Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF GONAD DEVELOPMENT, SPAWNING PERIOD, SEX RATIO AND LENGTH AT FIRST SEXUAL MATURITY OF SAILFISH, Istiophorus platypterus IN BRAZILIAN COAST

From May 2006 to February 2008, gonads of 215 sailfish caught in the western south Atlantic were examined. In the Area 1 (7°N to 24°S/15.5° to 40°W) it was examined 153 specimens, being 95 females ranging in LJFL from 114-210 cm, in turn, the 58 males ranged from 104-185 cm. In the Area 2 (22° to 27°S/39° to 47°W) from 62 specimens were examined, 32 were females ranging in LJFL from 130–197 cm. The 30 males ranged from 133-176 cm LJFL. The sex ratio analysis indicated the predominance of females in almost all months in both areas, however always in the September in area 1 was noticed significant difference on the expected proportion 1:1. In the area 1, females with maturing stage ovaries were the majority and occurred in all sampled months. Immature females were more frequent in January and February. Females with ripe ovaries were practically absent, only one specimen was caught in November. In contrast, in the area 2 females with ripe or spent ovaries were frequently from December to February. The analysis of gonad index showed the higher mean values (>2) in area 2 from December and January in area 2. In comparison, the area 1 presented smaller mean values of gonad index (< 1.5) along the year. In this study, the size at first sexual maturity (L50) of female based on the ovarian macroscopic examination was equal a 154.93 cm LJFL. The results of the present study confirm the hypothesis that the sailfish spawns in the southeast Brazilian coast (area 1 of present study) during the 1 and 4 quarter. However the results are preliminary, because the visual assessment of ovaries to determine maturity stage is felt to be an imprecise indicator of reproductive condition. New studies based on histological analysis of gonads are needed, as well as additional research (including tagging experiments) is necessary to better understand the migration route after spawning.
APEX: a phase II randomised clinical trial evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of oral X-82 to treat exudative age-related macular degeneration

Purpose The safety and efficacy of X-82, an orally administered inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor, was investigated for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a phase II clinical trial. Methods This phase II, randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial enrolled subjects with a prior diagnosis of exudative AMD having received at least two intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF therapy. Subjects were randomised equally into four groups that received either daily 50mg, 100mg or 200mg dosages of X-82 or a placebo tablet. At each 4-week interval visit for 52 weeks, subjects were to be assessed to determine if rescue treatment was needed with anti-VEGF therapy. Results 157 patients were enrolled. Due to gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary adverse events and the fulfilment of the primary endpoint, the trial was stopped prematurely after a second interim analysis. The primary endpoint of non-inferiority of visual acuity compared with placebo was demonstrated in all groups receiving X-82 (p<0.001). There was a dose-dependent trend in the number of injections over a 52-week period, with the 50 mg (n=40), 100 mg (n=39), 200 mg (n=39) and placebo (n=39) group requiring 6.7, 6.0, 4.7 and 8.1 injections, respectively. Conclusions X-82 oral therapy in combination with pro re nata anti-VEGF injections showed non-inferiority in visual acuity outcomes while achieving a dose-dependent decrease in the number of anti-VEGF injections compared with placebo. Given the limited tolerability and safety issues observed, X-82 does not have a sufficient benefit to risk profile in treatment of patients with AMD.
Association between Osteoporosis and Cognitive Impairment during the Acute and Recovery Phases of Ischemic Stroke

Background and objectives: Little is known about the effect of osteoporosis on cognitive function in the acute and recovery phases of stroke. Early bone mineral density assessments during acute stroke may be a useful marker of cognitive function. We evaluated the effect of osteoporosis on cognitive function at the early and recovery phase of ischemic stroke in patients aged >50 years. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively examined consecutive patients with acute stroke hospitalized between 2016 and 2018. Osteoporosis was defined as a T-score <–2.5 for the femoral neck or lumbar spine bone mineral density. The primary outcome was cognitive impairment measured by the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination in the acute phase and recovery phase of ischemic stroke. Results: Of the 260 included subjects (107 men and 153 women), 70 (26.9%) had osteoporosis. Cognitive impairment was more severe in the osteoporosis group than in the non-osteoporosis group (30.5% versus 47.1%, p = 0.001). After the recovery phase of stroke, the proportion of patients with cognitive impairment remained higher in the osteoporosis group. The multivariate analysis revealed a correlation between a low femoral neck bone mineral density and severe cognitive impairment in the acute and recovery phases of stroke (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–15.14 in the acute phase, and adjusted OR 11.17, 95% CI 1.12–110.98 in the recovery phase). Conclusions: Low bone mineral density is associated with poor cognitive function in the acute and recovery phases of stroke.
Maternal Hepcidin Determines Embryo Iron Homeostasis.

