Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Lymphotoxin β Receptor Is Critically Involved in Controlling Infections with the Intracellular Pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes1

Containment of intracellularly viable microorganisms requires an intricate cooperation between macrophages and T cells, the most potent mediators known to date being IFN-γ and TNF. To identify novel mechanisms involved in combating intracellular infections, experiments were performed in mice with selective defects in the lymphotoxin (LT)/LTβR pathway. When mice deficient in LTα or LTβ were challenged intranasally with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, they showed a significant increase in bacterial loads in lungs and livers compared with wild-type mice, suggesting a role for LTαβ heterotrimers in resistance to infection. Indeed, mice deficient in the receptor for LTα1β2 heterotrimers (LTβR-knockout (KO) mice) also had significantly higher numbers of M. tuberculosis in infected lungs and exhibited widespread pulmonary necrosis already by day 35 after intranasal infection. Furthermore, LTβR-KO mice were dramatically more susceptible than wild-type mice to i.p. infection with Listeria monocytogenes. Compared with wild-type mice, LTβR-KO mice had similar transcript levels of TNF and IFN-γ and recruited similar numbers of CD3+ T cells inside granulomatous lesions in M. tuberculosis-infected lungs. Flow cytometry revealed that the LTβR is expressed on pulmonary macrophages obtained after digestion of M. tuberculosis-infected lungs. LTβR-KO mice showed delayed expression of inducible NO synthase protein in granuloma macrophages, implicating deficient macrophage activation as the most likely cause for enhanced susceptibility of these mice to intracellular infections. Since LIGHT-KO mice proved to be equally resistant to M. tuberculosis infection as wild-type mice, these data demonstrate that signaling of LTα1β2 heterotrimers via the LTβR is an essential prerequisite for containment of intracellular pathogens.
HAART THERAPY IN GHANA: COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT HAART COMBINATIONS AT KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Objective: Although all marketed antiretrovirals (ARVs) have proven efficacy, genetic differences can result in varied effectiveness. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of different Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) combinations among patients attending HIV clinic at a Major Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Methods: The study was a retrospective study involving 500 patients at an HIV clinic in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Results: Twelve major antiretroviral combinations for HAART were prescribed at the study center. The most prescribed drug combinations were AZT+3TC+EFV and AZT+3TC+NVP. The study identified that HAART, irrespective of the kind of drug combination used, was effective at increasing CD4 count within the first 6 mo of therapy initiation in the study population. However, the magnitude of the increases differed from combination to combination. All HAART combinations with zidovudine as one of the drugs resulted in higher CD4 counts compared with combinations containing stavudine. HAART with nevirapine also resulted in a higher CD4 count than those with efavirenz. However, efavirenz-based combinations appeared to be more effective in critically ill patients and patients with mean CD4+T helper cells count below 100 cell/mm3. More importantly, efavirenz was common among all HAART combinations that resulted in treatment failure. Conclusion: There was significant variation in response to different HAART combination among Ghanaian HIV patients. However, there was no statistically significant difference in mean CD4 count between the two most predominately used HAART i. e AZT+3TC+EFV and AZT+3TC+NVP.
Graphs with Tunable Chromatic Numbers for Parallel Coloring

We consider how to generate graphs of arbitrary size whose chromatic numbers can be chosen (or are well-bounded) for testing graph coloring algorithms on parallel computers. For the distance-1 graph coloring problem, we identify three classes of graphs with this property. The ﬁrst is the Erdős-Rényi random graph with prescribed expected degree, where the chromatic number is known with high probability. It is also known that the Greedy algorithm colors this graph using at most twice the number of colors as the chromatic number. The second is a random geometric graph embedded in hyperbolic space where the size of the maximum clique provides a tight lower bound on the chromatic number. The third is a deterministic graph described by Mycielski, where the graph is recursively constructed such that its chromatic number is known and increases with graph size, although the size of the maximum clique remains two. For Jacobian estimation, we bound the distance-2 chromatic number of random bipartite graphs by considering its equivalence to distance-1 coloring of an intersection graph. We use a “balls and bins” probabilistic analysis to establish a lower bound and an upper bound on the distance-2 chromatic number. The regimes of graph sizes and probabilities that we consider are chosen to suit the Jacobian estimation problem, where the number of columns and rows are asymptotically nearly equal, and have number of nonzeros linearly related to the number of columns. Computationally we verify the theoretical predictions and show that the graphs are often be colored optimally by the serial and parallel Greedy algorithms.
Demographic factors and travel motivation among leisure tourists in Tanzania

