Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of thrombocytopenia and leucopenia among people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Thrombocytopenia and leucopenia are frequently encountered hematological disorders among people living with HIV/AIDS. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to indicate the national prevalence of thrombocytopenia and leucopenia among HIV/AIDS patients. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was conducted from February 01, 2021 to April 02, 2021 using electronic databases Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Sciences, Google, EMBASE, SCOPUS and ResearchGate. The quality of the included studies was assessed using Newcastle—Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) adapted for cross-sectional studies. Data analysis was done using STATA version 14 using metan commands. Random effect meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of thrombocytopenia and leucopenia among people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Result Of the 349 initially searched articles, 90 were assessed for eligibility and only 13 articles published from 2014 to 2020 were included in the final meta-analysis. A total of 3854 participants were involved in the included studies. The pooled prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 9.69% (95%CI; 7.40–11.97%). Significant heterogeneity was observed with I2 value of 84.7%. Thrombocytopenia was 11.91% and 5.95% prevalent among HAART naive and HAART exposed HIV/AIDS patients, respectively. The pooled prevalence of leucopenia among HIV/AIDS patients was 17.31% (95%CI: 12.37–22.25%). Conclusion This study showed a high prevalence of thrombocytopenia and leucopenia among people living with HIV/AIDS, indicating the necessity of regular screening of HIV seropositive patients for different hematological parameters and providing treatment.
Ancient viral integrations in marsupials: a potential antiviral defence

Abstract Marsupial viruses are understudied compared to their eutherian mammal counterparts, although they may pose severe threats to vulnerable marsupial populations. Genomic viral integrations, termed ‘endogenous viral elements’ (EVEs), could protect the host from infection. It is widely known past viral infections and EVEs play an active role in antiviral defence in invertebrates and plants. This study aimed to characterise actively transcribed EVEs in Australian marsupial species, because they may play an integral role in cellular defence against viruses. This study screened publicly available RNA sequencing data sets (n = 35) and characterised 200 viral transcripts from thirteen Australian marsupial species. Of the 200 transcripts, 188 originated from either Bornaviridae, Filoviridae, or Parvoviridae EVEs. The other twelve transcripts were from putative active infections from members of the Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae, and Hepadnaviridae. EVE transcripts (n = 188) were mapped to marsupial genomes (where available, n = 5/13) to identify the genomic insertion sites. Of the 188 transcripts, 117 mapped to 39 EVEs within the koala, bare-nosed wombat, tammar wallaby, brushtail possum, and Tasmanian devil genomes. The remaining eight animals had no available genome (transcripts n = 71). Every marsupial has Bornaviridae, Filoviridae, and Parvoviridae EVEs, a trend widely observed in eutherian mammals. Whilst eutherian bornavirus EVEs are predominantly nucleoprotein-derived, marsupial bornavirus EVEs demonstrate a surprising replicase gene bias. We predicted these widely distributed EVEs were conserved within marsupials from ancient germline integrations, as many were over 65 million years old. One bornavirus replicase EVE, present in six marsupial genomes, was estimated to be 160 million years old, predating the American–Australian marsupial split. We considered transcription of these EVEs through small non-coding RNA as an ancient viral defence. Consistent with this, in koala small RNA sequence data sets, we detected Bornaviridae replicase and Filoviridae nucleoprotein produced small RNA. These were enriched in testis tissue, suggesting they could protect marsupials from vertically transmitted viral integrations.
Heat stress modulates polymorphonuclear cell response in early pregnancy cows: I. interferon pathway and oxidative stress

