Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation of Doxycycline Hyclate Microcapsule and Its Pharmacokinetic in Rabbit

The objective of this study was to prepare the chitosan-microcapsule of doxycycline hyclate by emulsifying cross-linking method,and evaluate its surface morphology,particle size,drug encapsulation efficiency,in vitro-release et al.Doxycycline hyclate solution and microcapsule suspension were orally administrated on health rabbits to study the pharmacokinetic of doxycycline hyclate microcapsule.Six rabbits received single doses of doxycycline hyclate solution at 20 mg·kg-1,and the other six rabbits received doxycycline hyclate suspension at the same doses.The plasma concentration of doxycycline hyclate was determined by HPLC.The stationary phase was C18,and acetonitrile-methanol-0.01 mol·L-1 oxalic acid solution(2:1:7) was taken as the mobile phase,AUV detector was used at 346 nm.Using doxycycline hyclate solution as a reference,their pharmacokinetic differences were compared.The results indicated that the microcapsule was successfully prepared.SEM observation showed the drug-loaded microparticles exhibited sphere-like shape and small particle size was about 10 μm. The mean content and encapsulation efficiency were 20.60% and 85.54%,respectively;In vitro release studies revealed that the drug-loaded microparticles substantially enhanced the release property.The pharmacokinetic data of two groups was in line with a two-compartment model.The main pharmacokinetic parameters were shown as Cmax of(1.74±0.00) vs.(1.10±0.00) mg·L-1,Tmax of 3 vs.12 h,T1/2α of(1.16±0.53) vs.(7.51±2.87) h,T1/2β of(2.19±0.38) vs.(9.00±1.60) h,and AUC(0-t) of(11.71±0.17) vs.(32.51±0.20) mg·L-1·h,respectively.The relative bioavailability of the microcapsule was 289.4%. It resulted that doxycycline hyclate microcapsule exhibited high bioavailability and was slowly absorbed and distributed after administration in the healthy rabbit.
Catalytic oxidation of organic pollutants in wastewater via a Fenton-like process under the catalysis of HNO3-modified coal fly ash

The performance of acid-modified coal fly ash (CFA) was tested for use as a catalyst of a Fenton-like process in p-nitrophenol (p-NP) wastewater treatment. The results show that HNO3-modified coal fly ash (HFA) has a better catalytic capacity (96.6% p-NP removal rate) than those ( 91% of the p-NP removal rate, revealing an outstanding catalytic stability and reusability. The catalytic mechanism of HFA was discussed by comparing the physicochemical features of HFA with raw CFA and by proposing the reactions which occur in the Fenton-like process.
The Effects of Manure Handling and Dietary Protein on Ammonia Fluxes from a Flush Dairy

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3(g)) poses an environmental concern mainly due its ability to form fine particulate matter (PM2.5 with a diameter smaller than 2.5 m) in the form of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and ammonium sulfate ([NH4]2SO4). These forms of PM2.5 may reduce visibility, contribute to eutrophication through deposition, and be detrimental to human health through inhalation. A more complete understanding of ammonia emissions may bring significant PM2.5 reductions within grasp. According to recent studies, one of the largest contributors to atmospheric ammonia is dairy cattle excreta. In this study, seven lactating Holstein cows were subjected to four feeding trials with diets containing 14.5, 15.5, 17, and 18% crude protein (CP). The first objective was to determine the effect of protein content/intake on ammonia fluxes to the atmosphere from each stage of manure handling at a flush dairy. The second objective was to examine the effect of manure handling itself on ammonia fluxes. We examined four different stages of manure handling: 1. Fresh mixture of urine and feces to represent what may be scraped from a barn floor 2. Diluted mixture of urine and feces to represent what is flushed from a barn floor 3. Solids portion of a diluted mixture of urine and feces to represent what is retained by a solids separator at a dairy 4. Liquid portion of a diluted mixture of urine and feces to represent the permeate from a solids separator at a dairy Ammonia fluxes from scraped manure began low and rose to higher fluxes and peaked at an average of 25 hours after mixing urine and feces. Fluxes from flushed manure showed the same behavior. The average pH values for the scraped and flushed manure were relatively low at 6.87±0.17 and 7.05±0.13, respectively, and unfavorable toward ammonia versus ammonium. Fluxes from the separated solids and liquid manure, whose pH values were higher at 8.70±0.30 and 8.55±0.19, respectively, peaked almost immediately. For a time period of 18 hours after beginning flux measurements from the separated liquid manure, fluxes stayed relatively constant. Compared to hours 0-9, fluxes from the separated solids manure decreased 11% in hours 9-18.
General propensity for inter-organizational environmental disclosure imitation: an international perspective

