Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
User Testing to Improve Retrieval and Comprehension of Information in Guidelines to Improve Medicines Safety

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of user testing for improving healthcare professionals’ retrieval and comprehension of information in medicines guidelines. Methods The United Kingdom’s Injectable Medicines Guide was selected as a case study. This gives guidance to nurses on preparing and administering intravenous medicines on hospital wards, in line with standard UK practice. Three rounds of user testing were completed with 10 hospital nurses per round, using the Injectable Medicines Guide for voriconazole and aminophylline. Participants used the guidelines to answer 17 questions related to the administration of these medicines. Answers were scored for “finding” and “understanding” the required information. Semistructured interviews explored participants’ opinions of guideline content, design, and wording, with responses analyzed thematically. The guidelines were revised between rounds. Results In round 1, 8 of 17 questions were answered correctly by all participants. Participants had difficulty with dose, dilution, administration rate, and adverse effects questions. Revisions included new subsections and increased calculation support. In round 2, 14 of 17 questions were answered correctly by all participants. Difficulty persisted with dose and administration rate questions and further revisions made. In round 3, 15 of 17 questions were answered correctly by all participants. Across all rounds, participants considered appropriate subheadings and information order as important for fast location of information. Specific, detailed, and practical instructions were perceived as important to improve understandability and usefulness. Conclusions Key information in medicines guidelines may not be found and/or understood by healthcare professionals. User testing increased information retrieval and comprehension and could have an important role in improving the safety of medicines use.
Role of Lipopolysaccharide in Protecting OmpT from Autoproteolysis during In Vitro Refolding

Outer membrane protease (OmpT) is a 33.5 kDa aspartyl protease that cleaves at dibasic sites and is thought to function as a defense mechanism for E. coli against cationic antimicrobial peptides secreted by the host immune system. Despite carrying three dibasic sites in its own sequence, there is no report of OmpT autoproteolysis in vivo. However, recombinant OmpT expressed in vitro as inclusion bodies has been reported to undergo autoproteolysis during the refolding step, thus resulting in an inactive protease. In this study, we monitor and compare levels of in vitro autoproteolysis of folded and unfolded OmpT and examine the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in autoproteolysis. SDS-PAGE data indicate that it is only the unfolded OmpT that undergoes autoproteolysis while the folded OmpT remains protected and resistant to autoproteolysis. This selective susceptibility to autoproteolysis is intriguing. Previous studies suggest that LPS, a co-factor necessary for OmpT activity, may play a protective role in preventing autoproteolysis. However, data presented here confirm that LPS plays no such protective role in the case of unfolded OmpT. Furthermore, OmpT mutants designed to prevent LPS from binding to its putative LPS-binding motif still exhibited excellent protease activity, suggesting that the putative LPS-binding motif is of less importance for OmpT’s activity than previously proposed.
Electrode Humidification Design for Artifact Reduction in Capacitive ECG Measurements

For wearable capacitive electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition, capacitive electrodes may cause severe motion artifacts due to the relatively large friction between the electrodes and the dielectrics. In some studies, water can effectively suppress motion artifacts, but these studies lack a complete analysis of how water can suppress motion artifacts. In this paper, the effect of water on charge decay of textile electrode is studied systematically, and an electrode controllable humidification design using ultrasonic atomization is proposed to suppress motion artifacts. Compared with the existing electrode humidification designs, the proposed electrode humidification design can be controlled by a program to suppress motion artifacts at different ambient humidity, and can be highly integrated for wearable application. Firstly, the charge decay mode of the textile electrode is given and it is found that the process of free water evaporation at an appropriate free water content can be the dominant way of triboelectric charge dissipation. Secondly, theoretical analysis and experiment verification both illustrate that water contained in electrodes can accelerate the decay of triboelectric charge through the free water evaporation path. Finally, a capacitive electrode controllable humidification design is proposed by applying integrated ultrasonic atomization to generate atomized drops and spray them onto textile electrodes to accelerate the decay of triboelectric charge and suppress motion artifacts. The performance of the proposed design is verified by the experiment results, which shows that the proposed design can effectively suppress motion artifacts and maintain the stability of signal quality at both low and high ambient humidity. The signal-to-noise ratio of the proposed design is 33.32 dB higher than that of the non-humidified design at 25% relative humidity and is 22.67 dB higher than that of non-humidified electrodes at 65% relative humidity.
Histologia e morfometria em cornos uterinos de cadelas nulíparas, multíparas e tratadas com contraceptivos

