Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis, In Silico and Pharmacological Evaluation of New Thiazolidine-4-Carboxylic Acid Derivatives Against Ethanol-Induced Neurodegeneration and Memory Impairment

Introduction Several studies revealed that alcohol utilization impairs memory in adults; however, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The production of inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a major role in neurodegeneration, which leads to memory impairment. Therefore, targeting neuroinflammation and oxidative distress could be a useful strategy for abrogating the hallmarks of ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. Moreover, several studies have demonstrated multiple biological activities of thiazolidine derivatives including neuroprotection. Methods In the current study, we synthesized ten (10) new thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid derivatives (P1-P10), characterized their synthetic properties using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and carbon-13 NMR, and further investigated the neuroprotective potential of these compounds in an ethanol-induced neuroinflammation model. Results Our results suggested altered levels of antioxidant enzymes associated with an elevated level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor-κB (p-NF-κB), pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in ethanol-treated animals. Ethanol treatment also led to memory impairment in rats, as assessed by behavioral tests. To further support our notion, we performed molecular docking studies, and all synthetic compounds exhibited a good binding affinity with a fair bond formation with selected targets (NF-κB, TLR4, NLRP3, and COX-2). Discussion Overall, our results revealed that these derivatives may be beneficial in reducing neuroinflammation by acting on different stages of inflammation. Moreover, P8 and P9 treatment attenuated the neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and memory impairment caused by ethanol.
Distribution of Macrophytes in River Narmada near Water Intake Point

Rivers have always been the most important fresh water resources. Along the banks of rivers ancient civilizations have flourished and still most of the developmental activities are dependent. Rivers support vast biodiversity of flora and fauna which provide food & shelter to aquatic organisms. Aquatic macrophytes are group of large macroscopic photosynthetic organisms usually growing with their roots in soil or water. Macrophytes provide habitat to aquatic organisms also help in maintaining water quality, nutrient cycling and stabilizing river banks. Present study was carried out on the distribution of macrophytes near water intake point in river Narmada. Present study depicted about the loss of macrophytic distribution in lower reaches of water intake point in river Narmada in conjunction with some physicochemical parameters of water quality. Key Words : River Narmada, Water Intake Point, Aquatic Macrophytes, Water quality.
Characteristics of Khumbu Glacier, Nepal Himalaya: recent change in the debris-covered area

Abstract Using satellite data, the longitudinal distribution of the ablation rate and flow velocity were estimated for the ablation area, where glacier ice is covered with supraglacial debris. The ablation rate, small around Everest Base Camp (EBC) just below the equilibrium line, increased down-glacier for about 3 km, then decreased gradually toward the apparent terminus, located about 10 km from EBC. The velocity decreased almost linearly from EBC to the terminus. The results allowed estimation of the recent change of ice thickness using the continuity equation. The glacier has thinned recently in the ablation area. The rate of thinning was large near EBC, where the surface is either bare ice or covered with very thin debris cover, but relatively small and rather uniform at lower sites, where the supraglacial debris layer was thick and supraglacial lakes and ice cliffs predominate. The general pattern is compatible with field observations.
Characterisation of Indian gut microbiome for B-vitamin production and its comparison with Chinese cohort

The human gut microbiota can biosynthesize essential micronutrients such as B-vitamins and is also known for its metabolic cooperative behaviour. The present study characterises such B-vitamin biosynthesizers, their biosynthetic pathways, explores their prevalence and abundance, examines how lifestyle or diet affects them in multiple Indian cohorts and compares it with the Chinese cohort. To achieve this, publicly available faecal metagenome data of healthy individuals from multiple Indian (two urban and three tribal populations) and a Chinese cohort were analysed. The distribution of prevalence and abundance of B-vitamin biosynthesizers showed similar profiles to that of the entire gut community of the Indian cohort, and there were 28 B-vitamin biosynthesizers that had modest or higher prevalence and abundance. The omnivorous diet affected only the prevalence of a few B-vitamin biosynthesizers; however, lifestyle and/or location affected both prevalence and abundance. A comparison with the Chinese cohort showed that fourteen B-vitamin biosynthesizers were significantly more prevalent and abundant in Chinese as compared with Indian samples (False Discovery Rate (FDR) <= 0·05). The metabolic potential of the entire gut community for B-vitamin production showed that within India, the tribal cohort has a higher abundance of B-vitamin biosynthesis pathways as compared with two urban cohorts namely, Bhopal and Kasargod, and comparison with the Chinese cohort revealed a higher abundance in the latter group. Potential metabolic cooperative behaviour of the Indian gut microbiome for biosynthesis of the B-vitamins showed multiple pairs of species showed theoretical complementarity for complete biosynthetic pathways genes of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenate.
Seasonal variation in surface‐subsurface water exchange and lateral hyporheic area of two stream‐aquifer systems