ABSTRACT This paper examines the determinants of the general propensity toward inter-organizational imitation of environmental disclosure. We approach inter-organizational imitation as the vector for change in similarity within four embedded institutional reference levels, i.e., the international level (across all firms from the six countries), the international industry level, the country level, and the industry level within a country. Our sample comprises firms from six countries, three of which are from countries within the same free-trade agreement and the other from disparate countries not linked by such an agreement. Results show that the uncertainty in a firm’s country is positively linked to environmental disclosure inter-organizational imitation at each reference level. Furthermore, the similarity existing within a reference group and the cultural diversity on corporate boards of the imitating firm are negatively linked to environmental disclosure imitation. Finally, our results show that firms imitate the environmental disclosure of firms from other countries and industries more than those of their own country and industry. These results provide enhance our understanding of institutional contexts’ role in the evolution and diffusion of environmental disclosure practices.
White America, threat to the status quo, and affiliation with the alt-right: a qualitative approach

Abstract While racial and political tensions have ebbed and flowed throughout American history, one thing makes the current moment distinct—the invasive presence of information through technology. Therefore, the polarization and bias of certain media outlets may exacerbate perceived differences between racial and ethnic groups, political parties, religions, and so forth, increasing tensions and the gaps between ‘us’ and ‘them. ’ Using qualitative data from a study of the Alt-Right, we analyze the relationships between perceptions of social concerns, feelings of status threat, perceptions of media and technology, and affiliation with the Alt-Right among White Americans. In general, we find three primary themes regarding Alt-Right affiliation for White Americans: (1) threats to us, (2) return to the good ole days, and (3) faux news. Our findings yield valuable insight into the complex relationships between internalized and institutionalized racial hierarchies and extremist ideologies for White Americans. Implications for policy and research are discussed.
In (deficit) schizophrenia, a general cognitive decline partly mediates the effects of neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative toxicity on the symptomatome and quality of life

Abstract Background Schizophrenia and deficit schizophrenia are accompanied by neurocognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to examine whether a general factor underpins impairments in key Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) probes, verbal fluency test (VFT), world list memory (WLM), True Recall, and mini mental state examination (MMSE). Methods We recruited 80 patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy controls. All patients were assessed using CANTAB tests, namely paired-association learning, rapid visual information processing, spatial working memory, one touch stockings of Cambridge, intra/extradimensional set-shifting (IED), and emotional recognition test. Results We found that a general factor, which is essentially unidimensional, underlies those CANTAB, VFT, WLM, True Recall, and MMSE scores. This common factor shows excellent psychometric properties and fits a reflective model and, therefore, reflects a general cognitive decline (G-CoDe) comprising deficits in semantic and episodic memory, recall, executive functions, strategy use, rule acquisition, visual sustained attention, attentional set-shifting, and emotional recognition. Partial least squares analysis showed that 40.5% of the variance in G-CoDe is explained by C-C motif ligand 11, IgA to tryptophan catabolites, and increased oxidative toxicity, and that G-CoDe explains 44.8% of the variance in a general factor extracted from psychosis, hostility, excitation, mannerism, negative symptoms, formal thought disorders, and psychomotor retardation, and 40.9% in quality-of-life scores. The G-CoDe is significantly greater in deficit than in nondeficit schizophrenia. Conclusions A common core shared by a multitude of neurocognitive impairments (G-CoDe) mediates the effects of neurotoxic pathways on the phenome of (deficit) schizophrenia.
The geometry of mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea: characteristics and implications

