Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a new thrombectomy technical difficulty index: TTDI

Aim: Multiple recent trials have proven the efficacy of thrombectomy in large vessel occlusive stroke and earlier reperfusion correlates with improved outcomes. We developed a thrombectomy technical difficulty index (TTDI) to predict the expected procedural difficulty as an aid to operator decision making for the achievement of a fast and successful recanalization. Materials and Methods: Key thrombectomy factors were used to grade predicted difficulty of thrombectomy on a 3-point scale, from minimal, mild to moderate to severe. Thirty patients that underwent thrombectomy had their computed tomography angiograms scans analysed by seven neurointerventionists using the TTDI to predict level of difficulty to establish its reliability (intra-class correlation, ICC) and validity. Results: An almost perfect level of agreement on TTDI scores between the 7 neurointerventionists was reported (ICC = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.81 to 0.94), and an expert INR opinion of case difficulty using the TTDI (ICC = 0.861, 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.93). Validity analysis showed that that length of procedure was shorter for minimal compared to mild to moderate difficultly cases as assessed with TTDI. Conclusion: The TTDI is a promising tool to assess predicted thrombectomy case difficulty, allowing operator to consider potential problems and inform decisions about whether a modification to technique, including access, equipment and anaesthesia, should be considered. Larger prospective studies evaluating the TTDI are warranted.
Evaluación in vitro de métodos contra Botrytis cinerea

Although experimental methods are available for the control of fungal diseases in strawberry cultivation, including chemical, organic and biological, other low-cost methods such as homeopathic substances are not ruled out, which have not been evaluated against Botrytis cinerea. The objective of the present study was to compare conventional treatments and homeopathic substances, under in vitro conditions, in the mycelial growth of B. cinerea as a previous reference to in vivo evaluation. Treatments: PDA medium, synthetic fungicide Switch® (Fludioxonil, Ciprodinil) 1 g L-1, essential oil of Tagetes lemmonii (1%), commercial extract of Larrea tridentata (2 mL L-1), homeopathic substances, arsenic 6 CH and nosode of Botrytis 7 CH and dual test with Trichoderma harzianum. Registered variables: mycelial diameter, growth rate and percentage of mycelial inhibition; in the dual test, days at first hyphal contact and type of antagonism were measured. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and multiple means comparison test (Tukey, p≤ 0.05). Switch® and Tagetes oil inhibited mycelial growth by 100%, with Larrea extract the inhibition was 65.8%, T. harzianum inhibited 36.2% and hyphal contact occurred on the sixth day (type II antagonism), controlling the pathogen, the homeopathic substances nosode 7 CH and arsenic 6 CH inhibited the fungus in 31.2 and 11.8%, respectively. The effect of nosode 7 CH was different (p≤ 0.05) from the control, but homeopathic arsenic was not.
All The Right Noises: Causes And Consequences Of Stochastic Trimethylamine Oxide Reductase Expression In Escherichia Coli

Microbial populations can maximize fitness in dynamic environments through bet hedging, a process wherein a subpopulation assumes a phenotype not optimally adapted to the present environment but well adapted to an environment likely to be encountered. Here we show that oxygen induces fluctuating expression of the trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) respiratory system of Escherichia coli, diversifying the cell population and enabling a bet-hedging strategy that permits growth following oxygen loss. This regulation by oxygen affects the variance in gene expression but leaves the mean unchanged. We show that the oxygen-sensitive transcription factor IscR is the key regulator of variability. Oxygen causes IscR to repress expression of a TMAO-responsive signaling system, allowing stochastic effects to have a strong effect on the output of the system and resulting in heterogeneous expression of the TMAO reduction machinery. This work reveals a mechanism through which cells regulate molecular noise to enhance fitness. Further regulation of TMAO reductase expression is introduced during lysogenic infection by bacteriophage HK022. The HK022 prophage completely suppresses aerobic TMAO reductase expression, also by altering expression of the TMAOresponsive signaling system, and infected cells lose bet-hedging behavior. The prophage appears to control expression of the signaling system by disrupting a host promoter and replacing it with a prophage-encoded promoter. HK022-like prophages occur with some regularity in wild E. coli strains and may be important environmental regulators of TMAO respiration. These findings provide an unusual example of bacteriophagehost interaction in which a prophage reconfigures the regulation of a host metabolic process by rewiring the transcriptional control of a host gene. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor Mark Goulian
Pancreoprotective Effect of Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus, Fabaceae) Fiber against High-Sugar Diet in Mice

