Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mangroves shelter coastal economic activity from cyclones

Significance Mounting evidence suggests that mangrove forests protect coastal communities during tropical storm events. Yet, no large-scale analysis exists documenting these storm protection benefits globally. We provide global evidence that mangroves shelter economic activity during tropical cyclone exposure and that this sheltering prevents otherwise permanent losses to economic activity. These findings reveal that even modest mangrove forest coverage has the capacity to provide tremendous storm protection services, which highlights the need for mangrove conservation in many vulnerable coastal communities that have prior received less attention. Mangroves shelter coastlines during hazardous storm events with coastal communities experiencing mangrove deforestation are increasingly vulnerable to economic damages resulting from cyclones. To date, the benefits of mangroves in terms of protecting coastal areas have been estimated only through individual case studies of specific regions or countries. Using spatially referenced data and statistical methods, we track from 2000 to 2012 the impact of cyclones on economic activity in coastal regions inhabited by nearly 2,000 tropical and subtropical communities across 23 major mangrove-holding countries. We use nighttime luminosity to represent temporal trends in coastal economic activity and find that direct cyclone exposure typically results in permanent loss of 5.4–6.7 mo for a community with an average mangrove extent (6.3 m per meter of coastline); whereas, a community with more extensive mangroves (25.6 m per meter of coastline) experiences a loss equivalent to 2.6–5.5 mo. These results suggest that mangrove restoration efforts for protective benefits may be more cost effective, and mangrove deforestation more damaging, than previously thought.
Inhibition of polycomb repressor complex 2 ameliorates neointimal hyperplasia by suppressing trimethylation of H3K27 in vascular smooth muscle cells

The increased proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) after arterial injury contributes greatly to the pathogenesis of neointimal hyperplasia. As a major component of epigenetics, histone methylation plays an important role in several cardiovascular diseases. However, its role in restenosis is still unclear.
Purification and enzymatic characterization of trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate hydratase-aldolase from Rhodococcus opacus and enzymatic formation of α, β-unsaturated ketones

ABSTRACT Trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate (tHBPA) hydratase-aldolase (RnoE) catalyzes the conversion of tHBPA to 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and pyruvate. We purified RnoE from Rhodococcus opacus and characterized its enzymatic properties. It exhibited maximum enzyme activity at 60°C and catalyzed the reverse reaction, converting various aromatic benzaldehydes and pyruvate to benzylidenepyruvate, indicating that this enzyme can be adapted for the enzymatic synthesis of α, β-unsaturated ketones.
Chalcone Derivative L6H21 Reduces EtOH+LPS-induced Liver Injury through Inhibition of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

BACKGROUND Chronic alcohol intake increases circulating endotoxin levels causing excessive inflammation that aggravates the liver injury. L6H21, a derivative of chalcone, has been found to inhibit inflammation in cardiac diseases and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, use of L6H21 in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) to inhibit exotoxin-associated inflammation has not been explored. In this study, we examined the effects of L6H21 on EtOH+LPS-induced hepatic inflammation, steatosis and liver injury, and investigated the underlying mechanisms. METHODS C57BL6 mice were treated with 5% EtOH for ten days, and LPS was given to the mice 6 hours before sacrificing. One group of mice was supplemented with L6H21 with EtOH and LPS. Raw264.7 cells were used to analyze the effects of L6H21 on macrophage activation. RESULTS EtOH+LPS treatment significantly increased hepatic steatosis and serum levels of ALT and AST, which were reduced by L6H21 treatment. EtOH+LPS treatment increased hepatic inflammation, as shown by the increased hepatic protein levels of TLR4, p-P65 and p-IκB and increased oxidative stress, as shown by protein carbonyl levels and ROS formation, which were reduced by L6H21 treatment. In addition, L6H21 treatment markedly inhibited EtOH+LPS-elevated hepatic protein levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, cleaved-IL-1β and caspase-1 associated apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that L6H21 treatment inhibits EtOH+LPS-induced liver steatosis and injury through suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. L6H21 may be used as an alternative strategy for ALD prevention/treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Efficacy of deescalated chemotherapy according to PAM50 subtypes, immune and proliferation genes in triple‐negative early breast cancer: Primary translational analysis of the WSG‐ADAPT‐TN trial

