Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Natural resistance to worms exacerbates bovine tuberculosis severity independently of worm coinfection

Significance Interactions between pathogens can have substantial negative effects on host health. Therefore, identifying the causes of these interactions is integral for effective disease management and control. Interactions between two pathogens that simultaneously or sequentially infect the same host are common. We show that interactions also arise when genetically based defenses against one pathogen affect responses to another, even when the first pathogen is concurrently absent. This mode of pathogen interaction provides insight for understanding patterns of variation in disease severity in natural populations. It also implies that, under some conditions, control strategies that rely on selecting for resistance to one pathogen, in livestock for example, might jeopardize control of another. Pathogen interactions arising during coinfection can exacerbate disease severity, for example when the immune response mounted against one pathogen negatively affects defense of another. It is also possible that host immune responses to a pathogen, shaped by historical evolutionary interactions between host and pathogen, may modify host immune defenses in ways that have repercussions for other pathogens. In this case, negative interactions between two pathogens could emerge even in the absence of concurrent infection. Parasitic worms and tuberculosis (TB) are involved in one of the most geographically extensive of pathogen interactions, and during coinfection worms can exacerbate TB disease outcomes. Here, we show that in a wild mammal natural resistance to worms affects bovine tuberculosis (BTB) severity independently of active worm infection. We found that worm-resistant individuals were more likely to die of BTB than were nonresistant individuals, and their disease progressed more quickly. Anthelmintic treatment moderated, but did not eliminate, the resistance effect, and the effects of resistance and treatment were opposite and additive, with untreated, resistant individuals experiencing the highest mortality. Furthermore, resistance and anthelmintic treatment had nonoverlapping effects on BTB pathology. The effects of resistance manifested in the lungs (the primary site of BTB infection), while the effects of treatment manifested almost entirely in the lymph nodes (the site of disseminated disease), suggesting that resistance and active worm infection affect BTB progression via distinct mechanisms. Our findings reveal that interactions between pathogens can occur as a consequence of processes arising on very different timescales.
Neural tracking of the fundamental frequency of the voice: male voices preferred

Traditional electrophysiological methods to study temporal auditory processing of the fundamental frequency of the voice (f0) often use unnaturally repetitive stimuli. In this study, we investigate f0 processing of meaningful continuous speech. EEG responses evoked by stories in quiet were analysed with a novel ’f0-tracking’ method that uses linear models to characterize both the strength and the spatiotemporal properties of the f0 response. Different samples of continuous speech (six stories by four speakers: two male and two female) were used to investigate stimulus effects on the f0 response. The results indicated stronger f0-tracking for the male-narrated stories compared to the female-narrated stories, for which many responses were not significant. Moreover, response strength was inversely related to the f0 of the speaker and the rate of f0 change throughout the story. These effects likely occur because phase-locking to the f0 is more challenging when the f0 is higher and/or more variable. From additional experiments, we conclude that female-narrated stories can be successfully used for continuous f0 responses but only if the rate of f0-change is low and the harmonic content is strong. Most natural female voices do not have these characteristics, so careful stimulus selection is required. The spatio-temporal analysis revealed a centrally-located peak response with latency between 7 and 12 ms for the female-narrated stories, suggestive of a brainstem source. In contrast, for male-narrated stories the analysis indicated at least two sources: one source with a latency of 13-15 ms, likely in the brainstem, and one right-dominant posterior temporal source with a latency of 23-25 ms, suggestive of the right primary auditory cortex. This adds to the growing evidence that auditory responses to frequencies in the lower range of the f0 (e.g. most male voices) do not originate solely from the brainstem but have additional cortical contributions. In conclusion, the novel f0-tracking method was successfully applied to a range of continuous speech samples and the findings on temporal processing of the f0 are in line with earlier findings from repetitive stimulus paradigms. The novel method is recommended over traditional paradigms because continuous speech is more relevant for day-to-day conversation and more engaging for the subjects, but also because the method allows for extensive analysis of both response strength and spatio-temporal characteristics.
One-step multiple site-specific base editing by direct embryo injection for precision and pyramid pig breeding

Precise and simultaneous acquisition of multiple beneficial alleles in the genome to improve pig performance are pivotal for making elite breeders. Cytidine base editors (CBEs) have emerged as powerful tools for site-specific single nucleotide replacement. Here, we compare the editing efficiency of four CBEs in porcine embryonic cells and embryos to show that hA3A-BE3-Y130F and hA3A-eBE3-Y130F consistently results in higher base-editing efficiency and lower toxic effects to in vitro embryo development. We also show that zygote microinjection of hA3A-BE3-Y130F results in one-step generation of pigs (3BE pigs) harboring C-to-T point mutations, including a stop codon in CD163 and in MSTN and induce beneficial allele in IGF2. The 3BE pigs showed improved growth performance, hip circumference, food conversion rate. Our results demonstrate that CBEs can mediate high throughput genome editing by direct embryo microinjection. Our approach allows immediate introduction of novel alleles for beneficial traits in transgene-free animals for pyramid breeding.
(Re)-structuring the Ceo’s compensation—the case of Israel

Abstract The executive compensation issue continues to cause protest due to the increasing number of cases of an unjustifiably high level of pay. The main conflict arises from the misalignment of interests between the short-term expectations of the manager and long-term needs of the shareholders. Since there are no universal rules on how to price the executive performance companies reach for different means of establishing the CEO’s compensation and ascertaining manager’s commitment towards maintaining a company’s value. The issue becomes more complex once the compensation rules are not a direct effect of the market power game but are additionally restricted by government. The aim of the paper is to discuss corporate government policies introduced in Israel and their impact on executive compensation level and structure. Israel is amongst those countries that partially regulate CEO compensation and thus the Israeli experience can add to the understanding of the effectiveness of modern corporate governance.
Genetic Fusions of the lac Operon: A New Approach to the Study of Biological Processes

INTRODUCTION The lactose operon represents one of the best worked-out systems of gene expression and regulation. The extent to which the details of lac operon control have been elaborated depended, in good part, on aspects of lactose metabolism which make it a particularly easy system to analyze. These include a sensitive and rapid assay for β -galactosidase, a number of different indicator media for distinguishing phenotypes of mutant strains, and an ability to select both forward and reverse mutations in the operon and in the regulatory gene (see Beckwith 1970 for a review of most of these; see also Hopkins 1974). The most important aspect of lactose metabolism which distinguishes it from most other biochemical pathways and contributes to its ease of analysis is the nature of lactose itself. Since lactose is a disaccharide, glucose-1-4- β -D-galactose, substituted derivatives with various moieties replacing the glucose can be synthesized which will have affinity for one or another component of the system. For instance, one of the indicator media used includes 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl- β -D-galactoside (XG), which is a substrate for β -galactosidase. When hydrolyzed, this compound forms a blue dye, thus providing a sensitive test for the presence of β -galactosidase activity. Since XG is not an inducer of the lac operon, it can be used to distinguish inducible from constitutive strains, as well as to discriminate between strains which produce high and low levels of β -galactosidase, in general, and to detect plaque-forming transducing phages which carry the lacZ gene. The technical principles and approaches used in studying the.
Optimizing Time Off the Nest During Incubation in Female Swallows (Hirundo rustica [L.])

Two models were developed with the aim of predicting the optimal inattentive period (i.e time off the nest) of bird species in which only one sex of parent incubates the eggs. The models assumed that fitness was increased in individuals which maximized either total (TOTAL GAIN model) or net rate of metabolizable energy (NET RATE model) gained while foraging. Both models considered the energetic cost of reheating eggs cooled during inattentive periods. The models were evaluated in a study of incubation behaviour in female swallows Hirundo rustica (L.), by using laboratory data on egg cooling rates and field information on instantaneous mass changes while foraging (and hence energy gains). Both models predicted that inattentive periods longer than 5-6 mins would result in energy deficit and 84% of all observed inattentive periods were indeed shorter than 5-6 mins. The predicted optimal inattentive period (4-5 mins) was slightly longer than that most frequently observed (3-4 mins) when TOTAL GAIN was used and slightly shorter (2-3 mins predicted optimum) than the most frequent inattentive period class when using the predictions of NET RATE. The models are evaluated and possible non-energetic constraints on incubation behaviour are discussed. Key-words: Incubation, optimality models, swallow, behavioural conflicts
Convex solutions of Monge-Ampère equations and systems: Existence, uniqueness and asymptotic behavior

Abstract In this paper, the equations and systems of Monge-Ampère with parameters are considered. We first show the uniqueness of of nontrivial radial convex solution of Monge-Ampère equations by using sharp estimates. Then we analyze the existence and nonexistence of nontrivial radial convex solutions to Monge-Ampère systems, which includes some new ingredients in the arguments. Furthermore, the asymptotic behavior of nontrivial radial convex solutions for Monge-Ampère systems is also considered. Finally, as an application, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of nontrivial radial convex solutions of the power-type system of Monge-Ampère equations.
The Interaction of Female Age and Active Male Smoking has Negative Influence on Success Rates of the in Vitro Fertilization Treatments

Abstract This study monitors the effect of male smoking and age of the woman on the success of the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) fertilization process as part of the assisted reproduction technique (ART). A total of 703 couples in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) program were included. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to study the effect of male smoking on clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. The results from the study showed that interaction of male smoking and women’s age (>35 years) have significant negative impact on ongoing pregnancy rate and live birth rate.
The effect of board of directors characteristics on risk and bank performance: Evidence from Turkey

Abstract A bank, particularly in developing countries like Turkey, is one of the most important institutions in the financial sector. Therefore knowing the factors affecting the performance of banks is important for the development of the sector. One of the factors affecting the risk and profitability of banking sector is the internal factors of the banks. The aim of this paper is to investigate the board of directors’ characteristics and its effect on risk level measured by non-performing loans and on bank performance measured by asset profitability using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator. Data from nineteen deposit banks for the period 2012–2018 were used. The result of the study determined that the board size, foreign board members and the independent board members have an effect on both non-performing loans and the return on assets.
Application of Weissella cibaria X31 or Weissella confusa L2 as a starter in low nitrite dry-fermented sausages

Abstract Effects of Weissella strains (Weissella cibaria X31 or Weissella confusa L2) as starters on the physicochemical, volatile, proteolytic, microbiological, and sensory properties of low-nitrite dry-fermented sausages were evaluated for 20 d. Results showed that the addition of 8 log CFU/g of Weissella strains increased the redness, hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness, but decreased the pH, water activity, and nitrite content of sausages during processing. Morover, Weissella strains inhibited the growth of Salmonella enterica. Weissella strains also could hydrolyze myofibrillar proteins in sausages. The sausage inoculated with W. confusa L2 was more abundant in ester compared with the control. Sausages inoculated with W. cibaria X31 and W. confusa L2 and sodium nitrite (0.05 g) had more desirable characteristics, compared with other groups. W. cibaria X31 and W. confusa L2 show potential as multifunctional starters in low-nitrite fermented sausage, which is uniqueness and addressed the gap of Weissella in low nitrite sausages. This study is distinct in that Weissella strains were found to improve the redness of dry-fermented sausages and was effective at partly replacing nitrite in dry-fermented sausages, addressing the research gap regarding the application of Weissella in low-nitrite sausages.
Strategic option pricing

Abstract In this paper an extension of the well-known binomial approach to option pricing is presented. The classical question is: What is the price of an option on the risky asset? The traditional answer is obtained with the help of a replicating portfolio by ruling out arbitrage. Instead a two-person game from the Nash equilibrium of which the option price can be derived is formulated. Consequently both the underlying asset’s price at expiration and the price of the option on this asset are endogenously determined. The option price derived this way turns out, however, to be identical to the classical no-arbitrage option price of the binomial model if the expiration-date prices of the underlying asset and the corresponding risk-neutral probability are properly adjusted according to the Nash equilibrium data of the game.
Strict Deformation Quantization via Geometric Quantization in the Bieliavsky Plane

Using standard techniques from geometric quantization, we rederive the integral product of functions on (non-Euclidian) which was introduced by Pierre Bieliavsky as a contribution to the area of strict quantization. More specifically, by pairing the nontransverse real polarization on the pair groupoid , we obtain the well-defined integral transform. Together with a convolution of functions, which is a natural deformation of the usual convolution of functions on the pair groupoid, this readily defines the Bieliavsky product on a subset of .
Serum surfactant protein A as a surrogate biomarker of a negative heart sign among patients with interstitial lung disease

ABSTRACT The mechanisms underlying interstitial lung disease (ILD) are characterized by variable inﬂammation or ﬁbrosis of the pulmonary interstitium. A negative heart sign (NHS) on 67Ga scintigrams of patients with ILD is due to considerably increased inflammatory activity in the lungs. We retrospectively analyzed relationships between NHS and established biomarkers of disease severity in patients with ILD. Among 81 consecutive non-smoking patients with ILD (mean age, 63 years) who had been hospitalized between April 2009 and October 2011, we selected 52 who had been assessed by 67Ga scintigraphy. We then evaluated relationships between NHS and blood biomarkers, pulmonary function and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Among these 52 patients, 10 showed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 42 had other ILD. Multivariate analysis with stepwise variable selection, serum surfactant protein (SP)-A (OR (odds ratio), 1.026; 95%CI (confidence interval), 1.003–1.050; P = 0.024) and inflammation index calculated from HRCT findings (OR, 1.358; 95%CI, 1.079–1.709; P = 0.009) were significant predictors of an NHS. Serum SP-A offered 85% sensitivity and 75% specificity for predicting NHS at an optimal cut-off of 45.8 ng/mL. Serum SP-A concentrations correlated positively with inflammation index (r = 0.344, P = 0.015). In conclusion, serum SP-A might serve as a surrogate biomarker for predicting an NHS in patients with ILD.
The Relationship between Unmitigated Communion and Depression: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

This article investigated the relationship between unmitigated communion and depression, as well as the mediating role of self-esteem. A sample of 288 adults was assessed with Unmitigated Communion Scale (UCS), Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results showed that unmitigated communion was positively correlated with depression and self-esteem played a mediating role between unmitigated communion and depression. We infer that the individuals with higher unmitigated communion level have lower level of self-esteem, which further leads to their higher tendency towards depression.
Searching for a New Type of Surface Percolation on a 3D lattice

We consider a new surface percolation problem on a 3D simple cubic lattice through numerical simulation. In this problem, randomly occupied surfaces initially form an infinite cluster at p = 0.21, where p is the surface occupation probability. This site percolation problem is well-studied. The infinite cluster at this value of p, however, contains many “hole”, since surfaces are considered to be connected if they share at least one edge in common. As p increases over that value, these holes are gradually filled with surfaces. We find that, at p = 0.66, there is a sharp transition where the infinite cluster contains one sheet with complicated folds. We also numerically evaluate the critical exponents β and ν using finite size scaling method and obtain β = 0.3 and ν = 1.0. We cannot find this combination of the values in any sets of critical exponents well-known at present. This fact may suggest that our surface percolation problem belongs to a new universality class.
Antibacterial activity of Piper nigrum – an in vitro study

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antibacterial activity and phytochemical analysis of Piper nigrum. Ethanol and aqueous extracts were obtained and their antibacterial activity was carried out using disc diffusion method with gram positive and gram negative strains. The result indicated that ethanol extract was most active while aqueous extract was highly inactive. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and carbohydrates. This study showed that ethanol extract of P. nigrum could be a potential source of new antibacterial agents
Bridging the Gaps in Health Service Delivery for Truck Drivers of India Through Mobile Medical Units

Background: Truck drivers in India suffer from many lifestyle-related health problems. Providing primary health care services to truck drivers is essential to improve their overall health and well-being. This paper reports the findings of a community-based mobile medical unit program providing nonemergency and basic primary care services to truck drivers along the major highways of India. Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute launched this community-based mobile medical unit program, in partnership with Shriram Transport Finance Corporation Limited (STFCL). Materials and Methods: The paper describes the program model, its coverage, the sociodemographic profile, and common health morbidities of the truck drivers availing the program services. 2-year routine program data (April 2017 to March 2019) were accessed and analyzed. Results: A total of 1,167,210 number of unique truck drivers availed the program services during the reference period, of which 61,331 had complete data. The majority of truck drivers were male (99.1%) and just a few women (0.88%) and transgender (0.003%). The mean age was 45.5 years ± 10.91 and nearly half (49%) were in the productive age group (31–45 years). Noncommunicable and other chronic diseases (34.74%), musculoskeletal problems (24.17%), communicable diseases (14.52%), oral cavity-related problems (1.23%), and other minor ailments (17.77%) were the major consultation categories. Conclusion: Truck drivers in India have significant health morbidities. Providing primary health care services to truck drivers through mobile medical units is a step toward achieving universal health coverage.
Physicochemical and Antioxidative Properties of Superfine-ground Oat Bran Polysaccharides

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of superfine grinding on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of oat bran polysaccharides (OBP). The solubility of OBP increased from 8.1 to 11.3 mg/mL. The average molecular weights of raw OBP (rOBP) and superfine ground OBP (sOBP) were 655.6 and 489.6 kDa, respectively. The intrinsic viscosity of sOBP (4.58 mL/mg) was extremely lower than that of rOBP (94.75 mL/ mg). The endothermic enthaphy change (ΔH) values of OBP with different water contents (0%, 50%, and 75%) changed from _328. 79 J/g, _942. 41 J/g, and _1. 94 kJ/g to _197. 01 J/g, _703. 29 J/g, and _1. 50 kJ/g, respectively. After being superfine grinding treated, sOBP exhibited higher antioxidant activities than rOBP based on FRAP, DPPH radical scavenging, and ABTS radical scavenging activities. The results suggested that superfine grinding treatment enhanced OBP’s antioxidant activities. Physicochemical properties, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition and solubility were key factors in OBP’s antioxidant activities.