Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apioceridae (Insecta: Diptera): cladistic reappraisal and biogeography

Abstract Twenty members of the fly families Apioceridae and Mydidae are compared in terms of 77 adult characters. Cladistic analysis of 91 synapomorphies provides a well corroborated reconstruction of lineage relationships, and reveals that the Apioceridae is paraphyletic with respect to the Mydidae. In order to render the Apioceridae monophyletic, the genusRhaphiomidasand the subfamily Megascelinae of the Apioceridae are transferred to the Mydidae. The subfamily Rhaphiomidinae is reinstated to accommodateRhaphiomidas, comprising the most plesiomorphic mydids. The relationships of the remaining subfamilies of Mydidae are discussed in the context of these findings. The genusApiocerais divided into four subgenera, the type subgenusApioceraWestwood in Australia,Pyrocerasubgen. nov. in North America, and the subgeneraRipidosyrmaHermann andAnypenusPhilippi are applied to the South African and South American species, respectively. A key to the four subgenera ofApiocerais provided. The biogeographic relationships of the subgenera and genera of the Apioceridae and the Megascelinae are discussed. Although considered an example of a transantarctic or Gondwanan group, we argue that the distribution of the Apioceridae predates the Mesozoic supercontinent Gondwanaland and extends onto sections of Pangaea, and should be termed 'Pangaean'. The cladistic relationships between the genera of Apioceridae and Megascelinae are consistent with the geological vicariance of the fragments of Pangaea on which they now occur.
Association between Obesity and Omega-3 Status in Healthy Young Women

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are essential for healthy development and protect against metabolic disease. However, individuals with obesity may be pre-disposed to experiencing lower n-3 PUFA status than normal-weight individuals. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the omega-3 index (O3I), body mass index (BMI) and dietary intake in healthy young women (n = 300; age = 18–35 y), a group not previously focused on. Intake was adjusted for energy using the residuals method, and associations were explored using independent t-tests and Pearson’s correlations. Participants with obesity were found to have significantly lower O3I than normal-weight participants (p < 0.0001); however, no significant differences were observed in mean n-3 PUFA intakes. Even so, energy-adjusted intakes of n-3 PUFAs, with the exception of alpha-linolenic acid, were significantly correlated with O3I. This study demonstrates that O3I is influenced by both BMI and diet in young women; however the relationship between these two variables may be complex. Current intakes of n-3 PUFA observed in young women may not be effective in achieving target O3I levels in those with obesity, and further research is needed to find effective ways of improving n-3 PUFA status in a group already at increased risk of metabolic disease.
Land abandonment and intensification diminish spatial and temporal β-diversity of grassland plants and herbivorous insects within paddy terraces

Summary 1. Although traditional land-use and management practices are known to enhance environmental heterogeneity in agricultural lands, loss of heterogeneity resulting from recent land-use changes can lead to spatiotemporal b-diversity losses (biotic homogenization). However, patterns and causes of b-diversity loss, especially at a within-field scale, have remained unexplored. 2. We examined b-diversity declines in plants, butterflies and orthopterans resulting from land abandonment and intensification in semi-natural grasslands on paddy margins at a within-field scale in relation to changes in disturbance frequency and surrounding landscapes by surveying eight abandoned, thirteen traditional and ten intensive paddy terraces. Three indices, the additive partitioning of species richness (badd) and the turnover (btu) and nestedness (bne) components of Jaccard dissimilarity of plants and herbivores, were used to evaluate different aspects of b-diversity. We hypothesized that biotic homogenization due to abandonment and intensification would be expressed as low spatiotemporal badd and btu, low spatial bne and high temporal bne. 3. The spatial and temporal badd of plants and herbivores were higher in traditional terraces than in others. Changes in mowing frequency caused direct declines in butterfly badd and indirectly decreased herbivore badd through diminished plant badd in abandoned and intensified terraces. 4. Neighbouring forests increased plant spatial and butterfly temporal badd and btu. Abandoned terraces had higher orthopteran spatial and plant temporal btu than traditional terraces. Mowing frequency generally did not influence spatial and temporal btu of plants and herbivores. In intensive terraces, temporal bne of plants were higher than in traditional terraces, suggesting dominance by plant species sharing similar phenologies. 5. Synthesis and applications. These results suggest that traditional mowing practices are essential for maintaining plant and herbivore badd, and consequently, species pools within terraces. The higher spatial or temporal species turnover of plants and orthopterans in abandoned terraces and higher temporal plant nestedness in intensive than in traditional terraces were not due to increases in species pools within terraces. Because within-terrace environmental heterogeneity is thought to remain in abandoned and intensive terraces, we recommend reduction in mowing frequency in intensive terraces and reintroduction of mowing in abandoned terraces for biodiversity restoration.
Invasion and upstream migration by glass-eels of Anguilla australis australis Richardson and A. reinhardtii Steindachner in Tasmanian Freshwater Streams

