equations to predict the related body composition variables.
Multifaceted Functions of CH25H and 25HC to Modulate the Lipid Metabolism, Immune Responses, and Broadly Antiviral Activities

With the frequent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases in recent years, an effective broad-spectrum antiviral drug is becoming an urgent need for global public health. Cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (CH25H) and its enzymatic products 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), a well-known oxysterol that regulates lipid metabolism, have been reported to play multiple functions in modulating cholesterol homeostasis, inflammation, and immune responses. CH25H and 25HC were recently identified as exerting broadly antiviral activities, including upon a variety of highly pathogenic viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola virus (EBOV), Nipah virus (NiV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), and Zika virus (ZIKV). The underlying mechanisms for its antiviral activities are being extensively investigated but have not yet been fully clarified. In this study, we summarized the current findings on how CH25H and 25HC play multiple roles to modulate cholesterol metabolism, inflammation, immunity, and antiviral infections. Overall, 25HC should be further studied as a potential therapeutic agent to control emerging infectious diseases in the future.
Epigenomic and genomic analysis of transcriptome modulation in skin cutaneous melanoma

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is characterized by both epigenetic DNA methylation (MET) abnormalities and genomic copy number variations (CNVs). The resulting transcriptome dysregulation promotes progression of many cancers. In this study, DNA copy numbers and MET, as well as mRNA expression, were examined in 466 SKCM samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Our results indicate that CNVs-correlated (CNVcor) genes and MET-correlated (METcor) genes are coregulated to a remarkable degree. In addition, integrative multi-omics analysis of both METcor and CNVcor genes revealed four SKCM subtypes with differing prognoses; these subtypes were validated with independent data. Immune cell scores were markedly elevated in the iC1 subtype, which had the best prognosis. Immune cell infiltration correlated with DNA MET or CNV level in SKCM. In the iC3 subtype, which was associated with the most aggressive SKCM cases, FAM135B gene mutation frequencies were increased, while CD8A, GBP5, KIAA0040, and SAMHD1 expression were downregulated, suggesting that these genes play important roles in cancer development and immune responses. Taken together, the results of our epigenetic and genomic transcriptome modulation analysis improve our understanding of SKCM pathobiology and may aid in the development of more effective therapies.
Enhancement of octenyl succinylation of cassava starch by prior modification with heat–moisture treatment

The effects of heat–moisture treatment (HMT; moisture content of 25%, at 100°C for 1, 3, or 5 h) prior to octenyl succinylation on degree of substitution (DS), reaction efficiency (RE), FTIR, pasting properties, starch gel morphology, and emulsifying capacity of cassava starch were investigated. Octenyl succinylated heat–moisture treated (OSHMT) starch had higher DS and RE than octenyl succinylated (OS) starch, indicating that prior HMT could enhance the reaction between octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and hydroxyl groups of starch molecules. However, the difference between OS and OSHMT starches could not be verified from FT-IR spectra. Paste viscosities of OSHMT starches were higher than native and OS starches, whereas pasting temperature of OSHMT starches was between those of OS and HMT starches. Emulsifying capacity of OSHMT starches was slightly higher than the starch modified by OSA alone.
Functional Response of Xylocoris flavipes (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)Effects of Prey Species and Habitat

Abstract Xylocoris flavipes (Reuter), the warehouse pirate bug, is a predator of many stored-products pests. This study compared the functional response of X. flavipes with different densities of the prey species Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) in two different habitats: empty glass jars and glass jars filled with wheat kernels that were designed to simulate more natural conditions in stored grain. Differences in the functional response of X. flavipes to all combinations of prey densities and grain conditions were compared with the predicted functional response curves from Holling’s type I and type II models, and to Hassell’s type III model. The functional response of X. flavipes was best described by Holling’s type II model, but a type III response occurred with prey that were more difficult to subdue, such as T. castaneum larvae. Numbers of prey attacked by females were greater than those attacked by males (P < 0.05) in both habitats for some of the prey life stages and species. The maximum attack rates for the different prey species in empty glass jars over 24 h were as follows: T. castaneum, 27.3 small larvae, 1.6 large larvae; O. surinamensis, 24.3 small larvae, 17.4 large larvae; P. interpunctella, 27.2 eggs, 23.7 small larvae; R. dominica, 26.4 eggs and 16.6 internally feeding larvae. The maximum number killed for the different prey species in glass jars containing wheat over 48 h were as follows: O. surinamensis 13.7 small larvae, 12.8 large larvae; P. interpunctella 41.4 eggs, 14.7 small larvae; R. dominica 22.0 eggs and 12.1 internally feeding larvae. Experiments with wheat-filled jars showed that single X. flavipes could locate and kill 27.1 out of 50 P. interpunctella eggs and 8.1 out of 10 R. dominica larvae inside kernels mixed into ≈18,000 kernels of wheat in 48 h.
Optimal Regeneration Planning for Old-Growth Forest: Addressing Scientific Uncertainty in Endangered Species Recovery through Adaptive Management

