Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete Range of the Universal mtDNA Gene Pool and High Genetic Diversity in the Thai Dog Population

The dog population of Southern East Asia is unique in harboring virtually the full range of the universal mtDNA gene pool, and consequently, it has the highest genetic diversity worldwide. Despite this, limited research has been performed on dog genetics within this region. Here we present the first comprehensive study of a sub-region within Southern East Asia, analyzing 528 bp of mtDNA for 265 dogs from Thailand, in the context of dogs from across the Old World. We found that Thailand was the only region in the world that has the full range of the universal mtDNA gene pool, that is, all 10 sub-haplogroups. Consequently, the statistics for diversity are among the highest, especially in North Thailand, which had high values for haplotype diversity and the number of haplotypes, and the lowest proportion of individuals with a universal type-derived haplotype (UTd) among all regions. As previously observed, genetic diversity is distinctly lower outside Southern East Asia and it decreases following a cline to the lowest values in western Eurasia. Thus, the limited geographical region of Thailand harbors a distinctly higher genetic diversity than much larger regions in western Eurasia, for example, Southwest Asia and Europe which have only five and four of the 10 sub-haplogroups, respectively. Within Thailand, diversity statistics for all four sub-regions follow the general pattern of Southern East Asia, but North Thailand stands out with its high diversity compared to the other regions. These results show that a small part of Southern East Asia harbors the full range of the mtDNA gene pool, and they emphasize the exceptional genetic status of Southern East Asia. This indicates that today’s dogs can trace a major part of their ancestry to Southern East Asia or closely situated regions, highlighting Thailand as a region of special interest. Considering the large genetic diversity found in Thailand and that many neighboring regions, e.g., Myanmar and Laos, have not been studied for dog genetics, it is possible that large parts of the dog gene pool remain undiscovered. It will be an important task for future studies to fill in these blanks on the phylogeographic map.
A Disposable Passive Microfluidic Device for Cell Culturing

In this work, a disposable passive microfluidic device for cell culturing that does not require any additional/external pressure sources is introduced. By regulating the height of fluidic columns and the aperture and closure of the source wells, the device can provide different media and/or drug flows, thereby allowing different flow patterns with respect to time. The device is made of two Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) layers fabricated by micro-milling and solvent assisted bonding and allows us to ensure a flow rate of 18.6 μL/h - 7%/day, due to a decrease of the fluid height while the liquid is driven from the reservoirs into the channels. Simulations and experiments were conducted to characterize flows and diffusion in the culture chamber. Melanoma tumor cells were used to test the device and carry out cell culturing experiments for 48 h. Moreover, HeLa, Jurkat, A549 and HEK293T cell lines were cultivated successfully inside the microfluidic device for 72 h.
Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 Infected Migrants Followed Up in Portugal: Trends between 2001–2017

Migration is associated with HIV-1 vulnerability. Objectives: To identify long-term trends in HIV-1 molecular epidemiology and antiretroviral drug resistance (ARV) among migrants followed up in Portugal Methods: 5177 patients were included between 2001 and 2017. Rega, Scuel, Comet, and jPHMM algorithms were used for subtyping. Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) and Acquired drug resistance (ADR) were defined as the presence of surveillance drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) and as mutations of the IAS-USA 2015 algorithm, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed. Results: HIV-1 subtypes infecting migrants were consistent with the ones prevailing in their countries of origin. Over time, overall TDR significantly increased and specifically for Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTIs) and Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTIs). TDR was higher in patients from Mozambique. Country of origin Mozambique and subtype B were independently associated with TDR. Overall, ADR significantly decreased over time and specifically for NRTIs and Protease Inhibitors (PIs). Age, subtype B, and viral load were independently associated with ADR. Conclusions: HIV-1 molecular epidemiology in migrants suggests high levels of connectivity with their country of origin. The increasing levels of TDR in migrants could indicate an increase also in their countries of origin, where more efficient surveillance should occur.
Survival of Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies (IgG, IgA and sIgA) Versus Naturally-Occurring Antibodies (IgG and sIgA/IgA) in an Ex Vivo Infant Digestion Model