One of the major causes of early pregnancy loss is heat stress. In ruminants, interferon tau (IFNT) is the embryo signal to the mother. Once the interferon signaling pathway is activated, it drives gene expression for interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and alters neutrophils responses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate interferon (IFN) pathway, ISGs and gene expression in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and oxidative stress in dairy cows under heat stress. Pregnant cows had their estrous cycle synchronized and randomly assigned to a comfort or heat stress group. Blood samples were collected at artificial insemination (AI) and on Days 10, 14 and 18 following AI. Pregnant cows were pregnancy checked by ultrasound on Day 30 and confirmed on Day 60 post-AI. Results are presented as mean ± SEM. The corpus luteum (CL) diameter was not different between groups of pregnant cows; concentration of progesterone of pregnant cows on Day 18 following AI was greater in comfort group compared to heat stressed group. Comfort pregnant cows had higher expression of all analyzed genes from interferon pathway, except for IFNAR1, on both Days 14 and 18. Conversely, heat stressed cows did not show altered expression of IFNT pathway genes and ISGs between Days 10, 14, and 18 after AI. The oxidative stress, determined as malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, was greater in heat stress group on Days 10, 14 and 18, independent of pregnancy status. Heat stress negatively influences expression of ISGs, IFN pathway gene expression in neutrophils, and oxidative stress. Our data suggest that lower conception rates in cows under heat stress are multifactorial, with the association of interferon pathway activation and the unbalanced oxidative stress being main contributing factors.
Sol-Gel Preparation of Tio2-Cds Composite Material for Photocatalytic Application

The TiO2 and CdS nanoparticles were synthesized using sol gel method. TiO2 -CdS nanocomposite was synthesized by ultra-sonication method. The SEM image reveals the spherical shaped pure TiO2 and pure CdS nanoparticle and was uniformly mixed in the TiO2 -CdS nanocomposite. The photocatalytic result reveals that MB dye removal was observed to be higher in the TiO2 -CdS nanocomposite as compared with pure TiO2 nanoparticle for 90 minutes of visible light irradiation.
COVID-19 epidemics monitored through the logarithmic growth rate and SIR model

Background: The SIR model is often used to analyse and forecast the expansion of an epidemic. In this model, the number of patients exponentially increases and decreases, resulting in two phases. Therefore, in these phases, the logarithm of infectious patients changes at a constant rate, the logarithmic growth rate K. However, in the case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) epidemic, K never remains constant but increases and decreases linearly; therefore, the SIR model does not fit that seen in reality. We would like to clarify the cause of this phenomenon and predict the occurrence of COVID19 epidemics. Methods: We simulated a situation in which smaller epidemics were repeated with short time intervals. The results were compared with the epidemic data from 279 countries and regions. Results: In the simulations, the K values increased and decreased linearly, similar to the real data. Because the previous peak covered the initial increase in the epidemic, K did not increase as much as expected; rather, the difference in the basic reproduction number R0 appeared in the slope of increasing K. Additionally, the mean infectious time {tau} appeared in the negative peaks of K. By using the R0 and {tau} estimated from the changes in K, changes in the number of patients could be approximated using the SIR model. This supports the appropriateness of the model for evaluating COVID-19 epidemics. By using the model, the distributions of the parameters were identified. On average, an epidemic started every eleven days in a country. The worldwide mean R0 was 2.9; however, this value showed an exponential character and could thus increase explosively. In addition, the average {tau} was 12 days; this is not the native value but represents a shortened period because of the isolation of patients. As {tau} represents the half-life, the infectious time varies among patients; hence, prior testing should be performed before isolation is lifted. The changes in K represented the state of epidemics and were several weeks to a month ahead of the changes in the number of confirmed cases. In the actual data, when K was positive on consecutive days, the number of patients increased a few weeks later. In addition, if the negative peaks of K could not be reduced to as small as 0.1, the number of patients remained high. Thus, the number of K-positive days and mean infectious time had a clear correlation with the total number of patients. In such cases, mortality, which was lognormally distributed, with a mean of 1.7%, increased. To control the epidemic, it is important to observe K daily, not to allow K to remain positive continuously, and to terminate a peak with a series of K-negative days. To do this, it was necessary to shorten {tau} by finding and isolating a patient earlier. The effectiveness of the countermeasures is apparent in {tau}. The effect of vaccination, in terms of controlling the epidemic, was limited.
Efficient construction of a linkage map and haplotypes for Mentha suaveolens using sequence capture

