Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current and Future Advances in the Detection and Surveillance of Biosecurity-Relevant Equine Bacterial Diseases Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)

Simple Summary Bacterial infections continue to cause ongoing health problems in the global equine industry, resulting in substantial loss of valuable economic contributions worldwide. Biosecurity-relevant equine bacterial diseases have resulted in restricted importation and exportation of horses, impediment of breeding, and cancellation of culturally important events. Vigilant, rapid diagnostics and surveillance of such diseases are vital to prevent outbreaks and to provide timely management and treatment strategies. However, current methodologies are outdated and, at times, unreliable. This review outlines how the modern technique of loop-mediated isothermal amplification can aid in the protection of the equine industry, and the current advancements further its ability for in-field deployment. Abstract Horses play an important role throughout the world, whether for work, culture, or leisure, providing an ever-growing significant contribution to the economy. The increase in importation and movement of horses, both nationally and internationally, has inevitably allowed for the global equine industry to grow. Subsequently, however, the potential for transmission of fatal equine bacterial diseases has also escalated, and devasting outbreaks continue to occur. To prevent such events, disease surveillance and diagnosis must be heightened throughout the industry. Current common, or “gold-standard” techniques, have shown to be inadequate at times, thus requiring newer technology to impede outbreaks. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has proven to be a reliable, rapid, and accessible tool in both diagnostics and surveillance. This review will discuss equine bacterial diseases of biosecurity relevance and their current diagnostic approaches, as well as their respective LAMP assay developments. Additionally, we will provide insight regarding newer technology and advancements associated with this technique and their potential use for the outlined diseases.
Nattokinase Supplementation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background : As a fibrinolytic enzyme from fermented soybean, nattokinase has been shown to be potentially beneficial for cardiovascular health, but current clinical evidences regarding the nattokinase supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors are various. This study aims to evaluate the cardiovascular efficacy of nattokinase. Methods : Four electronic databases were systematically searched to collect eligible randomized controlled trials. Data were extracted and summarized in a pre-designed form by two independent reviewers. Review Manager 5.4 software (Cochrane Library Software, Oxford, U.K.) was used for meta-analysis and bias risk assessment. Results : Six studies were eligible for quantitative analysis with 546 participants. The overall methodological quality of included studies was high. Relatively low total dosage of nattokinase had a negative effect on blood total cholesterol (MD [mean difference] = 5.27, 95% CI [confidence intervals]: 3.74 to 6.81, p < 0.00001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD = –2.76, 95% CI: –3.88 to –1.64, p < 0.00001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD = 6.49, 95% CI: 0.83 to 12.15, p = 0.02). Nattokinase supplementation significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (MD = –3.45, 95% CI: –4.37 to –2.18, p < 0.00001) and diastolic blood pressure (MD = –2.32, 95% CI: –2.72 to –1.92, p < 0.00001), and led a slight increase in blood glucose (MD = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.60, p < 0.0001) as compared to placebo. Nattokinase group with relatively high total dosage also had a higher total cholesterol (MD = 3.18, 95% CI: 2.29 to 4.06, p < 0.00001) than control interventions, but no significant differences were found in levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. No significant correlation was found between nattokinase supplementation and triglyceride ( p = 0.71). No notable adverse events were reported in all studies due to intake of nattokinase. Conclusions : This study further supports that nattokinase can be used as an effective adjunctive therapy for hypertension, but relatively low-dose supplementation of nattokinase may have no significant lipid-lowering effect. More work will need to be done to determine whether the positive efficacy of nattoki-nase on cardiovascular risk factors is dose-dependent. Systematic Review Registration : This work has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022315020).
FATORES SOCIODEMOGRÁFICOS E CLÍNICOS ASSOCIADOS À TARV E À CONTAGEM T-CD4

