Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Machairodont Adaptations and Affinities of the Holarctic Late Miocene Homotherin Machairodus (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae): The Case of Machairodus Catocopis Cope, 1887

ABSTRACT The craniodental anatomy of Machairodus catocopis is assessed through the study of a well-preserved specimen from the early Hemphillian site of Sebastin Place (Kansas) and through comparisons with other Miocene American and Eurasiatic machairodonts, in order to resolve its affinities and to gain a clearer understanding of the evolution of machairodontine felids in the Holarctic. In view of the similarities with the Old World species Machairodus aphanistus, the original generic assignment seems correct, and later attribution of this species to the genus Nimravides appears unjustified. Similarities with Old World Miocene homotherins are too extensive to be the result of convergent evolution, especially considering the mosaic evolution of different machairodont adaptations. Hypotheses suggesting that M. catocopis is a part of a native American lineage originating from a feline, rather than machairodontine, immigrant are unjustified on anatomical or evolutionary grounds. The succession of sabertoothed felid species in the American Miocene is best explained as the result of three immigration events. A first immigration of a felid of Pseudaelurus grade led to the evolution of primitive species such as Pseudaelurus intrepidus and Nimravides pedionomus. A second immigration of a species of Machairodus aphanistus grade around the time of the ‘Hipparion event’ would result in the evolution of M. catocopis. The late Hemphillian species ‘Machairodus’ coloradensis is clearly a member of the Old World Turolian Amphimachairodus lineage, and would be the result of a third immigration event.
Characterization of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt 1869) sperm obtained out of season

Summary The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the basic parameters of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) milt and sperm motility of semen collected in December and April. In addition, the suitability of semen was determined for short-term storage and cryopreservation. Sperm collected in December was characterized by an unusually high percentage of spontaneous motility (40%) as opposed to semen collected in April (5%). Sperm from December was characterized by a low sperm concentration (0.19 9 10 9 ml 1 ), high protein concentration (0.86 mg ml 1 ) and pH (8.7) of seminal plasma in comparison with sperm obtained in April (1.21; 0.38; 8.41, respectively). Semen obtained in December could be successfully short-term stored and cryopreserved. The fertilizing ability of cryopreserved sperm from December determined by the hatching rate was similar to that from April (22% and 29%, respectively). The results suggest that the quality of semen parameters stabilizes in sturgeons during reproductive maturity. Methods of short- and long-term storage (cryopreservation) of sperm obtained in December can be implemented for the artificial reproduction of Siberian sturgeon.
Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor in the Endometrial Epithelium of the Cow Is Up-Regulated During Early Pregnancy and in Response to Intrauterine Infusions of Interferon-τ1

Abstract On the basis of results obtained in vitro, we previously proposed a model in which signals from the conceptus, namely interferon-tau (IFN-τ) and prostaglandin E2, increase the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in immune and nonimmune cells of the bovine endometrium. Two experiments were conducted to verify the validity of this hypothesis in vivo. In experiment 1, the in vivo expression of COX-2 and GM-CSF during early pregnancy was monitored. Uteri from heifers were collected at different days (d) of the estrous cycle and pregnancy (P). In experiment 2, the effects of intrauterine infusions of IFN-τ on the expression of COX-2 and GM-CSF were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was performed on uterine sections, and image analysis was used to evaluate the staining intensity in the conceptus, the luminal epithelium (LE), and the subepithelial stroma. In experiment 1, staining for COX-2 was maximal between d18P and d24P, both in the LE and in the conceptus, whereas staining for GM-CSF reached a plateau between d18P and d30P in the LE. In experiment 2, in response to IFN-τ, COX-2 was up-regulated in the LE of the ipsilateral horn, whereas GM-CSF was enhanced in both uterine horns. The current report supports the view that the conceptus, through its secretion of IFN-τ, stimulates maternal epithelial expression of COX-2 and GM-CSF during the peri-attachment period in the cow.
Single-Drug Approach with Edoxaban is Effective for Resolving Non-Acute Cancer-Associated Venous Thrombosis: A Single-Arm Retrospective Analysis

Recently, cancer-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been termed “cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT)” and is the focus of current research. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy of a single-drug approach with edoxaban for the treatment of non-acute CAT. Thirty-two non-acute CAT patients who received edoxaban were analyzed. The primary endpoint of this analysis was the thrombus disappearance rate at the first evaluation. Secondary endpoints included progression/recurrence of VTE, major bleeding, and D-dimer levels. The thrombus disappearance rate was 62.5%. Therefore, the null hypothesis for the primary endpoint (thrombus disappearance rate of ≤32.0%) was rejected (p = 0.00038) based on the rate of the previous study as the historical control. Recurrent VTE and major bleeding occurred in two patients each. After the start of treatment with edoxaban, a significant difference in D-dimer levels was observed (p = 0.00655). We demonstrated that a single-drug approach with edoxaban is a potential treatment option for non-acute CAT.
Looking for the ants: selection of oviposition sites by two myrmecophilous butterfly species

Abstract Obligate myrmecophilous butterﬂ y species, such as Maculinea teleius and M. nausithous that hibernate as caterpillar in nests of the ant species Myrmica scabrinodis and M. rubra r espectively, have narrowly deﬁ ned habitat requirements. One would expect that these butterﬂ ies are able to select for sites that meet all their requirements. Both butterﬂ y species occur in habitats where their initial larval resource, the host plant Sanguisorba oﬃ cinalis, is abundant, while the ant nests ar e relatively less abundant. With ants in the prox-imity of a host plant, caterpillars have a chance of being found by their host ant species, while the host plant could become a sink as caterpillars will die when there are no ants close to the host plant. We tested whether females oviposit on host plants in the close proximity of host ants (ant-mediated oviposition) or whether there is random oviposition, using 587 1-m 2 plots in and around a nature reserve in Th e Netherlands where both species were reintroduced. We found that females of both species indeed more often deposit eggs on host plants nearby ants than on host plants without ants. Visits of adult butterﬂ ies to plots with the host plant but without the host ants only occurred in years with high butterﬂ y densities. We argue that understanding site selection for oviposition is important for these highly endangered butterﬂ y species with a specialised life cycle, especially after disturbances or reintroductions. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008
Role of Exocrine and Endocrine Insufficiency in the Management of Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis

Background: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency results from the destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma and is diagnosed by using direct or indirect tests, both of which have shortcomings. Chronic pancreatitis is the most frequent cause of this pathology in adults. Methods: Patients meeting radiological or histological diagnostic criteria of chronic pancreatitis are enrolled and the stool elastase test is conducted, considering fecal elastase levels >200 µg/g to represent normal pancreatic function, and levels <200 μg/g to indicate the presence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Additionally, we determine the body mass index of the patients and study their nutritional status and main biochemical and hematological variables, including their glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Results: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is detected in 60% of the patients. Among these, 83.3% are severe cases, and 72% of the latter also are diagnosed with endocrine pancreatic insufficiency (diabetes mellitus). During the nutritional status study, HbA1c levels are significantly higher, and magnesium and prealbumin levels are significantly lower in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency than in those without this disease. Conclusions: Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency are highly prevalent among patients with chronic pancreatitis and an early diagnosis of these diseases is vital to improve the clinical management of these patients and reduce their risk of mortality.
Determinants and Clinical Outcomes of Extended Dual Antiplatelet Therapy over 3 Years after Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: A Retrospective Analysis

Purpose Although current guidelines recommend the administration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for up to 12 months after the implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES), extended DAPT is frequently used in real-world practice. Materials and Methods From the Korean Multicenter Angioplasty Team registry, we identified a total of 1414 patients who used DAPT for >3 years after DES implantation (extended-DAPT group) and conducted a landmark analysis at 36 months after the index procedure. We evaluated the determinants for and long-term outcomes of extended DAPT and compared the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), defined as the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and stroke, between the extended-DAPT group and the guideline-DAPT group [DAPT <1 year after DES implantation (n=1273)]. Results Multivariate analysis indicated the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome as the most significant clinical determinant of the use of extended DAPT. Bifurcation, stent diameter ≤3.0 mm, total stented length ≥28 mm, and use of first-generation DESs were also significant angiographic and procedural determinants. MACCE rates were similar between the extended-DAPT group and the guideline-DAPT group in crude analysis [hazard ratio (HR), 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69–1.68; p=0.739] and after propensity matching (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.72–2.07; p=0.453). Major bleeding rates were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, indefinite use of DAPT does not show superior outcomes to those of guideline-DAPT. Major bleeding rates are also similar.
EFFECT OF TWO ACIDS AND FORMALIN IN CALVES MILK ON FEED CONSUMPTION AND PERFORMANCE

Calves fed ad libitum whole milk plus formic acid, propionic acid or formalin consumed less than calves fed untreated milk and grew comparably slower. At weaning the control group was consuming up to 25% of their body weight in milk daily without significant scouring. Key words: Acidification, milk, calves
Large Infrastructure Projects: A Review of the Quality of Demand Forecasts and Cost Estimations

Decision making with respect to large infrastructure projects is at least partly based on ex ante evaluations of costs and impacts. Impacts include economic, environmental, and social impacts, sometimes aggregated in a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). For such ex ante evaluations the quality of the related demand and costs forecasts is very important. This paper aims to answer four questions: (1) What is the quality of demand forecasts for large infrastructure projects? (2) What is the quality of cost forecasts for these projects? (3) How can current practices with respect to assessing the demand and cost forecasts be improved? (4) Which implications do the insights have for practice, and which challenges for future research can be derived from the findings? A literature review is used to answer the first three questions. It is concluded that the quality of transport demand and costs forecasts is often very poor, especially for rail projects. This is not so much a lack of adequate forecasting techniques or a matter of insight into the factors determining costs, but more the strategic behaviour of some actors. Improvements therefore should not only be looked for in the area of transport demand and cost-estimation methodologies, but should also focus on the question of how strategic behaviour can be avoided or at least limited. These conclusions are very important for CBA because cost underestimations and demand overestimations have a major impact on the cost-benefit ratio and decrease the potentially positive impact of CBA on the quality of decision making. The paper discusses several challenges for related future research.
Male Seychelles warblers use territory budding to maximize lifetime fitness in a saturated environment

In cooperatively breeding species, helping at the nest and budding off part of the natal territory have been advanced as strategies to increase fitness in an environment that is saturated with territories. The importance of helping or territory budding as a determinant of lifetime reproductive success (LRS) has been debated because the potential benefits of both strategies could not be separated. Here we test the causes and the immediate and future fitness consequences of single dispersal decisions taken by male Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis). Males breeding in high-quality territories (high food abundance) have significantly higher LRS than similar-aged males budding off part of the parental territory. Initially, budders have a low reproductive success (because of limited food resources or absence of a breeding partner). However, they have a long life span and inherit high-quality territories through site dominance, by which they gain higher LRS than breeders on low-quality territories, helpers, or floaters. Experimental creation of male breeding territory vacancies showed that most young males became budders because of intense competition for high-quality territories. The translocation of warblers to the previously unoccupied Aride Island shows that males behave according to the expected fitness benefits of each dispersal strategy. In the absence of competition for territories on Aride, all young males bred in high-quality territories. However, after saturation of high-quality habitat with territories, most males became budders rather than breeders on low-quality habitat, helpers, or floaters. Key words: Acrocephalus sechellensis, budding, dispersal, helping, lifetime reproductive success, Seychelles warbler, territory inheritance. [Behav Ecol 12:706–715 (2001)]
Catch Levels and Capital Investment of Artisanal Fishermen in Lagos State, Nigeria

Within the past three decades, the supply of fish in the Nigerian markets is steadily on the decline. This is largely due to the low catch levels of the traditional fishing techniques and other related factors. This study investigates factors that are responsible for the low catch in artisanal fisheries. A total of 222 sets of questionnaire from 120 operators of the manual propulsion fisheries (MPF) and 102 fishermen operating the motorized fisheries (MF) were analyzed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, probit model, stochastic catch frontier measures. The weekly average catch for the MPF operators was 26.1kg, which represents only 41.0% of the 64.1kg the MF operators caught. The fishermen’s level of education, fishing distance, fish catch level, available credit facilities, number of contact with extension agents and gender determined the use or otherwise of the motorized fisheries technology. The mean economic (EE), technical (TE) and allocative efficiency (AE) indexes for the artisanal fisherfolks (MPF) are 0.5425, 0.6450 and 0.6317, respectively and 0.6000, 0.7971 and 0.7049, respectively for the MF. However; the technical efficiency of the MF operators can be improved through a better fishing education and timely provision of credit facilities to acquire the needed fishing equipment and materials.
Photoprotective Effects of Selected Amino Acids on Naproxen Photodegradation in Aqueous Media

It is important to develop a photostabilization strategy to ensure the quality of photosensitive compounds, including pharmaceuticals. This study focused on the protective effects of 20 amino acids on the photodegradation of naproxen (NX), a photosensitive pharmaceutical, to clarify the important nature of a good photostabilizer. Our previous report indicated the photodegradability of NX and the protective effects of some antioxidants on its photodegradation, therefore, this compound was used as a model compound. The degradation of NX in aqueous media during ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation and the protective effects of selected amino acids were monitored through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), equipped with a reverse-phase column. Addition of cysteine, tryptophan, and tyrosine induced the significant suppression of NX photodegradation after UV irradiation for 3 h (residual amount of NX; 15.35%, 6.82%, and 15.64%, respectively). Evaluation of the antioxidative activity and UV absorption spectrum showed that cysteine suppressed NX degradation through its antioxidative ability, while tryptophan and tyrosine suppressed it through their UV filtering ability. Furthermore, three amino acids at higher concentrations (more than 100 µmol/L) showed more protective effects on NX photodegradation. For 10 mmol/L, residual amounts of NX with cysteine, tryptophan, and tyrosine were 58.51%, 69.34%, and 82.40%, respectively. These results showed the importance of both photoprotective potencies (antioxidative potency and UV filtering potency) and stability to UV irradiation for a good photostabilizer of photosensitive pharmaceuticals.
Risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and cutaneous melanoma in older Australians using hydrochlorothiazide: A population‐based case‐control study

Recent European and US studies reported increased risks of skin cancers associated with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) treatment. Our study aimed to determine the risk of lip cancer and malignant melanoma among Australians prescribed HCTZ. We conducted a case‐control study nested within a population of veterans residing in New South Wales in 2004‐2015, using Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs data linked with cancer registrations, hospitalisation and prescription dispensings. Among DVA healthcare card holders 65 years and older, we identified incident cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and of cutaneous melanoma, each matched with up to 20 controls through risk‐set sampling. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) associating HCTZ use with each cancer using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for predefined confounders. For lip cancer (45 cases), ever‐use of HCTZ yielded an OR of 2.6 (95% CI: 1.4‐5.0) and high HCTZ use (≥25 000 mg) an OR of 4.7 (95% CI: 1.6‐13.7). For cutaneous melanoma (659 cases), ever‐use of HCTZ resulted in an OR of 1.2 (95% CI 1.0‐1.5) and high HCTZ use in an OR of 1.2 (95% CI: 0.8‐1.8). Our findings align with risk estimates from previous studies and provide further evidence that HCTZ’s photosensitising properties may promote carcinogenesis in sun‐exposed tissues.
PRANC: ML species tree estimation from the ranked gene trees under coalescence

SUMMARY PRANC computes the Probabilities of RANked gene tree topologies under the multispecies Coalescent. A ranked gene tree is a gene tree accounting for the temporal ordering of internal nodes. PRANC can also estimate the maximum likelihood species tree from a sample of ranked or unranked gene tree topologies. It estimates the maximum likelihood tree with estimated branch lengths in coalescent units. AVAILABILITY PRANC is written in C ++ and freely available at github.com/anastasiiakim/PRANC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary material is available.
Stability of SARS‐CoV‐2 and other coronaviruses in the environment and on common touch surfaces and the influence of climatic conditions: A review

Abstract Although the unprecedented efforts the world has been taking to control the spread of the human coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) and its causative aetiology [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)], the number of confirmed cases has been increasing drastically. Therefore, there is an urgent need for devising more efficient preventive measures, to limit the spread of the infection until an effective treatment or vaccine is available. The preventive measures depend mainly on the understanding of the transmission routes of this virus, its environmental stability, and its persistence on common touch surfaces. Due to the very limited knowledge about SARS‐CoV‐2, we can speculate its stability in the light of previous studies conducted on other human and animal coronaviruses. In this review, we present the available data on the stability of coronaviruses (CoVs), including SARS‐CoV‐2, from previous reports to help understand its environmental survival. According to available data, possible airborne transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 has been suggested. SARS‐CoV‐2 and other human and animal CoVs have remarkably short persistence on copper, latex and surfaces with low porosity as compared to other surfaces like stainless steel, plastics, glass and highly porous fabrics. It has also been reported that SARS‐CoV‐2 is associated with diarrhoea and that it is shed in the faeces of COVID‐19 patients. Some CoVs show persistence in human excrement, sewage and waters for a few days. These findings suggest a possible risk of faecal–oral, foodborne and waterborne transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 in developing countries that often use sewage‐polluted waters in irrigation and have poor water treatment systems. CoVs survive longer in the environment at lower temperatures and lower relative humidity. It has been suggested that large numbers of COVID‐19 cases are associated with cold and dry climates in temperate regions of the world and that seasonality of the virus spread is suspected.
Anion and Cation Dynamics in Polyhydroborate Salts: NMR Studies

Polyhydroborate salts represent the important class of energy materials attracting significant recent attention. Some of these salts exhibit promising hydrogen storage properties and/or high ionic conductivities favorable for applications as solid electrolytes in batteries. Two basic types of thermally activated atomic jump motion are known to exist in these materials: the reorientational (rotational) motion of complex anions and the translational diffusion of cations or complex anions. The present paper reviews recent progress in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of both reorientational and diffusive jump motion in polyhydroborate salts. The emphasis is put on sodium and lithium closo-borates exhibiting high ionic conductivity and on borohydride-based systems showing extremely fast reorientational motion down to low temperatures. For these systems, we discuss the effects of order–disorder phase transitions on the parameters of reorientations and diffusive jumps, as well as the mechanism of low-temperature rotational tunneling.
Response to Comment on: Marchand and Polychronakos (2007) Evaluation of Polymorphic Splicing in the Mechanism of the Association of the Insulin Gene with Diabetes: Diabetes 56:709–713

Rodriguez et al. (1) are right in pointing out that our findings (2) do not rule out with absolute certainty a role for rs689 in type 1 diabetes through the effects on splicing under conditions not reflected in the tissues we examined. In biological science, absolute certainty is difficult to attain. …