Stochastic and structural uncertainties about forest dynamics present challenges in the management of ephemeral habitat conditions for endangered forest species. Maintaining critical foraging and breeding habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) requires an uninterrupted supply of old-growth forest. We constructed and optimized a dynamic forest growth model for the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge (Georgia, USA) with the objective of perpetuating a maximum stream of old-growth forest habitat. Our model accommodates stochastic disturbances and hardwood succession rates, and uncertainty about model structure. We produced a regeneration policy that was indexed by current forest state and by current weight of evidence among alternative model forms. We used adaptive stochastic dynamic programming, which anticipates that model probabilities, as well as forest states, may change through time, with consequent evolution of the optimal decision for any given forest state. In light of considerable uncertainty about forest dynamics, we analyzed a set of competing models incorporating extreme, but plausible, parameter values. Under any of these models, forest silviculture practices currently recommended for the creation of woodpecker habitat are suboptimal. We endorse fully adaptive approaches to the management of endangered species habitats in which predictive modeling, monitoring, and assessment are tightly linked. FOR . S CI. 52(2):155-172.
Effect of Cross‐linking with Epichlorohydrin on the Properties of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Starch

Cassava starch was cross-linked with epichlorohydrin (EPI) at 45°C for 2 h in three different media which include water, water in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (PTC) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The products were characterized by determining their physicochemical, thermal and retrogradation properties. In aqueous medium, the use of a PTC, tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) produced derivatives with higher degree of cross-linking than those prepared without the use of the catalyst. The degree of cross-linking was found to be higher using the same concentration of EPI when the reaction was carried out in DMF. At low levels of cross-linking, the peak viscosity of the cross-linked starches increased in comparison to that of the native starch. With increasing degree of cross-linking, the peak viscosity showed a significant reduction. The swelling volume, solubility and light transmittance of the starch pastes were lower for the modified starches. The cross-linked starches showed slightly reduced values for the gelatinization temperatures, Tonset, Tpeak and Tend. The enthalpy of gelatinization of the modified starches increased with increase in the degree of cross-linking. The modified starches exhibited higher water-binding capacities (WBC) than the native starch; but with increase in the degree of cross-linking, there was a gradual decrease in WBC. The in vitro alpha amylase digestibility of the modified starches decreased gradually with increase in the level of cross-linking.
Host suitability of South African and foreign soybean cultivars to Meloidogyne incognita race 2

Eighty-five local and foreign soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ) genotypes, including cultivars and breeding lines, were evaluated for host suitability to Meloidogyne incognita race 2 in two separate greenhouse experiments. In vivo reared M. incognita race 2 second-stage juveniles (J2) and eggs were inoculated on roots of soybean seedlings. Nematode egg and egg mass counts were made 56 days after inoculation (DAI). The number of egg masses as well as eggs per root system were counted, while reproduction factors (RF), egg-laying-female indices (ELF) and eggs per g of root were determined. Substantial variation existed among the soybean cultivars and breeding lines with regard to the parameters evaluated. Several local as well as foreign cultivars and breeding lines were identified with RF-values lower than 1 for M. incognita race 2. The commercial local soybean cultivar LS5995 had the lowest number of egg masses and eggs per root system, eggs per g of root, RF-values and ELF-indices in the present study. Based on RF-values this is the first report that LS5995 is resistant to M. incognita race 2. Results obtained in the present study could be used for the planning of crop rotation systems as well as the identification of resistance sources for breeding purposes.
Child First Language Acquisition of English and Spanish Prepositional and Double Object Constructions