Objetivo: Verificar a associacao da Terapia Antirretroviral (TARV) e das celulas CD4 com variaveis de cunho sociodemografico e clinico de pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS. Material e Metodos: Este estudo possui carater transversal, sendo considerado epidemiologico descritivo. A amostra composta por 561 pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS, acima de 18 anos de idade, atendidas nos servicos de referencia a AIDS no Estado da Paraiba, respondeu a um questionario sociodemografico e clinico, cujos dados foram analisados atraves de estatistica descritiva e bivariada. Resultados: Foram encontradas associacoes significativas entre o CD4 e area geografica, com indices maiores nas cidades do interior (p=,02) e entre o CD4 e a escolaridade, com indices maiores para a maior escolaridade (p=,04). Ao verificar a associacao entre adesao a TARV e os fatores sociodemograficos e clinicos, os resultados indicaram diferencas estatisticamente significativas nas variaveis “tempo de diagnostico” (p=,02), “tempo de uso da TARV” (p=,01) e o uso do medicamento Nevirapina (p=,05). Sendo assim, observou-se que quanto maior o tempo do conhecimento do diagnostico e quanto maior o tempo de uso da TARV, maior a adesao ao tratamento. Esta adesao parece ser maior quando em uso do medicamento Nevirapina. Conclusao: O presente estudo demonstrou que a AIDS, mais que patologia, emerge como uma problematica social, perpassada por questoes sociodemograficas. Nesse contexto, falar de prevencao e adesao ao tratamento com os ARV se constitui um desafio, o qual e indissociavel de aspectos culturais, clinicos, sociodemograficos e psicossociais. DESCRITORES: Soropositividade para HIV. AIDS. CD4.
Evaluating the Concentration of MMP-9 and TNF- α in Pulpal Blood at Various Stages of Pulpal Inflammation in Diabetics: A Cross Sectional Study

Objective To investigate the concentration of Matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) and Tumor necroses factor-alpha (TNF- α) in pulpal blood at various stages of pulpal inflammation in diabetics and to establish the relationship between these two biomarkers. Methods 77 patients, each having a tooth with pulpal exposure due to caries presenting with distinct stages of pulpitis were grouped into 2 main study groups as based on the HbA1c Levels-Group 1: Non-Diabetics (Control Group) (HbA1c <5.6%) and Group 2: Type 2 Diabetics (Experimental Group) (HbA1c >6.5%; Random Plasma Glucose >200) and diabetes mellitus with less than 10-year history. Depending on the radiological and clinical diagnosis, these two groups were again sub-divided into 2 subgroups: Sub-group A: Tooth with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis. Sub Group B: Tooth with Reversible Pulpitis. Thus, for comparison purposes, a total of 4 sub-divisions were formed: Sub-group 1A- Non-Diabetic, Symtomatic Irreversible Pulpitis, Sub-group 1B: Non-Diabetic, Reversible Pulpitis, Sub-group 2A: Diabetic, Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis, Sub-group 2B: Diabetic, Reversible Pulpitis. Blood sample was collected from pulp chamber after partial pulpotomy was done. The total levels of MMP-9 and TNF-α were assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Inter-group comparison in levels of MMP-9 and TNF- α were conducted using the Kruskal Wallis test and pairwise comparison was done Mann-Whitney U test. Results The inter-group comparison in levels of MMP-9 and TNF- α were conducted using the Kruskal Wallis test and pairwise comparison was done using Mann-Whitney U test. Pearson correlations were conducted in order to investigate correlations between the paired TNF-α and MMP-9 values and also their correlation with the blood sugar levels within the pulp diagnosis groups. MMP-9 and TNF-α levels were significantly higher (p<0.005) in irreversible pulpits than reversible pulpits and also in Type-2 diabetics than non-diabetics. Highest level of MMP-9 and TNF-α was found in Group 2A (Diabetic, symptomaticirreversible pulpitis) and lowest in Group 1B (Non-Diabetic, reversible pulpitis). There exists a very high significant positive correlation between MMP-9 & TNF-α (p<0.005). Conclusion These findings show that the inflammatory mediators MMP-9 and TNF-α are significantly increased in pulpal blood samples of diabetic patients. Also, in diabetic patients diagnosed with reversible pulpitis, higher levels of inflammatory pulpal biomarkers were reported that could compromise the success of Vital Pulp Therapy (VPT) and may necessitate endodontic intervention. MMP-9 and TNF- α were reported to have a positive correlation.
Can Waist-to-Height Ratio and Health Literacy Be Used in Primary Care for Prioritizing Further Assessment of People at T2DM Risk?