To examine demographic factors and travel motivations among leisure tourists in Tanzania. Specifically by examining the influence of demographic factors on travel motivation among local and international leisure tourists in Tanzania. ,Approach is quantitative and applied descriptive statistics, independent t-test and ANOVA. ,The findings showed that age, gender and family size as demographic factors significantly influenced travel motivation among local and international leisure tourists. ,Future studies to consider different approaches including collection of data during the peak season, use qualitative method and conduct studies in other parts of the country to explore demographic factors and travel motivations of tourists. ,To assist tourism stakeholders in their design of promotional tools to market tourism products/services to different tourists as opposed to homogeneous marketing campaigns. ,Examined the influence of demographic factors and travel motivation among local and international leisure tourists in the context of Tanzania.
Protein kinase C is involved in the regulation of Naplus transport across rumen epithelium

Electrogenic Na+-transport across rumen epithelium occurs via a non-selective cation channel, blocked by luminal Ca2+ and Mg2+ and by cytosolic Mg2+. The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of this pathway was studied with isolated epithelia from goat rumen incubated in Ussing chambers. Omission of Ca2+ and Mg2+ from the luminal side induced an increase in short circuit current followed by a decline. This down-regulation of Na+-current was delayed after activation of PKC with 6-[N-decylamino]-4-hydroxymethylinole. Na+-current declined again after inhibition of PKC with chelerythrine, showing that PKC contributes to the regulation of ruminal electrogenic Na+-transport.
Using the DSSAT-CROPGRO model to simulate gross margin and N-leaching of cowpea fertigated with human urine

Received: 22 January 2020 Revised received: 13 March 2020 Accepted: 18 March 2020 This study simulated the biophysical, economic and environmental implications of cowpea fertigated with human urine (equivalent to 60 kg N ha) as source of organic N. The DSSAT CROPGRO model was used to simulate harvested cowpea yield, N(leached), N(uptake), monetary returns or gross margins in ($) under two different treatments: without fertigation or human urine (T0) and with fertigation (T1). Biophysical analysis using the Cumulative Probability Distribution (CPD) showed a 50% probability of the harvested cowpea yield under T1 being higher than under T0 at 1060 and 600 kg ha -1 respectively, accounting for a 43.4% difference. The Mean Gini Stochastic Dominance (MGSD) analysis was used to assess the gross margin and helped in deciding on the best strategic and management option. The findings of this study revealed a 50% probability (CPD0.5), of higher gross margin under T1 at $ -215 higher than under T0 at $285. This was a $70 difference per season under T1 and so enhancing a faster payback and a larger monetary return on overall investments. Similarly, seasonal analysis with fertigation showed that at CPD0.5, the N(leached) was still < 4 kg N ha -1 per season and so posed no environmental risks. The simulation results also showed higher a probability of N(uptake) of about 270 kg N ha during fertigation compared to about 95 kg N ha under T0. Therefore, the DSSAT CROPGRO model can be used to successfully forecast future cowpea yields, gross margin, N(leached), N(uptake) under different management practices to enable smallholder farmers in South Sudan make informed decisions on sustainable cowpea production.
Montane refugia isolation and plateau population expansion: Phylogeography of Sino‐Himalayan endemic Spenceria ramalana (Rosaceae)

Climate oscillations and landscape heterogeneity make the historical population processes of organisms of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau quite complex. We used chloroplast DNA sequences and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLPs) to study the phylogeography and genetic variation of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau endemic Spenceria ramalana Trimen. The parsimony network contains two star‐like evolutionary units, nested into two nested clades, coinciding with geographic population groups indicated by SAMOVA software. The central group shows genetic homogeneity, indicating a bottleneck or founder effect of population dynamics. Margin groups contribute more haplotype diversity (CT), indicating potential refugia. Several expansion events during several interglacial periods were detected. The latest expansion of the eastern population contributed to the modern population structure of the central area. Four AFLP clusters were detected. Higher CT, a relict pattern of haplotype distribution and DW values of marginal populations, confirmed the location of potential montane refugia. Relict distribution pattern, nested clade phylogeographic analysis conclusions, and restricted gene flow detected by AFLPs indicated an isolation pattern of the populations of montane areas. Heterogeneity of landscape of the western and southern montane areas could be the main barrier for gene flow. Moisture conditions and ecotype transformation might help to build the phylogeographic pattern of this species. Neither chloroplast DNA markers nor AFLP was able to differentiate the two varieties of this species.
COVID-19 Outbreak and Air Pollution in Iran: A Panel VAR Analysis

