Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening and characterization of Sahiwal cattle calves-origin lactic acid bacteria based on desired probiotic attributes for potential application

Abstract Probiotics are living microorganisms that confer health benefits to host when administered in adequate amounts. To develop novel host-specific probiotic for their application as feed additive, the present study was undertaken to isolate and characterize probiotic strains of indigenous cattle-calves origin. A total of 55 colonies were isolated from 12 healthy calves, with 34 of the isolates being Gram-positive, catalase-negative and vancomycin-resistant. Furthermore, eleven isolates showed tolerance to acid (pH 2.0) and thirteen isolates tolerated bile salts (0.3%). Seven common acid and bile tolerance strains were further investigated for other probiotic attributes and displayed higher (p< 0.05) auto-aggregation and cell surface hydrophobicity values. Moreover, all seven isolates had potent antibacterial activity against pathobiont E. coli as well as significant co-aggregation capacity and enzyme activity. In vitro biosafety assessment revealed that all seven isolates were non-hemolytic, negative for mucin degradation and susceptible to most of the antibiotics. Based on the obtained findings, heatmap and principal component analysis identified four highly effective probiotic candidates confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing as Limosilactobacillus reuteri SW23, Limosilactobacillus reuteri SW26, Limosilactobacillus reuteri SW27 and Enterococcus faecium SW28, respectively. Further studies on biosafety aspect are warranted for the application of these strains in animal as potential probiotics. HIGHLIGHTS L. reuteri SW23, L. reuteri SW26, L. reuteri SW28 and Enterococcus faecium SW28 were successfully isolated and identified from indigenous calves’ feces. These microbes were characterized for potential probiotics attributes. Heatmap analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) was used along with probiotic attributes to select highly effective probiotic candidates.
The Situated Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills Model of HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Persons Living With HIV in Haiti: A Qualitative Study Incorporating Culture and Context

Abstract To inform a clinic-based adherence-promotion intervention, this qualitative study applied the Situated Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills Model of Care Initiation and Maintenance to elucidate cultural and contextual factors affecting antiretroviral therapy adherence in Haiti. From the 23 focus group discussions with patients (n = 58) and health care workers (n = 57), culturally specific themes emerged relating to Information (e.g., conflicts with allopathic medicine and heuristics about how treatment failure occurs), Motivation (e.g., protecting family members, health and physical appearance, material advantages, and relationships with health workers), and Behavioral Skills (e.g., managing food intake and side effects, navigating health services utilization, accessing medication, and advocating for care needs). Recommendations include: provide therapeutic education on HIV drug resistance; promote the concept of “undetectable = untransmittable”; develop treatment buddy relationships; invest in training and enforcement of patient privacy, transparency, and fairness in access to services and resources; and provide patient-centered behavioral skills counseling.
Inhibiting α1‐adrenergic receptor signaling pathway ameliorates AD‐type pathologies and behavioral deficits in APPswe/PS1 mouse model

The role of α1 adrenergic receptors (α1‐ARs) signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has rarely been investigated. Clarifying the pathophysiological functions of α1‐ARs in the AD brain is helpful for better understanding the pathogenesis and screening novel therapeutic targets of AD. This study included 2 arms of in vivo investigations: 1) 6‐month‐old female APPswe/PS1 mice were intravenously treated with AAV‐PHP.eB‐shRNA (α1‐ARs)‐GFP or AAV‐PHP.eB‐GFP for 3 months. 2) 3‐month‐old female APPswe/PS1 mice were daily treated with 0.5 mg/kg terazosin or an equal volume of saline for 6 months. SH‐SY5Y cell lines bearing human amyloid precursor protein were treated with terazosin or saline for investigating possible mechanisms. α1‐ARs knockdown mice exhibited improved behavioral performances in comparison with control mice. α1‐ARs knockdown mice had significantly lower brain amyloid burden, as reflected by soluble Aβ species, compact and total Aβ plaques, than control mice. α1‐ARs inhibitor terazosin substantially reduced Aβ deposition, attenuated downstream pathologies including tau hyperphosphorylation, glial activation, neuronal loss, synaptic dysfunction et al., and rescued behavioral deficits in APPswe/PS1 mice. In vitro investigation demonstrated that α1‐ARs inhibition down‐regulated BACE1 expression, and promoted ser9 phosphorylation of GSK‐3β, thus reducing Aβ production. This study indicates that inhibition of α1‐ARs signaling pathway might represent a promising therapeutic strategy for AD.
Rapid Parallel Morphological and Mechanical Diversification of South American Pike Cichlids (Crenicichla).

