Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the antioxidative effectiveness of a bilberry extract influenced by encapsulation?

BACKGROUND Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) have been suggested to have preventive properties against diseases associated with oxidative stress such as colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases. Therefore the gastrointestinal tract is regarded as a potential target for prevention. In this study the antioxidative properties of a commercially available anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract (BE) were investigated in comparison with four different BE-loaded microcapsule systems. As markers to describe the antioxidant status in this cellular system, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, oxidative DNA damage and total glutathione (tGSH) levels were monitored. RESULTS Incubations with the BE-loaded capsule systems showed an increase in cellular glutathione levels and reduction of ROS levels at high BE concentrations (100-500 µg mL(-1) ) and a positive effect on the formation of DNA strand breaks (5-10 µg mL(-1) BE). The biological properties of BE-loaded pectin amide core-shell capsules, whey protein matrix capsules and coated apple pectin matrix capsules were comparable to those of the non-encapsulated BE. CONCLUSION Overall, the BE and the encapsulated BE types tested have antioxidative activity under the studied assay conditions in terms of the prevention of oxidative DNA damage, the reduction of intracellular ROS and the enhancement of cellular tGSH.
Developmental stress and social phenotypes: integrating neuroendocrine, behavioural and evolutionary perspectives

The social world is filled with different types of interactions, and social experience interacts with stress on several different levels. Activation of the neuroendocrine axis that regulates the response to stress can have consequences for innumerable behavioural responses, including social decision-making and aspects of sociality, such as gregariousness and aggression. This is especially true for stress experienced during early life, when physiological systems are developing and highly sensitive to perturbation. Stress at this time can have persistent effects on social behaviours into adulthood. One important question remaining is to what extent these effects are adaptive. This paper initially reviews the current literature investigating the complex relationships between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and other neuroendocrine systems and several aspects of social behaviour in vertebrates. In addition, the review explores the evidence surrounding the potential for ‘social programming’ via differential development and activation of the HPA axis, providing an insight into the potential for positive effects on fitness following early life stress. Finally, the paper provides a framework from which novel investigations could work to fully understand the adaptive significance of early life effects on social behaviours. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
Novel Approach for Optimisation of Fibre Bragg Grating Sensor Network for Efficient Damage Detection in Composite Structures

With the increased use of fibre reinforced composites in load bearing structures especially in the aerospace industry, it is crucial to have in-situ structural health monitoring systems to ensure safe operation of the structure. When it comes to using fibre Bragg grating sensors for the task, it is not possible to monitor the structure using a single sensor. Consequently, many FBG sensors are needed for monitoring the integrity of a complex composite structure. Randomly placed or uniform sensor networks prevent the optimisation of sensor layout required for efficient detection of damage. In addition, provision for error or insensitivity must be avoided in the process of structural health monitoring.This paper details research work conducted to develop a procedure for optimising an FBG sensor network. Furthermore, procedures for the immediate rehabilitation of FBG sensor networks due to obsolete/broken sensors, has also been investigated. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) was developed and successfully deployed to virtually simulate the broken/obsolete sensors in a FBG sensor network. The prediction of the ANN network was found to be within 0.1% error levels.
Evaluating the frequency of asymptomatic Ebola virus infection

The potential for asymptomatic infection from Ebola viruses has long been questioned. Knowing the proportion of infections that are asymptomatic substantially changes the predictions made by mathematical models and alters the corresponding decisions based upon these models. To assess the degree of asymptomatic infection occurring during an Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, we carried out a serological survey in the Djera district of the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo affected by an Ebola outbreak in 2014. We sampled all asymptomatic residents (n = 182) of 48 households where at least one case of EVD was detected. To control for potential background seroprevalence of Ebola antibodies in the population, we also sampled 188 individuals from 92 households in an unaffected area with a similar demographic background. We tested the sera collected for anti-Ebola IgG and IgM antibodies at four different dilutions. We then developed a mixture model to estimate the likely number of asymptomatic patients who developed IgM and IgG responses to Ebola antigens in both groups. While we detected an association between medium to high titres and age, we did not detect any evidence of increased asymptomatic infection in the individuals who resided in the same household as cases. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.
Adult sex ratios and their implications for cooperative breeding in birds