The new Coronavirus pandemic has extensive negative socioeconomic impacts. However, its effects on climate change and in particular air pollution, at least at the beginning of the outbreak, is not clear. Fear of getting the Coronavirus in crowded public spaces increased the use of personal cars, while prevention policies that seek to decrease population movement reduced their usage. This paper investigates the relationship between the outbreak of COVID-19, measured by the number of infected cases, and air pollution, measured by PM2.5, in 31 Iranian provinces over the 19 February 2020 to 11 March 2020 period. We employ a panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) approach along with impulse response functions (IRFs), variance decomposition, and Granger causality tests. The analysis shows negative responses of the PM pollution to positive shock in COVID-19 cases in Iran.
Study on effect of different growth hormones on growth, yield and quality of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L)

This investigations were undertaken to study the effect different growth hormones on growth and yield of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) under Coimbatore condition, during March 2019 to October 2019 in two different seasons. The present experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications involving foliar application of Gibberellic acid, Cycocel, Brassinosteroids, and silicic acid. The study revealed that foliar application of Gibberellic acid (T2) at the rate of 150ppm showed a significant improvement in morphology and yield and quality parameters in African marigold. The result recorded of maximum plant height (72.52 cm), plant spread (40.89 cm), number of primary branches (9.77), number of flowers per plant (36.52), single flower weight (6.56 g), flower diameter (6.40 cm), flower yield per plant (239.57 g) and highest total carotenoid content (1.32 mg/g) and total xanthophyll content (1.71 mg/g) and total chlorophyll content (2.60 mg/g) were recorded in the treatment T2.whereas the Cycocel (CCC) at the rate of 2000ppm recorded dry matter production (62.93 g per plant), days taken for flower bud appearance (32.61 days), days to first harvest (51.53 days) as compared to control.
Produção e composição químico-bromatológica de duas cultivares de braquiária adubadas com nitrogênio e sua relação com o índice SPAD

The work was carried out in a green house, at the campus of Southwest Bahia State University-UESB, with the purpose of evaluating the production of dry matter in the external part (EPDM) and root (RDM) of Brachiaria brizantha’s cv. Marandu and Brachiaria decumbens’ cv. Basilisk, as well as their bromatologic composition and chlorophyll content (SPAD value), under different nitrogen doses (N). The experiment was conducted in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement, using four N doses (0, 75, 150 and 225 mg dm-3 N) and two brachiaria species: Brachiaria brizantha’s cv. Marandu and Brachiaria decumbens’ cv. Basilisk, in five repetitions using a randomized blocks design. EPDM increased with the enlarging of the N doses, while the opposite happened with the RDM. There was no difference in the content of crude protein (CP) between the two brachiarias; there was a linear increment as the dose of N increased. neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents were reduced as the level of N in the soil increased. The chlorophyll content was also positively influenced by the N supply. The brachiaria generally presented better development when supplied with N. Nitrogen fertilization improves the bromatologicchemical composition of Brachiaria, because it increases CP and reduces NDF and ADF. The chlorophyll content, (SPAD index) can be used as indicator of the level of protein of the plant, and also as an indicator of the expected production of cv. Marandu and cv. Basilisk
Analysis of genotype-environment interaction and yield stability of Thai upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes using AMMI model

Genotype-environment interaction and stability analysis has been important for plant breeders and plays a vital role in identifying genotypes that are stable or unstable in a given environment. The experiments in this research were conducted to determine the effects of genotype, environment and genotype-environment interaction on grain yield using the AMMI statistical model, and to recognize the most stable rice genotypes among ten genotypes in southern Thailand’s provinces of environments in Songkhla, Satun and Phatthalung. Highly significant differences were shown from the combined analysis for environments with grain yields, revealing that environments were different and indicated change ability between the genotypes and their interactions. The average grain yield assessment of the tested genotypes was around the environments where genotype G8 (Nahng Kian) had the highest grain yield 6234.11 kg/ha. AMMI biplot of the Interaction Principal Component Analysis (IPCA) scores visualized 90.7% for IPCA1 and 9.3% for IPCA2 with the genotypes and environments for grain yield. In the AMMI stability value method, G8 (Nahng Kian) was the most stable genotype followed by the genotypes G2 (Mai Tahk) and G10 (Hawm Jet Ban) Songkhla, Satun and Phatthalung environments.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Asobara japonica (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Abstract Asobara japonica is an important larval-pupal endoparasitoid of Drosophila melanogaster and some other fruit fly species, such as Drosophila suzukii, and is an invasive and economic pest. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of A. japonica (GeneBank accession number: MN882556) was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten system. The mitochondrial genome is 15,519 bp long and comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, of which 12 genes are in majority stand, and the remaining 25 genes are in minority strand. The nucleotide composition of A, G, C, T is 40.6, 8.2, 6.0, and 45.3% respectively. We also performed a phylogenetic analysis with other known mitochondrial genomes of Braconidae. The results show that A. japonica is closely related to Diachasmimorpha longicaudata.
Distribution of Urban Blue and Green Space in Beijing and Its Influence Factors