Explosive bouts of diversification are one of the most conspicuous features of the tree of life. When such bursts are repeated in similar environments it suggests some degree of predictability in the evolutionary process. We assess parallel adaptive radiation of South American pike cichlids (Crenicichla) using phylogenomics and phylogenetic comparative methods. We find that species flocks in the Uruguay and Iguazú River basins rapidly diversified into the same set of ecomorphs that reflect feeding ecology. Both adaptive radiations involve expansion of functional morphology, resulting in unique jaw phenotypes. Yet, form and function were decoupled such that most ecomorphs share similar mechanical properties of the jaws (i.e., jaw motion during a feeding strike). Prey mobility explained six to nine-fold differences in the rate of morphological evolution, but had no effect on the rate of mechanical evolution. We find no evidence of gene flow between species flocks or with surrounding coastal lineages that may explain their rapid diversification. When compared to cichlids of the East African Great Lakes and other prominent adaptive radiations, pike cichlids share many themes, including rapid expansion of phenotypic diversity, specialization along the benthic-to-pelagic habitat and soft-to-hard prey axes, and the evolution of conspicuous functional innovations. Yet, decoupled evolution of form and function and the absence of hybridization as a catalyzing force are departures from patterns observed in other adaptive radiations. Many-to-one mapping of morphology to mechanical properties is a mechanism by which pike cichlids exhibit a diversity of feeding ecologies while avoiding exacerbating underlying mechanical trade-offs.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF WAVE FORCES ON VERTICAL BREAKWATER

In this study, a series of hydraulic model tests with regular/irregular waves was carried out in a wave flume to investigate the wave forces acting on a composite-type breakwater. Waves in front of the breakwater, wave pressures on the vertical wall and at the bottom of caisson were measured simultaneously. The maximum horizontal force and uplift force were calculated and compared with Goda's wave force theories. The results had shown that Goda's theories offer higher safety factor. However, the measured uplift force was smaller than Goda's and nonzero at the land-side end of the bottom which might be caused by the path of water flow in the porous media beneath the caisson. It also shows that the results from different irregular wave train with the same spectrum are different, and thus the effectiveness of conventional irregular wave tests with several repeats of the same wave train should be reconfirmed.
Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of injectable next-generation rotavirus vaccines in 137 LMICs: a modelling study

ABSTRACT While current live, oral rotavirus vaccines (LORVs) are reducing severe diarrhea everywhere, their effectiveness is lower in high burden settings. Alternative approaches are in advanced stages of clinical development, including injectable next-generation rotavirus vaccine (iNGRV) candidates, which have the potential to better protect children, be combined with existing routine immunizations and be more affordable than current LORVs. In an effort to better understand the real public health value of iNGRVs and to help inform decisions by international agencies, funders, and vaccine manufacturers, we conducted an impact and cost-effectiveness analysis examining 20 rotavirus vaccine use cases. We evaluated several currently licensed LORVs, one neonatal oral NGRV (oNGRV), one iNGRV, and one iNGRV-DTP (iNGRV comprising part of a DTP-containing combination) over a ten-year timeframe in 137 low- and middle-income countries. The most promising use case identified was a high efficacy iNGRV-DTP, predicted to have the lowest vaccine program cost (US$1.4 billion), the highest vaccine benefit (750,000 rotavirus deaths averted, 13 million rotavirus hospital admissions averted, US$ 2.7 billion health-care cost averted), and most favorable cost-effectiveness (cost-saving). iNGRV-DTP vaccine remained the most affordable, safe, and cost-effective option even when it was assumed to have equivalent efficacy to the current LORVs. This study shows that while the development of iNGRVs with superior efficacy to currently licensed LORVs would be ideal, iNGRVs with similar efficacy to LORVs would offer substantial public health value. It also highlights the economic value of accelerating the development of DTP-based combination vaccines that include iNGRV to provide rotavirus protection.
Mental health help-seeking among Brazilian medical students: Who suffers unassisted?

Introduction: Several barriers for mental health help-seeking were identified among medical students, including minimizing mental illness. Studies examining aspects particular to those who perceive psychological impairment but do not access treatment are necessary for planning interventions. Aims: To identify help-seeking barriers based on the students’ perception about their need for treatment and psychiatric symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional study assessing 436 Brazilian medical students (833 attending the medical school = 52.3% response rate). Data collection covered sociodemographic data, mental health, academic environment, and Beck Inventories of Depression (BDI) and Anxiety (BAI). Non-parametric tests and hierarchical logistic regression were used to compare students undergoing treatment, those willing to access treatment, and the ones reporting no need for treatment. Results: Among the 382 students who completed the survey (87.6% completion rate), 38.5% (n = 147) were in treatment, and 33% (n = 126) were in need. Moderate to severe risk of alcohol abuse was observed in 45.9% (n = 50) of students reporting no need for treatment. Regression models suggested that perceiving need for treatment – whether already undergoing it or not – was associated with the severity of depressive symptoms (OR 1.14 [95% CI 1.07–1.21]), female assigned sex (OR 2.18 [95% CI 1.23–3.88]), LGBTQ+ (OR 2.47 [95% CI 1.09–5.60]) and reporting good relationship with the family (OR 0.26 [95% CI 0.08–0.83]). Models comparing students in treatment and those in need, pointed that the factors associated with lacking mental health care were age (OR 0.90 [95% CI 0.82–0.99]), perception of a heavy workload (OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.35–4.38]) and good relationship with colleagues (OR 3.51 [95% CI 1.81–6.81]). Discussion: Social variables and the severity of depressive symptoms are positively associated with perceived need for treatment. Age and academic environment factors were related to help-seeking behavior among students with appropriate self-awareness. We discuss these findings’ implications for planning interventions.
Occupational Therapy Practice in Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Québec

Background. There is an emerging evidence base about the scope of occupational therapy in palliative and end-of-life care, but little is known about this practice in Québec or barriers impeding it. Purpose. To describe Québec occupational therapists’ practice in palliative and end-of-life care and barriers they encounter. Method. Using the Québec regulatory board members list, we invited occupational therapists working in palliative and end-of-life care to answer an online survey comprising 24 closed- and 5 open-ended questions. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings. The 67 survey participants mainly optimized comfort and safety in meaningful occupations such as mobility, transfers, and hygiene. Barriers to their practice included organizational obstacles and unfamiliarity with their role. Implications. Findings highlight the need to improve education and awareness among occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals about the scope of what occupational therapists can do in palliative and end-of-life care.
Accuracy of design‐oriented formulations for evaluating the flexural and shear capacities of FRP‐strengthened RC beams

Fibre‐reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been employed in the last few decades largely for the strengthening and seismic retrofitting of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Several studies are available in the literature and different analytical models have been proposed for evaluating the FRP contribution in strengthened RC elements. This paper analyses the accuracy of analytical models widely used for evaluating the flexural and shear contributions provided by the FRP. Some of those models are included in design guidelines. In particular, the analytical models for evaluating the FRP strain at intermediate crack‐induced debonding failure are analysed. The accuracy of each formulation is assessed comparing the analytical provisions with the experimental results collected from two databases, one for bending and one for shear. The results obtained show that most of the analytical flexural models achieve a good level of accuracy and only a few models provide inadequate results. A new formulation proposed for evaluating the FRP shear contribution is shown to be generally conservative, which comes at the expense of accuracy.
Computational Prediction of Drug Phenotypic Effects Based on Substructure-Phenotype Associations

