Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Asylum Seekers’ Health Care Utilization in the Early Phase of Resettlement

Background Asylum seekers display high prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and panic disorder due to pre-, peri-, and post-migration stressors. In contrast to the high mental health burden, health care utilization among asylum seekers in the early phase of resettlement is low. However, the early stages after migration are a particularly vulnerable phase in which psychosocial support measures are needed to prevent mental disorders from becoming chronic. Objective To identify predictors of asylum seekers’ health care utilization in the early stages of resettlement. Methods Using hierarchical logistic regression analysis, the variance explanation of the (1) general utilization of health care services as well as the individual utilization of (2) outpatient psychiatrists, (3) counselling centers, and (4) general practitioners was analyzed in n = 65 asylum seekers. A structured interview on health care utilization took place between three to five months after assessment of possible predictors. We defined the following three groups of predictors a) the sociodemographic variables gender, age, number of children, religion, language proficiency, b) the psychological variables sense of coherence and emotion regulation as well as c) the asylum seekers’ psychiatric diagnoses. Results Individual sociodemographic factors, such as gender, age, and number of children as well as the emotion regulation strategy of expressive suppression and sense of coherence were shown to be predictive for the utilization of health care services among asylum seekers. Conclusions Low-threshold, culture-sensitive treatment offers for asylum seekers should be established in the early phase after migration. General practitioners should be a central hub for further referrals to disorder-specific treatments.
Lack of evidence for evaporation-driven circulation in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon

The occurrence of an evaporation-driven circulation in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon has recently been proposed. When the data on which the proposal is based are examined, together with further oceanographic and meteorological records for the same time period, it can be shown that the observed salinity structure resulted from advection of runoff-diluted water from the north. It is concluded that there is currently no evidence to support the existence of evaporation-driven circulation, and the probability of occurrence of such a process is low.
Sesquiterpene lactones. XXXIII. Guaianolides in the subgenus Psephellus (Cass.) Schmalh., genus Centaurea L.

Sesquiterpene lactones were found to occur in all of the studied species of the subgenus Psephellus (Cass.) Schmalh. Differing compositions were found in the representatives of three sections. In Centaurea declinata MB. from the section Leucophylle (Sosn.) Sosn. 15-deoxyrepin, linichlorin B and cynaropicrin were found. Linichlorin B dominated in Centaurea hypoleucu DC. from section Hypoleucae (Sosn.) Sosn. , while in the species classified in section Psephellus Sosn. , repin, acroptilin, jenerin, centaurepensin and, in some, also cynaropicrin. dominated.
Taurine Alleviates Intestinal Injury by Mediating Tight Junction Barriers in Diquat-Challenged Piglet Models

Background: Intestinal barrier contributes as an important role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Oxidative stress can cause critical damages in intestinal integrity of animals. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the alleviated effect of taurine against small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) injury induced by oxidative stress. Methods: The piglet model of diquat-induced oxidative stress was employed. In addition, analysis of intestinal morphology, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and Western blot were used in this study. Results: Compared with the control group (CON), diquat-induced oxidative stress triggers immune response; the content of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) was significantly changed, but 0.60% taurine supplementation could restore the level of serum immunoglobulin. Oxidative stress induces serious damage in intestinal morphology structure and tight junction barrier. Compared with the CON, the villus height of intestine was significantly decreased, the crypt depth and villus height/crypt depth (V/C) were also decreased, and 0.60% taurine supplementation could restore impaired morphology and even improve crypt depth and V/C of the jejunum and ileum. Compared with the CON, oxidative stress markedly increased the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of claudin-1 and occludin in the duodenum, and the value of occludin was significantly decreased in the jejunum of the diquat group (DIQ). Relative to the DIQ, 0.60% taurine supplementation increased the mRNA expression level of claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1 in the ileum. Compared with the CON, the expression of claudin-1 protein was significantly upregulated, and occludin and ZO-1 protein were both downregulated in the small intestine of DIQ. Conclusion: Taurine exerts protective effects by regulating immune response and restores the intestinal tight junction barrier when piglets suffer from oxidative stress.
N2 Fixation and New Insights Into Nitrification From the Ice-Edge to the Equator in the South Pacific Ocean