Background: To identify people at risk of type 2 diabetes. Primary health care needs efficient and noninvasive screening tools to detect individuals in need of follow-up to promote health and well-being. Previous research has shown people with lower levels of health literacy and/or well-being scores are vulnerable but may benefit from intervention and follow-up care. Aims: This cross-sectional study, aimed to identify people at risk for type 2 diabetes by comparing the Finnish Diabetes Risk instrument with the waist-to-height ratio. Further, the difference was examined in health literacy and well-being scale scores in the countryside versus town areas, respectively. Results: In total, 220, aged 18–75 years, participated. Thereof, 13.2% displayed biomarkers at prediabetes level of HbA1c (39–47 mmol/mol); none had undiagnosed diabetes. Of the participants, 73% were overweight or obese. Waist-to-height ratio demonstrated 93.1% of the prediabetes group at moderate to high health risk and 64.4% of the normal group, with an area under the curve of 0.759, sensitivity of 93.3%, and specificity of 63.1%. Residency did not influence prediabetes prevalence, health literacy, or well-being. Conclusion: Waist-to-height ratio and the Finnish Diabetes Risk instrument may be suitable for identifying who need further tests and follow-up care for health promotion in primary care.
Effects of adding cocoa fermentation medium on cigar leaves in agricultural fermentation stage

Background and Objective: With the development of the world economy and the integration of cultures, the Chinese cigar market has shown a significant upward trend. However, high-quality cigar leaves are mostly produced in Dominica, Cuba, Nicaragua and other places. In contrast, Chinese cigar leaves have problems such as insufficient aroma, which has become one of the main factors restricting the development of Chinese cigars. Adding medium to ferment is a traditional method in the cigar industry. At present, it mostly relies on manual experience, and lacks systematic and scientific research. At the same time, the addition of medium fermentation is mainly concentrated in the industrial fermentation process, and has not yet begun to be applied in the agricultural fermentation process. In this study, the medium was added to the agricultural fermentation process for the first time to explore the possibility of the application. The effects of adding cocoa medium to ferment on the chemical composition, sensory quality and surface microbial diversity of eggplant core cigar leaves were investigated.wrapper. Method: With Dexue 7′ as the experimental material, the changes of main chemical components of wrapper fermented with water and cocoa medium were determined, and microbial community structure on the surface and relative abundance of cigar leaves at different turning periods were analyzed, and the functional genes were predicted. The results of the study were as follows: 1) The results of sensory evaluation showed that the addition of cocoa medium could highlight the aroma of bean, cocoa and coffee, improve the sweetness and fluency and the combustibility of cigar leaves. 2) The addition of cocoa medium increased the contents of proline and malic acid which were positively correlated with sensory quality, and decreased the contents of citric acid, linoleic acid, basic amino acids and aromatic amino acids which were negatively correlated with sensory quality. 3) The addition of cocoa medium increased the total amount of aroma components in cigar leaves, especially carotenoid degradation products, and changed the structural composition of some aroma substances in wrappercigar leaves. 4) The similarity of species composition between the water-added group and the cocoa-added group was higher, but the dominant microorganisms were more concentrated. Staphylococcus and Arthrobacter maintained a high relative abundance throughout the fermentation process, which may be the key microorganisms in the agricultural fermentation stage. 5) The addition of cocoa medium increased the expression abundance of related functional genes in cigar leaves, accelerated the fermentation process of cigar leaves, and bacteria played a major role in the fermentation process. Conclusion: Adding cocoa medium in the agricultural fermentation stage, the changes of bacterial community and dominant flora on the surface of cigar leaves are the main factors affecting their internal chemical components, and the addition of media has a positive effect on tobacco fermentation.
Thermal Tides on Mars Before and During the 2018 Global Dust Event as Observed by TIRVIM‐ACS Onboard ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