In the neoadjuvant WSG‐ADAPT‐TN trial, 12‐week nab‐paclitaxel + carboplatin (nab‐pac/carbo) was highly effective and superior to nab‐paclitaxel + gemcitabine (nab‐pac/gem) in triple‐negative breast cancer regarding pathological complete response (pCR). Predictive markers for deescalated taxane/carbo use in TNBC need to be identified. Patients received 4 × nab‐pac 125 mg/m2 (plus carbo AUC2 or gem 1,000 mg/m2 d1,8 q21). Expression of 119 genes and PAM50 scores by nCounter were available in 306/336 pretherapeutic samples. Interim survival analysis was planned after 36 months median follow‐up. Basal‐like (83.3%) compared to other subtypes was positively associated with pCR (38% vs. 20%, p = 0.015), as was lower HER2 score (p < 0.001). Proliferation biomarkers were positively associated with pCR, that is, PAM50 proliferation, ROR scores (all p < 0.004), higher Ki‐67 (IHC; p < 0.001). For nab‐pac/carbo, expression of immunological (CD8, PD1 and PFDL1) genes and proliferation markers (proliferation and ROR scores, MKI67, CDC20, NUF2, KIF2C, CENPF, EMP3 and TYMS) were positively associated with pCR (p < 0.05 for all). For nab‐pac/gem, angiogenesis genes were negatively associated with pCR (ANGPTL4: p = 0.05; FGFR4: p = 0.02; VEGFA: p = 0.03). pCR after 12 weeks was strongly associated with favorable outcome (3y event‐free survival: 92% vs. 71%, p < 0.001). In early TNBC, basal‐like subtype, higher Ki‐67 (IHC) and lower HER2 score were, associated with chemosensitivity. Chemoresistance pathways differed between the two taxane based combinations. Combination of proliferation/immune markers and PAM50 subtype could allow patient selection for further deescalated chemotherapy and/or immune treatment approaches.
Occludin knockdown is not sufficient to induce transepithelial macromolecule passage

ABSTRACT Occludin, a tight junction protein, has been reported to regulate barrier function – particularly the leak pathway for larger solutes – in epithelia. Therefore, we aimed to precisely define its role in macromolecule passage at single cell–cell junctions. A combination of varying occludin expression by transient and stable knockdown including systematic seeding strategies was employed to achieve a broad and defined pattern of variance in occludin expression over epithelia. This variance model enabled us to examine occludin function in the leak pathway using global and local analysis, i.e. to analyze macromolecule flux across epithelia and macromolecule passage at single-cell level. Macromolecular flux was found not to correlate with occludin expression in intestinal epithelial cells. In fact, by spatially resolving macromolecular permeation sites using a recently developed method we uncovered leaky cell junctions at the edge of Transwells resulting in increased passage. This demonstrates that rare leaks can determine net flux of macromolecules across epithelia while the vast majority of cellular junctions do not contribute significantly. Hence, concomitant local analysis of macromolecule passage across epithelial barriers is indispensable for interpretation of global flux data. By combining this new approach with cell culture models of the leak pathway, we can present evidence that lack of occludin is not sufficient to stimulate the epithelial leak pathway.
Effects of Protein Restriction on Performances and Meat Quality of Cinta Senese Pig Reared in an Organic System

Simple Summary Fat contained in meat is an important contributor to sensory traits: it increases meat tenderness and flavor. In commercial pigs, increasing meat’s fat was obtained by feeding, until the fattening period, a diet slightly lower in protein respect to their requirements. Local pig breeds, such as Cinta Senese, are known as obese pigs because their great potential to deposit fat, which is mainly stored in backfat deposits. This study was aimed to assess if protein restriction in growing can further increase meat’s fat without alter overall body fatness of obese pigs. The normal feeding management and the restricted one were compared in two groups of Cinta Senese pigs. Results showed that protein restriction during the growing phase affected only few traits. The restricted animal was more able to use the protein in feeding, but few modifications were found in the chemical composition of meat, including the meat’s fat, that remained unchanged. So, obese genotype might be less responsive to this kind of feeding management. Abstract In lean genotypes, protein restriction during growing increases intramuscular fat content without affecting the overall carcass fatness. The present study aims to assess the feasibility of applying this feeding management on an obese pig, the Cinta Senese, since obese genotypes are characterized by great lipogenic potential often leading to excessively high backfat deposits. Twenty pigs of average weight 38 kg, were divided in two groups, the first group was fed a protein restricted diet (9% of crude protein), while the second one a normal diet (13.5% of crude protein). During finishing, both groups were fed the same diet (10% of crude protein). Average daily gain, protein conversion index, backfat thickness, carcass weight, and prime cuts were determined. A loin sample joint was dissected in intermuscular fat, bone, subcutaneous fat, longissimus lumborum, and psoas major. On longissimus lumborum, physical and chemical analysis was carried out. The fatty acid profile of longissimus lumborum and loin subcutaneous fat were determined. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance. Protein conversion index resulted lower in the restricted group, while backfat was slightly greater. Meat quality traits were not affected by feeding management. Slightly modifications in subcutaneous outer layer fatty acids profile were observed. The protein restriction during growing did not seem a suitable mode of feeding management for Cinta Senese pigs.
Management in ̄ uences on soil microbial communities and their function in botanically diverse haymeadows of northern England and Wales

The eects of management intensi®cation on the size, activity and structure of soil microbial communities in botanically diverse haymeadows were examined. Paired traditionally managed and intensively managed haymeadows, at three submontane regions in northern England and north Wales, were sampled over four seasons. Management intensi®cation had no signi®cant eect on soil nutrient status, soil microbial biomass and soil microbial activity. Management intensi®cation did in ̄uence soil microbial community structure, resulting in a signi®cant reduction in soil fungal biomass, measured as soil ergosterol content, and a decline in the proportion of fungi relative to bacteria in the soil microbial community. Fungi of the genera Fusarium, Mucor, Absidia, Cladosporium, Trichoderma, Acremonium, Zygorhynchus, Phoma and Paecilomyces were commonly isolated from litter and soil of both the traditionally and intensively managed haymeadows of the site tested. Management had a signi®cant eect on the relative isolation frequency of these fungi at this site. All commonly isolated species had proteolytic and urease activity and approximately half had cellulolytic and lignolytic activities. These ®ndings were taken to suggest that although management improvements to submontane haymeadows will induce changes in the size and composition of the fungal community, they do not necessarily in ̄uence the functioning of the soil microbial community with respect to soil ecosystemlevel processes of organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. We suggest that changes in soil microbial communities are related primarily to changes in plant productivity and composition or the form and quantity of fertiliser applied to the site. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
A novel joint ML technique for estimation of timing, CFO and channel in OFDMA uplink

In this paper, we propose a joint maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation method for determining the carrier frequency offset (CFO), timing offset and channel response for all active users in an OFDMA uplink. The method is pilot preamble-based and it makes use of the concept of signal decomposition. The problem, due to its multidimensional and multiparameter nature is computationally complex. One approach to reduce the computational complexity of this joint estimation problem is to break it into a series of one-dimensional searches. However, the computational complexity involved with such methods is also very high. In this work, we develop a new signal decomposition method denoted as MRD and propose a computationally efficient technique for the joint estimation of all required parameters at the base station of an OFDMA link. It achieves very good performance with significantly lesser computational load as compared to state-of-the-art techniques reported in the literature. Also, it offers flexibility of application to all subcarrier assignment schemes used in OFDMA systems. Performance advantages of the proposed estimation method are corroborated by means of extensive computer simulation studies.
Understanding the determinants of maternal mortality: An observational study using the Indonesian Population Census

Background For countries to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, identifying the drivers of maternal mortality is critically important. The ability of countries to identify the key drivers is however hampered by the lack of data sources with sufficient observations of maternal death to allow a rigorous analysis of its determinants. This paper overcomes this problem by utilising census data. In the context of Indonesia, we merge individual-level data on pregnancy-related deaths and households’ socio-economic status from the 2010 Indonesian population census with detailed data on the availability and quality of local health services from the Village Census. We use these data to test the hypothesis that health service access and quality are important determinants of maternal death and explain the differences between high maternal mortality and low maternal mortality provinces. Methods The 2010 Indonesian Population Census identifies 8075 pregnancy-related deaths and 5,866,791 live births. Multilevel logistic regression is used to analyse the impacts of demographic characteristics and the existence of, distance to and quality of health services on the likelihood of maternal death. Decomposition analysis quantifies the extent to which the difference in maternal mortality ratios between high and low performing provinces can be explained by demographic and health service characteristics. Findings Health service access and characteristics account for 23% (CI: 17.2% to 28.5%) of the difference in maternal mortality ratios between high and low-performing provinces. The most important contributors are the number of doctors working at the community health centre (8.6%), the number of doctors in the village (6.9%) and distance to the nearest hospital (5.9%). Distance to health clinics and the number of midwives at community health centres and village health posts are not significant contributors, nor is socio-economic status. If the same level of access to doctors and hospitals in lower maternal mortality Java-Bali was provided to the higher maternal mortality Outer Islands of Indonesia, our model predicts 44 deaths would be averted per 100,000 pregnancies. Conclusion Indonesia has employed a strategy over the past several decades of increasing the supply of midwives as a way of decreasing maternal mortality. While there is evidence of reductions in maternal mortality continuing to accrue from the provision of midwife services at village health posts, our findings suggest that further reductions in maternal mortality in Indonesia may require a change of focus to increasing the supply of doctors and access to hospitals. If data on maternal death is collected in a subsequent census, future research using two waves of census data would prove a useful validation of the results found here. Similar research using census data from other countries is also likely to be fruitful.
A Wideband Microstrip Common-Mode Suppression Filter Using Signal Interference Techniques

A fully-planar common-mode (CM) suppression filter is presented. Because of destructive interference between two different CM signal paths, multiple transmission zeros are created to reject CM signals. The positions of transmission zeros can be controlled, and the desired rejection level and wide stopband can be obtained by adjusting the characteristics impedance of the transmission lines of the topology. The design concept is validated through the development of a microstrip prototype. The fabricated filter exhibits a measured CM rejection better than 20 dB in a 44% bandwidth and a measured DM insertion loss lower than 0.5 dB within the CM stopband.
Ameliorative effect of synthesized silver nanoparticles by green route method from Zingiber zerumbet on mycoplasmal pneumonia in experimental mice

Abstract Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) can infect both the upper and lower respiratory tracts related diseases and a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, mostly in young children and adolescents. Zingiber zerumbet (L.) belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae and it is a perennial and aromatic plant that cultivates in subtropical and tropical countries. This plant is traditionally found throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific region, where it is commonly used in foods, and beverages purposes. Zingiber zerumbet is a valuable foundation of diverse classes of bioactive major compounds that fit to a varied diversity of chemical metabolites, including polyphenols, alkaloids and terpenes. The numerous studies of Z. zerumbet have shown the enormous pharmacological potential of this plant and its derived bioactive compounds in the treatment of various immune-related diseases like inflammation and other chronic diseases. Based on the previous scientific reports, there are no scientific investigations that claim the antipneumonial activity of the Z. zerumbet based silver nanoparticle. Therefore, the aim of the present study was designed and evaluated the anti-pneumonial potential of biosynthesized with Z. zerumbet based silver nanoparticles in mycoplasmal pneumonia in experimental rats.
Computer-Assisted Instruction

"For those who are interested in installing and operating CAI systems, we caution that they should believe neither those who argue that the cost is very slight nor those who counsel that the cost is inordinately high. The installation and operation of CAI courses does entail sub stantial cost, but many aspects of standard in struction also are expensive. "
Efficacy of Center for Integrative Psychiatry Multimodal Early Intervention Services in Early-Phase Psychosis on Hospital Readmission.

BACKGROUND Growing body of evidence has opened new opportunities to enhance treatment outcomes during early-phase psychosis (EPP). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Centre for integrative psychiatry (CIP) multimodal Early Intervention Services (EIS) on time to relapse in the patients with early-phase psychosis (EPP) during 12 and 24 month period. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study on the sample of 454 EPP patients (duration of the diagnosed disorder ≤5 years) admitted to Psychiatric Hospital "Sveti Ivan", Zagreb Croatia, from January 2, 2015, to December 5, 2018, for the acute treatment of EPP. The end of follow up was March 5, 2019. The primary outcome was the time to rehospitalization because of relapse during the 12 months from the hospital discharge. Independent variable was the EIS. RESULTS We analyzed 454 EPP patients, 260 in EIS group and 194 in no EIS group. After the adjustment for twenty possible confounding factors using the Cox proportional hazard regression, patients who received EIS had significantly and clinically relevantly lower hazard for rehospitalization because of relapse during the first 12 months (HR=0.39; CI95% 0.21-0.61; p<0.001), and during the first 24 months from the hospital discharge (HR=0.56; CI95% 0.39-0.80; p=0.003; sequential Holm-Bonferroni corrected pcorr=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Our study indicated efficacy of the CIP multimodal EIS in patients with EPP demonstrated through the time to the hospital readmission because of relapse during the 12 and 24 months from the hospital discharge. These results strongly support the need for implementation of multimodal EIS in all patients with EPP.
Detection of HIV Viral Load in Liquid and Dried Plasma Spots Among HIV Infected Patients in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State, Nigeria

Despite the remarkable achievement in prevention and control so far attained, HIV incidence is increasing in some countries and regions, Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 68% global HIV prevalence with women and young people disproportionately affected. As of 2014 in Nigeria, the HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15-49 was 3.17 percent. However, the HIV epidemic in Nigeria is complex and varies widely by region. To compare HIV viral load in liquid and dried plasma on filter paper (whatman 903). A study among HIV patients was carried out in Aids Prevention Initiative (APIN) Centre, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State, Nigeria to compare viral load in dried plasma spot (DPS) against the liquid plasma (LP) which is the gold standard. 84 adult HIV infected subjects were recruited for this survey with each completed a questionnaire and donated blood for the viral load assay using CobasAmpliprep/TaQmananalyser between September to November 2014. Out of the 84 HIV infected adults, 31% (26/84) of the subjects were males while the remaining 69% (58/84) were females. On the other hand, 32 of the patients were treatment experienced, and 52 were treatment naive. The sensitivities and specificities of dried plasma spots at ambient and refrigeration temperatures were 91.3% and 100% respectively (P 6.0.There was a strong positive correlation in this current study between the viral load in LP and DPS as well as LP and DPS-REFR with values of 0.978 and 0.992 respectively as well as mean loss in viral log copies of 0.261 and 0.196. In general, the result of DPS was highly comparable with that of LP, which suggests that DPS could be used as a valuable alternative in resource constrains settings. This range is useful in providing clinical guidance regarding drug regimen switch in individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART).