Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vaccine hesitancy and attitude towards vaccination among parents of children between 1-5 years of age attending a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, India

Introduction: Vaccination is an effective public health intervention; however, coverage of vaccination is declining in states like Tamil Nadu which have good health indicators. Objective: To evaluate the presence of vaccine hesitancy among parents of children between 1 and 5 years of age attending the paediatric out patient department of a tertiary care hospital in Chennai and to assess its relationship with attitudes towards vaccines. Material & Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 100 consecutively sampled parents of children between 1 and 5 years of age attending a tertiary care paediatric out-patient department. The Parental Attitude towards Childhood Vaccines scale of vaccine hesitancy and the Beliefs and Attitudes towards Childhood Vaccines scale were used to measure vaccine hesitancy and beliefs and attitudes towards vaccination respectively. The data were analysed descriptively and statistical correlation between vaccination attitudes and vaccination hesitancy were studied. Results: In the predominantly urban, educated, working class population, the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 21%. But all the children had received complete vaccination appropriate for age. The major drivers for vaccine hesitancy were suspicions about newer vaccines, concerns about adverse effects of vaccines and the perception that there is no need for vaccines against uncommon diseases. The vaccine hesitancy scores were negatively correlated with the vaccine attitude scores (R = -0.266; p = 0.007). Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy is present among the sampled mothers and is influenced mainly by concerns regarding safety of newer vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy needs to be clearly addressed for strengthening the Universal Immunization Program.
INFLUENCE OF PACHYMETRA ROOT ROT RESISTANCE ON YIELD LOSSES IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Pachymetra root rot is a major disease of sugarcane in Queensland and varietal resistance is the disease control strategy favoured by the Australian sugar industry. To ensure both productivity and profitability are optimised, it is important that an appropriate level of disease resistance is incorporated into commercial varieties. In this paper, the yields of varieties growing under low and high disease levels were compared and the relationship between Pachymetra root rot resistance and yield differences compared. It was found that yield losses (tonnes cane/ha) attributed to Pachymetra were around 20% in susceptible varieties declining to near zero in resistant varieties. Similar but slightly smaller percentage losses were seen in tonnes sugar per hectare. These results confirm that Pachymetra root rot may have an important influence on yield in the central Queensland cane-growing district. Appropriate management strategies need to be applied to avoid industry losses.
Assessment of the plane of maximum curvature for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis via computed tomography

Background: In the assessment of three-dimensional features of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the plane of maximum curvature was compared with the coronal Cobb angle. Objectives: To investigate the intrarater reliability, variability, and difference of the prone plane of maximum curvature measurements taken from computed tomography using the constrained and unconstrained Cobb methods; to assess the difference and correlation between the prone plane of maximum curvature measurements obtained using the constrained and unconstrained Cobb methods; and to examine differences and correlation between the prone plane of maximum curvature Cobb angle and coronal Cobb angle measurements. Study design: Retrospective study. Methods: Records of 29 subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis aged 15.8 ± 3.5 years were reviewed (25 thoracic and 24 thoracolumbar/lumbar curves). An experienced rater measured the plane of maximum curvature using the constrained and unconstrained Cobb methods, and the coronal Cobb angles using the conventional Cobb method on computed tomography images 3 times each with 1-week interval. The intraclass correlation coefficient (2,1), Pearson correlation coefficient (r), one-way repeated measures analysis of variance, and paired t test were applied for various analyses. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficients for all intrarater reliability assessments were greater than 0.87. The plane of maximum curvature measurements of the two Cobb methods were excellently correlated (r ⩾ 0.97) with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The mean plane of maximum curvature Cobb angle was moderately correlated with (r > 0.72) but significantly greater (P < 0.001) than the mean coronal Cobb angle. Conclusion: The plane of maximum curvature measurements obtained from computed tomography were found to be reliable while the plane of maximum curvature measurements of the two Cobb methods were comparable. The mean plane of maximum curvature Cobb angle was moderately correlated with but significantly greater than the mean coronal Cobb angle. Clinical relevance The plane of maximum curvature measurements taken from computed tomography was found to be reliable, hence it could be used as a supplement to the coronal Cobb angle in the assessment and management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. With technological advancement, the radiation dose of computed tomography can be further reduced to a safer level for a broader range of cases.
Experimental observations of food-aversive responses in larvae of Spodoptera exempta (Wlk.) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