Nitrogen (N) is an essential element for life and controls the magnitude of primary productivity in the ocean. In order to describe the microorganisms that catalyze N transformations in surface waters in the South Pacific Ocean, we collected high-resolution biotic and abiotic data along a 7000 km transect, from the Antarctic ice edge to the equator. The transect, conducted between late Austral autumn and early winter 2016, covered major oceanographic features such as the polar front (PF), the subtropical front (STF) and the Pacific equatorial divergence (PED). We measured N2 fixation and nitrification rates and quantified the relative abundances of diazotrophs and nitrifiers in a region where few to no rate measurements are available. Even though N2 fixation rates are usually below detection limits in cold environments, we were able to measure this N pathway at 7/10 stations in the cold and nutrient rich waters near the PF. This result highlights that N2 fixation rates continue to be measured outside the well-known subtropical regions. The majority of the mid to high N2 fixation rates (>∼20 nmol L–1 d–1), however, still occurred in the expected tropical and subtropical regions. High throughput sequence analyses of the dinitrogenase reductase gene (nifH) revealed that the nifH Cluster I dominated the diazotroph diversity throughout the transect. nifH gene richness did not show a latitudinal trend, nor was it significantly correlated with N2 fixation rates. Nitrification rates above the mixed layer in the Southern Ocean ranged between 56 and 1440 nmol L–1 d–1. Our data showed a decoupling between carbon and N assimilation (NO3– and NH4+ assimilation rates) in winter in the South Pacific Ocean. Phytoplankton community structure showed clear changes across the PF, the STF and the PED, defining clear biomes. Overall, these findings provide a better understanding of the ecosystem functionality in the South Pacific Ocean across key oceanographic biomes.
Phytoplankton dynamics and species diversity in a shallow eutrophic, natural mid-altitude lake in Himachal Pradesh (India): role of physicochemical factors

Rewalsar Lake, a mid-altitude, shallow and recreational water body located in the north-western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh (India) was studied through monthly surveys in two consecutive years (March 2008 to February 2010). Forty-seven species belonging to seven groups of phytoplankton were identified from the lake. Microcystis aeruginosa and Synedra ulna exhibited a perennial habit. Ankistrodesmus falcatus, Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus bijugatus, Chlamydomonas reinhardi, Eudorina elegans, Navicula cuspidate, Synedra ulna, Euglena acus, Euglena oxyuris, Spirulina gomontii, Oscillatoria princeps and Arthrospira khannae were abundant, and Oscillatoria limosa and Microcystis aeruginosa were highly abundant. Twenty-one important criteria were studied, for example, temperature, free carbon dioxide, biochemical oxygen demand, total alkalinity, nitrate, silicate and phosphate, which provide an idea of the portability of water for irrigation and drinking purposes as per the permissible limits given in World Health Organization, Indian Council of Medical Research and Indian Standards Institute standards. Pearson's correlation revealed a significant relationship between physicochemical parameters and different algal groups. Both plankton and chlorophyll a showed a bimodal pattern of fluctuation. High annual mean concentrations of chlorophyll a (mg L−1) were recorded as 11.44 in 2008–09, and 11.04 in 2009–10. As per the Palmer pollution index, 13 pollution-tolerant algal species with a pollution score of 37 were observed. The Central Pollution Control Board categorised the water at Rewalsar Lake as ‘D–E’.
Sleep Problems and Social Impairment in Psychosis: A Transdiagnostic Study Examining Multiple Social Domains

