Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bovine Ehrlichiosis Prevalence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Molecular Studies

While some Ehrlichia species, such as E. ruminantium and E. minasensis, are not popular even among veterinarians, they can infect cattle. The current study aimed to review studies on Ehrlichia spp. to evaluate its worldwide molecular prevalence, given the lack of information about bovine ehrlichiosis and the lack of previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses on this subject. In order to determine the molecular prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. in cattle, a systematic review of the literature was conducted in three databases. A meta-analysis with a random-effects model was performed to calculate the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and measures of heterogeneity were reported. Subgroup analyses were performed in terms of Ehrlichia species, country, and regions. The literature search yielded 1051 papers until August 1, 2019, with 71 studies entirely eligible for review. The pooled molecular prevalence for Ehrlichia at the individual level (N = 6232) was 2.3% (95% CI: 1.7-2.9%) with the highest value of 82.4%. Studies identified the highest pooled molecular prevalence of 6.6% (95% CI: 0.6-12.7%) for E. canis, followed by E. ruminantium (n = 4695, 75.33%) 52 studies, with 1.7% (95% CI: 1.1-2.3%) and E. chaffeensis with 1.5% (95% CI: 0.0-0.3%). Moreover, the obtained result was indicative of only one study addressing E. minasensis. As the findings suggested, heartwater (E. ruminantium infection) is a notifiable disease of domestic and wild ruminants, recorded by the World Organization for Animal Health. There is a possible risk of endemic heartwater in the Americas due to the climatic features. Furthermore, E. minasensis, E. chaffeensis, and E. canis were observed in cattle although the two last species could be a molecular misidentification with regard to their phylogenetic relationships with E. minasensis.
Operating envelope of Haber–Bosch process design for power-to-ammonia

The power-to-ammonia concept allows for the production of ammonia, one of the most produced inorganic chemicals, from air, water and (renewable) electricity. However, power-to-ammonia requires flexible operation for use with a directly intermittent renewable energy supply. In this paper, we systematically analyse the operating envelope for steady-state operation of the three bed autothermic Haber–Bosch reactor system for power-to-ammonia by pseudo-homogeneous model. Operational flexibilities of process variables, hydrogen intake and ammonia production flexibilities are analysed, along with maximum and minimum possible changes in recycle load and recycle to feed ratio for the following process variables: reactor pressure, inert gas percentage in synthesis loop, NH3 concentration, H2-to-N2 ratio, total flow rate and feed temperature. Among the six process variables, inert gas fraction and H2-to-N2 ratio provided very high flexibilities, ca. 255% operational flexibility for Ar, up to 51 to 67% flexibility in hydrogen intake, and up to 73% reduction and 24% enhancement in ammonia production. However, a decrease in ammonia production by H2-to-N2 ratio significantly increases recycle load. Besides inert gas fraction and H2-to-N2 ratio, the total mass feed flow rate is also significant for minimum hydrogen intake and ammonia production.
Characterization of the Sub-mm Delay Plates for the IOTA Optical-Stochastic-Cooling Experiment

This note describes the methods used to measure the thickness proﬁle of the glass plates used in the optical-delay line of the Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) experiment at the Fermilab’s IOTA ring. The plates have a nominal thickness of 250 µ m and the measurement was performed to verify the nominal thickness and determine its variation over the entire plate surface. All the available plates were characterized and the impact of the thickness variation on the radiation wavefront was found to be negligible using wave-optics simulation.
Bayesian approaches to variable selection in mixture models with application to disease clustering

ABSTRACT In biomedical research, cluster analysis is often performed to identify patient subgroups based on patients' characteristics or traits. In the model-based clustering for identifying patient subgroups, mixture models have played a fundamental role in modeling. While there is an increasing interest in using mixture modeling for identifying patient subgroups, little work has been done in selecting the predictors that are associated with the class assignment. In this study, we develop and compare two approaches to perform variable selection in the context of a mixture model to identify important predictors that are associated with the class assignment. These two approaches are the one-step approach and the stepwise approach. The former refers to an approach in which clustering and variable selection are performed simultaneously in one overall model, whereas the latter refers to an approach in which clustering and variable selection are performed in two sequential steps. We considered both shrinkage prior and spike-and-slab prior to select the importance of variables. Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms are developed to estimate the posterior distribution of the model parameters. Practical applications and simulation studies are carried out to evaluate the clustering and variable selection performance of the proposed models.
Phenolic Thiazoles with Antioxidant and Antiradical Activity. Synthesis, In Vitro Evaluation, Toxicity, Electrochemical Behavior, Quantum Studies and Antimicrobial Screening

Oxidative stress represents the underlying cause of many chronic diseases in human; therefore, the development of potent antioxidant compounds for preventing or treating such conditions is useful. Starting from the good antioxidant and antiradical properties identified for the previously reported Dihydroxy-Phenyl-Thiazol-Hydrazinium chloride (DPTH), we synthesized a congeneric series of phenolic thiazoles. The radical scavenging activity, and the antioxidant and chelation potential were assessed in vitro, a series of quantum descriptors were calculated, and the electrochemical behavior of the synthesized compounds was studied to evaluate the impact on the antioxidant and antiradical activities. In addition, their antibacterial and antifungal properties were evaluated against seven aerobic bacterial strains and a strain of C. albicans, and their cytotoxicity was assessed in vitro. Compounds 5a-b, 7a-b and 8a-b presented remarkable antioxidant and antiradical properties, and compounds 5a-b, 7a and 8a displayed good Cu+2 chelating activity. Compounds 7a and 8a were very active against P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 compared to norfloxacin, and proved less cytotoxic than ascorbic acid against the human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells, CLS-300493). Several phenolic compounds from the synthesized series presented excellent antioxidant activity and notable anti-Pseudomonas potential.
Off the beaten track: new insights into peroxisomal fission and protein sorting events in yeast

Peroxisomes are compartments in cells called organelles that perform many different functions. In humans, peroxisomal defects result in serious disorders, leading to early death. Peroxisomes need proteins to perform their function but they cannot make these proteins themselves. Therefore, peroxisomes take up (import) proteins from the cytosol, which is the fluid that surrounds organelles inside cells. Under certain conditions, peroxisome numbers need to be increased in cells, and one way to achieve this is by the division of pre-existing ones. This process is termed ‘fission’ but we do not understand fully how this occurs. In this thesis, we have studied details of the peroxisomal fission and import processes by analysing them in yeast. Pex11p is a protein which is important for peroxisome fission. Pex11p reshapes the peroxisomal membrane so that peroxisomes can start dividing. We investigated how Pex11p is stimulated to perform this function and how it interacts with the peroxisomal membrane. Our studies indicate that membrane reshaping occurs due to Pex11p interacting with specific regions of the membrane. Proteins destined for peroxisomes contain Peroxisome Targeting Signals (PTS) that are recognized by proteins Pex5p and Pex7p. These receptors transport PTS containing proteins from the cytosol, where they are made, into peroxisomes. We have identified that Aspartate aminotransferase-2 (Aat2p) localises to peroxisomes despite lacking a classical PTS. Peroxisomal localisation persisted in the absence of Pex5p and Pex7p. Instead, Pex20p is required for targeting. Functional analysis suggests that Aat2p may contribute to the regulation of metabolism inside peroxisomes.
Sentiment Analysis on Consumer Reviews of Amazon Products

—In today’s world, the significance of online shopping is growing day by day. The business ideas have been refashioned and completely transformed by making it so easy for the customers to purchase anything they want at just one click of a mouse button. It is becoming even more popular due to its high level of convenience. The only thing customers must have been the Internet and the appropriate method of payment. Amazon.com is one such widely known E-commerce website and it is being used worldwide. It was initially known for its huge collection of books but later it was expanded to sell electronics and other home appliances and consumer products. At present, Amazon is known to sell millions of products. This growth of E-commerce gave importance to customer needs and opinions which in turn gave rise to an important aspect of online shopping known as ‘User Reviews’. User reviews are customer suggestions and opinions about the product which helps other customers make decisions about that product. Such review systems form the backbone of E-commerce. The goal of this project is to understand and analyze the Amazon User Review Dataset with the help of different visualization techniques. These visualization techniques will help showcase various informative statistical trends which will provide us with insights about the Amazon Review system. These insights will help in exploring the possible improvements that can be done to satisfy the customers. Major work will involve empirical analysis for data understanding and exploration by taking into consideration, the various metrics related to the user reviews as opposed to sentimental analysis on the review text which aims at understanding the overall emotion of the reviews which has been done previously.
Major Stressors Favoring Cholera Trigger and Dissemination in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

Cholera remains a heavy burden worldwide, especially in Sub-Saharan African countries, which account for the majority of the reported cases on the continent. In this study, a 27-year retrospective analysis of cholera epidemics in Guinea-Bissau was performed in order to highlight major stressors fueling the trigger and dissemination of the disease. Although the role of environmental factors did not always have the same degree of importance for the onset of epidemics, a cholera seasonal pattern was clearly perceived, with most of the reported cases occurring during the wet season. The generated theoretical hypothesis indicated rainfall above climatological average, associated with a lack of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) infrastructure, and the occurrence of concomitant epidemics in neighboring countries as the key indicators for optimal conditions for cholera to thrive in Guinea-Bissau. Warmer air temperature, the increase in sea surface temperature, and the decrease in salinity in the coastal areas may also contribute to the emergence and/or aggravation of cholera events. Prediction of the conditions favorable for cholera growth and identification of risk pathways will allow the timely allocation of resources, and support the development of alert tools and mitigation strategies.
Trajectories and Determinants of Physical Activity during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Study of Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals in The Netherlands

Physical inactivity is a major public health problem, and there are concerns this might have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to identify distinct trajectories of physical activity over a 6-week period after the first restrictive measures and to explore determinants of these trajectories in a population-based cohort of middle-aged and elderly in the Netherlands (n = 5777). We observed that at least 59% of participants did not meet the World Health Organization recommendations for physical activity. Using latent class trajectory analyses over three time points, we identified five distinct trajectories, including four steady trajectories at different levels (very low, low, medium and high) and one increasing trajectory. Using multinomial logistic regression analyses, we observed that, compared to the ‘steadily high’ trajectory, participants in the ‘steadily very low’ trajectory were more often older, lower educated, reporting poorer physical health, more depressive symptoms, consuming a less healthy diet, smoking, and lower alcohol use, and were less often retired. A similar pattern of determinants was seen for those in the increasing trajectory, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Concluding, we observed low levels of physical activity that generally remained during the pandemic. The determinants we described can help identify groups that require additional preventive interventions.
Biomolecular Evaluation of Piceatannol’s Effects in Counteracting the Senescence of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A New Candidate for Senotherapeutics?

Several investigations on senescence and its causative role in aging have underscored the importance of developing senotherapeutics, a field focused on killing senescent cells and/or preventing their accumulation within tissues. Using polyphenols in counteracting senescence may facilitate the development of senotherapeutics given their presence in the human diet, their confirmed tolerability and absence of severe side effects, and their role in preventing senescence and inducing the death of senescent cells. Against that background, we evaluated the effect of piceatannol, a natural polyphenol, on the senescence of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which play a key role in the body’s homeostasis. Among our results, piceatannol reduced the number of senescent cells both after genotoxic stress that induced acute senescence and in senescent replicative cultures. Such senotherapeutics activity, moreover, promoted the recovery of cell proliferation and the stemness properties of MSCs. Altogether, our findings demonstrate piceatannol’s effectiveness in counteracting senescence by targeting its associated pathways and detecting and affecting P53-dependent and P53-independent senescence. Our study thus suggests that, given piceatannol’s various mechanisms to accomplish its pleiotropic activities, it may be able to counteract any senescent phenotypes.
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE DRYING CURVES OF FOXTAIL MILLET SEEDS IN SPOUTED BED

In order to provide a contribution to future studies of foxtail millet ( Setaria italica ), the drying kinetics of the seeds was investigated at three different temperatures: 44, 65 and 86°C. The seeds of S. italica with a moisture equal to 30% in dry basis were dried in a conical-cylindrical spouted bed during an interval of 132 min. Some empirical mathematical models were selected to describe the experimental drying kinetics data (Lewis, Henderson and Pabis, Page, Diffusion approach, Midilli and Wang and Singh) and the best models were chosen according to the statistical tests results (coefficient of determination, mean relative percent deviation, mean square root error and residue distribution), using the software Statistica® 7.0 and applying the Quasi-Newton method. Only the decreasing rate period was observed in the drying kinetic curves, indicating that the removal of moisture content was preferably by the diffusion mechanism, which is a characteristic behavior of fibrous products, like the agricultural products. The models of Diffusion Aproach, Page and Midilli were the most suitable to describe the experimental drying curves.
Procédé d'inclusion de microorganismes dans une matrice de polymère et produit ainsi obtenu

La presente invention a pour objet un nouveau procede d'inclusion de micro-organismes dans une matrice de polymere. Ce procede d'inclusion consiste a faire appel a une matrice a base d'au moins un polymere du groupe des polysaccharides et se caracterise par le fait que l'on fait subir audit polymere un traitement de reticulation au moins partiel. Avantageusement pour le sechage on additionne le gel d'une substance a grande capacite d'absorption d'eau telle que silice. Le procede selon l'invention s'applique en particulier a l'inclusion de micro-organismes destines a l'inoculation des plantes.
High Frequency Direct Organogenesis, Genetic Homogeneity, Chemical Characterization and Leaf Ultra-Structural Study of Regenerants in Diplocyclos palmatus (L.) C. Jeffrey

Diplocyclos palmatus (L.) C. Jeffrey, commonly referred to as “Shivalingi” or “Lollipop climber” is a valuable medicinal plant with a climbing growth habit used in traditional medicine. It is reputed to have antiarthritic, anti-diabetic properties and to be useful in various skin and reproductive problems. Overexploitation of wild plants and low seed germination have resulted in the decline of the species in the wild. Thus, the present investigation was aimed to establish an effective in vitro propagation procedure for its large-scale production and conservation. Nodal explants, obtained from an established mother plant were grown on MS basal medium augmented with various cytokinins, alone or in combination with auxins, to study the morphogenic response. A maximum of 8.3 shoots/explants with an average shoot length of 7.2 cm were produced after six weeks on MS containing benzylaminopurine 5.0 µM + 1-naphthaleneacetic acid 2.0 µM. After 4 weeks of transfer, microshoots rooted well on a low nutrient medium of ½ MS + 1.0 µM indole-3-butyric acid, with a maximum of 11.0 roots/microshoot and an average root length of 7.4 cm. With an 80% survival rate, the regenerated plantlets were effectively acclimatized to natural conditions. DNA-based molecular markers were used to investigate the genetic uniformity. Scanning Electron Microscopic examination of leaves indicated the adaptation of the plantlets to natural, as evidenced by the formation of normal stomata. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of mother and micropropagated plants were performed to identify essential secondary metabolites. The results obtained show that the in vitro propagation system can be adopted for preservation, large-scale production and secondary metabolites’ production in D. palmatus.
Using historical dip net data to infer absence of flatwoods salamanders in stochastic environments

Local extinction and undetected presence are two very different biological phenomena, but they can be challenging to differentiate. Stochastic environments hamper the development of standardized monitoring schemes for wildlife, and make it more challenging to plan and evaluate the success of conservation efforts. To avoid reintroductions of species at risk that could jeopardize extant populations, managers attempting translocation events require a higher level of confidence that a failure to confirm presence represents a true absence. For many pond breeding amphibians, monitoring of the breeding population occurs indirectly through larval surveys. Larval development and successful recruitment only occurs after a sequence of appropriate environmental conditions, thus it is possible for a breeding population of adults to exist at a site but for detectability of the species to be functionally zero. We investigate how annual variability in detection influences long-term monitoring efforts of Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi) breeding in 29 wetlands in Florida. Using 8 years of historic dip net data, we simulate plausible monitoring scenarios that incorporate environmental stochasticity into estimates of detection probability. We found that annual variation in environmental conditions precluded a high degree of certainty in predicting site status for low-intensity monitoring schemes. Uncertainty was partly alleviated by increasing survey effort, but even at the highest level of sampling intensity assessed, multiple years of monitoring are required to confidently determine presence/absence at a site. Combined with assessments of habitat quality and landscape connectivity, our results can be used to identify sites suitable for reintroduction efforts. Our methodologies can be generally applied to increase the effectiveness of surveys for diverse organisms for which annual variability in detectability is known.
Production of Genistein in Amaranthus tricolor var. tristis and Spinacia oleracea by Expression of Glycine max Isoflavone Synthase

Isoflavonoids, the diverse group of secondary metabolites derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway, are distributed predominantly in leguminous plants. It has received considerable attention in recent days due to its health promoting benefits and is known to prevent certain diseases in humans. These isoflavonoids are synthesized from flavonoid intermediates of phenylpropanoid pathway by the enzyme isoflavone synthase. Metabolic engineering of isoflavonoid biosynthesis in non-legume crop plants could offer the health benefits of these compounds in diverse plant species further contributing for crop improvement. The transient expression of heterologous genes in the host is considered as an alternative to stable expression, that can provide a rapid way of studying the pathway engineering for metabolite production and could also act as a production platform for nutraceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. In this study, isoflavone genistein was produced in Amaranthus tricolor var. tristis and Spinacia oleracea by transiently expressing Glycine max isoflavone synthase (GmIFS). The GmIFS gene was cloned in plant expression vector pEarleyGate 102 HA and pEAQ-HT-DEST 3 and transformed into plants by agroinfiltration. The presence of transgene in the agroinfiltrated leaves was confirmed by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The flavonoid substrate naringenin and isoflavonoid genistein were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography in both wild-type and infiltrated leaf samples of both the plants. The naringenin content varied in the range of 65.5–338.5 nM/g fresh weight, while the accumulation of genistein was observed with varying concentrations from 113 to 182.6 nM/g fresh weight in the agroinfiltrated leaf samples of both A. tricolor var. tristis and S. oleracea. These results indicate that the transient expression of GmIFS gene has led to the synthesis of isoflavonoid genistein in A. tricolor var. tristis and S. oleracea providing an insight that stable expression of this gene could enrich the nutraceutical content in the crop plants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on transient expression of GmIFS gene for the production of genistein in A. tricolor var. tristis and S. oleracea.