To prevent infectious diarrhea in infants, orally-supplemented enteric pathogen-specific recombinant antibodies would need to resist degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Palivizumab, a recombinant antibody specific to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), was used as a model to assess the digestion of neutralizing antibodies in infant digestion. The aim was to determine the remaining binding activity of RSV F protein-specific monoclonal and naturally-occurring immunoglobulins (Ig) in different isoforms (IgG, IgA, and sIgA) across an ex vivo model of infant digestion. RSV F protein-specific monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and sIgA) and milk-derived naturally-occurring Ig (IgG and sIgA/IgA) were exposed to an ex vivo model of digestion using digestive samples from infants (gastric and intestinal samples). The survival of each antibody was tested via an RSV F protein-specific ELISA. Ex vivo gastric and intestinal digestion degraded palivizumab IgG, IgA, and sIgA (p < 0.05). However, the naturally-occurring RSV F protein-specific IgG and sIgA/IgA found in human milk were stable across gastric and intestinal ex vivo digestion. The structural differences between recombinant and naturally-occurring antibodies need to be closely examined to guide future design of recombinant antibodies with increased stability for use in the gastrointestinal tract.
Effect of Glutamine on Antioxidant Capacity and Lipid Peroxidation in the Breast Muscle of Heat-stressed Broilers via Antioxidant Genes and HSP70 Pathway

Simple Summary Broilers are heat stress sensitive animals. Heat stress can reduce the meat quality and increase the oxidative stress of broilers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with Glutamine (Gln) on meat quality, antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant genes, and the HSP70 gene and protein expression in broilers exposed to cyclic heat stress. Results showed that Gln improved the meat quality in heat-stressed broilers. In conclusion, our study suggested that dietary Gln supplementation alleviated antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in the breast muscle of heat-stressed broilers by antioxidant genes and the HSP70 pathway. Abstract This study investigated whether Glutamine (Gln) could be used as an additive to improve antioxidant capacity in the breast muscle of heat-stressed broilers. Two hundred and forty 22-day-old Arbor Acres broilers in the G1, G2, G3, and G4 groups (n = 60 each) were housed in a cyclic hot environment and fed the basal diet with 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% Gln, respectively. Compared with the G1 group, dietary 1.5% Gln increased (p < 0.05) pH and b* values, but decreased (p < 0.05) L* cooking loss, drip loss, and water loss rate in breast meat of heat-stressed broilers. Malondialdehyde levels in the breast muscle were lower (p < 0.05) in 1.0% and 1.5% Gln groups than that of the heat-stress group. Compared with the G1 group, dietary 1.5% Gln increased (p < 0.05) catalase (CAT), glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px,) and total antioxidant capacity in the breast muscle of heat-stressed broilers. Furthermore, the CAT, GSH-Px, HSP70 mRNA expression levels, and HSP70 protein expression levels were increased (p < 0.05) in the G3 and G4 groups compared with the G1 group. In sum, Gln alleviated antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in the breast muscle of heat-stressed broilers through antioxidant genes and HSP70 pathways.
Effect of Mindfulness on Empathy and Self-Compassion: An Adapted MBCT Program on Filipino College Students

Attending college is meaningful for many young adults. This period is marked by physical, emotional, and psychological changes that can have both positive and negative effects on college students. The last two decades have seen an alarming increase in the number of college students who suffer from mental health conditions, such as depression, suicide, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. It is recommended that actions to support the students’ wellbeing must be creative and evidence-based. Research suggests that a mindfulness-based intervention may be an effective strategy to address mental health conditions among college students. This study was done to examine the efficacy of an adapted mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program that was implemented in a classroom setting in the Philippines and to explore how mindfulness practice can affect empathy and self-compassion on senior Filipino college students aged 19–22 years old. Two classes were used to compare the effects of mindfulness intervention. One class underwent the adapted MBCT program while the other class underwent the same kind of class without mindfulness interventions. Self-report measures of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Perspective Taking subscale and Empathic Concern subscale of Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Self-compassion scale—short form were administered before undergoing the adapted MBCT and after the program. After going through the adapted MBCT, college students’ mindfulness significantly improved. Empathy and self-compassion also significantly improved after undergoing the program. This corroborates previous studies done on mindfulness and its efficacy with adolescents and suggests how practicing mindfulness can improve empathy and self-compassion with Filipino college students. It provides a promising groundwork for the emerging interest and research in Asia, particularly in the Philippines, on how the practice of mindfulness can help with the mental health of college students.
Intention to donate blood and its predictors among adults of Gondar city: Using theory of planned behavior

Background Blood transfusion is a lifesaving procedure when someone encounters severe anemia, accident or injury, surgery, heavy bleeding during childbirth and cancer chemotherapy. The average blood donation rate of Africa is 4.7/1000 inhabitants and Ethiopia is among one of the countries with the lowest annual donation rate which is 0.8/1000 population. This study assessed intention to donate blood on adults of Gondar city administration using the theory of planned behavior. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. The study was conducted on two randomly selected Gondar sub-cities using systematic sampling on a sample size of 524 adults. Epi Data version 3.0 and STATA version 14 were used for entry and analysis of data respectively. Multiple linear regression was carried out to see the association between intention and sociodemographic variables, past donation experience, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control and with 95% confidence interval and a p-value of less than 0.05 was used to detect statistical significance. Results A total of 515 respondents participated in the study giving a response rate of 98%. Most of the participants were females (66.4%) and the participants’ age ranges from 18 to 65 years. The variance explained by the model was 49%. The mean intention to donate blood was 3.02±1.13. Direct perceived behavioural control (β = 0.14, CI (0.04, 0.23)), direct subjective norm (β = 0.11: CI (0.04, 0.17), direct attitude (β = 0.03; CI (0.01, 0.06)) and past behaviour of blood donation (β = 0.3; CI (0.07, 0.51) were significant predictor of intention. Conclusion Theory of planned behavior could be successfully applied in determining adult’s blood donation intention. Predictors of intention to donate blood were past experience of blood donation, direct subjective norm, direct perceived behavioural control and direct attitude. None of the external variables predict blood donation intention.
Occlusal Stress Distribution on the Mandibular First Premolar - FEM Analysis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to analyze the distribution of stress and deformation on the mandibular first premolar under two types of loading (axial and para-axial load of 200 N) using the FEM computer method. MATERIALS AND METHOD For this research a µCT scan of the first mandibular premolar was used, and the method used in this research was FEM analysis under two types of loading. RESULTS The values of the von Mises stress measured in the cervical part of an intact tooth under axial load were up to 12 MPa, and under paraaxial load over 50 MPa. The values of the stress measured on the bottom of the noncarious lesion are very high ≈ 240 Mpa. Stress values in the cervical part of the intact tooth are higher in the zone of the sub-surface enamel. The deformation values of the tooth under para-axial loading were ≈ 10 times higher than the value of the deformation under axial load. The greatest deformations were seen in the area of the tooth crown. CONCLUSIONS Occlusal loading leads to significant stress in the cervical part of teeth. The values of the measured stress are greater under the action of paraxial load. The values of stress in abfraction lesions measured under a paraxial load are extremely high. Exposing the lesion to further stress will lead to its deepening. The total deformation of the entire tooth under paraxial load was ≈ 10 times higher compared to the deformation value of the tooth under axial load.
Rheotaxially Grown and Vacuum Oxidized SnOx Nanolayers for NO2 Sensing Characteristics at ppb Level and Room Temperature

This work presents, for the very first time, very promising nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensing characteristics of SnOx nanolayers obtained by the innovative and unique rheotaxial growth and vacuum oxidation (RGVO) processing technique. The NO2 gas sensing experiments were performed using the novel surface photovoltage gas sensing device. The measured detection limit at room temperature (RT) is as low as 10 ppb NO2 in synthetic air, whereas the detection limit calculated on the basis of signal to noise ratio is around 6 ppb NO2. For the complementary study of surface chemistry of RGVO SnOx nanolayers, including nonstoichiometry, presence of carbon contamination and surface bondings, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method was applied. The SnOx RGVO samples reveal nonstoichiometry because the relative concentration [O]/[Sn] equals 0.94 for the as deposited sample and increases upon subsequent air exposure and NO2 sensing. Moreover, carbon contamination has been recognized after exposing the RGVO SnOx nanolayers to the air and during the NO2 detection.
Assessment of available sites for palatal orthodontic mini-implants through cone-beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE To measure the palatal thickness of both hard and soft tissues and to determine safe regions for the placement of mini-implants. The influences of sex and age on palatal thickness were also examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cone-beam computed tomography images of 30 patients (12 males, 18 females), including 15 adults and 15 adolescents, were used in this study. The thicknesses of palatal hard tissue, soft tissue, and hard+soft tissues were measured at the coronal planes of first premolars, second premolars, first molars, and second molars (P1, P2, M1, and M2 planes, respectively). RESULTS The hard tissue was thickest at the P1 plane, followed by at the P2, M1, and M2 planes, while the thickness of soft tissue was similar among the four planes. The trends in the changes of palatal thickness from midline to the lateral sides (V-pattern) were similar for the four planes. Palatal thickness was influenced by sex, age, and their interaction. Mapping of recommended and optimal sites for palatal mini-implants was accomplished. CONCLUSIONS Sex and age factors could influence palatal thickness. Therefore, the findings might be helpful for clinicians in guiding them to choose the optimal sites for palatal mini-implants.
Significance of Luminex-based single antigen class II bead assay and its mean fluorescence intensity in renal transplant cases; a retrospective observation in 97 cases

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of class II Luminex single antigen bead (L-SAB) assay and compare these MFI values with cell-based complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch with anti-human globulin (CDC-AHG-XM) and IgG-B-cell flow cytometry crossmatch (FC-XM) results and explore the near-accurate MFI-cutoff values of positive cell-based crossmatch results. This retrospective study was an analysis in 97 renal transplant recipients, who were tested for the presence of DSA by CDC-AHG-XM and IgG-B-cell-FC-XM methods with their corresponding donor as well as for anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody detection using a sensitive L-SAB assay. In the group having DSA MFI values <1000, none of the patients showed positivity for FC-XM and CDC-AHG-XM; in the group having MFI values between 1000 and 3000, 35.48% showed positivity for FC-XM but none by the CDC-AHG-XM method. However, in the group having MFI values >3000, 83.33% of cases were positive for FC-XM. Further, in those groups with MFI values between 3000 and 6000, 38.09% were positive for CDC-AHG-XM, while 86.66% showed positivity in the group with MFI >6000. Our results indicated that Luminex-DSA MFI value >1995 (P < .0001) significantly correlated with IgG-B-cell-FC-XM positivity while Luminex-DSA MFI value of >4247 (P < .0006) was significantly correlated with positive CDC-AHG-XM. MFI cutoff of 1995 exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 97.56% and specificity of 89.29% for predicting positive IgG B-cell FC-XM and MFI cutoff of 4247 exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 90.48% and specificity of 97.37% for predicting positive CDC-AHG-XM. However, a cutoff MFI of >5000 and >7000 for SAB assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% in detecting a positive IgG B-cell FC-XM and CDC-AHG-XM, respectively.
Use of Hepatitis C Nucleic Acid Test–Positive Liver Allografts in Hepatitis C Virus Seronegative Recipients

Because of underutilization of liver allografts, our center previously showed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody–positive/nucleic acid test (NAT)–negative livers when transplanted into HCV nonviremic recipients were safe with a 10% risk of HCV transmission. Herein, we present our single‐center prospective experience of using HCV NAT+ liver allografts transplanted into HCV NAT– recipients. An institutional review board–approved matched cohort study was conducted examining post– liver transplantation (LT) outcomes of HCV– patients who received HCV NAT+ organs (treatment group) compared with matched recipients with HCV NAT– organs (matched comparator group) between June 2018 to October 2019. The primary endpoint was success of HCV treatment and elimination of HCV infection. The secondary outcomes included the 30‐day and 1‐year graft and patient survival as well as perioperative complications. There were 32 recipients enrolled into each group. Because of 1 death in the index admission, 30/31 patients (97%) were given HCV treatment at a median starting time of 47 days (18‐140 days) after LT. A total of 19 (63%) patients achieved sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR12). Another 6 patients achieved end‐of‐treatment response, while 5 remained on therapy and 1 is yet to start treatment. No HCV treatment failure has been noted. There were no differences in 30‐day and 1‐year graft and patient survival, length of hospital stay, biliary or vascular complications, or cytomegalovirus viremia between the 2 groups. In this interim analysis of a matched cohort study, which is the first and largest study to date, the patients who received the HCV NAT+ organs had similar outcomes regarding graft function, patient survival, and post‐LT complications.
Kinetic Model of Incipient Hydride Formation in Zr Clad under Dynamic Oxide Growth Conditions

The formation of elongated zirconium hydride platelets during corrosion of nuclear fuel clad is linked to its premature failure due to embrittlement and delayed hydride cracking. Despite their importance, however, most existing models of hydride nucleation and growth in Zr alloys are phenomenological and lack sufficient physical detail to become predictive under the variety of conditions found in nuclear reactors during operation. Moreover, most models ignore the dynamic nature of clad oxidation, which requires that hydrogen transport and precipitation be considered in a scenario where the oxide layer is continuously growing at the expense of the metal substrate. In this paper, we perform simulations of hydride formation in Zr clads with a moving oxide/metal boundary using a stochastic kinetic diffusion/reaction model parameterized with state-of-the-art defect and solute energetics. Our model uses the solutions of the hydrogen diffusion problem across an increasingly-coarse oxide layer to define boundary conditions for the kinetic simulations of hydrogen penetration, precipitation, and dissolution in the metal clad. Our method captures the spatial dependence of the problem by discretizing all spatial derivatives using a stochastic finite difference scheme. Our results include hydride number densities and size distributions along the radial coordinate of the clad for the first 1.6 h of evolution, providing a quantitative picture of hydride incipient nucleation and growth under clad service conditions.
Effect of Competition, Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Race, and Sex on Southern American English Dialect Talkers' Sentence Recognition

Abstract Background Although numerous studies have examined regional and racial–ethnic labeling of talker identity, few have evaluated speech perception skills of listeners from the southern United States. Purpose The objective of the study was to examine the effect of competition, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), race, and sex on sentence recognition performance in talkers from the Southern American English dialect region. Research Design A four-factor mixed-measures design was used. Study Sample Forty-eight normal-hearing young African American and White adults participated. Data Collection and Analyses The Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set was used in quiet and in continuous and interrupted noise and multitalker babble at SNRs of −10, −5, 0, and 5 dB. Results Significant main effects of competition (p < 0.001) and SNR (p < 0.001) and a competition by SNR interaction were found (p < 0.001). Performance improved with increasing SNRs. Performance was also greater in the interrupted broadband noise at poorer SNRs, relative to the other competitors. Multitalker babble performance was significantly poorer than the continuous noise at the poorer SNRs. There was no effect of race or sex on performance in quiet or competition. Conclusions Although African American English and White American English talkers living in the same geographic region demonstrate differences in speech production, their speech perception in noise does not appear to differ under the conditions examined in this study.