This study examines the acquisition of dative alternation (DA), namely, prepositional structures and double object constructions (DOCs), in English and Spanish. The analysis of Spanish and English child monolingual data and adult input available in CHILDES reveals a similar pattern of emergence of prepositional and DOCs in the two language groups. This suggests a lack of derivation between the two structures in the two languages, assuming that more complex derived structures emerge later than nonderived ones. This is argued to be the case despite the difference between English and Spanish DA, as per the Complex Predicate Parameter. The delay in the onset and the lower incidence of English and Spanish prepositional DA seems to be related to the amount of exposure in the adult input. These findings, therefore, suggest that children acquire the similar syntactic nonderivational relationship that underlies DA constructions both in English and in Spanish. Besides, adult input factors seem to play a similar role in the children’s preference for the use of DOCs rather than prepositional structures in the two languages.
Diagnostic Reliability of In-Person Versus Remote Dermatology: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Studies comparing teledermatology with in-person dermatologists report wide variations in diagnostic agreement. Teledermatology studies should have two independent in-person consultations establishing a baseline for comparing diagnoses made face-to-face and those made remotely. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of comparison studies having two in-person dermatologists and at least one remote dermatologist examining the same patients to determine the overall preponderance of agreement. Method: Studies having two in-person diagnosticians were identified from previous teledermatology research reviews and independent searches of PubMed and other databases. Data from six studies identified were meta-analyzed. Results: Some studies showed high levels of diagnostic concordance, while others did not. Meta-analysis revealed that concordance rates reported in the teledermatology and clinical (in-person) consultations were significantly different (odds ratio = 0.55 [Mantel-Haenszel, fixed effect model, 95% confidence interval = 0.42-0.72], χ2 = 11.87, p < 0.05, I2 = 58%). Overall results showed that in-person primary diagnoses are significantly more concordant than remote. The results also suggest that diagnoses made in-person and teledermatology were marginally but significantly different than remote. Conclusion: Although the results of this study suggest teledermatology diagnoses are less reliable than those in-person, there are still valid reasons for using teledermatology to improve access, reduce costs, and triage patients to determine those warranting further in-person consultation and/or laboratory tests. More caution should be exercised in teledermatology when diagnoses involve risky skin conditions. There is evidence that this happens in practice.
BOUNDARY ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF GREEN AND LINDSAY THEORY UNDER THERMAL AND MECHANICAL SHOCK IN A FINITE DOMAIN

A boundary element formulation based on the Laplace transform method is developed for transient coupled thermoelasticity problems with relaxation times in a two-dimensional finite domain. The dynamic thermoelastic model of Green and Lindsay is selected for the present study. The Laplace transform method is applied to the time domain, and the resulting equations in the transformed field are discretized using the boundary element method. The nodal dimensionless temperature and displacements in the transformed domain are inverted to obtain the actual physical quantities using the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform method. This work considers the Green and Lindsay theory of thermoelasticity with the thermal and mechanical loading in a finite domain. The creation and propagation of elastic and thermoelastic waves in a finite domain and their effects on each other are investigated. Different relaxation times are chosen to briefly illustrate the events that take place in GL theory. Details of the formulation and numerical implementation are also presented.
GENETIC CONTROL OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN VITRO

The cellular requirements for the development of primary IgG GAT-specific PFC responses in cultures of spleen cells from responder, C57Bl/6, mice stimulated with GAT and GAT-MBSA and in cultures of spleen cells from nonresponder, SJL and B10.S, mice stimulated with GAT-MBSA were investigated. Macrophages were required for development of responses to GAT and GAT-MBSA in cultures of spleen cells from responder mice and for responses to GAT-MBSA in cultures of spleen cells from nonresponder mice. Macrophages from nonresponder mice supported the development of responses to GAT by nonadherent responder spleen cells, indicating that the failure of nonresponder mice to respond to GAT is not due to a macrophage defect. Furthermore, responder macrophages supported the responses of nonadherent, nonresponder spleen cells to SRBC and GAT-MBSA, but not to GAT. This indicates that the capacity to respond to GAT is a function of the nonadherent population which is composed of thymus-derived (T) helper cells and precursors of antibody-producing cells. Treatment of spleen cells with anti-theta serum and complement before culture initiation abolished PFC responses to GAT and GAT-MBSA thus establishing the requirement for T cells in the development of PFC responses to these antigens. Since precursors of antibody-producing cells in nonresponder mice are capable of synthesizing antibody specific for GAT after stimulation with GAT-MBSA and since the response to GAT is thymus-dependent, it appears that nonresponder mice lack GAT-specific helper T cell function.
Review of greenhouse gas emissions from the storage and land application of farm dairy effluent