Urban blue and green space is a key element supporting the normal operation of urban landscape ecosystems and guaranteeing and improving people's lives. In this paper, 97.1k photos of Beijing were captured by using web crawler technology, and the blue sky and green vegetation objects in the photos were extracted by using the Image Cascade Network (ICNet) neural network model. We analyzed the distribution characteristics of the blue–green space area proportion index and its relationships with the background economic and social factors. The results showed the following. (1) The spatial distribution of Beijing's blue–green space area proportion index showed a pattern of being higher in the west and lower in the middle and east. (2) There was a positive correlation between the satellite remote sensing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the proportion index of green space area, but the fitting degree of geospatial weighted regression decreased with an increasing analysis scale. (3) There were differences in the relationship between the housing prices in different regions and the proportion index of blue–green space, but the spatial fitting degree of the two increased with the increase of study scale. (4) There was a negative correlation between the proportion index of blue–green space and population density, and the low-population areas per unit blue–green space were mainly distributed in the south of the city and the urban fringe areas beyond the Third Ring Road. The urban blue–green space analysis that was constructed by this study provides new aspect for urban landscape ecology study, and the results proposed here also provide support for government decision-makers to optimize urban ecological layouts.
Analysis of Endoscopic Sphenopalatine Artery Surgery for Refractory Epistaxis

Background: This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of sphenopalatine artery (SPA) surgery in patients with refractory epistaxis and to identify factors associated with the indications for surgery to assist clinicians in making prompt and appropriate decisions regarding SPA surgery for refractory epistaxis. Methods: We analyzed 97 consecutive patients with nasal bleeding hospitalized in our institution between April 2009 and March 2018. Clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes were analyzed from retrospective chart reviews. Results: Of the 97 patients, 28 (29 sides) required SPA surgery. There were no differences in sex, anti-coagulant drug or antiplatelet use, hemoglobin concentration, or platelet count between Group A (patients who required surgery) and Group B (patients who did not require surgery). Age (58 vs. 67 years, p = 0.038) and severity of comorbidity (0 vs. 1, p = 0.039) were significantly lower in the surgery group. Patients who were younger and had lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores had more requirements for surgery than those who were older and had higher CCI scores. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the proportion of patients receiving blood transfusions; however, the length of hospitalization was significantly longer in Group A than in Group B (8.9 vs. 8 days, p = 0.038). Success rate (non-rebleeding rate) was 89%, comparable to that reported in previous studies. Conclusions: Endoscopic SPA surgery was found safe and effective method with few complications. Younger patients with lower CCI scores were found appropriate for SPA surgery for refractory epistaxis due in part to a lower risk of anesthesia.
Morphological and Behavioral Characters of the Two Species Groups of the Ant Genus Myrmicaria (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) from Southeast Asia

"The ant genus Myrmicaria from Southeast Asia is clearly divided into two distinct species-groups (the M. arachnoides and M. brunnea groups) based on their morphology and nesting behaviour, as was suggested by Emery in 1922. We have found many additional characters, not noticed by previous au- thors, that differentiate the two groups. Male genital characters have also proved useful, not only in defining the groups but also in discriminating species in some cases. Key Words: Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae, Myrmicaria, Southeast Asia, species-group. "
Accuracy evaluation of two markerless motion capture systems for measurement of upper extremities: Kinect V2 and Captiv

Motion capturing is a promising method to assess working postures and human movements and, therewith, the risk of musculoskeletal injuries that could occur while performing manual tasks in industrial settings. To obtain a reliable risk assessment, the motion capture system used has to accurately measure body postures adopted by the worker during the task. This study evaluates the accuracy to measure joint angles of upper extremities of two different motion capture systems, namely the Microsoft Kinect V2 and the Captiv system, for angles of upper extremities. For this purpose, an experimental study was conducted involving 12 subjects performing preset static postures and basic movements, including elbow flexion, shoulder flexion, and shoulder abduction. In addition, to examine whether self‐occlusion or occlusion of body parts by work equipment has an impact on the accuracy of the Kinect V2, the subjects handled boxes during some of the tests. As a gold standard, a goniometer for static and an angle scale for dynamic exercises was used. The Captiv system shows high correlation coefficients (r > .93) and small mean absolute errors (<5°) for all movements except for elbow flexion. The Kinect V2 has sufficient results for joint angles captured without occlusion as well, but the accuracy significantly decreases when occlusion occurs.