Cooperative breeding is a form of breeding system where in addition to a core breeding pair, one or more usually non-breeding individuals provide offspring care. Cooperative breeding is widespread in birds, but its origin and maintenance in contemporary populations are debated. Although deviations in adult sex ratio (ASR, the proportion of males in the adult population) have been hypothesized to influence the occurrence of cooperative breeding because of the resulting surplus of one sex and limited availability of breeding partners, this hypothesis has not been tested across a wide range of taxa. By using data from 188 bird species and phylogenetically controlled analyses, we show that cooperatively breeding species have more male-biased ASRs than non-cooperative species. Importantly, ASR predicts helper sex ratio: in species with more male-biased ASR, helper sex ratio is also more male biased. We also show that offspring sex ratios do not predict ASRs, so that the skewed ASRs emerge during the period when individuals aim to obtain a breeding position or later during adulthood. In line with this result, we found that ASR (among both cooperatively and non-cooperatively breeding species) is inversely related to sex bias in dispersal distance, suggesting that the cost of dispersal is more severe for the further-dispersing sex. As females usually disperse further in birds, this explains the generally male-biased ASR, and in combination with benefits of philopatry for males, this probably explains why ASR is more biased in cooperatively breeding species. Taken together, our results suggest that a sex bias in helping in cooperatively breeding species relates to biased ASRs. We propose that this relationship is driven by sex-specific costs and benefits of dispersal and helping, as well as other demographic factors. Future phylogenetic comparative and experimental work is needed to establish how this relationship emerges. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies’.
Is expressive language disorder an accurate diagnostic category?

PURPOSE To propose that the diagnostic category of "expressive language disorder" as distinct from a disorder of both expressive and receptive language might not be accurate. METHOD Evidence that casts doubt on a pure form of this disorder is reviewed from several sources, including the literature on genetic findings, theories of language impairments, and the outcomes of late talkers with expressive language delays. Areas of language that are problematic in production but not readily amenable to comprehension testing are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS The notion of expressive language disorder has been formalized in classification systems and is implicit if not explicit in the organization of many standardized tests. However, a close inspection of the evidence suggests that deficits in language expression are typically accompanied by limitations in language knowledge or difficulties processing language input. For this reason, the diagnostic category of expressive language disorder should be used with considerable caution. This view has implications for both research and clinical practice.
Experience of Mobile Devices in Nursing Practice

Background: In nursing care, the steady increase of health related information implies that there is need for useful tools that easily provide mobile access to accurate information. Aim: This study is aimed at exploring nurses' and nursing students' experience of using a mobile device in nursing practice, with the emphasis on usefulness, information retrieval, saving time, patient safety, the quality of care, and confidence in the work performed. Methods: In this descriptive intervention study, registered nurses (RN) (n=14) and nursing students (NS) (n=7) used mobile devices in nursing practice during a period of15 weeks, and replied to questionnaires prior to and after the intervention. Results and conclusion: We found that the mobile device was perceived as useful and was presumed to imply increased confidence and time savings, and to contribute to improved patient safety and quality of care by enhancing access to necessary information. To facilitate nursing practice, mobile devices adjusted for technical, statutory, cultural, and language country-specific conditions, should be further developed and implemented for RNs and NSs. Furthermore, future research should include the end-users' views.
Human colour in mate choice and competition

The colour of our skin and clothing affects how others perceive us and how we behave. Human skin colour varies conspicuously with genetic ancestry, but even subtle changes in skin colour due to diet, blood oxygenation and hormone levels influence social perceptions. In this review, we describe the theoretical and empirical frameworks in which human colour is researched. We explore how subtle skin colour differences relate to judgements of health and attractiveness. Also, because humans are one of the few organisms able to manipulate their apparent colour, we review how cosmetics and clothing are implicated in courtship and competition, both inside the laboratory and in the real world. Research on human colour is in its infancy compared with human psychophysics and colour research in non-human animals, and hence we present best-practice guidelines for methods and reporting, which we hope will improve the validity and reproducibility of studies on human coloration. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application’.
Recruitment of pre-existing networks during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis

During C4 photosynthesis, CO2 is concentrated around the enzyme RuBisCO. The net effect is to reduce photorespiration while increasing water and nitrogen use efficiencies. Species that use C4 photosynthesis have evolved independently from their C3 ancestors on more than 60 occasions. Along with mimicry and the camera-like eye, the C4 pathway therefore represents a remarkable example of the repeated evolution of a highly complex trait. In this review, we provide evidence that the polyphyletic evolution of C4 photosynthesis is built upon pre-existing metabolic and genetic networks. For example, cells around veins of C3 species show similarities to those of the C4 bundle sheath in terms of C4 acid decarboxylase activity and also the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Enzymes of C4 photosynthesis function together in gluconeogenesis during early seedling growth of C3 Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, multiple C4 genes appear to be under control of both light and chloroplast signals in the ancestral C3 state. We, therefore, hypothesize that relatively minor rewiring of pre-existing genetic and metabolic networks has facilitated the recurrent evolution of this trait. Understanding how these changes are likely to have occurred could inform attempts to install C4 traits into C3 crops. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Enhancing photosynthesis in crop plants: targets for improvement’.
Acquisition and metabolism of carbon in the Ochrophyta other than diatoms

The acquisition and assimilation of inorganic C have been investigated in several of the 15 clades of the Ochrophyta other than diatoms, with biochemical, physiological and genomic data indicating significant mechanistic variation. Form ID Rubiscos in the Ochrophyta are characterized by a broad range of kinetics values. In spite of relatively high K0.5CO2 and low CO2 : O2 selectivity, diffusive entry of CO2 occurs in the Chrysophyceae and Synurophyceae. Eustigmatophyceae and Phaeophyceae, on the contrary, have CO2 concentrating mechanisms, usually involving the direct or indirect use of . This variability is possibly due to the ecological contexts of the organism. In brown algae, C fixation generally takes place through a classical C3 metabolism, but there are some hints of the occurrence of C4 metabolism and low amplitude CAM in a few members of the Fucales. Genomic data show the presence of a number of potential C4 and CAM genes in Ochrophyta other than diatoms, but the other core functions of many of these genes give a very limited diagnostic value to their presence and are insufficient to conclude that C4 photosynthesis is present in these algae. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms'.
An introduction to item response theory and Rasch models for speech-language pathologists.

PURPOSE To present a primarily conceptual introduction to item response theory (IRT) and Rasch models for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). METHOD This tutorial introduces SLPs to basic concepts and terminology related to IRT as well as the most common IRT models. The article then continues with an overview of how instruments are developed using IRT and some basic principles of adaptive testing. CONCLUSION IRT is a set of statistical methods that are increasingly used for developing instruments in speech-language pathology. While IRT is not new, its application in speech-language pathology to date has been relatively limited in scope. Several new IRT-based instruments are currently emerging. IRT differs from traditional methods for test development, typically referred to as classical test theory (CTT), in several theoretical and practical ways. Administration, scoring, and interpretation of IRT instruments are different from methods used for most traditional CTT instruments. SLPs will need to understand the basic concepts of IRT instruments to use these tools in their clinical and research work. This article provides an introduction to IRT concepts drawing on examples from speech-language pathology.
Towards an understanding of the molecular regulation of carbon allocation in diatoms: the interaction of energy and carbon allocation

In microalgae, the photosynthesis-driven CO2 assimilation delivers cell building blocks that are used in different biosynthetic pathways. Little is known about how the cell regulates the subsequent carbon allocation to, for example, cell growth or for storage. However, knowledge about these regulatory mechanisms is of high biotechnological and ecological importance. In diatoms, the situation becomes even more complex because, as a consequence of their secondary endosymbiotic origin, the compartmentation of the pathways for the primary metabolic routes is different from green algae. Therefore, the mechanisms to manipulate the carbon allocation pattern cannot be adopted from the green lineage. This review describes the general pathways of cellular energy distribution from light absorption towards the final allocation of carbon into macromolecules and summarizes the current knowledge of diatom-specific allocation patterns. We further describe the (limited) knowledge of regulatory mechanisms of carbon partitioning between lipids, carbohydrates and proteins in diatoms. We present solutions to overcome the problems that hinder the identification of regulatory elements of carbon metabolism. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms’.
Value-Behavior Congruency When Providing End-of-Life Care in the Intensive Care Unit

While critical-care nurses wish to improve end-of-life care, personal, environmental, and relational factors affect the delivery of this care. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between critical-care nurses and patient/family values, behaviors, and contextual factors when undergoing end-of-life care in the ICU. Bowen's Value-Behavior Congruency model was used as a classification tool to review literature on end-of-life care. Published articles were examined for the study design, substantive and methodological characteristics, and study findings. The results from this review were extrapolated to identify personal, environmental, and relational factors ICU nurses face when providing end-of-life care. Factors were identified as either supporting or impeding value-behavior congruency. The Value-Behavior Congruency model suggests that care is improved when the nurse and family work together to ensure that their values and behaviors are congruent, especially in response to the healthcare system. The concepts identified by Bowen in his conceptual model have merit when transitioning to ICU practice and end-of-life care. By exploring the factors that influence care delivery, along with nurses' values, behaviors, and expectations of care, we can identify the ingredients necessary to create and implement interventions to improve end-of-life care in the ICU.
Extracellular vesicles in the tumour microenvironment

Cancer is a devastating disease that touches the lives of millions of people around the world. After many years of work by thousands of scientists and clinicians around the globe, the overall survival of people who acquire certain types of cancer has been dramatically improved. However, the overall survival rates for some forms of cancer remain stubbornly low. It is, therefore, imperative to devise novel avenues of study to stimulate new opportunities for drug development, and identification of new tools for early diagnosis and disease monitoring. One such emerging area of intensive research is the concept of the tumour microenvironment. Cancer cells do not grow as a homogeneous mass, existing in isolation from other cell types, but rather in collaboration with other cells in the environment of the tumour. These stromal cells, which under normal conditions support the function of healthy …
Application of principal component analysis to multispectral imaging data for evaluation of pigmented skin lesions

Non-invasive and fast primary diagnostics of pigmented skin lesions is required due to frequent incidence of skin cancer – melanoma. Diagnostic potential of principal component analysis (PCA) for distant skin melanoma recognition is discussed. Processing of the measured clinical multi-spectral images (31 melanomas and 94 nonmalignant pigmented lesions) in the wavelength range of 450-950 nm by means of PCA resulted in 87 % sensitivity and 78 % specificity for separation between malignant melanomas and pigmented nevi.
Performance of younger and older adults on tests of word knowledge and word retrieval: independence or interdependence of skills?

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between vocabulary knowledge and word retrieval in younger and older adults. METHOD Three tests of word retrieval and 2 tests of word knowledge were administered to 140 Hebrew-speaking adults, half of whom were younger (M(age) = 24.20 years) and half of whom were older (M(age) = 74.83 years). RESULTS Younger adults outperformed older adults on tests of retrieval, whereas older adults outperformed younger adults on tests of vocabulary, and no association was found between the 2 skills across the entire sample. Once age and education were taken into account, both skills contributed to the prediction of each other and were similarly related within each group. Older adults performed equally well when required to produce and recognize word meanings, whereas younger adults were better at recognition than at production. CONCLUSIONS Older age is associated with better knowledge and with retrieval difficulties, yet individual differences in vocabulary within each age group affect level of retrieval, and variability in search skills affects performance on vocabulary tests. Although the assessment of vocabulary is not free of retrieval demands, older adults as a group are more successful than are younger adults at producing word definitions, most likely because their knowledge is more complete.
The same but different: cell intercalation as a driver of tissue deformation and fluidity

The ability of cells to exchange neighbours, termed intercalation, is a key feature of epithelial tissues. Intercalation is predominantly associated with tissue deformations that drive morphogenesis. More recently, however, intercalation that is not associated with large-scale tissue deformations has been described both during animal development and in mature epithelial tissues. This latter form of intercalation appears to contribute to an emerging phenomenon that we refer to as tissue fluidity—the ability of cells to exchange neighbours without changing the overall dimensions of the tissue. Here, we discuss the contribution of junctional dynamics to intercalation governing both morphogenesis and tissue fluidity. In particular, we focus on the relative roles of junctional contractility and cell–cell adhesion as the driving forces behind intercalation. These two contributors to junctional mechanics can be used to simulate cellular intercalation in mechanical computational models, to test how junctional cell behaviours might regulate tissue fluidity and contribute to the maintenance of tissue integrity and the onset of disease. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Mechanics of development’.
Flexibacter polymorphus, a New Marine Species

SUMMARY: A filamentous, gliding microbe isolated from a marine source is described as a new species of Flexibacter (Cytophagales: Flexibacteraceae). The filaments are typically multicellular. At the end of each cell there is normally a refractile granule of lipid material (not elemental sulphur, as would be the case in a Beggiatoa species). Under certain culture conditions, unicellular elements, helically coiled filaments or, occasionally, branched filaments may be produced. The filaments, which are not photosynthetic, are peach-coloured when grown in light: the pigment is a carotenoid spectroscopically resembling saproxanthin. The guanine + cytosine proportional content in the DNA is 29%. The organism grows in media prepared with sea water or an equivalent saline solution. It can utilize glucose as sole carbon source; glutamate or Tryptone can serve as a suitable source of both C and N. Cobalamin is the only organic micronutrient essential for growth. The generation (doubling) time is 6 h at 22°C.