Iron disorders are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, yet iron homeostatic mechanisms during pregnancy are poorly understood. In humans and rodents, the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin is profoundly decreased in pregnant mothers, which is thought to ensure adequate iron availability for transfer across placenta. However, the fetal liver also produces hepcidin, which may regulate fetal iron endowment by controlling placental iron export. To determine the relative contribution of maternal vs embryo hepcidin to the control of embryo iron endowment in iron-sufficient or iron-overloaded mice, we generated combinations of mothers and embryos that had or lacked hepcidin. We found that maternal, but not embryonic hepcidin determined embryo and placental iron endowment in a healthy pregnancy. We further determined that inflammation can counteract pregnancy-dependent suppression of maternal hepcidin. To establish how essential maternal hepcidin suppression is for embryo iron homeostasis, we mimicked the range of maternal hepcidin activity by administering a hepcidin peptide mimetic to pregnant mice. This also allowed us to determine the effect of isolated maternal hepcidin excess on pregnancy, in the absence of other confounding effects of inflammation. Higher doses of hepcidin agonist caused maternal iron restriction and anemia, lower placenta and embryo weight, embryo anemia, and increased embryo mortality. Low agonist doses did not cause maternal anemia but still adversely affected the embryo, causing anemia, tissue iron deficiency including in the brain, and decreased weight. Our studies demonstrate that suppression of maternal hepcidin during pregnancy is essential for maternal and embryo iron homeostasis and health.
Evaluation of Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties against chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) in North Gondar, Ethiopia

Faba bean (Vicia fabae L.) is one of the earliest domesticated food legumes in the world, probably in the late Neolithic period. The crop is also called by several local names (broad bean, horse bean and field bean). The wild progenitor and the exact origin of faba bean still remain unknown. Cultivated faba bean is mainly used as human food in developing and as animal feed in industrialized countries. The objective of this study is to evaluate and identify adaptive, high-yielding and disease resistant Fababean varieties under rain fed condition. Nine improved Faba bean varieties including local check were evaluated for their adaptation and yield in debark and dabat district under rain fed condition during 2012 and 2013 main cropping season. The varieties were planted in 3 replications using RCBD design. Combined Analysis of variance result showed that there were significant differences observed on all parameters. Based on maturity data Obsie and Motie are early type and Hachalu is the late ones, the largest treatment in height (129 cm), resistance to disease (3.4), largest hundred seed weight (90.08) and the highest yield (2429.5 kg/ha) were obtained on varieties Hachalu. So, variety Hachalu is best fits to the agro-ecology by providing reasonable yield advantage. Key words: Faba bean, cultivars, production, yield.
Reaching the Hispanic Community About COVID-19 Through Existing Chronic Disease Prevention Programs

Publicly available data on racial and ethnic disparities related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are now surfacing, and these data suggest that the novel virus has disproportionately sickened Hispanic communities in the United States. We discuss why Hispanic communities are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 and how adaptations were made to existing infrastructure for Penn State Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) and Better Together REACH (a community–academic coalition using grant funds from Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) to address these needs. We also describe programming to support COVID-19 efforts for Hispanic communities by using chronic disease prevention programs and opportunities for replication across the country.
Sodium azide mutagenic effect on biological parameters and induced genetic variability in mungbean