Identifying drug phenotypic effects, including therapeutic effects and adverse drug reactions (ADRs), is an inseparable part for evaluating the potentiality of new drug candidates (NDCs). However, current computational methods for predicting phenotypic effects of NDCs are mainly based on the overall structure of an NDC or a related target. These approaches often lead to inconsistencies between the structures and functions and limit the prediction space of NDCs. In this study, first, we constructed quantitative associations of substructure-domain, domain-ADR, and domain-ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System code) through L1LOG and L1SVM machine learning models. These associations represent relationships between phenotypes (ADRs and ATCs) and local structures of drugs and proteins. Then, based on these established associations, substructure-phenotype relationships were constructed which were utilized to quantify drug-phenotype relationships. Thus, this approach could achieve high-throughput and effective evaluations of the druggability of NDCs by referring to the established substructure-phenotype relationships and structural information of NDCs without additional prior knowledge. Using this computational pipeline, 83,205 drug-ATC relationships (including 1,479 drugs and 178 ATCs) and 306,421 drug-ADR relationships (including 1,752 drugs and 454 ADRs) were predicted in total. The prediction results were validated at four levels: five-fold cross validation, public databases, literature, and molecular docking. Furthermore, three case studies demonstrated the feasibility of our method. 79 ATCs and 269 ADRs were predicted to be related to Maraviroc, an approved drug, including the existing antiviral effect in clinical use. Additionally, we also found risk substructures of severe ADRs, for example, SUB215 (>= 1, saturated or only aromatic carbon ring size 7) can result in shock. And we analyzed the mechanism of action (MOA) of interested drugs based on the established drug-substructure-domain-protein associations. In a word, this approach through establishing drug-substructure-phenotype relationships can achieve quantitative prediction of phenotypes for a given NDC or drug without any prior knowledge except its structure information. Using that way, we can directly obtain the relationships between substructure and phenotype of a compound, which is more convenient to analyze the phenotypic mechanism of drugs and accelerate the process of rational drug design.
Role for Granulocyte Colony‐Stimulating Factor in Neutrophilic Extramedullary Myelopoiesis in a Murine Model of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a systemic inflammatory disease with childhood onset. Systemic JIA is associated with neutrophilia, including immature granulocytes, potentially driven by the growth factor granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF). This study was undertaken to investigate the role of G‐CSF in the pathology of systemic JIA.
Embracing Green Computing in Molecular Phylogenetics

Abstract Molecular evolutionary analyses require computationally intensive steps such as aligning multiple sequences, optimizing substitution models, inferring evolutionary trees, testing phylogenies by bootstrap analysis, and estimating divergence times. With the rise of large genomic data sets, phylogenomics is imposing a big carbon footprint on the environment with consequences for the planet’s health. Electronic waste and energy usage are large environmental issues. Fortunately, innovative methods and heuristics are available to shrink the carbon footprint, presenting researchers with opportunities to lower the environmental costs and greener evolutionary computing. Green computing will also enable greater scientific rigor and encourage broader participation in big data analytics.
Long-term Effect of Permanent Demyelination on Axonal Survival in Multiple Sclerosis

Background and Objectives To investigate the long-term effect of permanent demyelination on axonal attrition by examining an association between intereye asymmetry of the multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) latency delay and subsequent thinning of retinal ganglion cell axons in patients with a long-standing history of unilateral optic neuritis (ON). Methods Only patients with a significant degree of chronic demyelination (intereye latency asymmetry >5 ms) were included in this study. The level of optic nerve demyelination was estimated at baseline by the latency delay of mfVEP, while the degree of axonal loss was assessed by thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness between baseline and follow-up visits. Low-contrast visual acuity (LCVA) was also evaluated at baseline and follow-up. Patients were examined twice with an average interval of 6.1 ± 1.4 years. Results From 85 examined patients with multiple sclerosis, 28 satisfied inclusion criteria. Latency of the mfVEP was delayed, and RNFL thickness was reduced in ON eyes compared with fellow eyes at both visits. There was significant correlation between latency asymmetry and baseline or follow-up intereye RNFL thickness asymmetry. Intereye asymmetry of LCVA at baseline correlated with baseline latency asymmetry of mfVEP and baseline asymmetry of RNFL thickness. Latency of the mfVEP in ON eyes improved slightly during the follow-up period, whereas latency of the fellow eye remained stable. By contrast, RNFL thickness significantly declined in both ON and fellow eyes during the follow-up period. The rate of RNFL thinning in ON eyes, however, was more than 2 times faster compared with the fellow eyes (p < 0.001). Furthermore, baseline latency asymmetry significantly correlated with the rate of RNFL thinning in ON eyes during the follow-up (p < 0.001), explaining almost half of the variability of temporal RNFL progression. For each millisecond of latency delay (i.e., ∼0.5 mm of demyelination along the optic nerve), temporal RNFL thickness was annually reduced by 0.05%. Discussion Our study provides clear in vivo evidence that chronic demyelination significantly accelerates axonal loss. However, because this process is slow and its effect is mild, long-term monitoring is required to establish and confidently measure the neurodegenerative consequences of demyelination.
How Male Consumers Respond to “Enlightened Manvertising” Campaigns

The results of a survey of U.S. men (N = 285) indicated that participants’ gender schemas, hostile sexism, political orientation, and support for women’s rights influenced their attitude toward “enlightened manvertising,” which refers to advertising that redefines masculinity by promoting both masculine and feminine traits as elements of contemporary manhood. The study uses the advertising self-congruence framework, which in previous research has not been applied to the context of gender and gendered identities. The results show that enlightened manvertising messages resonate with men who self-identify strongly only with masculine traits or who score high in both masculinity and femininity. Support for women’s rights was positively associated with attitude toward enlightened manvertising. Men who expressed overtly misogynistic views more likely would have a negative attitude, as were men who identified as more conservative in their political orientation. The overall results suggest a link between men’s views on redefining masculinity and their views on women and women’s roles in society, with implications for the success of campaigns that attempt to tackle gender identity and equality.
Performance of CPHMA Incorporating Vegetable Oil as Asbuton Solution

The increasing demand for roads has an impact on the supply of raw materials, especially asphalt. Asphalt oil as conventional asphalt whose quantity is decreasing so that in the end it cannot meet the needs of road construction. Asphalt Buton (Asbuton) offers an opportunity as an alternative natural resource that will be able to supply asphalt needs. Asbuton is still not popularly used due to several shortcomings, including the need for material as an asbuton modifier. Asbuton needs for this material because asbuton has been exposed to the open air for hundreds of years so that the liquid fraction of maltene is reduced because bitumen is trapped in asbuton minerals. This study aimed to evaluate the addition of materials such as vegetable oil with 13 types with which has the potential to serve as a solvent to dissolve bitumen from asbuton in order to improve CPHMA performance. The evaluation conducted using the Liquid-Liquid Extraction (LLE) and the Marshall tests and the results of the LLE test showed the dissolution of bitumen by vegetable oil produced a high extraction efficiency (E) while Marshall test stability value had a stability value below the allowable standard for CPHMA and this means vegetable oil is not suitable as the solvent. It was, therefore, recommended that other treatments or materials are added to the vegetable oil to increase its ability to dissolve asbuton bitumen towards improving CPHMA performance.