Psychotic disorders are characterized by profound social impairment. An accumulation of research has explored the contribution of symptoms, cognitive functioning, and behavioral skills deficits to this social dysfunction. Recent research indicates that sleep disturbance has significant social implications in nonclinical populations—this research suggests that sleep problems may also be relevant to understanding social impairment in psychosis. This study adopted a symptom-oriented dimensional approach to examine how sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment are related to multiple social domains within a transdiagnostic sample (N = 90). This sample included individuals with a variety of psychotic disorders (n = 75) along with healthy non-clinical participants (n = 15) to ensure sampling across the full range of sleep problems and social functioning. Social domains spanned self-reported perceptions of social relationships, social functioning in the community, and behavioral assessments of social competence. We hypothesized that greater sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment would be associated with more negative or problematic perceptions of social relationships (i.e., less social support, less companionship, and greater distress), poorer social functioning in the community, smaller social networks, and poorer behavioral ratings of social competency. Results supported these hypotheses indicating that sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment have widespread deleterious impacts on perceptions of social relationships, social functioning, and competence. Sleep disturbance retained associations with perceptions of social relationships, social functioning, and social competence even after controlling for total symptoms or cognitive functioning. These findings indicate that sleep problems may have important implications for fully understanding the causes of social impairment in psychosis.
Hypoglycaemic Effect of Lycopene in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats

Aim: The study was designed to investigate the hypoglycaemic potential of lycopene in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Methodology: To achieve this, a total of thirty (30) adult Wistar rats of both sexes were used. The animals were made diabetic by single intraperitoneal injection of freshly prepared (60 mg/kg body weight) of STZ. Diabetes was confirmed by the presence of high blood glucose ≥ 200 after 72 hr. Diabetic animals were divided into six (6) groups (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) comprising five animals each. Animals in Group 1 (Diabetic control) and Group 2 (Normal control) received 0.5 ml of olive oil, while those in groups 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were administered 10, 20, 40 and 2 mg/kg b w of lycopene Original Research Article Eze et al.; BJMMR, 7(9): 762-770, 2015; Article no.BJMMR. 2015.386 763 and glibenclamide respectively orally once daily for a period of four weeks. After the last day of treatments, all animals were sacrificed and blood samples collected and the serum separated for determination of serum insulin concentration. The liver tissue was excised and homogenized in equivalent volumes of phosphate buffer for the determination of hepatic glucokinase enzyme activity. Results: The results obtained showed that lycopene at all doses significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the blood glucose concentration steadily from (431.4±48.84 mg/dL) to (171.1±7.65, 118.4±1.97 and 100.8±6.89 mg/dL) after four weeks of treatment. The Serum insulin level was increased from (3.02±0.24 μIU/mL) to (4.02±0.70, 3.96±1.41 and 5.06±0.96 μIU/mL), but was not significant (P>0.05), when compared with diabetic control animals. The activity of hepatic glucokinase was significantly (P<0.05) increased from (8.78±1.11 ng/mL) to (11.96±0.54, 14.23±0.88 and 15.78±0.27 ng/mL), when compared with diabetic control group. Conclusion: It is therefore, suggested that antidiabetic-activity may be linked to enhanced glucokinase enzyme activity and not due to increased serum insulin level as the elevation was not statistically significant (P > 0.05) when compared with the diabetic control group. It is recommended that, lycopene may be used as a dietary component in controlling sustained hyperglycaemia in diabetes.
Anti–PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade Immunotherapy Employed in Treating Hepatitis B Virus Infection–Related Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Literature Review