An experiment was conducted to study the mutagenic effects of different concentrations of sodium azide (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04% and 0.05%) on biological parameters viz., radicle length, plumule length, plant survival and pollen sterility in mungbean cv. ‘Malacca local’. Germination percentage decreased with increase in concentration of sodium azide. Radicle length and plumule length were increased till five days after mutagen treatment but decreased with increased sodium azide concentration. Plant survival (%) decreased with increased sodium azide concentration whereas pollen sterility increased with increased concentration. Effectiveness decreased with increased sodium azide concentration in M1 generation. Mutagenic efficiency for plant survival (%) increased with increased sodium azide concentration whereas mutagenic efficiency for pollen sterility was dose dependent. Plant height reduced significantly at 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.05% concentrations. Sodium azide treatment significantly increased clusters/plant, pods/plant and seed yield/plant at lower concentrations. Treatment with sodium azide seems to be more effective in reducing days to maturity in M2 generation but no relationship was observed with concentration. The present investigation concluded that sodium azide was found to be effective in inducing polygenic variability and it can be effectively utilized for yield improvement in mungbean.
Edition of Prostaglandin E2 Receptors EP2 and EP4 by CRISPR/Cas9 Technology in Equine Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Simple Summary Prostaglandin E2 plays a regulatory role in MSC self-renewal, and PGE2 receptor-mediated signalling is involved in cell proliferation and migration. The aim of this work was to establish a genetically modified equine cellular model in which receptor genes EP2 and EP4 were edited by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We successfully targeted EP2 and EP4 receptors in horse adipose MSCs using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. This targeting did not affect the surface marker phenotype of the adipose MSCs generated. Gene edition significantly lowered the expression of each of the targeted receptors and affected the early migration ability of the edited MSCs. This opens the possibility of using these mutant cell lines as a model system to elucidate the role of EP2 and EP4 in MSCs and, particularly, as therapeutic tools in equine regenerative medicine. Abstract In mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), it has been reported that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulation of EP2 and EP4 receptors triggers processes such as migration, self-renewal, survival, and proliferation, and their activation is involved in homing. The aim of this work was to establish a genetically modified adipose (aMSC) model in which receptor genes EP2 and EP4 were edited separately using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. After edition, the genes were evaluated as to if the expression of MSC surface markers was affected, as well as the migration capacity in vitro of the generated cells. Adipose MSCs were obtained from Chilean breed horses and cultured in DMEM High Glucose with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). sgRNA were cloned into a linearized LentiCRISPRv2GFP vector and transfected into HEK293FT cells for producing viral particles that were used to transduce aMSCs. GFP-expressing cells were separated by sorting to obtain individual clones. Genomic DNA was amplified, and the site-directed mutation frequency was assessed by T7E1, followed by Sanger sequencing. We selected 11 clones of EP2 and 10 clones of EP4, and by Sanger sequencing we confirmed 1 clone knock-out to aMSC/EP2 and one heterozygous mutant clone of aMSC/EP4. Both edited cells had decreased expression of EP2 and EP4 receptors when compared to the wild type, and the edition of EP2 and EP4 did not affect the expression of MSC surface markers, showing the same pattern in filling the scratch. We can conclude that the edition of these receptors in aMSCs does not affect their surface marker phenotype and migration ability when compared to wild-type cells.
Molecular Dynamics and Physical Stability of Ibuprofen in Binary Mixtures with an Acetylated Derivative of Maltose

In this paper, we explore the strategy increasingly used to improve the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble crystalline drugs by formulating their amorphous solid dispersions. We focus on the potential application of a low molecular weight excipient octaacetyl-maltose (acMAL) to prepare physically stable amorphous solid dispersions with ibuprofen (IBU) aimed at enhancing water solubility of the drug compared to that of its crystalline counterpart. We thoroughly investigate global and local molecular dynamics, thermal properties, and physical stability of the IBU+acMAL binary systems by using broadband dielectric spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry as well as test their water solubility and dissolution rate. The obtained results are extensively discussed by analyzing several factors considered to affect the physical stability of amorphous systems, including those related to the global mobility, such as plasticization/antiplasticization effects, the activation energy, fragility parameter, and the number of dynamically correlated molecules as well as specific intermolecular interactions like hydrogen bonds, supporting the latter by density functional theory calculations. The observations made for the IBU+acMAL binary systems and drawn recommendations give a better insight into our understanding of molecular mechanisms governing the physical stability of amorphous solid dispersions.
Role of Synthetic Parameters on the Structural and Optical Properties of N,Sn-Copromoted Nanostructured TiO2: A Combined Ti K-Edge and Sn L2,3-Edges X-ray Absorption Investigation

Sn-modification of TiO2 photocatalysts has been recently proposed as a suitable strategy to improve pollutant degradation as well as hydrogen production. In particular, visible light activity could be promoted by doping with Sn2+ species, which are, however, thermally unstable. Co-promotion with N and Sn has been shown to lead to synergistic effects in terms of visible light activity, but the underlying mechanism has, so far, been poorly understood due to the system complexity. Here, the structural, optical, and electronic properties of N,Sn-copromoted, nanostructured TiO2 from sol-gel synthesis were investigated: the Sn/Ti molar content was varied in the 0–20% range and different post-treatments (calcination and low temperature hydrothermal treatment) were adopted in order to promote the sample crystallinity. Depending on the adopted post-treatment, the optical properties present notable differences, which supports a combined role of Sn dopants and N-induced defects in visible light absorption. X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ti K-edge and Sn L2,3-edges shed light onto the electronic properties and structure of both Ti and Sn species, evidencing a marked difference at the Sn L2,3-edges between the samples with 20% and 5% Sn/Ti ratio, showing, in the latter case, the presence of tin in a partially reduced state.
Feelings of guilt and pride: Consumer intention to buy LED lights

The adoption of energy-efficient lighting systems such as light-emitting diode (LED) lights is an effective strategy to address global warming and climate change. The adoption of LED light usage is largely shaped by consumer behavior. Understanding the factors that influence consumers’ awareness of the advantages of using LED lights and consumers’ eventual buying behavior is critical to industry players and policy-makers. The objective of this study is to investigate the significant factors that affect consumer intention to use LED lights among Malaysian households. A survey questionnaire of 1,075 potential consumers was employed and the partial least squares technique was applied in data analysis. The results show that consumer awareness creates responsibility and influences consumers’ personal norms and attitudes, and their ultimate intention to buy LED lights. Feelings of guilt about contributing to air pollution and an awareness of the advantages of using LED lights both activate individual personal norms and attitudes, and influence the intention to buy LED lights. Awareness of the advantages of using LED lights, and of the negative consequences of not using them, prompts consumers to have feelings of guilt. The findings point to the importance of creating awareness among consumers.
Variations in Dietary Intake Between Newly Diagnosed Gallstone Patients and Controls

To compare dietary intake of newly diagnosed gallstone patients and controls, 56 gallston e patients and 101 randomly selected control subjects without gallstones were enrolled in the study. The presence of gallstones were determined by ultrasonography. Both patients and control subjects completed a questionnaire exploring their dietary intake. Aanthropometric measurements were collected. Blood samples were analyzed for glucose triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL- C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) and Apolipoprotein B (Apo B). Oral contraceptive usage was significantly higher in gallstone patients than controls. Patients were significantly older than controls and had higher body mass index (BMI), however HDL-cholesterol levels were found significantly higher in controls. Dietary intake including energy, proteins, carbohydrates, refined sugar, sodium, calcium, and iron were significantly higher in patients. Dietary fiber and antioxidant vitamin (vitamin C) levels were significantly lower in patients. Dietary interventions that emphasize the prevention effect of some nutrients and the contributory effect of others might provide a method of avoiding the formation of gallstones.
Performance Evaluation of IoT Data Management Using MongoDB Versus MySQL Databases in Different Cloud Environments

The Internet of Things (IoT) introduces a new challenge for Database Management Systems (DBMS). In IoT, large numbers of sensors are used in daily lives. These sensors generate a huge amount of heterogeneous data that needs to be handled by the appropriate DBMS. The IoT has a challenge for the DBMS in evaluating how to store and manipulate a huge amount of heterogeneous data. DBMS can be categorized into two main types: The Relational DBMSs and the Non-relational DBMSs. This paper aims to provide a thorough comparative evaluation of two popular open-source DBMSs: MySQL as a Relational DBMS and MongoDB as a Non-relational DBMS. This comparison is based on evaluating the performance of inserting and retrieving a huge amount of IoT data and evaluating the performance of the two types of databases to work on resources with different specifications in cloud computing. This paper also proposes two prediction models and differentiates between them to estimate the response time in terms of the size of the database and the specifications of the cloud instance. These models help to select the appropriate DBMS to manage and store a certain size of data on an instance with particular specifications based on the estimated response time. The results indicate that MongoDB outperforms MySQL in terms of latency and the database size through increasing the amount of tested data. Moreover, MongoDB can save resources better than MySQL that needs resources with high capabilities to work with less performance.
Implementation and Patient Experience of Outpatient Teleneurology.

Background: Teleneurology has been well described for acute stroke, but outpatient use has been limited. At home, virtual visits have the potential to improve access to neurological care. Introduction: This study reports on the use of a personal device videoconferencing platform for outpatient neurologic follow-up visits. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that identified all virtual neurologic follow-up visits completed by patients ≥18 years at a single institution over 4 years. Virtual visits were conducted by personal smartphone or computer via videoconferencing with a provider. Patients were asked to rate their overall experience with the visit and provider (five-point scale). Travel distance from the institution was calculated using patient's home addresses. Results: Three thousand nine hundred thirteen patients completed 5,581 virtual visits during the study (mean age 49.4 ± 17.0 years, 58.7% female). Number of virtual visits increased from 30 in year 1 to 4,468 in year 4. Virtual visits were completed in all outpatient neurologic subspecialties. A total of 30.1% of patients were local (<50 miles), 25.9% were near regional (50-150 miles), 21.7% were far regional (151-270 miles), and 22.2% were remote (>270 miles). A distance of 1,327,128 miles of travel was prevented across the 5,581 visits. On average, patients rated their overall virtual visit experience 4.7/5 ± 0.89 and rated their provider 4.9/5 ± 0.48. Discussion: Virtual visits prevented a substantial amount of travel and resulted in high patient satisfaction. The sizable proportion of local patients may indicate that teleneurology provides important access for reasons beyond travel distance. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing outpatient teleneurology services.