Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Honey production of the “uruçu-cinzenta” stingless bee (Melipona fasciculata) after offering cerumen in natural form or as artificially made pots

The “uruçu-cinzenta” (Melipona fasciculata) is an Amazonian stingless bee species that is easily maintained in artificial hives. It is reputed to be a good honey producer, and has potential to be used as a pollinator of tropical crops. The provision of beeswax foundation in honey bee hives was possibly the technique that most improved honey production in apiculture. In meliponiculture, the use of a similar technology is unknown or does not exist. In the present work, honey production was evaluated after the introduction of cerumen to colonies of M. fasciculata in the form of: artificially-constructed pots (the beeswax foundation analog for meliponiculture); amorphous masses (balls); and recovered naturally-made pots after honey extraction. After the provision of natural pots, honey production was 2.7 times higher than in the control treatment, so, this technique is likely to be adopted as a practice in the beekeeping of M. fasciculata during high foraging season. With the offering of the cerumen in balls, honey production was 1.6 times higher than in the control treatment, but this difference was not significant, which may be a consequence of the high variability in honey production among hives. The introduction of artificially-constructed cerumen pots can be considered an equivalent technique to beeswax foundation in terms of improving honey production and facilitating its harvest. Therefore, this technique has the potential to revolutionize stingless beekeeping by saving labor; furthermore, the compartmentalization of honey pots to a super, would facilitate harvesting and diminish stress for larvae and young bees.
Development and validation of a lateral flow immunoassay for rapid detection of VanA-producing enterococci.

BACKGROUND VRE are nosocomial pathogens with an increasing incidence in recent decades. Rapid detection is crucial to reduce their spread and prevent infections and outbreaks. OBJECTIVES To evaluate a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) (called NG-Test VanA) for the rapid and reliable detection of VanA-producing VRE (VanA-VRE) from colonies and broth. METHODS NG-Test VanA was validated on 135 well-characterized enterococcal isolates grown on Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar (including 40 VanA-VRE). Different agar plates and culture broths widely used in routine laboratories for culture of enterococci were tested. RESULTS All 40 VanA-VRE clinical isolates were correctly detected in less than 15 min irrespective of the species expressing the VanA ligase and the medium used for bacterial growth. No cross-reaction was observed with any other clinically relevant ligases (VanB, C1, C2, D, E, G, L, M and N). Overall, the sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 100% for VanA-VRE grown on MH agar plates. NG-Test VanA accurately detects VanA-VRE irrespective of the culture medium (agar and broth). Band intensity was increased when using bacteria grown on vancomycin-containing culture media or on MH close to the vancomycin disc as a consequence of VanA induction. The limit of detection of the assay was 6.3 × 106 cfu per test with bacteria grown on MH plates and 4.9 × 105 cfu per test with bacteria grown on ChromID® VRE plates. CONCLUSIONS NG-Test VanA is efficient, rapid and easy to implement in the routine workflow of a clinical microbiology laboratory for the confirmation of VanA-VRE.
Effects of prolonged mass rearing on life history traits of Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Abstract Long-term mass rearing of parasitoids under laboratory conditions may affect their quality. We studied the quality of Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared for more than 20 generations (G) using two-sex life table parameters. We found that G2 had the longest pre-adult development time (12.4 d) and the highest fecundity (1304.00 eggs/female) compared with the other generations. While no significant differences in the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and net reproductive rate (R 0) were found among G4, G6, G8, G15, and G20, the highest values of r (0.3273 day−1) and R 0 (436.28 eggs/individual) as well as the shortest mean generation time (T) were observed in G10. In addition, significant differences in sex ratio (F/F + M) were observed among different generations, ranging from 17% in G2 to 60% in G10. These results suggest that up to a certain number of generations (G10), the quality of H. hebetor significantly increased without adding field-collected parasitoids or changing the factitious host. To maintain the quality of the colony beyond this point, it should be rejuvenated by periodically adding field-collected individuals.
How to deal with the EU landing obligation: lessons from an English discard ban sea trial

How to deal with the EU landing obligation: lessons from an English discard ban sea trial Thomas L. Catchpole*, Sam Elliott, Dave Peach, Stephen C. Mangi, and Tim S. Gray Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Centre for Environment, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Centre for Environment, 55 Briseham Road, Brixham TQ5 9NX, UK University of Newcastle, 40-42 Great North Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK *Corresponding author: tel: þ44 (0) 1502 562244; fax: þ44 (0) 1502 513865; e-mail: thomas.catchpole@cefas.co.uk
Lipid Nanocarriers for Intracellular Delivery

Recent trends in drug delivery indicate a growing trend to utilize nanotechnology to target diseased tissues with minimal adverse effects. However, in such cases, the biggest challenge encountered by the formulator is the intracellular delivery of the actives. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical nanocarriers have proven to possess distinct advantages for intracellular delivery of therapeutics over conventional approaches. They are versatile in terms of engineering and provide attractive options to deliver encapsulated or conjugated cargoes to cellular targets. In this chapter, the authors discuss important aspects of lipid-based nanocarriers for intracellular drug targeting. The chapter provides insight of different pathways to internalize lipid nanocarriers and the physicochemical factors affecting the intracellular fate of nanocarriers. Further, the chapter provides details of different types of lipid-based nanocarriers that have been explored for intracellular delivery in infectious diseases as well as cancer.
A Critical Review of the Material Characteristics of Additive Manufactured IN718 for High-Temperature Application

This paper reviews state of the art additive manufactured (AM) IN718 alloy intended for high-temperature applications. AM processes have been around for decades and have gained traction in the past five years due to the huge economic benefit this brings to manufacturers. It is crucial for the scientific community to look into AM IN718 applicability in order to see a step-change in production. Microstructural studies reveal that the grain structure plays a significant role in determining the fatigue lifespan of the material. Controlling IN718 respective phases such as the ϒ’’, δ and Laves phase is seen to be crucial. Literature reviews have shown that the mechanical properties of AM IN718 were very close to its wrought counterpart when treated appropriately. Higher homogenization temperature and longer ageing were recommended to dissolve the damaging phases. Various surface enhancement techniques were examined to find out their compatibility to AM IN718 alloy that is intended for high-temperature application. Laser shock peening (LSP) technology stands out due to the ability to impart low cold work which helps in containing the beneficial compressive residual stress it brings in a high-temperature fatigue environment.
How the Integration of Telehealth and Coordinated Care Approaches Impact Health Care Service Organization Structure and Ethos: Mixed Methods Study

Background Coordinated care and telehealth services have the potential to deliver quality care to chronically ill patients. They can both reduce the economic burden of chronic care and maximize the delivery of clinical services. Such services require new behaviors, routines, and ways of working to improve health outcomes, administrative efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and user (patient and health professional) experience. Objective The aim of this study was to assess how health care organization setup influences the perceptions and experience of service managers and frontline staff during the development and deployment of integrated care with and without telehealth. Methods As part of a multinational project exploring the use of coordinated care and telehealth, questionnaires were sent to service managers and frontline practitioners. These questionnaires gathered quantitative and qualitative data related to organizational issues in the implementation of coordinated care and telehealth. Three analytical stages were followed: (1) preliminary analysis for a direct comparison of the responses of service managers and frontline staff to a range of organizational issues, (2) secondary analysis to establish statistically significant relationships between baseline and follow-up questionnaires, and (3) thematic analysis of free-text responses of service managers and frontline staff. Results Both frontline practitioners and managers highlighted that training, tailored to the needs of different professional groups and staff grades, was a crucial element in the successful implementation of new services. Frontline staff were markedly less positive than managers in their views regarding the responsiveness of their organization and the pace of change. Conclusions The data provide evidence that the setup of health care services is positively associated with outcomes in several areas, particularly tailored staff training, rewards for good service, staff satisfaction, and patient involvement.
Influences of Social Media Marketing Tools Towards Online Purchases: Nuances from Undergraduate Students in Nigeria Public Universities

The study investigates the influence of social media (SM) marketing tools on online purchases (OP) of undergraduates in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The qualitative multi-methods (focus groups and secondary data) were employed for data collection and the study involved 17 respondents from undergraduate studies in selected public universities in Nigeria. The researchers’ employed thematic and content analysis techniques with the use of NVivo 12 software for critical and rigorous analysis. Among the findings are that undergraduate students from selected public Universities in Port Harcourt spend much time on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube than other SM platforms; seven themes emerged as basic frameworks that could be leveraged by online businesses in order to enhance positive OP behaviour. The study contributes to technology adoption model.
Effect of different packaging film thicknesses on chilling injury in postharvest ‘Cuixiang' Kiwifruit

ABSTRACT Chilling injury (CI) of kiwifruit is a major issue that severely affects its quality and commodity value. To investigate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) film thickness on the alleviation of CI and identify an appropriate thickness, kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Cuixiang) was packaged with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films of three different thicknesses and stored at 0 ± 0.5°C. Fruit packaging with 30 and 50 μm LDPE (MAP30 and MAP50, respectively) effectively alleviated CI and browning as well as delayed the decrease in total phenolic content and inhibited the increase in malondialdehyde. The decreased CI and browning may attribute to enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes while suppressing lipoxygenase activity and ethylene production under the optimal atmosphere within the package. Moreover, MAP treatment restrained polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, which may lead to the alleviation of browning. According to the sensory evaluation results, MAP30 with 4.2%–4.8% CO2 and 14.0%–14.8% O2 was appropriate for Cuixiang storage at 0°C.
Antibiotic resistance genes in agriculture and urban influenced watersheds in southwestern British Columbia

Background The dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from anthropogenic activities into the environment poses an emerging public health threat. Water constitutes a major vehicle for transport of both biological material and chemical substances. The present study focused on putative antibiotic resistance and integrase genes present in the microbiome of agricultural, urban influenced and protected watersheds in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. A metagenomics approach and high throughput quantitative PCR (HT qPCR) were used to screen for elements of resistance including ARGs and integron-associated integrase genes (intI). Sequencing of bacterial genomic DNA was used to characterize the resistome of microbial communities present in watersheds over a one-year period. Results Data mining using CARD and Integrall databases enabled the identification of putative antibiotic resistance genes present in watershed samples. Antibiotic resistance genes presence in samples from various watershed locations was low relative to the microbial population (<1 %). Analysis of the metagenomic sequences detected a total of 78 ARGs and intI1 across all watershed locations. The relative abundance and richness of antibiotic resistance genes was found to be highest in agriculture impacted watersheds compared to protected and urban watersheds. Gene copy numbers (GCNs) from a subset of 21 different elements of antibiotic resistance were further estimated using HT qPCR. Most GCNs of ARGs were found to be variable over time. A downstream transport pattern was observed in the impacted watersheds (urban and agricultural) during dry months. Urban and agriculture impacted sites had a higher GCNs of ARGs compared to protected sites. Similar to other reports, this study found a strong association between intI1 and ARGs (e.g., sul1), an association which may be used as a proxy for anthropogenic activities. Chemical analysis of water samples for three major groups of antibiotics was negative. However, the high richness and GCNs of ARGs in impacted sites suggest effects of effluents on microbial communities are occurring even at low concentrations of antimicrobials in the water column. Conclusion Antibiotic resistance and integrase genes in a year-long metagenomic study showed that ARGs were driven mainly by environmental factors from anthropogenized sites in agriculture and urban watersheds. Environmental factors accounted for almost 40% of the variability observed in watershed locations.
Factors influencing millennials intention to use peer to peer accommodation

Abstract Our paper aimed to identify key factors affecting the use of peer to peer accommodation through the generation of millennials. The analysis of customer behaviour was based on a goal-oriented behavioural model (MGB) which was enlarged by the environmental responsibility and the impact of digital platforms. According to the findings of structural modelling, important influences on the desire to use a peer to peer (P2P) accommodation included the millennial generation’s attitudes towards social benefits and previous authentic experiences. The interesting finding is that environmental aspects alone were not a sufficient motivator to increase millennials’ desire to use a P2P accommodation.
The mapping of ovarian cancer mortality trends in Brazil

Ovarian cancer is the eighth cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. The objective of this study was to analyze trends in the Brazilian ovarian cancer mortality and the relation to age, schooling, and race. Data was collected in the Brazilian Mortality Information System (SIM), from 2006 to 2016. The polynomial regression model was used for the trends analysis, a significant trend was considered when the estimated model obtained a p-value <0.05. Ovarian Cancer caused 34,003 deaths in Brazilian women in this period, the mortality rate (MR) was 0.46 per 100.000 women aged less than 40; 4.2 in women aged between 40 – 59; 12.2 in women aged between 60 – 79 and 19.4 in women 80 years old or more. About Race, 65% were White, others were declared as Black, Asian, Mixed-race, or Indigenous. Only 26% had 8 years or more of schooling. Mortality rates from ovarian cancer seemed to be rising in Brazil, the major increase happened in the South, the Southeast, and the Middle-West Regions. Women aged between 40 to 59 had the most significant increase. Politics are needed to facilitate the Brazilian population's access to health services, consequently minimizing the time to diagnose and start the treatment. Research about mortality rates could help health workers identify gaps in knowledge and consequently decrease the magnitude of the disease.
Modeling and analysis of business process reengineering strategies for improving emergency department efficiency

Emergency departments (ED) in the USA treat 136.9 million cases annually and account for nearly half of all medical care delivered. Due to high demand and limited resource (such as doctors and beds) availability, the median waiting time for ED patients is around 90 minutes. This research is motivated by a real-life case study of an ED located in central Missouri, USA, which faces the problem of congestion and improper workload distribution (e.g., overburdened ED doctors). The objective of this paper is to minimize patient waiting time and efficiently allocate workload among resources in an economical manner. The systematic framework of Business Process Reengineering (BPR), along with discrete-event simulation modeling approach, is employed to analyze current operations and potential improvement strategies. Alternative scenarios pertaining to process change, workforce planning, and capacity expansion are proposed. Besides process performance measures (waiting time and resource utilization), other criteria, such as responsiveness, cost of adoption, and associated risk, are also considered for evaluating an alternative. The experimental analysis indicates that a change in the triage process (evenly distributing medium-acuity patients among doctors and mid-level providers) is economical, easy to implement, reduces physician workload, and improves average waiting time by 20%, thereby making it attractive for short-term adoption. On the other hand, optimizing the workforce level based on historical demand patterns while adopting a triage process change delivers the best performance (84% reduction in waiting time and balanced resource utilization), and is recommended as a long-term solution.
Mining industry and sustainable development: time for change

Mining industries provide most of the materials we rely on to build infrastructures and instruments of daily use, to obtain large amounts of energy, and to supply agriculture with fertilizers that enable most of foods produced. At the same time, mining is the human activity that has been more disturbing to environment and is linked to large social impacts and inequalities. Notwithstanding, our future is deeply depending on mining. Several mining sectors, from phosphate to uranium, are reviewed and their current impacts and challenges are discussed. The mining legacy and environmental remediation, the present mining and challenges, and the future mining and society are discussed in relationship with environmental health and sustainable development. It is concluded that current mining practices need to change and contribute to community development with more equity, and to protect better natural resources and ecosystems in order to be environmentally acceptable and compliant with sustainable development objectives.
Interacting and non‐linear avian responses to mixed‐severity wildfire and time since fire

Non-linear and interacting effects of ﬁ re severity and time since ﬁ re may help explain how pyrodiversity promotes biodiversity in ﬁ re-adapted systems. We built on previous research on avian responses to ﬁ re by investigating how complex effects of burn severity and time since ﬁ re in ﬂ uenced avian community composition across the northern Sierra Nevada, California. We conducted avian point counts from 2009 to 2015 in 10 ﬁ res that burned between 2000 and 2014, resulting in a chronosequence of 1 – 15 yr post- ﬁ re. We estimated the effects of burn severity, time since ﬁ re, non-linear and interacting effects of ﬁ re severity and time since ﬁ re, pre- ﬁ re forest conditions, and several physiographic parameters on the density of 44 breeding bird species using hierarchical distance sampling models. In addition, we ﬁ t separate models to observations of each species in unburned forest to compare species ’ densities between burned and unburned forests. At least one of the non-linear or interaction ﬁ re effects was signi ﬁ cant for 27 (61%) of the 44 bird species. The quadratic effect of time since ﬁ re was an important predictor of post- ﬁ re densities of 20 species, illustrating the dynamic nature of this post-wild ﬁ re avian community. Greater maximum densities were estimated at some combination of burn severity and time since ﬁ re than in unburned forest for 13 of the 44 (30%) species, only one of which reached maximum density following low-severity ﬁ re. In con-trast, all of the 12 species that were more abundant in unburned forest reached maximum post- ﬁ re densities in ﬁ res that burned at low severity. Results from the study suggest that consideration of the non-linear and interacting effects of ﬁ re severity and time since ﬁ re is important to fully understanding post-wild ﬁ re responses for a majority of birds. Moreover, the study supports a growing body of literature that indicates mixed-severity ﬁ re is essential for conserving avian diversity in many ﬁ re-maintained systems.
A high-temperature mixed potential CO gas sensor for in situ combustion control

An in situ, accurate and robust sensor that can sustain a high temperature of above 1000 °C is needed for on-site combustion monitoring because it can give real-time and local data to the control system to adjust the overall combustion efficiency. In this work, we find that nickel oxide (NiO) is a promising sensing material for CO which is a direct indicator of the status of the combustion process of a power plant. Under the conditions of 0.5–3% O2 and 1000 °C, the fabricated yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based mixed potential sensor using porous NiO demonstrates good sensitivity to CO, showing a signal as high as 36 mV to 1000 ppm CO. The effects of gas transport, structure and geometry of the NiO electrode on the sensing performance are studied. Results show that fast gas transport is much beneficial to improved sensitivity. NiO having a porous structure is much more sensitive to CO than that having a dense structure. But the t90 (time to achieve 90% final signal magnitude) of the former is much longer due to slower gas diffusion inside the pores. It's worth noting that the NiO sensor exhibits a positive relationship with the CO content, opposite to other reported results of mixed potential sensors to detect CO. We find that this might be due to the electrochemical reduction, instead of oxidation of CO during the interaction with NiO at 1000 °C. Selectivity tests on how CO2, CH4 and steam affect CO sensing are also demonstrated. NiO is insensitive to even 10% CO2. CH4 does not shift the average value of the CO sensing response. However, it makes the sensing signal fluctuate more intensively. 2% steam exerts a great influence on NiO sensitivity to CO: it magnifies the sensitivity of the porous NiO electrode to a low CO range of 0–100 ppm, but inhibits its sensitivity to a CO range of 100 ppm to 1000 ppm. Finally, an 11 day stability test demonstrates the promising stability property of the proposed NiO-based YSZ sensor.