The oligophagy of the African armyworm, Spodoptera exempta (Wlk.), was investigated experimentally. The resistance to feeding on cassava, a non-food plant, declined at a faster rate if the larvae had been reared on artificial diet. If diet-reared larvae were allowed to feed on maize for increasing periods of time the subsequent rejection of cassava increased accordingly. This effect could still be induced after removing the labral or palpal sensilla but not after removing both pairs of stylo-conic sensilla. The left and right pair of styloconic sensilla are supplementary to each other. In so far as aversive responses to non-food plants are concerned, the rearing on artificial diet can be considered as a case of pseudomaxillectomy. It is suggested that during feeding on maize the larva receives a specific input pattern which influences central acceptance-rejection decisions in a time-dependent manner. This specific information is absent from artificial diet and can no longer be perceived by larvae without styloconic sensilla.
Role of gibberellic acid (GA3) in improving salt stress tolerance of two wheat cultivars

Several environmental factors adversely affect plant growth and development and final yield performance of a crop. Drought, salinity, nutrient imbalances and extremes of temperature are among the major environmental constraints to crop productivity worldwide. Gibberellic acid (GA3)treatment has alleviated the drastic effect of salinity in growth parameters (leaf area, dry weight of grains and photosynthetic pigments) and chemical constituents (carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and proline content in two wheat cultivars (Sohag 3 and Giza 168). The effect of GA3 on alleviation of damaging effects of different levels of salinity was studied in view of, wheat grains (Triticum aestivum L. Sohag 3 and Giza 168) were screened for germination and growthresponses to different NaCl concentrations (50, 100, 150 and 200 mM). After four weeks, two groups; each of pots were sprayed with GA3 (100 mg L-1 synthetic plant growth regulators). The result in this report reveals that the wheat cv. Sohag 3 was the most sensitive to salinity, while cv. Giza 168 was the most tolerant. Thus salinity stress had no effect on leaf area, photosynthetic pigment and consequently crop yield at mild salinity (100 mM), while in cv. Sohag 3, there was a marked and progressive reduction in these parameters by increasing the salinity stress even at the lowest salinity (50 mM) level used. Carbohydrate and proline content increased significantly by salinity stress in the different organs of the two wheat cultivars except for Giza 168 stem where carbohydrates were significant declined by salinity stress. Soluble protein content varied not only between the two wheat cultivars but also between the different organs. While salinity stress induced a significant increase in the soluble protein content in root and leaf, on the other hand itdeclined the soluble protein in stem of Giza 168. In cv. Sohag 3, the soluble protein content in root and stem decreased slightly by increasing salinity in the soil, this reduction was obvious only at higher salinization. While in leaves the soluble protein content increased markedly by salinity stress. Proline concentration in root, stem and leaf of both cultivars significantly increased with increasing salinity in soil. The accumulation was greater in the salt sensitive cv. Sohag 3 compared to the salt tolerant cv. Giza 168 especially at higher salinity concentration. GA3treatments (100 ppm) improved the growth criteria, photosynthetic pigments and consequently the crop yield of two wheats cultivars. This was injudged with the observable increase in protein content in the different organs of the two wheat cultivars. Key word: Leaf area, carbohydrate, protein, proline, salinity, wheat cultivars, GA3.
Modeling Complex Biological and Mechanical Movements: Applications to Animal Locomotion and Gesture Classification in Robotic Surgery

Mutual interaction between biology and robots can significantly benefit both fields. The richness and diversity in animal locomotion and movement provides an extensive resource for inspiration in engineering design of robots. On the other hand, biomimetic and bio-inspired robots play a critical role in testing hypotheses in biology and neuromechanics. Modeling complex biological and mechanical movements is at the core of this mutual interaction. Models and analytical tools are required for decoding and analysis of behavior in biological and mechanical systems, both at low level (sensory systems and control) and high level (activity recognition). This dissertation is focused on modeling approaches for biological and mechanical movements. We first primarily focus on physics-based template modeling to answer a long-standing question in animal locomotion: why do animals often produce substantial forces in directions that do not directly contribute to movement? We examine the weakly electric knifefish, a well-suited model system to investigate the relationship between mutually opposing forces and locomotor control. We use slow-motion videography to study the ribbon-fin motion and develop a physics-based template model at the task-level for ii
Pulsation failure as a consequence of milking with short teatcup liners

Summary Half-udder comparisons were made using 72 and 59 cows in 2 experiments of 8 months duration to assess the incidence of pulsation failure, and its effects on teat condition and mastitis, as a consequence of milking with shortened teatcup liners. Diagonally opposite quarters of all cows were milked with control liners of 148 mm effective length or with the same liners shortened to an effective length of 110–130 mm by inserting a rigid sleeve in the lower barrel of the liner. Milking with shortened teatcup liners resulted in a high incidence of pulsation failure (defined for this experiment as failure of the liner to collapse fully beneath the teat in each pulsation cycle throughout milking). More than 50% of hind teats and 90% of front teats in the research herd penetrated deeply enough into the teatcup to prevent cyclic collapse of liners shortened to 130 mm. Such failure occurred with all teats in liners shortened to 125 mm for front teats or 110 mm for hind teats. The combined results for the 2 experiments showed that almost twice as many new mastitis infections occurred in quarters milked with the shortened liners (47 υ. 25, P < 0·01). This effect was confined to front quarters for which there was a 3-fold difference in the number of new infections (32 for the short liners υ. 11 for the controls, P < 0·001). In both lactations, significantly more teats had petechial haemorrhages when milked with the shortened liners and the electrical conductivity of milk from uninfected front quarters was higher. These results might reflect an interaction between pulsation failure and differences in the degree of overmilking that usually occur between front and hind quarters.
Osthole interacts with an ER‐mitochondria axis and facilitates tumor suppression in ovarian cancer

Osthole is a natural coumarin found in a variety of plants and has been reported to have diverse biological functions, including antimicrobial, antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anticancer effects. Here, we investigated the natural derivative osthole as a promising anticancer compound against ovarian cancer and evaluated its ability to suppress and abrogate tumor progression. In addition, we found the endoplasmic reticulum‐mitochondrial axis‐mediated anticancer mechanisms of osthole against ES2 and OV90 ovarian cancer cells and demonstrated its calcium‐dependent pharmacological potential. Mechanistically, osthole was found to target the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway to facilitate tumor suppression in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, we identified the effects of osthole in a three‐dimensional tumor‐formation model using the zebrafish xenograft assay, providing convincing evidence of the pharmacological effects of osthole within the anchorage‐independent tumor microenvironment. These findings suggest that osthole has strong potential as a pharmacological agent for targeting ovarian cancer.
Temperament Traits Mark Liability for Coexisting Psychiatric Symptoms in Children With Elevated ADHD Symptoms

Objective: Among children with ADHD, coexisting psychiatric disorders are common and associated with greater impairment and symptom persistence. Given that temperament traits are easily measured, developmentally stable, and variable among youth with ADHD, temperament profiles may be clinically useful for predicting liability for coexisting psychiatric symptoms in this population. Methods: Eighty-three children with ADHD symptoms participated. Caregivers rated their child’s surgency, negative emotionality, and effortful control, as well as severity of internalizing and externalizing psychiatric symptoms. Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to estimate associations between temperament traits and psychiatric symptoms, controlling for severity of ADHD. Results: Temperament ratings explained significant variance in psychiatric symptoms above and beyond ADHD symptoms alone. Symptoms of each coexisting psychiatric disorder was associated with a distinct temperament and ADHD symptom profile. Conclusion: Temperament ratings appear to have clinical utility for predicting coexisting psychiatric symptoms in children with elevated ADHD symptoms.
A generalizable data-driven multicellular model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Mechanistic models, when combined with pertinent data, can improve our knowledge regarding important molecular and cellular mechanisms found in cancer. These models make the prediction of tissue-level response to drug treatment possible, which can lead to new therapies and improved patient outcomes. Here we present a data-driven multiscale modeling framework to study molecular interactions between cancer, stromal, and immune cells found in the tumor microenvironment. We also develop methods to use molecular data available in The Cancer Genome Atlas to generate sample-specific models of cancer. Results By combining published models of different cells relevant to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we built an agent-based model of the multicellular pancreatic tumor microenvironment, formally describing cell type–specific molecular interactions and cytokine-mediated cell-cell communications. We used an ensemble-based modeling approach to systematically explore how variations in the tumor microenvironment affect the viability of cancer cells. The results suggest that the autocrine loop involving EGF signaling is a key interaction modulator between pancreatic cancer and stellate cells. EGF is also found to be associated with previously described subtypes of PDAC. Moreover, the model allows a systematic exploration of the effect of possible therapeutic perturbations; our simulations suggest that reducing bFGF secretion by stellate cells will have, on average, a positive impact on cancer apoptosis. Conclusions The developed framework allows model-driven hypotheses to be generated regarding therapeutically relevant PDAC states with potential molecular and cellular drivers indicating specific intervention strategies.
Etude comparée de l'infection par le Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis, de trois variétés de palmier-dattier, l'une sensible (Deglet-Nour), les deux autres résistantes (Takerboucht et Tantabouchet)

Summary Date-palms seedlings, susceptible or resistant to fusariosis are inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis. The first phases of seedling contamination by the pathogen were identical whatever cultivar susceptibility. Differences in the fungal development and in plant reaction were observed. Deglet-Nour cultivars known as susceptible to the disease, exhibited low early reactions related the presence of the fungus parasite. Mycelium rapidly invaded root tissues, such as the cortical parenchyma and the xylem. In the resistant cultivars Takerboucht and Tantabouchet, the fungus spread preferentially at the level of penetration sites, but propagation towards the other parts of the plants seemed to be slower than in susceptible ones. The early formation of tyloses which appeared in vessels in response to infection were insufficient to explain this phenomenon. The presence of the parasite within the root tissues of these resistant cultivars did not seem to influence the further vegetative develop.
A Retrospective Study on the Epidemiological Trend of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) Co-Infection in Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Tuberculosis (TB) co-infection with HIV is becoming a global emergency especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Its diagnosis is notoriously challenging in countries with poor resource settings with limited diagnostic facilities . The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiological trend of HIV/TB co-infection among the seropositive HIV individuals in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. A five year retrospective study from January 2007 to December 2011 was carried out using profiles of seropositive HIV individuals. A total of 3,470 case records of subjects were retrieved and pre-designed case record forms (CRF) were used to record vital information in demographic data, social and medical history, laboratory results, treatment access and mortality data. 841 (24.2%) individuals had HIV/TB co-infection. The age group 20-29 years had the highest prevalence rate (30.3%) with HIV/TB co-infection while females had higher prevalence rate (56.7%) throughout the five year period of study. Individuals with formal education had the least prevalence rate (21.9%) in all the years under review except in 2009 (35.9%) while individuals “not educated” had the highest prevalence rate (41.1%) except in 2010 (36.0%). The married individuals had the highest prevalence rate (46.0%) followed by the single adults (26.0%). The unemployed individuals had the higher prevalence rate (52.6%) in four years while the employed rated 50.3% in 2009. There was a rise in the number of individuals who had access to ATTB treatment from 2009-2011, while there was a decline in the number of individuals who had access to ART treatment from 2007-2011. Females had higher mortality rate (54.5%) from 2008-2011 while the mortality rate of males in 2007 was 50.5%. Women were greatly affected by HIV/TB co-infection as a result of poor socio-economic status. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) for all demographic indices except for educational status (p<0.05). Greater intervention programs and services should be provided especially for women. Key Word . Pulmonary, Tuberculosis, Antiretroviral, Treatment, Socio-economical.
SNP-based heritability and genetic architecture of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in Labrador Retrievers.

Cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) is one of the leading causes of pelvic limb lameness in dogs. About 6% of Labrador Retrievers suffer from this orthopedic problem. The aim of this study was to determine the heritability of CCLR in this breed using SNP array genotyping data. DNA samples were collected from CCLR-affected dogs (n = 190) and unaffected dogs over the age of 8 years (n = 143). All 333 dogs were genotyped directly or imputed up to approximately 710k SNPs on the Affymetrix Axiom CanineHD SNP array. Heritability of CCLR was calculated using multiple methodologies, including linear mixed models, Bayesian models and a model that incorporates LD. The covariates of sex and sterilization status were added to each analysis to assess their impact. Across the algorithms of these models, heritability ranged from 0.550 to 0.886, depending on covariate inclusion. The relatively high heritability for this disease indicates that a substantial genetic component contributes to CCLR in the Labrador Retriever.
Past Child Abuse and Neglect in Adults From Northern Mexico: Development of a Scale and Prevalence

Child abuse has been present in Mexico but there have been few studies that analyze its effects in adults. There are no Mexican validated scales that measure the relationship between abuse experienced in childhood and its effects into adulthood. The purpose of this study is to develop a past child abuse and neglect scale to measure these phenomena in adults and also to analyze the relationship the effects have with other psychological variables (e.g., anxiety, depression, self-esteem, partner-violence, personality, and fatalism). There were 763 participants from Juarez City, located on the northern border of Mexico. All participants were above the age of 18 years. The scale was developed, and its psychometric properties were analyzed. A first analysis consisted of analyzing the factor structure of the scale items with an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and then a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to corroborate the factor structure. The resulting factors were guilt, relationship with parents, strong physical abuse, sexual abuse, mild physical and verbal abuse, and basic care. The internal reliabilities for all factors in both analyses were between Cronbach’s alpha values of . 77 and . 92. Correlations of these factors with psychological variables were analyzed, and several statistically significant correlations were found. The scale has a good factor structure that correctly reflects the indicators of child abuse and neglect with good internal reliability values. The analysis showed that the prevalence rates of child abuse and neglect in Juarez were higher than those reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in other locations worldwide. Actions by governments, universities, and civil associations should take place to reduce these rates, especially because of their long-term physical, emotional, and psychological consequences.