ABSTRACT The symmetrical circular shape of mesoscale eddies has been widely used in their scientific researches. Recently, an elliptical average eddy shape has been confirmed for eddies in the global ocean using multi-satellite altimeter data. As a regional extension of a previous study on the geometry of global eddies, a mean eddy shape in the South China Sea (SCS) has been derived by averaging a large number of orientational eddy boundaries. The mean shape is approximately a mathematic ellipse with a semimajor axis of 101.3 km and a semiminor axis of 61.3 km. Its size is larger than the global one. The principal eddy orientation in the SCS is 74°/254° (nearly northeast-southwest), different from that of eddies in the global ocean (171°/351°, nearly east–west). Composite analyses of chlorophyll (CHL) concentrations and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) indicate a dipole structure for circular eddies in the non-rotated coordinate system. While a monopole structure for elliptical eddies in the eddy-centric coordinate system is obtained. The results demonstrate that the elliptical shape of eddies affects oceanographical variables. The findings provide a new approach for exploring the role of air–sea interactions on oceanic eddies.
Effects of bariatric surgery on functional connectivity of the reward and default mode network: A pre‐registered analysis

Obesity imposes serious health risks and involves alterations in resting‐state functional connectivity of brain networks involved in eating behavior. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment, but its effects on functional connectivity are still under debate. In this pre‐registered study, we aimed to determine the effects of bariatric surgery on major resting‐state brain networks (reward and default mode network) in a longitudinal controlled design. Thirty‐three bariatric surgery patients and 15 obese waiting‐list control patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging at baseline, after 6 and 12 months. We conducted a pre‐registered whole‐brain time‐by‐group interaction analysis, and a time‐by‐group interaction analysis on within‐network connectivity. In exploratory analyses, we investigated the effects of weight loss and head motion. Bariatric surgery compared to waiting did not significantly affect functional connectivity of the reward network and the default mode network (FWE‐corrected p > .05), neither whole‐brain nor within‐network. In exploratory analyses, surgery‐related BMI decrease (FWE‐corrected p = .041) and higher average head motion (FWE‐corrected p = .021) resulted in significantly stronger connectivity of the reward network with medial posterior frontal regions. This pre‐registered well‐controlled study did not support a strong effect of bariatric surgery, compared to waiting, on major resting‐state brain networks after 6 months. Exploratory analyses indicated that head motion might have confounded the effects. Data pooling and more rigorous control of within‐scanner head motion during data acquisition are needed to substantiate effects of bariatric surgery on brain organization.
Effect of humic acids on species and activity of cadmium and lead in red soil

Effect of various fractions of humic acids on form speciation and activity of Cd and Pb in red soil was discussed intensively in this paper. Results showed that the addition of humic acids promoted residual Cd and Pb transfer to organic form. The higher amount and the lower temperature, the more remarkable this transformation efficacy. The acute change of the most bioavailable Cd and Pb dominantly occurred within 1 hour after the addition of humic acids and the contents tended to become stable as time went by. Fulvic acid (FA) enhanced available metals, while humic acid (HA) exhibited certain inhibition and inactivation. The effect strength of the two fractions of HA was in the sequence of GHABHA. Thus, to add red soil with the organic materials with the high proportion of HA especially GHA could decrease the harm of Cd and Pb to crops.
Biogeographic diversification of Eranthis (Ranunculaceae) reflects the geological history of the three great Asian plateaus