The amounts of farm dairy effluent stored in ponds and irrigated to land have steadily increased with the steady growth of New Zealand's dairy industry. About 80% of dairy farms now operate with effluent storage ponds allowing deferred irrigation. These storage and irrigation practices cause emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and ammonia. The current knowledge of the processes causing these emissions and the amounts emitted is reviewed here. Methane emissions from ponds are the largest contributor to the total GHG emissions from effluent in managed manure systems in New Zealand. Nitrous oxide emissions from anaerobic ponds are negligible, while ammonia emissions vary widely between different studies, probably because they depend strongly on pH and manure composition. The second-largest contribution to GHG emissions from farm dairy effluent comes from nitrous oxide emissions from land application. Ammonia emissions from land application of effluent in New Zealand were found to be less than those reported elsewhere from the application of slurries. Recent studies have suggested that New Zealand's current GHG inventory method to estimate methane emissions from effluent ponds should be revised. The increasing importance of emissions from ponds, while being a challenge for the inventory, also provides an opportunity to achieve mitigation of emissions due to the confined location of where these emissions occur.
Locomotor Performance and Sexual Selection: Individual Variation in Sprint Speed of Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus Collaris)

Abstract Whole-animal performance traits, such as locomotor performance, are central to current concepts of phenotypic adaptation, yet the possible evolution of such traits via sexual selection is an underexplored hypothesis. We studied a cursorial, polygynous, territorial lizard to test two predictions of sexual selection theory applied to whole-animal performance: a secondary sexual performance characteristic may be sexually dimorphic, and variation in performance among males should be correlated to mating success. Maximal sprinting performance was measured in a series of wild-caught adult collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) from a single Oklahoma population. Sprint speed varied repeatably among individuals, but did not scale to body size among adults. Contrary to our first prediction, sprint speed did not differ between sexes. However, among 11 adult males sprint speed was strongly correlated to territory size and a spatial index of potential mating success (independent of body size), which indicates phenotypic intrasexual selection, whether direct or indirect, for whole-animal locomotor performance. The lack of sexual dimorphism in sprint speed may reflect trade-offs with other sexually selected traits (e.g., head size) and/or condition-dependence of running capability. Sexual selection of social behavior may underlie more generally the evolution of physiological performance, and therefore of suborganismal physiology and morphology.
A network physiology approach to oxygen saturation variability during normobaric hypoxia

What is the central question of this study? What is the physiological interpretation of SpO2 fluctuations observed during normobaric hypoxia in healthy individuals? What is the main finding and its importance? There is a significant flow of information between SpO2 and other cardio‐respiratory time series during graded hypoxia. Analysis of the pattern of SpO2 variations has potential for non‐invasive assessment of the engagement of respiratory control system in health and disease.
‘Clubification’ of urban public spaces? The withdrawal or the re-definition of the role of local government in the management of public spaces

Abstract This paper reports on a case study on the forms of urban public spaces governance that are emerging in the UK out of a rearrangement of governance responsibilities between local government, communities and private interests. Based on cases of public spaces in London under a variety of different governance arrangements, the paper critiques the dominant explanations of those processes, and suggests a far more complex picture in which empowerment and disempowerment of stakeholders of various types happen at the same time, along complex lines defined by geography, strength of stake and representation of that stake in a formalized governance transfer contract. As the paper suggests, the resulting ‘localization’ of governance, the devolution of governance responsibilities to those local actors with the stronger stake in them, does not intrinsically reduce the publicness dimension of public space, but it reshapes that notion towards one with a variety of ‘publicnesses’, with their own governance dynamics and positive and negative consequences.