AIM: Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus, Fabaceae) has been promoted as a potent tuberous plant exerting both preventive and therapeutic effects against many diseases. In this present study, we aimed to investigate the pancreoprotective effect of isolated jicama fiber (JF) against glucotoxicity caused by high-sugar diet (HSD). METHODS: We performed an animal experimental research using adult male BALB/c mice with a completely randomized design consisted of four treatments and six replications. The treatments were diet types such as normal diet and HSD, supplemented with 10% and 25% of JF, respectively. The treatments were deployed for 8 weeks. Furthermore, random and fasting blood glucose levels were measured; histopathological alterations of pancreas including pancreatic adiposity, size of islet area, total cell number per islet, and necrosis level of pancreatic acinar cells were examined. Quantitative data were analyzed using an ANOVA followed by Duncan’s new multiple range test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that supplementation of JF 10% and 25% improved blood glucose profile and significantly reduced inter pancreatic adiposity caused by HSD. Moreover, JF at the dose of 25% effectively sustained normal size of the islet of Langerhans and total cell number of the islet in pancreas of HSD-fed mice. JF 25% was also effective to counteract necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings clarify a protective effect of JF, particularly at a dose of 25%, on pancreatic tissues against degeneration caused by HSD. Hence, JF is reliable to be a supplement counteracting the development of diabetes mellitus and associated diseases.
Exogenous proline affects nitrogen assimilation, mineral uptake, and antioxidant activity in tomato plants under NO3–/NH4+ proportions

The nitrate (NO3-) reduction process is complex and has a high energy cost for plants when N is provided exclusively as NO3-. For this reason, the addition of part of N in the form of ammonium (NH4+) may improve the development of many species. There are no studies showing how proline spray may affect plants under NH4+/NO3- treatment in varying proportions. The objective was to evaluate the role of exogenously applied proline on N assimilation, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, antioxidant activity, mineral uptake, and biomass production of tomato plants in initial growth treated with NO3-/NH4+ in varying proportions. The experiment was carried out with NO3-/NH4+ proportions (100/0, 70/30 e 50/50) and exogenous proline doses rate (0, 10 e 20 mmol L-1). The parameters of production, nutrition and enzyme activity of the antioxidant system of tomato plants were evaluated. The NO3-/NH4+ proportions and proline spray did not affect the plant biomass, but the SPAD value, CO2 assimilation, and stomatal conductance were lower in plants supplied with NO3- exclusively. Proline concentration in the shoots was increased with the proline rate applied exogenously. The nitrate reductase activity was enhanced by proline rates only in plants under NO3- exclusively, whereas glutamine synthase was not affected by proline spray. However, proline spray decreased NH4+ concentration in shoots of the plants grown under 100/0 and 70/30 NO3-/NH4+, but not in the roots. The NO3- concentration and accumulation in roots were raised by proline spray only in plants grown under NO3- exclusively, indicating that proline is an excellent osmoregulator, which explains the maintenance of NO3- in the roots. Proline spray increased N assimilation and mineral uptake. Ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and guaiacol peroxidase activity in shoots was higher in plants treated with a proline rate of 20 mmol L-1. Producers using proline spray for tomato plants should consider the NO3-/NH4+ proportions, because the proline supply affects NO3- and NH4+ uptake, nitrate reductase activity, and antioxidant activity in tomato plants under treatment from N ionic forms.
A Modern Understanding of a Historical Parasite: Food-Borne Risks of Trichinella from California Bear and Feral Pig Populations

Author(s): Sherman, Jamie R. ; Ernest, Holly B. | Abstract: Trichinellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by one of the most widely distributed parasite groups in the world, Trichinella. Infection and illness in humans occurs following the consumption of undercooked meat containing larvae. Many cases of trichinellosis go unreported, but symptomatic disease can present with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, and in severe cases, death. Since the eradication of Trichinella from the commercial swine industry, wildlife meat, specifically black bear and feral pig, has become the main cause of human trichinellosis in the United States. California continues to be home to the majority of these cases. Despite this change in epidemiology, few studies have focused on importance of wildlife as a reservoir of human trichinellosis. The most recently reported prevalence estimate of Trichinella in California black bears was over 30 years ago, in 1977. To our knowledge, there have been no published reports on the prevalence of Trichinella in California feral pigs. Furthermore, human, black bear, and feral pig population growth, coupled with increased urban development, has created an expanding ecological niche for parasite transmission, thus increasing the risk of Trichinella infection for consumers of wildlife meat. Given the lack of contemporary data and knowledge, there is a need to generate estimates of the current burden of Trichinella in California wildlife in order to assess the foodborne risk this potentially lethal parasite poses to the public.
U61 - 'A Combinatorial View on Speciation and Adaptive Radiation'