The evolutionary history of organisms with poor dispersal abilities usually parallels geological events. Collisions of the Indian and Arabian plates with Eurasia greatly changed Asian topography and affected regional and global climates as well as biotic evolution. However, the geological evolution of Asia related to these two collisions remains debated. Here, we used Eranthis, an angiosperm genus with poor seed dispersal ability and a discontinuous distribution across Eurasia, to shed light on the orogenesis of the Qinghai–Tibetan, Iranian and Mongolian Plateaus. Our phylogenetic analyses show that Eranthis comprises four major geographical clades: east Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau clade (I-1), North Asian clade (I-2), west Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau clade (II-1) and Mediterranean clade (II-2). Our molecular dating and biogeographic analyses indicate that within Eranthis, four vicariance events correlate well with the two early uplifts of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau during the Late Eocene and the Oligocene–Miocene boundary and the two uplifts of the Iranian Plateau during the Middle and Late Miocene. The origin and divergence of the Mongolian Plateau taxa are related to the two uplifts of the Mongolian Plateau during the Middle and Late Miocene. Additionally, our results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the central part of Tibet only reached an altitude of less than 2.3 km at approximately 40 Ma. This study highlights that organismal evolution could be related to the formation of the three great Asian plateaus, hence contributing to the knowledge on the timing of the key tectonic events in Asia.
Flashing spots on the dorsal trunk of hardyhead silverside fish

A large number of living creatures are able to use ambient light effectively in biological signalling. Atherinomorus lacunosus, a teleost fish has alignments of circular spots on its dorsal trunk. The spot consists of iridophores, whose diameters are approximately 7–10 µm. The iridophore contains guanine crystals with diameters of 1–3 µm. Here, it is found that more than one spot with a diameter of approximately 0.1 mm causes a rhythmic flashing of light when viewed under white light. The typical light flash has a pulse width of approximately one second. When a pulsed train of flashes appears, the flash repeats at a typical frequency of 0.5–1 Hz. The observed phenomenon is one example of the evidence for the existence of rapid colour changing teleost fish.
Myeloid cell–derived HOCl is a paracrine effector that trans-inhibits IKK/NF-κB in melanoma cells and limits early tumor progression

MPO in host myeloid cells has antitumor effects during the early stages of melanoma growth. MPO mitigates melanoma Myeloid cells such as neutrophils and macrophages generate hypochlorous acid (HOCl) through the enzymatic activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) to kill microbes. Liu et al. found that HOCl generated by MPO in myeloid cells inhibited the early development of subcutaneous melanoma tumors by suppressing NF-κB activity in tumor cells. The authors simultaneously imaged MPO activity in myeloid cells and IκB kinase activity (the upstream activator of NF-κB) in B16F10 melanoma cells subcutaneously implanted into mice. HOCl promoted a transcriptional profile in CD8+ T cells associated with T cell activation and in B16F10 cells, suggestive of an antioxidant response. Thus, MPO in myeloid cells has antitumor effects during the early stages of melanoma growth. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) system of myeloid-derived cells (MDCs) is central to cellular innate immunity. Upon MDC activation, MPO is secreted into phagosomes where it catalyzes the production of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a potent chlorinating oxidant. Here, we demonstrated that the myeloid lineage–restricted MPO-HOCl system had antitumor effects in early melanoma growth in aged mice. Orthotopic melanomas grew more slowly in immunocompetent MPO+/+ host mice compared to age-matched syngeneic MPO−/− mice. Real-time intravital tumor imaging in vivo and in cell cocultures revealed a cell-cell proximity-dependent association between MDC-derived MPO enzyme activity and blockade of ligand-induced IκBα degradation in tumor cells. HOCl directly trans-inhibited IκB kinase (IKK) activity in tumor cells, thereby decreasing nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activation and inducing changes in the expression of genes involved in metabolic pathways, cell cycle progression, and DNA replication. By contrast, HOCl induced transcriptional changes in CD8+ T cells related to ion transport and the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways that are associated with T cell activation. MPO increased the circulating concentrations of the myeloid cell–attracting cytokines CXCL1 and CXCL5, enhanced local infiltration by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and decreased tumor growth. Overall, these data reveal a role for MDC-derived HOCl as a small-molecule paracrine signaling factor that trans-inhibits IKK in melanoma tumor cells, mediating antitumor responses during early tumor progression.
“Breaking through the 40% adoption ceiling: Mind the seed system gaps.” A perspective on seed systems research for development in One CGIAR

Seed systems research is central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Improved varieties with promise for ending hunger, improving nutrition, and increasing livelihood security may be released, but how do they reach and benefit different types of farmers? Without widespread adoption the genetic gains achieved with improved crop varieties can never be actualized. Progress has been made toward demand responsive breeding, however the draft CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy fails to recognize the complexity of seed systems and thus presents a narrow vision for the future of seed systems research. This points to the lack of evidence-based dialogue between seed systems researchers and breeders. This perspective paper presents findings from an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 CGIAR scientists who used a suite of seed systems tools to identify four knowledge gaps and associated insights from work on the seed systems for vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs), focusing on bananas (especially cooking bananas and plantains), cassava, potato, sweetpotato, and yam. We discuss the implications for thinking about and intervening in seed systems using a combined biophysical and socioeconomic perspective and how this can contribute to increased varietal adoption and benefits to farmers. The tools merit wider use, not only for the seed systems of VPCs, but for the seed of crops facing similar adoption challenges. We argue for deeper collaboration between seed systems researchers, breeders and national seed system stakeholders to address these and other knowledge gaps and generate the evidence and innovations needed to break through the 40% adoption ceiling for modern varieties, and ensure good quality seed once the new varieties have been adopted. Without this, the achievements of breeders may remain stuck in the seed delivery pipeline.
Unsettling bodies of knowledge: Walking as a pedagogy of affect

In this article, we connect with recent attempts to rethink management learning as an embodied and affective process and we propose walking as a significant learning practice of a pedagogy of affect. Walking enables a postdualist view on learning and education. Based on course work focused on urban ethnography, we discuss walking as affect-pedagogical practice through the intertwined activities of straying, drifting and witnessing, and we reflect upon the implications for a pedagogy of affect. In conclusion, we speculate about the potential of a pedagogy of affect for future understandings and practices of management learning.
The effect of amygdala low-frequency stimulation on inter-hippocampal connectivity in the pilocarpine model of epilepsy

Abstract Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of amygdala low-frequency stimulation on inter-hippocampal network synchronization by using the phase locking value (PLV) in order to establish new biomarkers of treatment efficacy in a temporal lobe epilepsy model. Materials and Methods: The lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy was used to induce status epilepticus in male Wistar rats. Afterward, seizures were scored based on continuous video recordings. 8 weeks after status epilepticus electrodes were implanted: a stimulating electrode in the left basolateral amygdala and bilaterally two hippocampal recording electrodes in both pilocarpine-treated and age-matched control rats (N=7). 10 Pilo and 4 control animals were stimulated daily for 10 days with 4 packages of 50 seconds 4Hz trains. Inter-hippocampal PLVs were measured offline before and after stimulation trains in delta (1-4Hz), theta (4-12Hz), gamma (30-100Hz), HFO (100-150Hz), ripple (150-250Hz), and fast ripple (250-600Hz) bands using Brainstorm software. Results: The PLV before the stimulation was significantly lower in epileptic animals compared to controls in the delta, theta, and gamma bands. The PVLs of epileptic animals were increased by low-frequency stimulation in delta and theta bands. The PLVs in HFO and ripple band correlated positively with the changes in seizure rate, while the PLVs in the delta, theta, and gamma correlated positively with the changes in seizure duration. Conclusion: Amygdala low-frequency stimulation improved the impaired synchrony between the two hippocampi in low-frequency bands. The phase locking value could be useful to evaluate the efficiency of therapeutic interventions in temporal lobe epilepsy.