We used two‐dimensional unconfined transient groundwater flow models to investigate the interface between stream and groundwater flow systems, or hyporheic zone, of two first‐order streams that drain catchments with distinctly different alluvial sediments and bedrock lithology. Particle tracking showed that lateral hyporheic area (planimetric area of flow paths lateral to the stream that are recharged by and return to the stream with travel times of 10 days or less) differed between the two study streams and varied with discharge within each system. At the Rio Calaveras (welded tuff), lateral hyporheic area ranged from 1.7 to 4 m2 over the annual cycle. In the Aspen Creek system (sandstone), lateral hyporheic area (1–1.5 m2) was restricted to roughly half of that observed at Rio Calaveras. The size of the hyporheic zone lateral to the streams at both sites decreased by approximately 50% during high flows. Sensitivity analyses indicated that changes in the hydraulic conductivity of alluvial and streambed sediments and variation in recharge rates have greatest impact on the magnitude, direction, and spatial distribution of stream‐groundwater exchange.
Trace Gas Emissions From a Mid-Latitude Prescribed Chaparral Fire

Gas samples were collected in smoke plumes over the San Dimas Experimental Forest during a 400-acre prescribed chaparral fire on December 12, 1986. A helicopter was used to collect gas samples over areas of vigorous flaming combustion and over areas of mixed stages (vigorous/transitional/smoldering) of combustion. Sampling was conducted at altitudes as low as 35 m and as high as 670 m above ground level. The samples, collected in 20-L Tedlar bags, were returned by helicopter to our field laboratory and immediately transferred to electropolished stainless steel canisters. Analyses for the trace gases carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), total nonmethane hydrocarbons (TNMHC), and nitrous oxide (N20) were performed within hours after collection. Samples of gas were also collected upwind of the burn and analyzed to determine ambient background levels. Mean emissionr atios (AX/ACO2, where X is equal to each speciesv, ol/vol) determinedf or theseg ases relative to CO2 were generally lower (except for N20 ) than mean emission ratios previously reported for large biomass-burning field experiments No substantial differences in CO2 normalized emission ratios for these gases (except for N20) were determined when samples from vigorously flaming and mixed stages of combustion were compared. Emissions from flaming portions of chaparral, however, would be expected to release disporportionately larger volumes of trace gases into the sampled smoke plumes. This, coupled with the very high surface-to-volume fuel ratio typical of a chaparral fire (which minimizes the smoldering stage), may have accounted for the consistency in the emission ratios.
Estimation of daily-integrated PAR from sparse satellite observations: comparison of temporal scaling methods

Incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is a critical parameter for modelling ecosystem productivity. An algorithm for estimating instantaneous PAR from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data was developed earlier; however, daily-integrated PAR is more meaningful than instantaneous PAR in many cases because many land surface models require a daily or coarser temporal resolution. This paper compares two different algorithms (adjusted sinusoidal interpolation and look-up table) for estimating daily-integrated PAR from instantaneous PAR values. Statistical analysis of the validation results indicates that the look-up table method more accurately estimates daily-integrated PAR than the use of adjusted sinusoidal interpolation. We also investigated how window size, daytime length and the number of overpass counts per day affect bias and the relative error of estimation. Validation using field measurements, and comparison with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites PAR product, demonstrates that data collected by MODIS can be used to provide reliable estimates of daily-integrated PAR.
Microneedles for oral mucosal delivery – Current trends and perspective on future directions

ABSTRACT Introduction Oral cavity drug and vaccine delivery has the potential for local targeting, dose reduction, minimization of systemic side effects, and generation of mucosal immunity. To overcome current limitations of delivery into the oral cavity mucosa, microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a promising technology. Areas covered We reviewed the literature on MN application in the oral cavity, including in vitro studies, in vivo animal studies, and human clinical trials. Expert opinion MNs are sufficiently robust to cross the oral cavity epithelium and nearly painless when applied to different parts of the human oral mucosa including the lip, cheek, tongue, and palate. In recent years, MNs have been evaluated for different applications, including vaccination, topical anesthetic delivery, and treatment of local oral pathologies such as oral lesions or carcinomas. MNs are attractive because they have the potential to produce a better treatment outcome with reduced side effects. Over the coming years, we project a significant increase in research related to the development of MNs for use in dentistry and other medical conditions of the mouth.
Experimental analysis of size and distance of travel of unconstrained particles in interrill flow

The travel distances of particles ranging in size from 2.88 mm to 10.63 mm were investigated in laboratory simulations of interrill overland flow. Using travel distances scaled for differences among the experiments in flow and rainfall energy, a relationship between distance traveled and particle size is obtained that shows a steep reduction in travel distance with increase in particle size. Travel distance is the outcome of two probabilities: that of moving and that of coming to rest. In interrill flow, the former is controlled by rainfall energy, but the latter is controlled by flow energy. Analysis of subsets of the data in which only rainfall or flow energy varied shows that the steep reduction in travel distance with particle size is primarily due to sensitivity to flow energy. Although particle movement (entrainment) by rainfall energy does vary with particle size, the sensitivity is less.
School Travel Modes in Brisbane

This study investigates school travel from four schools in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Documented evidence reveals that far fewer children are cycling or walking to school than in previous generations, and that more and more are being driven to school by car. This shift in travel behaviour is claimed to be contributing to declining levels of physical activity in children, and the associated detrimental effects on health. Regular cycling or walking to school is held up as providing an important opportunity for children to stay active. In this study, links between school travel modes and the built environment are investigated. The study additionally investigates the role that parents play in determining the mode their children travel by. Results show that the majority of students travelled by car both to and from school. Further analysis was able to demonstrate that schools in different locations have different travel patterns, with two schools in suburban areas having higher percentages of car travel, compared to schools in the inner city and in a master planned development. However, despite the influence of the built environment, the most common reasons for car use related to parental safety concerns.
Subcutaneous wound infiltration of ketamine is superior to bupivacaine in terms of pain perception and opioid consumption after cesarean section: a double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to evaluate the analgesic efficiency of SC ketamine, either alone or in combination with bupivacaine, following CS by means of postoperative pain and opioid need. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and twenty women were allocated into 4 groups in this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Group K (Ketamine, n=30) received SC 1 mg/kg ketamine. Group B (Bupivacaine, n=30) received SC 20 mL bupivacaine 0.5%. Group KB (Ketamine+Bupivacaine, n=30) received SC ketamine 1 mg/kg plus SC 20 mL bupivacaine 0.5%. Group P (Placebo, n=30) received SC 30 mL 0.9% saline (placebo). RESULTS VAS scores at resting and on coughing and analgesic consumptions were compared. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores at rest and coughing, at 15 and 60 minutes, and 2, 6 and 12 hours, and total opioid necessity were measured. VAS scores at rest in Group P were higher than in Group KB at the 6th hour, while lower in Group K and Group KB than in Groups B or P at the 12th hour. Patients receiving placebo had higher coughing VAS scores than those receiving ketamine or ketamine+bupivacaine at 2nd, 6th and 12th hours. Patients in Groups P and B required higher doses of morphine than those in groups K or KB. CONCLUSIONS Subcutaneous ketamine, either alone or in combination with bupivacaine, provides a better postoperative pain relief and reduces postoperative opioid consumption when compared to use of bupivacaine alone.
Snow glacier melt estimation in tropical Andean glaciers using artificial neural networks

Snow and glacier melt (SGM) estimation plays an important role in water resources management. Although melting process can be modelled by energy balance methods, such studies require detailed data, which is rarely available. Hence, new and simpler approaches are needed for SGM es- timations. The present study aims at developing an artificial neural networks (ANN) based technique for estimating the energy available for melt (EAM) and SGM rates using avail- able and easy to obtain data such as temperature, short-wave radiation and relative humidity. Several ANN and multiple linear regression models (MLR) were developed to repre- sent the energy fluxes and estimate the EAM. The models were trained using measured data from the Zongo glacier located in the outer tropics and validated against measured data from the Antizana glacier located in the inner tropics. It was found that ANN models provide a better generalisa- tion when applied to other data sets. The performance of the models was improved by including Antizana data into the training set, as it was proved to provide better results than other techniques like the use of a prior logarithmic transfor- mation. The final model was validated against measured data from the Alpine glaciers Argenti` ere and Saint-Sorlin. Then, the models were applied for the estimation of SGM at Con- doriri glacier. The estimated SGM was compared with SGM estimated by an enhanced temperature method and proved to have the same behaviour considering temperature sensibility. Moreover, the ANN models have the advantage of direct ap- plication, while the temperature method requires calibration of empirical coefficients.
Momentum fluxes through sheared oceanic thermohaline steps