Migrating tides dominate the tropical climate on Mars and are known to reach high amplitudes during global dust events (GDE). In this study, we characterize the amplitude, phase and vertical wavelength of the diurnal and semidiurnal migrating tides in Mars' lower atmosphere (up to 50 km) by exploiting temperature vertical profiles retrieved from TIRVIM, an infrared spectrometer onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter covering multiple local times. Observations from the Mars Climate Sounder onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are used to complement the local time coverage when needed, and to estimate a seasonal trend to subtract from TIRVIM observations. We focus on two time periods in Martian Year 34, near Ls = 150° and near Ls = 200° (during the 2018 GDE). The characteristics of the migrating tides at Ls = 150° agree very well with tidal theory: a downward propagation, amplitudes of typically 2–5 K, and a larger vertical wavelength for the semidiurnal compared to the diurnal mode. Comparisons with model predictions from the Mars Planetary Climate Model reveal an excellent agreement, except for a slightly different phase of the diurnal tide. During the GDE, the tide pattern changes spectacularly: the diurnal tide amplitude reaches 35 K at 65°S and 17 K at 50°N, being vertically trapped up to 10 Pa. The semidiurnal tide is maximum near 20–30°S with an amplitude of 8–12 K. The phase of this mode is tilted with latitude, which was not the case before the storm. This indicates a significant contribution of the asymmetric Hough modes due to hemispheric asymmetry in the dust distribution.
Case report: Granzyme-B expression by T- and B- cells during severe AQP4-positive Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder with fatal venous thromboembolism outcome

Background The expression of serine protease granzyme-B (GzmB) by circulating CD8+ T lymphocytes has been recently suggested as a biomarker for poor immunotherapy response and severe disability in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). In parallel, venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been reported mainly in NMOSD patients exhibiting transverse myelitis. Case presentation Here, we describe an Aquaporin-4 positive (AQP4-positive) NMOSD patient who showed short myelitis (SM) and experienced a fatal pulmonary thromboembolism/lower extremity deep vein thrombosis during anti-CD20 treatment. Flow cytometry analyses from the peripheral blood revealed an enhanced cytotoxic behavior through circulating CD8+GzmB+ T, CD4+GzmB+ T lymphocytes, and residual CD19+GzmB+ B cells. Conclusions Fatal VTE may be a rare outcome, particularly in patients exhibiting SM, and may share poorly understood immunological mechanisms with AQP4-positive NMOSD severity.
Multimodal Boosting: Addressing Noisy Modalities and Identifying Modality Contribution

In multimodal representation learning, different modalities do not contribute equally. Especially when learning with noisy modalities that convey non-discriminative information, the prediction based on multimodal representation is often biased and even ignores the knowledge from informative modalities. In this paper, we aim to address the noisy modality problem and balance the contributions of multiple modalities dynamically in a parallel format. Specifically, we construct multiple base learners and formulate our framework as a boosting-like algorithm, where different base learners focus on different aspects of multimodal learning. To identify the contributions of individual base learners, we develop a contribution learning network that dynamically determines the contribution and noise level of each base learner. In contrast to the commonly considered attention mechanism, we define the transformation of predictive loss as the supervision signal to train the contribution learning network, which enables more accurate learning of modality importance. We derive the final prediction by incorporating the predictions of base learners based on their contributions. Notably, different from late fusion, we devise a multimodal base learner to explore the cross-modal interactions. To update the network, we design the ‘complementary update mechanism’, where for each base learner, we assign higher weights to those samples that are incorrectly predicted by other base learners. In this way, we can leverage the available information to correctly predict each sample to the utmost extent and enable different base learners to learn different aspects of multimodal information. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior performance on multimodal sentiment analysis and emotion recognition.
Influence of water temperature and beaver ponds on Lahontan cutthroat trout in a high-desert stream, southeastern Oregon

