Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electronic Tag Retention and Survival of Giant Salamanders after Surgical Implantation

Abstract: Expansion of the habitat occupied by the hybrid giant salamander (Japanese×Chinese giant salamander, Andrias spp.) in the Kamo River of Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, has been a serious problem for the conservation of the Japanese giant salamander, A. japonicus. Thus, the movement and behavior of hybrid giant salamanders must be determined to quantify their ecological impact. Biotelemetry facilitates the long-term tracking of this species in rivers if transmitters are surgically implanted successfully. However, to use this approach successfully, it is important to understand the effects of surgical implantation and the healing process after surgery on animals. Nine hybrid salamanders were surgically implanted with dummy transmitters, while three individuals were incised without implanting any transmitters as the control treatment. Three months of observation after surgery showed that all individuals survived and retained transmitters. No hernia was observed in implanted individuals, and surgical incisions completely healed in one to two months. Body weight increased in all individuals, with no significant difference being observed in the weight gain and growth rate of implanted versus control individuals. The present study demonstrated the successful retention of implanted dummy transmitters in giant salamanders for three months without severe effects, suggesting the utility of biotelemetry for monitoring individuals in the wild.
Antioxidant Effect of Plants Aqueous Extract on Lipid Stability of Oreochromis niloticus during Traditional Sun and Smoke Drying in Far-North Cameroon

Fishes are suitable for sun drying and smoking. But their high contains of unsaturated fatty acids make them very prone to lipid oxidation. However, some plants are rich in natural antioxidants and have been shown to be potent inhibitors of lipid oxidation during processing of meat. The effect of three aqueous plants extracts on lipid stability of Oreochromis niloticus collected in Far-North Cameroon during processing was evaluated. Results show the high nutritious of these fish with high levels of proteins, lipid and ash (71.02%, 13.71% and 10.65%, respectively). It has been observed that oleic acid (C18:1), followed by palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2) are the most dominant fatty acids present in Oreochromis niloticus lipids. Their lipid also showed a much higher content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to omega 6 PUFA. The total phenolic contents (TPC) of the three plants ranged from 12,150 to 16,050 mg/100 g. The leaves of Moringa oleifera exhibited the higher content of TPC. The results of iodine, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acids test were revealed that the aqueous extracts of the tree plants had antioxidant properties. These plants extracts inhibit lipid oxidation of Oreochromis niloticus during processing. Increasing of the concentration of plant extracts enhanced their antioxidant activities and the highest oxidation inhibitor was obtained at 30 g/l. Moringa oleifera leaves inhibit highly the lipid oxidation of Oreochromis niloticus.
Flexible Transparent Barrier Applications of Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Photochemical Conversion at Low Temperature and Ambient Pressure

Photoconversion of metal-organic precursors to thin film metal oxides using ultraviolet (UV) radiation in oxidative atmosphere is an attractive technology because it can be applied at temperatures <80°C and at ambient pressure. Thus, it enables preparing this class of thin films in a cost-efficient manner on temperature sensitive substrates such as polymer films. In this article, various aspects of research and development in the field of photochemical thin-film fabrication, with particular focus to the application of the produced films as gas permeation barriers for the encapsulation of optoelectronic devices are reviewed. Thereby, it covers investigations on fundamental photochemically initiated reactions for precursor classes containing metal-oxygen and metal-nitrogen bonds, and emphazises the relevance of that understanding for applicative considerations like integration of the single-layer barrier films into relevant encapsulation films. Further perspectives are given concerning integration of additional functionalities like electrical conductivity to the flexible and transparent barrier films.
Economic Feasibility Analysis of Highway Project using Highway Development and Management (HDM-4) Model

A well-developed transportation system plays vital role in economic development of the country. The huge increase in vehicular population creates traffic congestions on city roads. Thus, to reduce traffic bottleneck, creation of new road infrastructure as well as improvement of existing one has long term economic and social benefits. The economic benefits are calibrated on the basis of Economic Internal Rate of Returns (EIRR). The Mumbai and Pune are the major cities of Maharashtra state, due to economic and industrial development in those cities faces frequent and heavy traffic jam on highway connecting to both cities. The scope of present study consists of evaluating the impact on traffic and checking economic viability of the project. Strengthening and widening for six lanes flexible pavement which named as, Mumbai Pune section of NH-4. The HDM-4 is software used for checking the engineering and economic viability of the investment in this road project. It was observed that results obtained with improvement alternatives are economic viable. Keywords— Traffic congestions; Economic Internal Rate of Returns (EIRR); HDM-4 software; Economic viability; Social benefits.
Design of cylindrical conformal slotted microstrip patch antenna for wideband applications

ABSTRACT A wideband conformal microstrip patch antenna suitable for airborne applications is proposed. Dumbbell shaped slots located symmetrically at suitable fraction of wavelength distance from the centre of the patch and a partially cut ground plane is utilised to enhance the operating bandwidth of the patch antenna as compared to the standard conventional patch. Fractional impedance bandwidth (S11<-10 dB) of about 86% with operating range 1.14 GHz to 2.87 GHz for the proposed planar and 81% bandwidth within frequency range 1.16 GHz to 2.74 GHz for the cylindrical antenna configuration (covering S and L bands) is obtained. The antenna shows satisfactory gain in both E and H planes within the operating frequency range. The radius of curvature has been taken electrically small (1.25λ) to clearly illustrate the effect of curvature on the performance characteristics of the antenna.
The Development and Use of a Color Discrimination T-Maze Learning Task in the Zebrafish ( Danio rerio )

THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF A COLOR DISCRIMINATION T-MAZE LEARNING TASK IN THE ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RER/0) by Elizabeth Ann Lamb August 2013 Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are becoming increasingly utilized in behavioral studies as a model of human learning and memory. The results of a previous study by Colwill, Raymond, Ferreira, and Escudero (2005) indicated that this species is capable of discriminating between colors and learning to respond to an assigned hue at either arm of a T-maze, indicating a learned association between the neutral stimulus and reward. While this original study showed that this task was appropriate for use in this species, we proposed that it had the potential to provide more data on specifics of the learning process with amended methods. We developed and tested such a task, including a component to determine the influence of pharmacological agents on zebrafish performance in the task by examining the behavioral effects of three alcohol doses (0.0625, 0.75, and 1.5% EtOH). No significant results were found at the group level and we observed a high degree of variability among individuals. We concluded that a number of extraneous factors likely contributed to the overall poor performance of the fish, including net handling stress and innate color and side biases. Discussion includes the role of these factors, the importance of investigating individual differences in zebrafish, and suggested future directions for this field of research.
Prophylactic Urethrectomy Could Further Shorten the Female Bladder Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis

Objective: To compare the clinical effects and safety of two methods of laparoscopic total cystectomy for female bladder cancer patients with retention and resection of the urethra. Methods: Female bladder cancer patients with bladder invasive urothelial carcinoma were selected in grade II~III from January 2008 to March 2018. Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: group A laparoscopic radical cystectomy, and group B laparoscopic radical cystectomy + urethrectomy, to observe the clinical efficacy, operation duration, blood loss during surgery, hospitalization time, and complications. Results: The operation times in groups A and B were 262.54 ± 27.95 min and 310.28 ± 32.99 min, respectively. The volumes of intraoperative blood loss in groups A and B were 439.46 ± 44.52 mL and 456.74 ± 47.18 mL, respectively. There were no discernable differences in the probability of postoperative complications in the two groups. In group A, four patients experienced bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis, and 50% of these cases had a urethral recurrence. In group B, one patient experienced bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis; however, there was no urethral recurrence. Conclusion: Although laparoscopic radical cystectomy + urethrectomy extended the operation times; prophylactic urethrectomy can further shorten the bladder cancer recurrence and metastasis and improve patient prognosis without an increase in complications. However, its long-term clinical efficacy needs further study and supplement.
Comparison of Multi Criteria Decision Making Methods SAW and ARAS: An Application to Performance of Indian Pharmaceutical Companies

While assessing the performances of companies, the decision makers to take not only a single criterion for making the right decisions in to account, but also a number of other relevant criteria that could affect the performance. Because when it is necessary to make the best selection among several option, Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods are used. This study is to provide insight in to the applicability of method Simple Additive Weightings Method (SAW) and Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method under MCDM techniques to evaluate the performance of Indian Pharmaceutical companies during the study period 2006-2019. The seventeen evaluation criteria’s were used in the application. The constructed model was analysed using both SAW and ARAS method. The study results showed that the best performance belongs to Glico Smith Kline Pharma Limited in SAW method and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in ARAS method and worst performance belongs to Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited in both methods. By comparison, both methods revealed the similar rankings of companies during the study period.
Effect of gender of new-born, antenatal care and postnatal care on breastfeeding practices in Ethiopia: Evidence from systematic review and meta-analysis of national studies

Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the association of gender of new-born, antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) with timely initiation of breastfeeding (TIBF) and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice in Ethiopia. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis Methods PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, WHO Global Health Library, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases systematically searched and complemented by manual searches to retrieve all available literature. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for quality assessment of included studies. Egger’s regression test at p-value threshold ≤ 0.01 was used to examine publication bias. Cochran’s Q X2 test, τ2, and I2 statistics were used to test heterogeneity, estimate amount of total/residual heterogeneity and measure variability attributed to heterogeneity respectively. A meta-analysis using a weighted inverse variance random-effects model was performed. The trend of evidence over time was evaluated by performing a cumulative meta-analysis. Furthermore, mixed-effects meta-regression analysis was done to identify possible sources of heterogeneity. Results Of 523 articles retrieved, 17 studies (N = 26,146 mothers) on TIBF and 27 studies (N = 17,819 mothers) on EBF were included in the final analysis. ANC (OR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.65 -3.04, p <0.001, I2 = 90.9%), PNC (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.41 - 2.47, p <0.001, I2 = 63.4%) and gender of new-born (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.68, p = 0.04, I2 = 81.7%) significantly associated with EBF. In addition, ANC (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.10 - 2.65, p = 0.02, I2 = 93.1%) was significantly associated with TIBF but not gender of new-born (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.86 -1.21, p = 0.82, I2 = 66.2%). Conclusions In line with our hypothesis, gender of new-born, ANC and PNC significantly associated with EBF. Likewise, ANC significantly associated with TIBF. Optimal care during pregnancy and after birth is important to ensure adequate breastfeeding. This meta-analysis study provided evidence on breastfeeding practices and its associated factors in Ethiopian context, which can be useful for cross-country and cross-cultural comparison and for breastfeeding improvement initiative in Ethiopia. Protocol registration and publication: CRD42017056768 and 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2017-017437 Strengths and limitations of this study This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted based on the registered and published protocol. Since it is the first study in Ethiopia, the information could be helpful for future researchers, public health practitioners, and healthcare policymakers. Almost all included studies were observational which may hinder causality inference. Perhaps the results may not be nationally representative given that studies from some regions are lacking. Based on the conventional methods of the heterogeneity test, a few analyses suffer from high between-study variation.
A multiorganism pipeline for antiseizure drug discovery: Identification of chlorothymol as a novel γ-aminobutyric acidergic anticonvulsant

Current medicines are ineffective in approximately one‐third of people with epilepsy. Therefore, new antiseizure drugs are urgently needed to address this problem of pharmacoresistance. However, traditional rodent seizure and epilepsy models are poorly suited to high‐throughput compound screening. Furthermore, testing in a single species increases the chance that therapeutic compounds act on molecular targets that may not be conserved in humans. To address these issues, we developed a pipeline approach using four different organisms.
Repeatability of combat rate across different group compositions in male house finches

Studies of animal contests have focused on the probability of winning an encounter, because it directly affects the benefits of competition. However, the costs (e.g., physiological stress) and benefits of competition should also depend on the number of aggressive encounters per unit time (combat rate, hereafter) in which the focal individual is involved. Using colourful and drab male house finches ( Haemorhous mexicanus ) from urban and rural sites, we showed that combat rate was repeatable across the same and different group sizes for birds who won competitions. In addition, colourful urban males exhibited the lowest propensity for frequent aggression (and hence low combat rate). However, male bill size (another trait we previously found to correlate with male competitiveness in this species) was not related to aggressive propensity. Combat rate can be predicted by male identity and some, but not all, predictors of male competitiveness.
Gender-related differences in the psychological impact of confinement as a consequence of COVID-19 in Spain

ABSTRACT The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a significant effect on our mental health. In this research, we aim to analyse gender-related differences in the psychological impact of the Covid-19 lockdown in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey (n = 1041) with two measurements: at two and five weeks after the declaration of the state of emergency and stay-at-home order in Spain. The presence of depressive symptoms, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), perceived loneliness and spiritual well-being were evaluated. Linear mixed models with random slopes were calculated for each variable in the study in order to analyse the effect of longitudinal measures and interaction with gender. Women showed more symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, more feelings of loneliness and less spiritual well-being compared to men. The psychological impact caused by the pandemic is maintained over time and increases for depression. Covid-19 appears to be having a greater psychological impact on women than men. More attention needs to be paid to this issue to establish the causes and reduce these differences.
Identification of novel risk variants for sarcoma and other cancers by whole exome sequencing analysis in cancer cluster families

Cancer is a genetic disease caused by an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Cancers can be caused by mutations that arise in single somatic cells, resulting in sporadic tumours or mutations that occur in the germline, resulting in hereditary predisposition to cancer. While only a small proportion of cancers are estimated to involve an inherited genetic mutation, familial clustering of cancers is relatively common. More than 100 cancer predisposition genes have been identified using a variety of genetic strategies. However, only a small proportion of familial cancer risk can be explained by established cancer susceptibility genes. The identification of genes that predispose individuals to cancer is of high importance in human medical research as inherited genetic variants in genes that metabolise and process drugs can influence response to treatment. Sarcomas are a rare group of cancers that arise predominantly from the connective tissues of the body. Despite representing only 1% of all cancers, sarcomas are a high impact group of cancers that disproportionately affect the young. While it is sometimes difficult to distinguish sporadic from hereditary cancer, rare cancer, such as sarcoma, occurring twice within the one family is epidemiologically striking. The use of whole exome sequencing (WES) in families currently represents an optimal study design for the identification of rare genetic variants involved in the risk of cancer. Families in which multiple members develop a rare form of cancer, such as sarcoma, are more likely to have a mutation segregating in an inherited cancer gene compared to families affected by more common types of cancer.
Raman spectroscopy as a tool for studying bacterial cell compounds

Raman spectroscopy is an attractive tool for microbial analysis because of the very small sample volumes needed for analysis, the minor sample preparation and the speed of analysis. Moreover, Raman spectra provide information of all Raman active molecules in the bacterial cell. This technique has already proven to be successful for bacterial identification at the species and strain level. For this purpose, Raman spectroscopy is used as a fingerprint technique. However, these spectra also contain valid information about biochemical composition of the cells. Because bacterial Raman spectra are the sum of signals from all Raman active cell compounds, they are complex. Although in literature some bands have been assigned to (specific or groups of) biomolecules, only very few studies are published where Raman spectroscopy is used to study specific bacterial cell compounds. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop methods for extracting information from these complex bacterial spectra.
Super Porous Hydrogels: A Review

Super porous hydrogels (SPHs) basically developed initially create as a novel drug delivery system to absorb and continue to hold the drugs in the gastric medium which allows absorption in stomach and upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. These systems get swollen in the stomach instantly and in the harsh stomach environment they maintain their integrity, while the pharmaceutical active ingredient is being released. Instant and fast swelling property of hydrogel is based on water absorption through open porous structure by capillary force. SPHs have the poor mechanical strength which has got over by developing the second-generation SPH composites (SPHCs) and the third-generation SPH hybrids (SPHHs). The present review has been focused on the preparation, characterization and application of SPHs.
Acetaminophen in Patients Receiving Strong Opioids for Cancer Pain

Abstract The mainstay of treatment in advanced cancer pain is opioids; however, non-opioid medications such as acetaminophen continue to be included in guidelines despite a lack of clear, convincing evidence for their use. The aim of our study was to determine if acetaminophen improves pain control or reduces opioid utilization in hospitalized patients receiving strong opioids for cancer pain managed by the palliative care consult service (PCCS). We carried out at single-center retrospective cohort study of 194 adult cancer patients seen by the PCCS and who received strong opioids. Patients who received acetaminophen during their admission were compared to those who did not. The primary outcome was a 30% reduction in average daily pain score from admission to discharge using a numeric rating scale. There was no difference between groups in achieving a 30% reduction in pain (35.8% vs. 35.4%, adjusted odds ratio 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46 to 1.63). Acetaminophen was associated with a longer LOS (8 days vs. 6 days, adjusted relative risk 1.67, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.15). In this study of cancer patients receiving strong opioids, acetaminophen use was not associated with improved pain control or reduced opioid utilization, but was associated with a greater LOS.
Microbe-derived extracellular vesicles as a smart drug delivery system

The human microbiome is known to play an essential role in influencing host health. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have also been reported to act on a variety of signaling pathways, distally transport cellular components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid, and have immunomodulatory effects. Here we shall review the current understanding of the intersectionality of the human microbiome and EVs in the emerging field of microbiota-derived EVs and their pharmacological potential. Microbes secrete several classes of EVs: outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), membrane vesicles (MVs), and apoptotic bodies. EV biogenesis is unique to each cell and regulated by sophisticated signaling pathways. EVs are primarily composed of lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and recent evidence suggests they may also carry metabolites. These components interact with host cells and control various cellular processes by transferring their constituents. The pharmacological potential of microbiomederived EVs as vaccine candidates, biomarkers, and a smart drug delivery system is a promising area of future research. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate in detail the mechanisms of microbiome-derived EV action in host health in a multi-disciplinary manner.