Measurements of microscale velocity shear in an oceanic, diffusive-convective staircase in an environment with a large applied mean shear are presented. The observed enhancement of shear at high-gradient interfaces separating the homogeneous convecting layers is consistent with stress continuity, where the effective viscosity of the convecting layers is much greater than the viscosity in the interfaces. For the staircase described, the effective mean viscosity is O(10−4) m2s−1, which is at least an order of magnitude larger than would be expected in the absence of the double-diffusive convection. The dynamic stability of the interfaces, as parameterized by the gradient Richardson number, is reduced significantly by the addition of the enhanced mean shear to the time-dependent interfacial shear that is due to convective eddies in the adjacent layers. Hence, not only the momentum flux but also the scalar (heat and salt) fluxes are increased by the interaction of mean shear with diffusive convection. For the present study, the effective Prandtl number for the staircase is between 1 and 3.
Detailed data for 259 fireballs from the Canadian camera network and inferences concerning the influx of large meteoroids

Abstract— We present data for 259 meteoric fireballs observed with the Canadian camera network, including velocities, heights, orbits, luminosities along each trail, estimates of preatmospheric masses and surviving meteorites (if any) as well as membership in meteor showers. Some 213 of the events comprise an unbiased sample of the 754 fireballs observed in a total of 1.51 × 1010 km2 h of clear-sky observations. The number of fireballs and the amount of clear sky in which they were recorded are given for each day of the year. We find at least 37% of the unbiased sample are members of some 15 recognized meteor showers. Preatmospheric masses, based on an assumed luminous efficiency of 0.04 for velocities >10 km s−1, range from 1 g for some very fast fireballs up to hundreds of kilograms for the largest events. We present plots and equations for the flux, as a function of initial mass, for the entire group of fireballs and for some subgroups: meteorite-dropping objects; meteor shower members; groups that appear to be mainly of asteroidal or cometary origin; and for very fast objects. For masses of a few kilograms, asteroidal objects outnumber cometary ones. Cometary objects attain greater peak brightness than asteroidal ones of equal mass largely due to higher velocity, but also because they fragment more severely. For 66 fireballs, we estimate the meteoroid density using photometric and dynamic masses. Presumed cometary objects have typical densities near 1.0, while asteroidal values show two groups that suggest meteoroids similar to carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Our basic data may be used by others for further studies or to reexamine our results using assumptions different from those employed in this paper.
Intestinal parasitic infections in officers of the Border Guard in East Poland.

BACKGROUND Poland has experienced increased economic migration since 2021. Large waves of migrants, mostly from Asian and African countries, are trying to get into the European Union by crossing Poland's eastern border illegally. The influx of illegal migrants into Poland is the result of a policy adopted by the Belarusian and Russian regimes that are trying to provoke another migrant crisis in Europe. In the opinion of some Polish politicians illegal migration contributes to the spread of parasitic diseases in our country as many migrants arriving into Poland carry intestinal parasites. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of infections with intestinal parasites in the Polish Border Guard officers safeguarding Poland's eastern borders. MATERIALS AND METHODS Parasitological diagnostics was carried out between April and May 2023. The study involved 218 Polish Border Guard officers from the Podlaski Border Guard Unit (PBGU) and 209 officers from the Bug Border Guard Unit (BBGU), whose task is to patrol and safeguard Poland's border with Ukraine and Belarus. Faecal examinations were performed using three different light microscopy testing methods (direct smear, decantation, flotation) at the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine at the Military Institute of Medicine - National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland. RESULTS Considered to be potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites were diagnosed in 20 out of 218 officers serving in the PBGU (8.7% infected with Blastocystis spp., 0.5% with Dientamoeba fragilis) and in 9 out of 209 officers serving in the BBGU (3.8% infected with Blastocystis spp., 0.5% with Dientamoeba fragilis). There were no infections with nematodes, cestodes or trematodes in the study participants. No correlation was found between a parasitic infection and the presence of diarrhoea or other gastrointestinal symptoms within 6 months prior to the study in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Although Polish Border Guard officers deployed to the eastern border are exposed to difficult environmental conditions and have frequent contacts (either directly or indirectly) with migrants arriving from countries which report high incidence of parasitic infections, the rates of infections with potentially pathogenic protozoa in officers from the PBGU and BBGU are low and mainly attributable to pathogens which are widespread in the general Polish population. Low rates of parasitic infections in officers serving in the border zone suggest that the epidemiological situation of parasitic diseases in East Poland is satisfactory and that the disease prevention strategies (including the use of personal protection gear) implemented by the Polish medical services are effective.