approved ___________________________________________ Robert E. Gresswell ___________________________________________ William J. Liss The distribution of Lahontan cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi was assessed in a high-desert stream in southeastern Oregon where beaver Castor canadensis are abundant. Longitudinal patterns of beaver ponds, habitat, temperature, and Lahontan cutthroat trout age group distribution were identified throughout Willow Creek. Three distinct stream segments were classified based on geomorphological characteristics. Four beaver-pond and four free-flowing sample sections were randomly located in each of the three stream segments. Beavers substantially altered the physical habitat of Willow Creek increasing the depth and width of available habitat. In contrast, there was no measurable effect on water temperature. The total number of Lahontan cutthroat trout per meter was significantly higher in beaver ponds than free-flowing sections. Although density (fish/ m) showed no statistically significant (P < 0.05) increase, values in beaver ponds were two-fold those of free-flowing sections. Age-1 and young-of-the-year trout were absent or in very low numbers in lower Willow Creek because of elevated temperatures, but high numbers of age-2 and 3 (adults) Lahontan cutthroat trout were found in beaver ponds where water temperatures reached lethal levels (>24°C). Apparently survival was greater in beaver ponds than free-flowing sections as temperatures approach lethal limits. ©Copyright by Andrew G. Talabere November 21, 2002 All Rights Reserved Influence of Water Temperature and Beaver Ponds on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in a HighDesert Stream, Southeastern Oregon by Andrew G. Talabere
Trends in the study of presolar dust grains from primitive meteorites

Abstract— A series of trends can be discerned in the study of presolar dust grains from primitive meteorites, and these trends might give us hints in which direction this new field of astronomy is developing. They include: (1) a focus on ever smaller components of meteorites; (2) a shift from the study of the elemental abundances in the solar system to the study of isotopic abundances; (3) a shift of emphasis from averages of the isotopic abundances as represented by the whole solar system to individual isotopic components preserved in circumstellar dust grains; (4) the preferential study of rare types of presolar dust grains; (5) the emergence of new technical capabilities for the study of individual presolar dust grains; examples include isotopic imaging and resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS); and (6) a shift from a situation in which grain data confirm previously held theoretical ideas to a situation in which the experimental data impose new constraints on theoretical models of nucleosynthesis, stellar mixing and grain formation in stellar outflows. In other words, the data do not confirm but drive the theory. An example is the distribution of Si isotopic ratios in individual mainstream SiC grains for which many different theoretical explanations have been offered.
Phase Shifting Approaches and Multi-Channel Interferograms Position Registration for Simultaneous Phase-Shifting Interferometry: A Review

Simultaneous phase-shifting interferometry (SPSI) can simultaneously obtain multiple phase-shifted interferograms and can realize the dynamic wavefront measurement with the use of a phase-shifting algorithm. From the respect of a beam-splitting technique and phase shift achievement of the phase-shifting units, research progress on spatial phase shifting approaches for SPSI systems are classified and summarized, and the key problem affecting SPSI technology is discussed. To ensure the measurement accuracy, it is necessary to perform accurate position registration for multi-channel phase-shifted interferograms before the implementation of a phase-shifting algorithm, and so, the methods of position registration for multi-channel interferograms are also reviewed. This review is expected to prompt research on related fields of phase-shifting interferometry.
Change of rapid temporal recalibration magnitude for audiovisual asynchrony with modulation of temporal binding window width: A preliminary investigation

The subjective synchrony perception for audiovisual stimuli is affected by previous temporal information. The point of subjective simultaneity is shifted toward the same asynchronous direction of audiovisual stimuli in a previous trial. This phenomenon is called “rapid temporal recalibration. ” The factors that modulate the magnitude of rapid temporal recalibration have not been fully investigated. Previously, a positive correlation has been found between the magnitude of rapid temporal recalibration and the width of the temporal binding window (TBW). This preliminary study examined the causal relationship between TBW size and rapid recalibration magnitude using a single experimental group comparison design. In this experiment, the magnitude of rapid recalibration was compared before and after perceptual training, which narrowed the TBW width. The results indicated that the magnitude of rapid recalibration was reduced by perceptual training. Therefore, it was speculated that TBW size determined the magnitude of rapid recalibration. This causal relationship helps elucidate the mechanisms of the adaptation for temporal lags between visual and auditory sensations.