The recruitment of glass-eels into fresh water was investigated by hand-netting and electrofishing at the lowest permanent freshwater riffle on several streams in eastern Tasmania. Measurements of the forward extent of the dorsal fin distinguished the short-finned eel, A. a. australis, from the long-finned eel, A. reinhardtii; this separation was verified by vertebral counts and A. a, australis glass-eels were found to be larger than A. reinhardtii. A. a. australis glass-eels were collected at the first riffle during all seasons of the year except mid-summer. Numbers in the catch declined during mid-winter, probably as a result of an effective seaward movement of the freshwater-estuarine interface during periods of high river flow; A. a. australis glass-eels were still found to be abundant near estuary mouths at such times. A. reinhardtii glass-eels exhibited a more restricted movement into fresh water during late summer and autumn with no collections recorded after mid-winter. For both species, the stage of pigmentation was found to advance as the season progressed, and length, weight and condition factor declined with advancing pigmentation. The otoliths of invading glass-eels of both species appeared similar with a single summer ring, suggesting a larval life of 1-1½ years. The restricted invasion period of A. reinhardtii and the similar size throughout the species range suggests a short and precise larval life. The length of larval life of A. a. australis is probably quite variable, resulting in a more substantial and prolonged influx of glass-eels into Tasmanian waters.
Incidence of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Single Centre Study

Original Research Article Objective: To calculate the incidence of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) diagnosed in the Department of Medicine, Medical College of Theni. Material and Methods: Diagnoses of BMS were confirmed through the presence of burning pain symptoms of the oral mucosa with normal oral examination findings and no associated clinical signs. Results: Eighty five incident cases were confirmed, majority of the 69 patients were female (81.1%). The mean age at diagnosis was 62.6 years (range, 19–96 years). At diagnosis, 9.4 % of patients were current smokers and 22.3% were prior smokers. The tongue was the most frequently involved anatomic. Intensity of reported pain had a broad range, but most of them had mild pain (57.6%) followed by moderate pain (30.5%). Disease was commonly symmetrical on both the mediolateral (95.2%) and anteroposterior (80.0%) axes. Pain was typically continuous (94.1%) and present throughout the day (81.1%). Conclusion: The results of our study show BMS is an uncommon disease, highly associated with both advancing age and female sex. Typical symptom characteristics show mild, symmetrical, bilateral burning pain of the tongue that is continuous throughout the day
Characterization of a New Mixture of Mono-Rhamnolipids Produced by Pseudomonas gessardii Isolated from Edmonson Point (Antarctica)

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are surface-active molecules mainly produced by Pseudomonas spp. Antarctica is one of the less explored places on Earth and bioprospecting for novel RL producer strains represents a promising strategy for the discovery of novel structures. In the present study, 34 cultivable bacteria isolated from Edmonson Point Lake, Ross Sea, Antarctica were subjected to preliminary screening for the biosurfactant activity. The positive strains were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the produced RLs were characterized by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRESIMS) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), resulting in a new mixture of 17 different RL congeners, with six previously undescribed RLs. We explored the influence of the carbon source on the RL composition using 12 different raw materials, such as monosaccharides, polysaccharides and petroleum industry derivatives, reporting for the first time the production of RLs using, as sole carbon source, anthracene and benzene. Moreover, we investigated the antimicrobial potential of the RL mixture, towards a panel of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, reporting very interesting results towards Listeria monocytogenes with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 3.13 µg/mL. Finally, we report for the first time the antimicrobial activity of RLs towards three strains of the emerging multidrug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia with MIC values of 12.5 µg/mL.
Fish-Based Bioactives as Potent Nutraceuticals: Exploring the Therapeutic Perspective of Sustainable Food from the Sea

Recent developments in nutraceuticals and functional foods have confirmed that bioactive components present in our diet play a major therapeutic role against human diseases. Moreover, there is a huge emphasis on food scientists for identifying and producing foods with better bioactive activity, which can ultimately provide wellness and well-being to human health. Among the several well-known foods with bioactive constituents, fish has always been considered important, due to its rich nutritional values and by-product application in food industries. Nutritionists, food scientists, and other scientific communities have been working jointly to uncover new bioactive molecules that could increase the potential and therapeutic benefits of these bioactive components. Despite the innumerable benefits of fish and known fish bioactive molecules, its use by food or pharmaceutical industries is scarce, and even research on fish-based nutraceuticals is not promising. Therefore, this review focuses on the current information/data available regarding fish bioactive components, its application as nutraceuticals for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of chronic diseases, ethnic issues related to consumption of fish or its by-products. Especial emphasis is given on the utilization of fish wastes and its by-products to fulfill the world demand for cheap dietary supplements specifically for underdeveloped/least developed countries.
Pragmatic Markers in the Management of Asthma: A Real-World-Based Approach

Bronchial hyperreactivity, reversible airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation characterize asthma pathophysiology. Personalized medicine, i.e., a tailored management approach, is appropriate for asthma management and is based on the identification of peculiar phenotypes and endotypes. Biomarkers are necessary for defining phenotypes and endotypes. Several biomarkers have been described in asthma, but most of them are experimental and/or not commonly available. The current paper will, therefore, present pragmatic biomarkers useful for asthma management that are available in daily clinical practice. In this regard, eosinophil assessment and serum allergen-specific IgE assay are the most reliable biomarkers. Lung function, mainly concerning forced expiratory flow at 25-755 of vital capacity (FEF25-75), and nasal cytology may be envisaged as ancillary biomarkers in asthma management. In conclusion, biomarkers have clinical relevance in asthma concerning both the endotype definition and the personalization of the therapy.
Serum Uric Acid Levels and Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have identified low serum uric acid (SUA) levels as a risk factor for the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Prodromal PD mainly manifests as a complex of non-motor features, but the association between SUA levels and nonmotor symptoms (NMS) burden level in advanced PD patients is poorly studied. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between SUA levels and NMS in PD patients. METHODS Data were gathered from an open label, cross sectional, study with analysis of SUA levels in 87 PD patients and were correlated to NMS through the NMS scale (NMSS). In addition, we examined the possible relation between SUA and NMS burden levels and motor scores. RESULTS There was a moderate negative association between SUA levels and NMSS total score (ρ= -0.379, p < 0.001). In line with this, we observed that higher NMS burden was associated with lower SUA levels (p < 0.001). Within individual NMSS domains, a moderate negative correlation was observed between SUA levels and the cardiovascular/falls (ρ= -0.285, p = 0.008), sleep/fatigue (ρ= -0.299, p = 0.005), and miscellaneous domains (ρ= -0.318, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION In this observational study we observed that SUA levels were negatively associated to NMS burden in PD patients with a specific link to miscellaneous, sleep/fatigue and cardiovascular domains of the NMSS. Interestingly, we did not find a clear relation between SUA and motor scores. Future large-scale prospective studies in de novo and advanced PD are needed to evaluate and establish these associations.
Changes in premature birth rates during the Danish nationwide COVID-19 lockdown: a nationwide register-based prevalence proportion study

Objectives To explore the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on premature birth rates in Denmark Design Nationwide register-based prevalence proportion study. Participants 31,180 live singleton infants born in Denmark between March 12, and April 14, from 2015 to 2020 Main outcome measures The Main outcome measure was the odds ratio of premature birth, per preterm category, during the lockdown period compared with the calendar match period in the five previous years. Results A total of 31 180 newborns were included in the study period, of these 58 were born extremely premature (gestational age below 28 weeks). The distribution of gestational ages was significantly different (p = 0.004) during the lockdown period compared to the previous five years. The extremely premature birth rate during the lockdown was significantly lower than the corresponding mean rate for the same dates in the previous years (odds ratio 0.09 [95 % CI 0.01 - 0.04], p < 0.001). No significant difference between the lockdown and previous years was found for other gestational age categories. Conclusions The birth rate of extremely premature infants decreased significantly (~90 % reduction) during the Danish nationwide lockdown from a stable rate in the preceding five years. The reasons for this decrease are unclear. Identification of possible causal mechanisms might stimulate changes in clinical practice. Ideally, some cases of extreme prematurity are preventable which may decrease infant morbidity and mortality.
Crisis Standard of Care: Management of Infantile Spasms during COVID‐19

The Child Neurology Society collaborated with the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium to issue an online statement April 6, 2020 of immediate recommendations to streamline diagnosis, treatment, and follow up of infantile spasms. The recommendations encourage use of telemedicine, outpatient over inpatient studies, and oral therapies as initial treatment. Each recommendation is earmarked as enduring if intended to outlast the pandemic, and limited if intended only during the duration of the pandemic. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Impact of varying air cavity on planning dosimetry for rectum patients treated on a 1.5 T hybrid MR‐linac system

Abstract Purpose To investigate the dosimetric impact of magnetic (B) field on varying air cavities in rectum patients treated on the hybrid 1.5 T MR‐linac. Methods Artificial air cavities of varying diameters (0.0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5.0 cm) were created for four rectum patients (two prone and two supine). A total of 56 plans using a 7 MV flattening filter‐free beam were generated with and without B‐field. Reference intensity‐modulated radiation therapy treatment plans without air cavity in the presence and absence of B‐field were generated to a total dose of 45/50 Gy. The reference plans were copied and recalculated for the varying air cavities. D95(PTV45–PTV50), D95(PTV50–aircavity), V50(PTV50–aircavity), Dmax(PTV50–aircavity), and V110%(PTV50–aircavity) were extracted for each patient. Annulus rings of 1‐mm‐diameter step size were generated for one of the air cavity plans (3.0 cm) for all four patients to determine Dmax (%) and V110% (cc) within each annulus. Results In the presence of B‐field, hot spots at the cavity interface start to become visible at ~1 cm air cavity in both supine and prone positioning due to electron return effect (ERE). In the presence of B‐field Dmax and V110% varied from 5523 ± 49 cGy and 0.09 ± 0.16 cc for 0 cm air cavity size to 6050 ± 109 cGy and 11.6 ± 6.7 cc for 5 cm air cavity size. The hot spots were located within 3 mm inside the rectal‐air interface, where Dmax increased from 110.4 ± 0.5% without B‐field to 119.2 ± 0.8 % with B‐field. Conclusions Air cavities inside rectum affects rectum plan dosimetry due ERE. Location and magnitude of hot spots are dependent on the size of the air cavity.
Long-term persistence of a positive plant diversity-productivity relationship in the absence of legumes

Most studies investigating the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem functioning lasted only a few years. These studies generally showed a positive relationship between diversity and productivity that strengthened with time. This pattern suggests the experimental communities have not yet reached maturity, which raises the question whether a positive relationship between diversity and productivity will remain if communities approach equilibrium conditions. Here, we analyze eight years of data from a plant diversity experiment without legumes. A positive relationship between plant diversity and productivity arose in the second year and increased until the fifth year. This relationship persisted throughout the remainder of the experiment, but the slope of the relationship remained constant at approximately 50 g/m2/log2[richness]. The positive relationship between diversity and productivity was caused by strong complementarity effects, which initially increased but remained constant after the fourth year of the experiment. Our results show a positive relationship between diversity and productivity is a long-term phenomenon, driven by complementary interactions.
On the population dynamics of the Eucalypt-defoliating sawfly Perga affinis affinis Kirby (Hymenoptera)

Changes of the abundance of the sawfly P. a. affinis were recorded during eight successive years in a study region extending from the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to north-eastern Victoria. The influences and processes which affected mortality and reproduction in populations of the sawfly are described, and their contributions to the observed fluctuations of abundance in the study region are discussed. The major causes of mortality were desiccation, fungal disease, and parasitism. The main parasites were tachinids (Froggattimyia spp.) and a trigonalid (Taeniogonalos venatoria Riek). A variable proportion of the prepupae entered a diapause which persisted for 2 or more years. Although extended diapause ensured the survival of the subspecies during seasons unfavourable for its active stages, only a small proportion of the prepupae involved survived to emerge as adults. The consequences of very high numbers were: increased incidence of desiccation mortality and of extended diapause, and a decrease of the fecundity of the subsequent generation. Due to the benefits which accrued from colonial behaviour, survival of the larvae was greater at moderately high than at low densities. These density-regulating mechanisms of the life system of the sawfly operated conspicuously only at very high and very low densities. In the eastern portion of the study region, fluctuations of abundance were closely synchronized in all sites. These fluctuations could be interpreted in terms of changing environmental favourability during successive seasons. Analysis of weather data showed that departures from long-term average temperatures and rainfalls were correlated throughout the region. However, sawfly numbers fluctuated erratically in the western subregion, the changes of density there often being at variance with those consistent throughout the eastern subregion. Parasitism by T. venatoria, which was often very severe in the western subregion, was the only process recognized that was likely to be responsible for the differences observed.
Concentration of lead, cadmium, and mercury in tissues of European beaver (Castor fiber) from the north-eastern Poland

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in the liver, kidneys, and muscles of European beavers (Castor fiber) and thus to evaluate the degree of heavy metals contamination in Warmia and Mazury region in Poland. The study was conducted on free-living beavers captured in region of Warmia and Mazury during autumn 2011. Concentrations of the elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The presence of the metals was detected in all individual tissue samples. Mean Pb and Hg concentrations were relatively low. However, the high mean Cd level, especially in the kidneys (7.933 mg/kg) and liver (0.880 mg/kg) was demonstrated. Despite the fact that region of Warmia and Mazury is considered to be “ecologically clean”, the conducted studies indicate that systematic monitoring for the presence of heavy metals is necessary not only in industrialised but also in agricultural regions, as well as in natural ecosystems.