Monteiro C.M. R. , Perri S.H. V. , Roberto Gameiro de Carvalho R.G. & Koivisto M.B. 2009. (Histology and morphometry in uterus horns of nulliparous bitches, multiparous ones and bitches treated with contraceptives.) Histologia e morfometria em cornos uterinos de cadelas nuliparas, multiparas e tratadas com contraceptivos. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira 29(10):847-851. Departamento de Clinica, Cirurgia e
Modulating flow near substrate surface to grow clean and large-area monolayer MoS2

Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is one of the most promising methods to synthesize monolayers of 2D materials like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) over a large area with high film quality. Among many parameters that determine the growth of 2D materials, flow of precursor near the surface is one of the most sensitive conditions. In this study, we show how subtle changes in the flow near the substrate surface can affect the quality and coverage of the MoS2 monolayer. We fine tune the flow of the carrier gas near the substrate under two extreme conditions to grow large area and clean monolayer. In the first study, we grew several centimetres long continuous monolayer under the condition, which generally produces monolayers of few tens of micrometres in size without tuning the flow on the substrate surface. In the second case, we got monolayer MoS2 under the conditions meant for the formation of bulk MoS2.We achieved this by placing blockades on the substrate surface which helped in modifying the flow near them. Through simulation, we showed how the flow is affected near these blockades and used it as a guiding rule to grow patterned continuous MoS2 monolayers. Detailed electrical and optical measurements were done to determine the quality of the as-grown samples. Our studies provide a way to obtain clean, large area monolayer of desired pattern by tuning the flow of precursor on the vicinity of the substrate surface even when the growth conditions in CVD are far from optimum.
Activity and Reproductive Cycles in Northern Populations of the Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon Cinereus

Abstract Surface foraging activity of terrestrial urodeles in northern climates is restricted by unfavorable conditions during extended portions of the year. Thus, salamanders should forage intensively during the short active season in order to reach maturity rapidly and gain sufficient energy to ensure an optimized reproductive frequency. We examined whether the Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, conforms to these predictions at the Mastigouche Reserve (Quebec, Canada) near the northern limits of the species' distribution. During one active season (1997), we monitored surface movements in four subpopulations by a system of drift fences and pitfalls, and we analyzed reproductive traits (testis and follicle sizes) in two of these subpopulations. Age of specimens was determined by skeletochronology. Salamanders captured during the first two weeks of October represented 63.6% of a total of 775 salamanders found in pitfalls in the four study sites for the entire sampling period. None or very few were captured in midsummer although July and August recorded the greatest precipitation; less than 7.8% were from late spring/early summer samplings. Sex ratio of juveniles was skewed toward females. Males reach maturity in 3–5 yr and seem to reproduce annually. Females oviposit for the first time at 4–6 yr but, according to follicular growth rate, necessitate another three years to produce a second clutch. However, longevity in these salamanders is only 8–9 yr. Plethodon cinereus at the study site does not meet our predictions of optimized surface activity and reproductive traits; nevertheless, populations maintained high abundance.
Assessing the Value of Natural History Collections and Addressing Issues Regarding Long-Term Growth and Care

Natural history collections serve as important sources of biological data for scientists, educators, and the general public. These collections are a crucial cornerstone for systematics, natural history, ecology, and many other specialized disciplines, whose research depends on either the specimen or the associated data. Recent studies have provided baseline information pertaining to the monetary costs associated with collecting scientific specimens and curating and caring for those specimens after they have been accessioned into a natural history collection. Here, we provide a synopsis of the primary benefits that natural history collections provide to science and society. Furthermore, given that financial support is crucial for long-term growth and care, we present several ideas that should be considered by curators and users of systematic collections.
Synchronous Oscillatory Solutions in a Two Patch Predator-Prey Model

”Populations of adversarial species in nature engaged in predator-prey dynamics may oscillate over time. This is seen best in the example of the lynx and hare. When this occurs, unique patches of species may synchronize such that populations in each patch are equivalent. Oscillatory solutions to a predator-prey model are studied to understand what leads to this synchrony. Here we use Alan Hastings’ version of the Rosenzweig-MacArthur model. A correlation coefficient similar to Pearson’s Correlation is used as a statistical method to quantify synchrony and we use this as a numerical tool to analyze our data and results. ”
Multi‐omics analysis reveals the functional transcription and potential translation of enhancers