Abstract The sustainability of many crops is hindered by the lack of genomic resources and a poor understanding of natural genetic diversity. Particularly, application of modern breeding requires high-density linkage maps that are integrated into a highly contiguous reference genome. Here, we present a rapid method for deriving haplotypes and developing linkage maps, and its application to Mentha suaveolens, one of the diploid progenitors of cultivated mints. Using sequence-capture via DNA hybridization to target single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we successfully genotyped ∼5000 SNPs within the genome of >400 individuals derived from a self cross. After stringent quality control, and identification of nonredundant SNPs, 1919 informative SNPs were retained for linkage map construction. The resulting linkage map defined a total genetic space of 942.17 cM divided among 12 linkage groups, ranging from 56.32 to 122.61 cM in length. The linkage map is in good agreement with pseudomolecules from our preliminary genome assembly, proving this resource effective for the correction and validation of the reference genome. We discuss the advantages of this method for the rapid creation of linkage maps.
Oviposition Responses of Female Mediterranean Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Fruit Volatile Compounds

Abstract The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is one of the most important pests of fruits worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the ovipositional response of C. capitata females to 37 compounds of fruit volatiles from various chemical groups and the dose response to five of them. Red plastic hollow hemispheres (domes) were used as oviposition substrates in all tests. Twenty of the compounds tested increased female egg laying compared to control substrates that contain no chemicals. With 16 compounds, similar number of eggs was deposited in treated and in control oviposition substrates. One terpene ((±)-linalool) reduced egg laying indicating a deterrent ovipositional effect. Both the esters and aldehydes tested increased the ovipositional responses in C. capitata. Most of the monoterpene hydrocarbons increased oviposition, while oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, and oxygenated sesquiterpenes had mostly neutral effect. Ethyl hexanoate and R-(+)-limonene increased oviposition in the majority of doses tested. Different doses of (–)-linalool elicited differential female ovipositional responses. In contrast, valencene and citral, regardless of dose did not affect female oviposition. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Guided Event Filtering: Synergy Between Intensity Images and Neuromorphic Events for High Performance Imaging

Many visual and robotics tasks in real-world scenarios rely on robust handling of high speed motion and high dynamic range (HDR) with effectively high spatial resolution and low noise. Such stringent requirements, however, cannot be directly satisfied by a single imager or imaging modality, rather by multi-modal sensors with complementary advantages. In this paper, we address high performance imaging by exploring the synergy between traditional frame-based sensors with high spatial resolution and low sensor noise, and emerging event-based sensors with high speed and high dynamic range. We introduce a novel computational framework, termed Guided Event Filtering (GEF), to process these two streams of input data and output a stream of super-resolved yet noise-reduced events. To generate high quality events, GEF first registers the captured noisy events onto the guidance image plane according to our flow model. it then performs joint image filtering that inherits the mutual structure from both inputs. Lastly, GEF re-distributes the filtered event frame in the space-time volume while preserving the statistical characteristics of the original events. When the guidance images under-perform, GEF incorporates an event self-guiding mechanism that resorts to neighbor events for guidance. We demonstrate the benefits of GEF by applying the output high quality events to existing event-based algorithms across diverse application categories, including high speed object tracking, depth estimation, high frame-rate video synthesis, and super resolution/HDR/color image restoration.
Dynamic interaction between the human body and the seat during vertical vibration: effect of inclination of the seat pan and the backrest on seat transmissibilities

Abstract Seat inclinations at the seat pan and backrest may affect the sitting comfort. This study was designed to quantify the effect of inclination of a seat pan (0°, 10°, and 20°) and backrest (0°, 15°, and 30°), either foamed or rigid, on the transmissibilities measured at the seat pan and backrest. Seat transmissibilities were measured with fifteen subjects exposed to vertical random vibration between 1 and 15 Hz at 0.5 ms−2 r.m.s. It was found the resonance frequencies in transmissibilities measured at the seat pan and backrest increased with increasing the backrest inclination but were not affected by the seat pan angle. Increasing the foamed backrest inclination increased the peak transmissibilities. Inclination of the rigid seat pan or the rigid backrest reduced the transmissibilities measured at the backrest or the seat pan, respectively. Transmissibilities were more significantly affected by the backrest inclination than the seat pan inclination. Practitioner summary: Seat inclinations may alter the human-seat dynamic interaction and hence the riding discomfort. This study was designed to quantify the effect of inclined seats, either foamed or rigid, on the transmissibilities. It was found the backrest angle affected the transmissibilities more strongly than the seat pan angle.
Coordination Between Trunk Muscles, Thoracolumbar Fascia, and Intra-Abdominal Pressure Toward Static Spine Stability

The aim of this study was to evaluate static spinal stability, as provided by major spinal tissues, via a novel finite elements spine model. Results showed that thoracolumbar fascia, paraspinal muscles, and intra-abdominal pressure provided a 93% overall stability contribution. Such results would improve biomechanical understandings and corresponding device design. Study Design. Numerical in-silico human spine stability finite element analysis. Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of major torso tissues toward static spine stability, mainly the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF), abdominal wall with its intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), and spinal muscles inclusive of their intramuscular pressure. Summary of Background Data. Given the numerous redundancies involved in the spine, current methodologies for assessing static spinal stability are limited to specific tissues and could lead to inconclusive results. A three-dimensional finite element model of the spine, with structured analysis of major torso tissues, allows for objective investigation of static spine stability. Methods. A novel previously fully validated spine model was employed. Major torso tissues, mainly the muscles, TLF, and IAP were individually, and in combinations, activated under a 350N external spine perturbation. The stability contribution exerted by these tissues, or their ability to restore the spine to the unperturbed position, was assessed in different case-scenarios. Results. Individual activations recorded significantly different stability contributions, with the highest being the TLF at 75%. Combined or synergistic activations showed an increase of up to 93% stability contribution when all tissues were simultaneously activated with a corresponding decrease in the tensile load exerted by the tissues themselves. Conclusion. This investigation demonstrated torso tissues exhibiting different roles toward static spine stability. The TLF appeared able to dissipate and absorb excessive loads, the muscles acted as antagonistic to external perturbations, and the IAP played a role limiting movement. Furthermore, the different combinations explored suggested an optimized engagement and coordination between different tissues to achieve a specific task, while minimizing individual work. Level of Evidence: N/A
Design of a Full‐Consensus Glutamate Decarboxylase and Its Application to GABA Biosynthesis

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) catalyses the decarboxylation of L‐glutamate to gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). Improvement of the enzymatic properties of GAD is important for the low‐cost synthesis of GABA. In this study, utilizing sequences of enzymes homologous with GAD from lactic acid bacteria, highly mutated GADs were designed using sequence‐based protein design methods. Two mutated GADs, FcGAD and AncGAD, generated by full‐consensus design and ancestral sequence reconstruction, had more desirable properties than native GADs. With respect to thermal stability, the half‐life of the designed GADs was about 10 °C higher than that of native GAD. The productivity of FcGAD was considerably higher than those of known GADs; more than 250 mg/L of purified enzyme could be produced in the E. coli expression system. In a production test using 26.4 g of l‐glutamate and 3.0 g of resting cells, 17.2 g of GABA could be prepared within one hour, without purification, in a one‐pot synthesis.
Impacts of meteorological uncertainties on the haze formation in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) during wintertime: a case study

Abstract. In the present study, a persistent heavy haze episode from 13 to 20 January 2014 in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) is simulated using the WRF-CHEM model through ensemble simulations to investigate impacts of meteorological uncertainties on the haze formation. Model results show that uncertainties in meteorological conditions substantially influence the aerosol constituent simulations at an observation site in Beijing, and the ratio of the ensemble spread to the ensemble mean (RESM) exceeds 50 %. The ensemble mean generally preforms well in reproducing the fine particles' (PM2.5) temporal variations and spatial distributions against measurements in BTH. The meteorological uncertainties do not alter the PM2.5 distribution pattern in BTH principally or dominate the haze formation and development, but remarkably affect the simulated PM2.5 level, and the RESM for the simulated PM2.5 concentrations can be up to 30 % at the regional scale. In addition, the rather large RESM in PM2.5 simulations at the city scale also causes difficulties in evaluation of the control strategies. Therefore, our results suggest that the ensemble simulation is imperative to take into account the impact of the meteorological uncertainties on the haze prediction.
Controlled co-delivery system of magnesium and lanthanum ions for vascularized bone regeneration

For craniofacial bone regeneration, how to promote vascularized bone regeneration is still a significant problem, and the controlled release of trace elements vital to osteogenesis has attracted attention. In this study, an ion co-delivery system was developed to promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Magnesium ions (Mg2+) and lanthanum ions (La3+) were selected as biosignal molecules because Mg2+ can promote angiogenesis and both of them can enhance bone formation. Microspheres made of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) were applied to load La2(CO3)3, which was embedded into a MgO/MgCO3-loaded cryogel made of photocrosslinkable gelatin methacryloyl to enable co-delivery of Mg2+ and La3+. Evaluations of angiogenesis and osteogenesis were conducted via both in vitro cell culture using human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells and in vivo implantation using a rat model with calvarial defect (5 mm in diameter). Compared to systems releasing only Mg2+ or La3+, the combination system demonstrated more significant effects on blood vessels formation, thereby promoting the regeneration of vascularized bone tissue. At 8 weeks post-implantation, the new bone volume/total bone volume ratio reached a value of 40.1 ± 0.9%. In summary, a properly designed scaffold system with the capacity to release ions of different bioactivities in a desired pattern can be a promising strategy to meet vascularized bone regeneration requirements.
Early and late neural correlates of mentalizing: ALE meta-analyses in adults, children and adolescents

Abstract The ability to understand mental states of others is referred to as mentalizing and enabled by our Theory of Mind. This social skill relies on brain regions comprising the mentalizing network as robustly observed in adults but also in a growing number of developmental studies. We summarized and compared neuroimaging evidence in children/adolescents and adults during mentalizing using coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses to inform about brain regions consistently or differentially engaged across age categories. Adults (N = 5286) recruited medial prefrontal and middle/inferior frontal cortices, precuneus, temporoparietal junction and middle temporal gyri during mentalizing, which were functionally connected to bilateral inferior/superior parietal lobule and thalamus/striatum. Conjunction and contrast analyses revealed that children and adolescents (N = 479) recruit similar but fewer regions within core mentalizing regions. Subgroup analyses revealed an early continuous engagement of middle medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction in younger children (8–11 years) and adolescents (12–18 years). Adolescents additionally recruited the left temporoparietal junction and middle/inferior temporal cortex. Overall, the observed engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction during mentalizing across all ages reflects an early specialization of some key regions of the social brain.
Frequency of anxiety and depression and screening performance of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale in a psycho‐oncology clinic

The primary objective of this study was to determine the frequency of screening instrument‐detected depression and anxiety in outpatients on initial presentation to a consultation psychiatric oncology clinic. The secondary objectives were to identify characteristics associated with depression and anxiety among these patients, and to determine the optimal cut‐off score for the ESAS‐Anxiety (ESAS‐A) and ESAS‐Depression (ESAS‐D) items, using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) and the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD‐7) as a gold standard in cancer patients.