Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solitary Bees ñ Conservation, Rearing and Management for Pollination

Pollinators play an important role in poverty alleviation and food security by pollinating crops and other plants. But, in recent years the nature is experiencing a serious decline in pollinator populations and diversity, the impact of which is clearly visible in several areas as the agricultural productivity is seriously declining as a result of inadequate pollination due to the lack of sufficient numbers of pollinators in these agricultural landscapes. This decline in pollinators is attributed to several factors such as habitat loss, land-use changes, monoculturedominated agriculture, and excessive and indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals and pesticides. The decline in pollinators, both number and diversity and its impact on agricultural productivity and biodiversity has become a major concern worldwide. In developing world this issue is relatively new and needs due attention at this stage. There is need to study the factors and causes of pollinator decline and suggest an integrated approach to conserve them. This can be done by developing best management such as integrated pest management, judicious use of pesticides and agrochemicals, promoting habitat conservation and managing food sources for pollinators. In addition, raising awareness about the importance of pollinators and educating and training communities in conservation practices may also be required. At the same time bringing conservation and development GOs, NGOs, and CBOs on a common platform and formulate strategies and actions plans will also be needed. A balance between policy formulation and conservation actions would yield better results. There is need to promote integration of pollinator conservation concerns with agricultural development. In some intensively cultivated areas there is need to suggest some readily available solutions such as promoting rearing and use of manageable pollinators such as honeybees, stingless bees etc. The international Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is trying to address the issues related to the declining pollinator populations through conducting research, raising awareness at all levels about the value of conserving pollinators and promoting use of honeybees for pollination, improving institutional capabilities and human resource development. This paper highlights the efforts being carried out by ICIMOD’s efforts in enhancing agricultural productivity and maintaining biodiversity through promoting conservation of pollinators and managed pollination.
Regulation of Myosin Light-Chain Phosphatase Activity to Generate Airway Smooth Muscle Hypercontractility

Smooth muscle is a central structure involved in the regulation of airway tone. In addition, it plays an important role in the development of some pathologies generated by alterations in contraction, such as hypercontractility and the airway hyperresponsiveness observed in asthma. The molecular processes associated with smooth muscle contraction are centered around myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, which is controlled by a balance in the activity of myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) and myosin light-chain phosphatase (MLCP). MLCK activation depends on increasing concentrations of intracellular Ca2+, while MLCP activation is independent of Ca2+. MLCP contains a phosphatase subunit (PP1c) that is regulated through myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) and other subunits, such as glycogen-associated regulatory subunit and myosin-binding subunit 85 kDa. Interestingly, MLCP inhibition may contribute to exacerbation of smooth muscle contraction by increasing MLC phosphorylation to induce hypercontractility. Many pathways inhibiting MLCP activity in airway smooth muscle have been proposed and are focused on inhibition of PP1c, inhibitory phosphorylation of MYPT1 and dissociation of the PP1c-MYPT1 complex.
Assessment of periprosthetic joint infection prevention methods amongst Turkish orthopedic surgeons in total joint replacement: A survey

Objectives This study aims to assess the methods employed by Turkish orthopedic surgeons to prevent periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Patients and methods The data obtained for this study, conducted between January 2019 and February 2019, were gathered by sending out an online survey to Turkish Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology members (n=2,267). A total of 354 orthopedic surgeons responded and completed survey. The survey had 23 questions which include the experience, academic position, hospital where the physician works, monthly arthroplasty numbers, and infection prevention methods employed before, during, and after surgery. Results The period for antibiotics prophylaxis showed variability, with about 63% of surgeons using prophylaxis longer than 24 hours. In terms of academic position, 52.4% of professors and 52.8% of associate professors used prophylaxis for the first 24 hours whereas this rate was 31.3% in operators (p=0.01). Of surgeons, 50.7% who perform more than 10 arthroplasties per month and 33.6% of surgeons who perform less than 11 arthroplasties per month used 24-hour antibiotic prophylaxis (p=0.006). Blood glucose level assessment prior to surgery was performed by the majority of surgeons (94%). A total of 118 orthopedic surgeons (33.3%) performed methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decolonization with 54.7% of associate professors, 59.5% of professors, and 24.7% of operators (p=0.001). Only 60 surgeons (16.9%) checked vitamin D levels. Conclusion Our study results demonstrated that the majority of orthopedic surgeons in Turkey do not follow the antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations and they use antibiotic prophylaxis for longer periods. Professors and associate professors, and surgeons with higher monthly arthroplasty numbers than surgeons with lower monthly arthroplasty numbers follow the recommended periods more than their counterparts. Most surgeons assess blood glucose levels whereas a small number of surgeons perform MRSA decolonization and check vitamin D levels.
The use of high‐performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection in fungal chemotaxonomy based on profiles of secondary metabolites

FRISVAD, J. C, 1989. The use of high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection in fungal chemotaxonomy based on profiles of secondary metabolites. Fungal chemotaxonomy (that part dealing with secondary metabolites) has often been based on thin layer chromatography (TLC) and visual or UV inspection of separated spots, before and after different chemical treatments. The identity of a small proportion of the spots can be suggested based on known internal and external standards. In most chemotaxonomical studies it is impossible to isolate, purify and identify all secondary metabolites produced, due to restraints of time and resources. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of fungal extracts may have some advantages over TLC, but the problems mentioned above remain. These problems have been approached by using an alkylphenone retention time index in a reversed phase HPLC system combined with the use of a diode array UV-VIS detector. High performance thin layer chromatography is used for further confirmation of identity of the secondary metabolites. A particular advantage of this method is that the number of biosynthetic families or groups (‘chemosyndromes’) can be detected, as biosynthetically related metabolites usually have the same chromophores and UV-VIS spectra. Results obtained from Penicillium, Aspergillus and Fusanum species have shown that each species produces 5 to 15 different biosynthetic families of secondaiy metabolites, indicating that good chromatography data may be sufficient to identify species in the three genera. The use of the technique is exemplified by data on Aspergillus and Talaromyces species.
Sexual Dimorphism of Sheep Carotid Artery

The aim of the present study was to compare sex differences in the histomorphometric properties of common carotid artery in sheep. 10 adult sheep (5 male and 5 female) of Lori Bakhtyari breed were selected from Shahrekord abattoir. Tissue sections showed that at light microscopic level, there was no sex difference in microscopic appearance of the common carotid arteries. The conjunct intimal plus medial layers was significantly thicker in males as compared to females but reverse was true about lumen diameter (p<0.05). The adventitial layer was thicker in male than in female but the differences were not statistically significant. The mean area fraction of collagen in the tunica media of the vessel wall and the mean number of vascular smooth muscle cell nuclei per unit area of the tunica media were significantly greater in males as compared to females but reverse was true about elastin (p<0.05). In conclusion, despite microscopic resemblance in the structure of common carotid artery in both sexes, gender affects the lumen diameter, thickness of the mural layers, scleroprotein and smooth muscle cell content of the vessel wall in sheep differently.
Synthesis and evaluation of a large library of nitroxoline derivatives as pancreatic cancer antiproliferative agents

Abstract Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest carcinomas and in most cases, which are diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic disease, current therapeutic options are highly unsatisfactory. Based on the anti-proliferative effects shown by nitroxoline, an old urinary antibacterial agent, we explored a large library of newly synthesised derivatives to unravel the importance of the OH moiety and pyridine ring of the parent compound. The new derivatives showed a valuable anti-proliferative effect and some displayed a greater effect as compared to nitroxoline against three pancreatic cancer cell lines with different genetic profiles. In particular, in silico pharmacokinetic data, clonogenicity assays and selectivity indexes of the most promising compounds showed several advantages for such derivatives, as compared to nitroxoline. Moreover, some of these novel compounds had stronger effects on cell viability and/or clonogenic capacity in PC cells as compared to erlotinib, a targeted agent approved for PC treatment.
Patient-Centered Communication (PCC) in Equine Assisted Mental Health

ABSTRACT Experiencing trauma can lead to a variety of chronic and acute symptoms, including post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and poor social skills. Given the variety of causes for trauma incorporating individualized treatment options is important for efficacy. Equine assisted mental health (EAMH) – a team approach incorporating equines, clients, and practitioners – has been successful in treating those who have experienced trauma, including veterans and individuals with PTSD, at-risk youth, victims of sexual violence, and children who have been neglected. Although researchers and practitioners understand some about how EAMH treatment results in positive outcomes for these individuals, little is known about the communicative processes that support them. The current study included 19 in-depth interviews with EAMH therapists and practitioners to explore the role of equine communication (i.e., congruence, ongoing positive regard, and empathy) as a communicative process that is integral to the facilitation of EAMH as individualized therapeutic treatment. Using tenets of patient-centered communication (PCC) and principles of client-centered therapy, implications for human-horse communication in therapeutic contexts and client-centered care are discussed.
Weak and Variable Effects of Exogenous Testosterone on Cognitive Reflection Test Performance in Three Experiments: Commentary on Nave, Nadler, Zava, and Camerer (2017)

Testosterone is associated with behaviors such as aggression and sensation seeking as well as behavioral disorders such as impulse-control disorders including drug addiction and eating disorders, but to what degree and how testosterone affects cognition and decisionmaking remains unclear. Given the role of testosterone in mating and reproduction, Nave, Nadler, Zava, and Camerer (2017) suggested that the “facilitation of rapid intuitive responses by testosterone could be biologically adaptive in contexts in which reproductive success depends on instincts (e.g., during copulation) and when responding slowly might be especially costly (e.g., during physical challenges)” (p. 1404). This led them to hypothesize that testosterone biases decision-making away from reflective and deliberate responses and toward rapid and intuitive ones, thereby elucidating one potential mechanism by which testosterone might cause behaviors and behavioral disorders. To study their hypothesis, Nave et al. conducted a single experiment (N = 243) in which they randomly administered either exogenous testosterone or placebo to participants and then measured their performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), a simple three-item assessment of intuitive versus deliberate decision-making (Frederick, 2005). Each CRT item has an intuitive but incorrect response with which most people respond; discerning the correct response requires one to inhibit this intuitive response and to perform deliberate but easy calculations. For example, one item reads,
Team-Triggered Practical Fixed-Time Consensus of Double-Integrator Agents With Uncertain Disturbance

This article addresses the team-triggered fixed-time consensus problems for a class of double-integrator agents subject to uncertain disturbance. Compared with the finite-time results, the convergence time of the fixed-time results is independent of the initial conditions. Furthermore, a novel team-triggered control (TTC) strategy is presented. This control strategy incorporates the event-triggered control (ETC) and self-triggered control (STC). The ETC and STC are proposed to achieve the fixed-time consensus of second-order multiagent systems (MASs), and no Zeno behavior occurs. The TTC scheme, derived by combining the ETC scheme and the STC scheme, is able to relax the requirement of continuous communication and thus lowering the energy consumption of communication while ensuring the performance of the system. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is validated by numerical simulations.
Effects of exposure to anionic surfactants (SDBS and SDS) on nitrogen removal of aerobic denitrifier

In order to explain the effect of anionic surfactants on aerobic denitrification in the urban river, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) were added in aerobic denitrifier and the efficiency of nitrogen removal, microbial mechanisms, and enzyme activity was investigated in this study. The results showed that the total nitrogen (TN) and the nitrate nitrogen ( NO3‐‐N ) removal efficiency decreased as an increase of SDBS concentration. In contrast, 59.70% of the TN and 75.12% of NO3‐‐N were removed as the SDBS was 0 mg/L (Control). When SDBS was 200 mg/L (SDBS‐200), the removal efficiency of TN and NO3‐‐N was reduced to 4.92% and 4.00%, respectively. However, the denitrification efficiency was significantly accelerated when the concentration of SDS increased, except for 200 mg/L treatment (SDS‐200). As the SDS increased from 0 to 100 mg/L (SDS‐100), the removal efficiency of TN and NO3‐‐N raised from 59.70% to 70.8% and from 75.12% to 85.08%, respectively. The community structure of aerobic denitrifiers was significantly affected in the SDBS and SDS. While the Cupriavidus and Achromobacter were dominant genera in the group of Control (39.59%, and 42.45%) and SDS‐100 (44.40% and 34.86%), the relative abundance of Cupriavidus increased to 84.06% and 59.45% in the group of SDBS‐200 and SDS‐200, respectively. Enzyme activity assays proved that the nitrite reductase (NiR) relative activity of aerobic denitrification was suppressed by both SDBS and SDS. The increase in the SDS concentrations (from 0 to 50 mg/L) resulted in sharp growth of the nitrate reductase (NR) relative activities (from 100% to 146.86%). These findings demonstrated that SDBS and SDS affected aerobic denitrification efficiency of the aerobic denitrifiers by changing its microbial community structure and enzyme activity.
Epibiont communities of loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) in the western Mediterranean: influence of geographic and ecological factors

This study reports for the first time on the whole epibiont fauna of loggerhead marine turtles, Caretta caretta, in the western Mediterranean, analysing the factors that account for the predictability and composition of the assemblage. A total of 104 loggerhead turtles stranded along the coasts of eastern Spain during 1995–2006 were surveyed for epibionts. A total of 39 epibiont taxa were identified, three of them being new records for loggerhead turtles: Bittium sp. , Idotea metallica and Jassa sp. The assemblage was composed of a group of 27 facultative taxa that use turtles as any inanimate buoyant substrate, and 12 taxa that have developed more specific associations to marine turtles, including six species that occur in marine turtles exclusively, two that dwell also on other hosts, and four that can also survive as free-living forms but have developed a strong association with marine turtles. Hierarchical clustering and Similarity Profile Analysis based on the occurrence of 166 epibiont taxa from nine available surveys indicated that the epibiont assemblages from loggerhead turtles in the western Mediterranean (WM) are similar to those from Central Mediterranean (CM), but significantly different from turtles surveyed in the eastern Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The subset of epibionts occurring on WM and CM turtles is defined by a combination of geographic factors (exclusive Mediterranean epibiont taxa) and ecological factors (relative absence of littoral-benthic taxa). Loggerhead turtles from WM and CM apparently exploit both pelagic and benthic habitats in similar fashion, representing a homogeneous unit for epibiont recruitment.
Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria associated with proteoid roots of seedlings of waratah [Telopea speciosissima (Sm.) R.Br.].

Bacteria isolated from proteoid roots and non-proteoid lateral roots of Telopea speciosissima (Sm.) R.Br. seedlings were able to acidify the medium and solubilize calcium phosphates when grown in culture in the presence of ammonium salts and an appropriate carbon source. In general this activity was not detected when NO3 - was substituted for NH4 + , and it is proposed that protons were secreted in exchange for ammonium ions. Cation exchange between these protons and calcium in the medium is a possible cause of the calcium phosphate solubilizing activity. The relevance of these data to phosphate-solubilizing activity in natural environments is discussed.
The Abundance of Tree Holes and Their Utilization by Hole-Nesting Birds in a Primeval Boreal Forest of Mongolia

Abstract. The natural tree holes and nest holes of hole-nesting birds were surveyed in four forest types in the west Khentii Mountains of NE Mongolia. The utilization patterns of species, size and condition of trees, as well as hole types, were investigated. The average density of tree holes in the study area approached 30 holes/ha, while that of hole-nesting birds was 2.4 nests/ha only. The riparian mixed forest had the greatest number of species and individuals of hole-nesting birds, while the spruce-fir forest had the lowest numbers. Excavating bird species preferred larger, deciduous trees, and snags. Non-excavators did not select holes according to tree species or size, but preferred holes in living trees and branch holes. In view of the low occupancy of holes among the four habitats, we suggest that the density of secondary hole-nesting birds is not limited by availability of holes in the study area.
The association and functional relevance of genetic variation in low‐to‐medium‐affinity Fc‐gamma receptors with clinical platelet transfusion refractoriness

Inadequate responses to platelet transfusions (i.e., platelet transfusion refractoriness [PLT refractoriness]) are a serious problem. Multiple factors contribute to low yields upon platelet transfusion, among which are platelet‐reactive allo‐antibodies. Platelet‐reactive allo‐antibodies occur in up to 30% of patients receiving multiple transfusions, and presumably lead to rapid destruction of the transfused platelets via receptors for IgG, the Fc‐gamma receptors (FcγRs). Genetic variation in FcγRs is associated with susceptibility to immune thrombocytopenia, in which autoantibodies against platelets cause thrombocytopenia.
βH‐spectrin is required for ratcheting apical pulsatile constrictions during tissue invagination

Actomyosin‐mediated apical constriction drives a wide range of morphogenetic processes. Activation of myosin‐II initiates pulsatile cycles of apical constrictions followed by either relaxation or stabilization (ratcheting) of the apical surface. While relaxation leads to dissipation of contractile forces, ratcheting is critical for the generation of tissue‐level tension and changes in tissue shape. How ratcheting is controlled at the molecular level is unknown. Here, we show that the actin crosslinker βH‐spectrin is upregulated at the apical surface of invaginating mesodermal cells during Drosophila gastrulation. βH‐spectrin forms a network of filaments which co‐localize with medio‐apical actomyosin fibers, in a process that depends on the mesoderm‐transcription factor Twist and activation of Rho signaling. βH‐spectrin knockdown results in non‐ratcheted apical constrictions and inhibition of mesoderm invagination, recapitulating twist mutant embryos. βH‐spectrin is thus a key regulator of apical ratcheting during tissue invagination, suggesting that actin cross‐linking plays a critical role in this process.
Assumptions about Decision-Making Capacity and Aphasia: Ethical Implications and Impact

Abstract This article explores the issue of aphasia and decision-making within the context of clinical ethics and patient rights. The cases described illustrate the danger of making assumptions about the inherent competence of people with aphasia and the life-altering consequences if no attempt is made to “accommodate” or support communication when competence may be masked by aphasia. Speech-language pathologists have a moral obligation and a key role to play in providing communication support that may serve to reveal a person's intact capacity to make specific decisions, as well as in supporting the steps involved in the decision-making process. This role also extends to providing guidance, education, and training for others involved in evaluating the decision-making capacity of people with aphasia. Communication support strategies useful at each stage of the decision-making process are detailed.