Voici la presentation de l'article intitule 'A Combinatorial View on Speciation and Adaptive Radiation' et ecrit par David A. Marques, Joana I. Meier et Ole Seehausen, realisee pour l'ECUE U61 - Paleontologie Humaine Martin Elea UFR Sciences et Techniques L3 SV - BOPE 1
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Not the Usual Culprit

Vitamin B12 deficiency affects 10% to 15% of people over sixty years of age [1]. It is associated with haematological, neurological and psychiatric manifestations. It is a common cause of macrocytic anemia (megaloblastic) and, in more severe cases, pancytopenia. Neurological alterations include paraesthesias, peripheral neuropathy and demyelination of the corticospinal tract and spine. Vitamin B12 deficiency has also been associated with psychiatric disorders, including memory problems, irritability, depression, dementia and, rarely, psychosis [2]. A Vitamin B12 deficiency can have several causes, such as: pernicious anemia, inadequate diet, conditions that interfere with the absorption of Vitamin B12 namely gastrectomy, bariatric surgery, gastritis, pharmaceutical drugs, pancreatic insufficiency, short bowel syndrome. It can rarely be caused by genetic diseases. Its diagnosis is easy to make, by measuring serum levels of vitamin B12 or with a higher accuracy by measuring serum levels of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine, which will be high.
THE PREVALENCE OF PERFORMANCE-RELATED PAY: A 23-COUNTRY EXAMINATION

This study intends to determine the current situation regarding the prevalence of pay for performance systems established for managers. Examining performance-related pay, we focus on individual, team and organizational performance and explore how widespread several pay components are in 23 countries. The research consists of the firm-level data of 5217 large companies from 23 countries from the Cranfield Network on Comparative Human Resource Management database. The data has been presented descriptively via frequencies and percentages and then analyzed via cluster analysis. In this way, diverging country clusters have been determined regarding the prevalence of pay for performance. Findings show that individual bonus is the most frequently used variable pay component provided to managers in general. Following that, paying for organizational performance is highly prevalent, whereas team-based bonuses are rarely used as a whole. On the other hand, long term incentives are rarely used except profit sharing. The results are descriptive in nature. This study addresses how widespread performance-related pay in various countries. Evidence regarding the use and prevalence of pay for performance systems across countries is quite limited. So this research, reflecting the current scene regarding variable pay in various countries, contributes to current literature by presenting recent comparable data.
A positive feedback loop drives centrosome maturation in flies

Centrosomes are formed when mother centrioles recruit pericentriolar material (PCM) around themselves. The PCM expands dramatically as cells prepare to enter mitosis (a process termed centrosome maturation), but it is unclear how this expansion is achieved. In flies, Spd-2 and Cnn form an extensive scaffold around the mother centriole that recruits other components of the mitotic PCM, and the Polo-dependent phosphorylation of Cnn at the centrosome is crucial for scaffold assembly. Here we show that, like Cnn, Spd-2 is specifically phosphorylated at centrosomes. This phosphorylation appears to create multiple phosphorylated S-S/T(p) motifs that allow Spd-2 to recruit Polo to the expanding scaffold. If Spd-2 cannot recruit Polo to the expanding scaffold, the scaffold is initially assembled around the mother centriole, but it cannot expand outwards, and centrosome maturation fails. We conclude that Spd-2, Polo and Cnn cooperate to form a positive feedback loop that drives the dramatic expansion of the mitotic centrosome in flies.
Efficient and Accurate Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Multimodal Disease Risk Prediction

Biomedical and restorative organizations and correct examination of supportive information play a key role in early illness recognizing which currently depends on the use of Big Data. Without proper supportive information, we cannot expect examination accuracy. In chronicle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cerebral infarction and asthma the forecast of infection over the genuine information is been gathered from the hospital. We can foresee a change in the big data particularly in the existing new “Convolutional Neural Network-based Multimodal Disease Risk Prediction” (CNN-MDRP) estimation which utilizes structured and unstructured data. The slightest data reduction leads to precision reduction. It will clear the defilement of information by Genetic Algorithm. The unstructured information will be changed over into the structured data with the help of Recurrent Neural Network (RNN).
A novel active food packaging film for shelf‐life extension of minced beef meat