Enhancer can transcribe RNAs, however, most of them were neglected in traditional RNA‐seq analysis workflow. Here, we developed a Pipeline for Enhancer Transcription (PET, http://fun-science.club/PET) for quantifying enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) from RNA‐seq. By applying this pipeline on lung cancer samples and cell lines, we showed that the transcribed enhancers are enriched with histone marks and transcription factor motifs (JUNB, Hand1‐Tcf3 and GATA4). By training a machine learning model, we demonstrate that enhancers can predict prognosis better than their nearby genes. Integrating the Hi‐C, ChIP‐seq and RNA‐seq data, we observe that transcribed enhancers associate with cancer hallmarks or oncogenes, among which LcsMYC‐1 (Lung cancer‐specific MYC eRNA‐1) potentially supports MYC expression. Surprisingly, a significant proportion of transcribed enhancers contain small protein‐coding open reading frames (sORFs) and can be translated into microproteins. Our study provides a computational method for eRNA quantification and deepens our understandings of the DNA, RNA and protein nature of enhancers.
Nanocomposite Fiber Based on Natural Material for Water Disinfection under Visible Light Irradiation

In the last decade, pathogenic bacteria and organic micropollutants have become a major issue in the water purification process. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a low-cost and an ecofriendly process, which provides a sustainable solution for water treatment and its utilization in rural areas. In this context, we studied the generation and the surface engineering of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/goethite composite nanofibers for photocatalytic water remediation under visible-light illumination. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated for dye (methylene blue) degradation and bacteria inactivation, as contaminant models, of the composite nanofibers. The PAN/goethite nanofibers were elaborated by an electrospinning technique, and the morphology and the composition, before and after spin coating, were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX). The results showed partially intercalated structures of the PAN/goethite Composite-nano-fiber (CNF) were identified by SEM and EDX analysis. The composite nanofibers exhibited high photoefficiency upon dye bleaching (only 10% left after 5 h of illumination) and bacterial deactivation Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens (4.4- and 3.5-fold, respectively, in less than 5 h). The steadiness and pliancy of the generated nanofibers provide a promising application in the continuous flow system.
VARIATIONS IN CALCIUM USE BY BIRDS DURING THE BREEDING SEASON

Abstract During the breeding season birds need increased amounts of dietary calcium during egg laying and nestling rearing. Passerines acquire calcium shortly before and during laying and do not store calcium for egg formation. Many passerines need to eat extraneous calcium in the form of snail shells or calcareous grit to acquire the element. However, very little is known about variation in the dependency of birds on extraneous calcium, and where this calcium is acquired. Using reports from volunteers who provided extraneous calcium sources at feeder sites across North America we documented that (1) the use of extraneous calcium varied during the breeding season; (2) the location in which species preferentially took the calcium varied with typical feeding location, aside from swallows which, somewhat surprisingly, favored calcium offered on the ground; (3) Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) did not visit calcium sites more often than other blackbirds; (4) calcium use varied among species with thrushes, wrens, and woodpeckers taking calcium only rarely, and swallows, pigeons, and corvids taking calcium frequently. The most surprising result perhaps was the very high frequency of calcium use in jays; Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) may hoard calcium in the fall. Variaciones en el Uso de Calcio por Aves durante la Época Reproductiva Resumen. En la época reproductiva, las aves necesitan incrementar la cantidad de calcio en la dieta durante el período de postura de huevos y cría de los pichones. Las aves paserinas adquieren calcio poco antes y durante la postura y no lo almacenan para la formación de los huevos. Muchas aves paserinas necesitan ingerir calcio de fuentes externas como conchas de caracoles o cascajo calcáreo para adquirir este elemento. Sin embargo, se sabe muy poco sobre la variación en el grado de dependencia de las aves de calcio externo y sobre dónde adquieren este calcio. Con base en reportes de voluntarios que suministraron fuentes externas de calcio en comederos a través de Norteamérica, documentamos que (1) el uso de calcio externo varió durante la época reproductiva; (2) el sitio en donde las especies tomaron el calcio preferencialmente varió de acuerdo al sitio típico de alimentación, con excepción de las golondrinas, que de manera algo sorprendente, prefirieron el calcio ofrecido en el suelo; (3) Molothrus ater no visitó sitios con calcio con más frecuencia que otros ictéridos; (4) el uso de calcio varió entre especies: los túrdidos, troglodítidos y carpinteros muy rara vez tomaron calcio, mientras que las golondrinas, palomas y córvidos lo hicieron frecuentemente. Quizás el resultado más sorprendente fue la muy alta frecuencia de uso de calcio en Cyanocitta; C. cristata podría acumular calcio durante el otoño para uso futuro.
Vacuolar Na+/H+ Antiporter Expression and Salt Tolerance Conferred by Actin1D and CaMV35S are Similar in Transgenic Binnatoa Rice

Key words: RT-PCR, i on imbalance, Binnatoa, t ransgenic plant D.O. I. 10.3329/ptcb.v19i2. 5444 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 19 (2): 257-262, 2009 (December) - Short communication
Energy-Efficient Single-Stage Nitrite Shunt Denitrification with Saline Sewage through Concise Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Supply: Process Performance and Microbial Communities

Single-stage nitrite shunt denitrification (through nitrite rather than nitrate) with low dissolved oxygen (DO) supply is a better alternative in terms of energy-efficiency, short-footprint, and low C/N-ratio requirement. This study investigates the optimal DO level with temperature effect, with saline sewage at the fixed hydraulic and solids retention times of 8 h and 8 d, respectively. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis corresponding with total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals in each operating condition were performed. Results showed that DO of 0.3 mg/L at 20 °C achieved over 60.7% and over 97.9% of TN and COD removal, respectively, suggesting that such condition achieved effective nitrite-oxidizing bacteria inhibition and efficient denitrification. An unexpected finding was that sulfur-reducing Haematobacter and nitrogen-fixing Geofilum and Shinella were highly abundant with the copredominance of ammonia-oxidizing Comamonas and Nitrosomonas, nitrite-oxidizing Limnohabitans, and denitrifying Simplicispira, Castellaniella, and Nitratireductor. Further, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) with respect to the operating conditions associated with phenotype prediction via R-based tool Tax4Fun was performed for a preliminary diagnosis of microbial functionality. The effects of DO, temperature, nitrite, and nitrate in various extents toward each predominant microbe were discussed. Collectively, DO is likely pivotal in single-stage nitrite shunt denitrification, as well as microbial communities, for energy-efficient saline sewage treatment.
CHOLESTEROL, BIOMARKERS AND CANCER THERAPY

Background: Cytotoxic agents contributes an remarkable therapautic features and has a fundamental importance in current cancer chemotherapy. The therapy focuses mainly on minimizing cytotoxicity and therapautic potential of these drugs is dependent on cellular status. Results: Rats administered with 0.4 mg/kg bodywt ip cisplatin daily for 8 weeks showed significant increase in Liver cholesterol content compared to control group however, etoposide therapy at 1mg/kg bodywt ip daily for 8 weeks to rats showed significant decrease in liver cholesterol levels. The cisplatin and etoposide treated kidney showed significant decrease compared to control rats. Antineoplastic agent adriamycin at 1mg/kg bodywt to rats ip, three doses per week and total of 12 doses showed significant changes in body weight and organ weight. The biomarkers of kidney γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), drug-metabolizing enzyme Cytochrome p450 & b5 and Lipid peroxidation (MDA content) showed significant decrease compared to control counterpart. However, Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) activity showed significant increase compared to control rats. Conclusion: We hypothesize that at given dose Cisplatin and Etoposide can inhibit the cholesterol synthesis and might control an increase in tumor cell growth. Additionly, an increase in GST and decrease in GGT significant biomarker's of kidney can represent the extent of oxidative stress on the organ.
Are You Prepared for End-of-Life Care? A Content Review of Canadian End-of-Life Care Standards and Competencies for Saskatchewan

Background: The provision of end-of-life care is receiving attention locally, provincially, and nationally in Canada. It is important to ensure that interprofessional standards and competencies are in place to provide quality end-of-life care that meets the needs of patients and their families. The purpose of this content review was to identify core standards and competencies essential to an interprofessional team providing end-of-life care. Methods: The researchers conducted a review of health professional associations and registration bodies that support professionals providing end-of-life care to identify existing standards and competencies. Key concepts were reviewed and organized using thematic analysis; relationships were developed; and core themes for interprofessional end-of-life care were identified. Results: Four themes essential to the provision of end-of-life care were common across all health professions: (1) access to care, (2) professional practice, (3) person-centered care, and (4) the process and delivery of care. Conclusions: Health professional associations need to ensure end-of-life care standards and competencies are in place for the provision of appropriate and holistic care. Aligning standards and competencies across professions improves the preparedness of health professionals to provide interprofessional end-of-life care.