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is regarded as the main etiological risk factor in the process of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as it promotes an immunosuppressive microenvironment that is partially mediated by the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of HBV–related HCC is indeed more immunosuppressive than microenvironments not associated with viruses. And compared to TME in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected HCC, TME of HBV-related HCC is less vascularized and presents different immune components resulting in similar immunosuppression. However, few studies are focusing on the specific side effects and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy in HBV-related HCC patients, as well as on the underlying mechanism. Herein, we reviewed the basic research focusing on potential TME alteration caused by HBV infection, especially in HCC patients. Moreover, we reviewed PD-1/PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy clinical trials to clarify the safety and efficacy of this newly developed treatment in the particular circumstances of HBV infection. We found that patients with HBV-related HCC displayed an acceptable safety profile similar to those of non-infected HCC patients. However, we could not determine the antiviral activity of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade because standard anti-viral therapies were conducted in all of the current clinical trials, which made it difficult to distinguish the potential influence of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade on HBV infection. Generally, the objective response rates (ORRs) of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy did not differ significantly between virus-positive and virus-negative patients, except that disease control rates (DCRs) were obviously lower in HBV-infected HCC patients.
The Effects of Nurse Specialty Certification and Medical Treatments on Glycemic Control Outcomes: A Retrospective Study

AIMS: To describe and explore the impact of the presence of specialty certified nurses on the unit on glycemic control among non-critically ill hospitalized patients with Diabetes mellitus. BACKGROUND: Poor glycemic control during hospitalization has been associated adverse patient outcomes. Staff nurses administer much of the diabetes-specific care delivered to patients during hospitalization. Nurse specialty certification is a recognized indicator of nursing care quality. METHODS: A retrospective sample of medical records data was analyzed to describe and explore the impact of specialty certified nurses on glycemic control among a group of 293 non-critically ill hospitalized patients with Diabetes mellitus. Regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of the percentage of certified nurses on the unit as a mediator or moderator of the relationship between medical treatments and glycemic control outcomes. RESULTS: Increases in the percentage of specialty certified nurses on the unit were associated with significant decreases in mean blood glucose levels among patients who received a basal-bolus insulin regimen or enteral nutritional feedings. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received specific medical treatments during hospitalization had superior outcomes when nursing care was delivered during times in which the relative proportion of certified nurses on the unit were higher.
Responses of tomato seeds to osmoconditioning as related to temperature and oxygen

Abstract Untreated (control) tomato seeds germinated at temperatures ranging from 15 to 35°C. There was a positive linear relationship between the rate of germination (expressed as the reciprocal of time to obtain 50% germination) and temperature up to the thermal optimum. At higher temperatures, the negative relationship was also linear. The thermal optimum for seed germination was 27–28°C and the lower and maximal temperatures were around 9 and 40°C, respectively. Germination was strongly reduced in atmospheres containing less than 10% oxygen. After pretreatment at 15°C in a polyethylene glycol-8000 solution at –1.0 MPa, seeds germinated faster in a wider range of temperatures, and this stimulatory effect remained after drying back the seeds. Such a pretreatment did not change the optimal and maximal temperatures of germination, but decreased the lower temperature to about 6°C. The beneficial effect of osmoconditioning increased as the duration of the treatment increased and was maximal after 5–7 days. Osmotic pretreatment also reduced the sensitivity of seeds to oxygen deprivation; 50% of the seeds germinated within 7 days in 5% oxygen. The range of temperatures and the concentrations of oxygen which were effective in osmoconditioning were very similar to those which allowed the germination of untreated seeds. In particular, the optimal temperature (27–28°C) and oxygen concentrations (more than 10%) for osmoconditioning and germination were the same. These results confirm that the beneficial effect of osmotic pretreatment (priming) corresponds to the realization of germination sensu stricto (phase II of the germination process).
Wine and Grape Juice Modulate Interferon-y-induced Neopterin Production and Tryptophan Degradation in Human PBMC

Abstract Population-based studies suggest moderate and regular consumption of alcoholic beverages and especially of red wine to reduce morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease. These beverages may interfere with immune activation cascades crucial in the pathogenesis of coronary heart diseases. Neopterin concentrations in human body tluids were found to increase in the course of coronary heart disease indicating the activity of the atherogenetic process. In this study, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with mitogens phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A were exposed to red and white wines, to ethanol and to grape juice as a non-alcoholic control in vitro. Neopterin production and tryptophan degradation were measured in supcrnalants. Both biochemical effects are induced by Th 1-type cytokine interferon-y and allow monitoring of immune actnation. In stimulated PBMC increased production of neopterin and degradation of tryptophan was observed Red and white wines, as well as grape juice inhibited these stimulation-induced effects, higher concentrations being more cffective. Ethanol had comparably small if any effect, Red and white wines as well as grape juice down regulate cytokine-mediated effects in PBMC. Most likely, antioxidant ingredients of wine and grape juice such as resveratrol are capable of interfering with immunologic pathways which appear to be of relevance, e g. in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.
Pasture management in semi-arid tropical woodlands: dynamics of perennial grasses

The effects of a range of pasture management options (introduced legumes and grasses, superphosphate, timber treatment, cultivation before sowing and stocking rate) on the basal cover of perennial grasses were measured from 1982 to 1991 at two sites, ‘Hillgrove’ and ‘Cardigan’, near Charters Towers, in north-east Queensland. Colonisation and survival of eight native and exotic grasses were followed in permanent quadrats in a subset of treatments. Overall, there were significant changes in total basal cover of plots between years and with tree killing, but no significant differences in sown pastures, fertiliser or stocking rate. Basal cover increased when defoliation levels were less than 40% but increases were smaller at higher levels of defoliation and basal cover often declined when defoliation was greater than 60%. Basal cover declined when growing seasons were 50% survival). Annual survival rates increased with plant age, were higher in good growing seasons than in poor seasons, were higher for large plants than small plants, and were lower at high defoliation levels than where defoliation was less severe. The differences between species in ability to colonise and survive, and the small influence of management compared to seasonal effects on survival, are discussed to explain species performance in pastures.
Exposure of arthropod predators to Cry1Ab toxin in Bt maize fields

Abstract. 1. To assess the risks of an insect‐resistant transgenic plant for non‐target arthropods, it is important to investigate the exposure of non‐target species to the transgene product. Exposure of predators in the field depends on the toxin levels in food sources, their feeding ecology and that of their prey.
Cultivar Differences in Exocarp Cell Growth Pattern at Apex, Equator, Stalk Cavity and Suture during Fruit Development in Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars; 'Valera', 'Schwartze Venus' and 'Mazzard' with low cracking susceptiblity, and 'Satonishiki', 'Napoleon' and 'Van' with high cracking susceptibility were examined for changes in exocarp cell length during the fruit enlargement at the apex, equator, stalk cavity and suture. Although fruit weight and fruit thickness varied among cultivars, growth curves based on these parameters exhibited a typical double sigmoidal pattern; however, differences existed in the lengths of each growth stage. Exocarp cell lengths also differed with equatorial lateral length, apical vertical and lateral lengths, and suture vertical length being particularly long. Large cultivar differences were noted in stalk cavity, apical lateral and vertical lengths, and equatorial vertical length. With ripe fruit, the exocarp cell lengths in the above parts are smaller in the 'Valera', 'Schwartze Venus' and 'Mazzard' than those in 'Satonishiki', 'Napoleon' and 'Van'. With some exceptions, significant positive correlations exist between exocarp cell length of each part versus fruit weight, fruit thickness and radial cell length of the mesocarp. We hypothesize that exocarp cell division occurs simultaneously with that in the mesocarp, but unlike the other three parts, it continues at the apex even after the cessation of mesocarp cell division. The duration of the cell division period also differs among cultivars, with 'Schwartze Venus', 'Valera' and 'Mazzard' having the longest cell division period as well as having small exocarp cell lengths compared with the other cultivars, from the immature to the ripe fruit stages. Lighter and smaller fruit with a late cessation of cell division of the apical exocarp cells resulted in the smaller length of apical exocarp cells and lower susceptibility of cultivars to cracking.