In this study, effect of chitosan (CH) film enriched with cellulose nanoparticle (CN) separately and in combination with ethanolic propolis extract (EPE) on chemical (total volatile base nitrogen content, pH, protein carbonyl content, and peroxide value), microbial (total viable count, psychrotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae) and sensory (odor, color, and overall acceptability) properties of minced beef meat during refrigerated storage for 14 days was evaluated. Final microbial population decreased approximately 1–5.5 log CFU/g in treated samples compared to control (p < .05). Films containing EPE 2%, EPE 2% + CN 2%, and EPE 2% + CN 1% showed a promising approach for delaying microbial growth as well as lipid and protein oxidation of minced beef meat. There were no negative impacts on sensory properties of samples packed with EPE 2%, EPE 2% + CN 2%, and EPE 2% + CN 1%. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Meat is an important source of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It is extremely perishable due to high water content, pH, and availability of nutrients. The results of this study showed that minced beef meat's shelf life can be extended by 14 days using chitosan film containing ethanolic propolis extract (1 and 2%) separately and in combination with cellulose nanoparticle (1 and 2%). The synthesized designated films in our study are biodegradable, thus potential in modern active food packaging for the concern of food protection and environmental problems.
Research on the Innovative Management Mode in Enterprises during Big Data Era

In China, information technology and network information technology has developed many years, people can get massive information in time and quickly on the network platform. During the big data era, enterprises must innovate management work in combination with the current situation all over the world, so as to make enterprises develop better. To be able to adapt to the big data era, managers need to consider how to innovate management from all aspects. In order to deal with the challenges that existing in the work of Chinese enterprises during the big data era, we proposed a optimization processing method of the enterprise management mode, hoping to be helpful for the enterprise managers to innovate the management mode.
Modeling the Structure of Type IV Pili from Shewanella Oneidensis

The metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis produces conductive nanowires, which are described as extensions of the outer membrane or type IV pili (T4P), of which the structural details remain unknown. To better understand the structure of S. oneidensis T4P as a nanowire candidate, and the potential mechanism for electron transport along them, theoretical energy-minimized models of these pili were constructed. The models showed a discontinuous geometry consisting of aromatic rings, with large gaps of ∼10 Å, providing a potential pathway for electron hopping, which may account for previously reported conductivity. Moreover, mutations of the pilin subunit based on the models were proposed, which might fill the gaps and possibly increase the conductivity. These models will facilitate further investigation of the nanowires and their applications in bioenergy and bioelectronics.
Comprehensive and Integrated Genomic Characterization of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Sarcomas are a broad family of mesenchymal malignancies exhibiting remarkable histologic diversity. We describe the multi-platform molecular landscape of 206 adult soft tissue sarcomas representing 6 major types. Along with novel insights into the biology of individual sarcoma types, we report three overarching findings: (1) unlike most epithelial malignancies, these sarcomas (excepting synovial sarcoma) are characterized predominantly by copy-number changes, with low mutational loads and only a few genes (TP53, ATRX, RB1) highly recurrently mutated across sarcoma types; (2) within sarcoma types, genomic and regulomic diversity of driver pathways defines molecular subtypes associated with patient outcome; and (3) the immune microenvironment, inferred from DNA methylation and mRNA profiles, associates with outcome and may inform clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Overall, this large-scale analysis reveals previously unappreciated sarcoma-type-specific changes in copy number, methylation, RNA, and protein, providing insights into refining sarcoma therapy and relationships to other cancer types.
Predicting Catch-Per-Unit-Effort Using Semantic Trajectories and Machine Learning

vi List of Abbreviations Used . vii Acknowledgements . viii Chapter
Assessing sharks and rays in shallow coastal habitats using baited underwater video and aerial surveys in the Red Sea

Years of unregulated fishing activity have resulted in low abundances of elasmobranch species in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Coastal populations of sharks and rays in the region remain largely understudied and may be at risk from large-scale coastal development projects. Here we aim to address this pressing need for information by using fish market, unmanned aerial vehicle and baited remote underwater video surveys to quantify the abundance and diversity of sharks and rays in coastal habitats in the Saudi Arabian central Red Sea. Our analysis showed that the majority of observed individuals were batoids, specifically blue-spotted ribbontail stingrays (Taeniura lymma) and reticulate whiprays (Himantura sp.). Aerial surveys observed a catch per unit effort two orders of magnitude greater than underwater video surveys, yet did not detect any shark species. In contrast, baited camera surveys observed both lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) and tawny nurse sharks (Nebrius ferrugineus), but in very low quantities (one individual of each species). The combination of survey techniques revealed a higher diversity of elasmobranch presence than using either method alone, however many species of elasmobranch known to exist in the Red Sea were not detected. Our results suggest that aerial surveys are a more accurate tool for elasmobranch abundance estimates in low densities over mangrove-associated habitats. The importance of inshore habitats, particularly for batoids, calls for a deeper understanding of habitat use in order to protect these environments in the face of unregulated fishing, mangrove removal, and anticipated developments along the coastline of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea.