Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Way To Health - Is Osteopathy Able to Influence Homeostasis?

Health is a value that people in the western societies start to appreciate when they lose it. Health is an outcome of balanced functioning of all our tissues, organs and systems. Thanks to current neurobiology we have an insight into integrative organization and action of human organism. According to prof. Wilfrid Jänig from Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel (Germany), studies on the integrative action of the autonomic nervous system and neurobiology of homeostasis, bring to light modern neurobiological concepts that allow understanding of why the healthy system runs so smoothly and why its deterioration has such disastrous consequences” [1]. The ANS is the key to homeostasis which importance has been constantly underestimated. Although it’s role in regulating tissue function is obvious and incontestable it is being omitted when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. There is an urgent need to see patient’s symptoms as the current state of his homeostasis [2] and ANS. ANS is the communication inteface between the nervous system and the immune system which constantely monitors and reacts to environmental and/or emotional situation [1]. Autonomic failure significantly compromises the quality of life. Elspeth M. McLachlan PhD, states that consequences of autonomic disturbance should not be underestimated by those who take their bodies for granted [1]. Also the microbiota-gut-brain axis involves both afferent and efferent autonomic pathways such as the vagus nerve and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in order to regulate various aspects of homeostasis as inflammation for instance. Microbiota-gut-brain axis disorder has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases such as depression, Parkinson disease, obesity or irritable bowel syndrome [3]. Any tissue damage is associated with autonomic response involving but not limited to plasma extravasations and change of the heart rate two aspects (sensoric and motor) of the same homeostatic system [4]. Any tissue damage is associated with inflammatory process running at different levels [5]. Fortunately the body has a cleaning system lymphatic system that carries fluid containing immune cells to fight the infection and removes dead cells and other waste products from all peripheral tissues. Recently scientists from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke were able to prove that the central nervous system has a lympathic system too. Using different dyes they visualized blood and lymphatic vessels in the brain using MRI. They revealed also that the brain’s lymphatic vessels contained specific cells and protein markers that are unique to lymphatic vessels and distinguished them from blood vessels [6]. Abstract
Characterising antibody kinetics from multiple influenza infection and vaccination events in ferrets

The strength and breadth of an individual’s antibody repertoire are important predictors of their response to influenza infection or vaccination. Although progress has been made in understanding qualitatively how repeated exposures shape the antibody mediated immune response, quantitative understanding remains limited. We developed a set of mathematical models describing short-term antibody kinetics following influenza infection or vaccination and fit them to haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres from 5 groups of ferrets which were exposed to different combinations of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV with or without adjuvant), priming inoculation with A/H3N2 and post-vaccination inoculation with A/H1N1. Based on the parameter estimates of the best supported model, we describe a number of key immunological features. We found quantifiable differences in the degree of homologous and cross-reactive antibody boosting elicited by different exposure types. Infection and adjuvanted vaccination generally resulted in strong, broadly reactive responses whereas unadjuvanted vaccination resulted in a weak, narrow response. We found that the order of exposure mattered: priming with A/H3N2 improved subsequent vaccine response, and the second dose of adjuvanted vaccination resulted in substantially greater antibody boosting than the first. Although there was considerable uncertainty in our estimates of antibody waning parameters, our results suggest that both short and long term waning were present and would be identifiable with a larger set of experiments. These results highlight the potential use of repeat exposure animal models in revealing short-term, strain-specific immune dynamics of influenza. Author summary Despite most individuals having some preexisting immunity from past influenza infections and vaccinations, a significant proportion of the human population is infected with influenza each year. Predicting how an individual’s antibody profile will change following exposure is therefore useful for evaluating which populations are at greatest risk and how effective vaccination strategies might be. However, interpretation of antibody data from humans is complicated by immunological interactions between all previous, unobserved exposures in an individual’s life. We developed a mathematical model to describe short-term antibody kinetics that are important in building an individual’s immune profile but are difficult to observe in human populations. We validated this model using antibody data from ferrets with known, varied infection and vaccination histories. We were able to quantify the independent contributions of various exposures and immunological mechanisms in generating observed antibody titres. These results suggest that data from experimental systems may be included in models of human antibody dynamics, which may improve predictions of vaccination strategy effectiveness and how population susceptibility changes over time.
Substitution of chemical fertilizer nitrogen through Rhizobium inoculation technology

Nitrogen is one of the most essential elements for plants growth and development. Urea is commonly used as a substitute for chemical nitrogen. Rhizobium inoculation technology for legume crop was evaluated in a number of field experiments comparing with 80kg urea per hectare application. The inoculation and urea application trial showed almost similar biomass accumulation, nodule number and nodule dry weight compared to un-inoculated control. The symbiotic effectiveness with inoculated and urea application showed similar results. The inoculant strains isolated locally from Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) were found suitable for inoculants production. The bio-technology of inoculation can be a promising and cheap alternative of urea for the legume crops.
Viewpoint: a primer for inclusive service marketing theory

Purpose This viewpoint sheds light on an as yet underrepresented consumer group. Considering impaired consumers in our theories would not only change these theories’ meaning but also add variance. These theories would therefore develop from a specific case theory to a broadly acceptable and applicable theory. Design/methodology/approach As a viewpoint paper, this work relies on previously published literature and highlights exemplary shortcomings in the servicescape and customer experience theory. Findings The paper specifies shortcomings in the current theory development and application. While service marketing scholars consistently consider the normal and representative consumer, changing the customer groups will lead to a broader understanding of consumer behavior. Originality/value This paper not only highlights impaired consumers’ different needs and expectations, but also discusses the difference between impairment and disability. Given this distinction, the paper calls for further research on such consumers.
Correlations between environmental conditions and Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Vibrio vulnificus in Pacific oysters from New Zealand coastal waters

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus can be found in oysters in coastal environments. Vibrio vulnificus can induce life-threatening illness when ingested with oysters, while V. parahaemolyticus usually causes self-limiting gastroenteritis. This study investigated correlations between concentrations of these Vibrio species in Pacific oysters from eight New Zealand coastal regions (2008–2017), and seawater surface temperature (SST), salinity and rainfall. In the pooled data, most (88%) of the oyster samples were collected during summer and autumn. The prevalence of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus was 85% and 15%, respectively. Vibrio vulnificus was always detected in the presence of V. parahaemolyticus. Across all regions, V. parahaemolyticus concentration positively correlated with SST (rS = 0.60), but not with salinity (rS = −0.01). Vibrio vulnificus concentration weakly correlated with SST (rS = 0.26) and salinity (rS = −0.21). Linear and generalised additive models were investigated but none were satisfactory for prediction. Salinity and SST explained < 50% of the variability in V. parahaemolyticus concentrations, indicating that other environmental or biological factors contributed. When SST, salinity and rainfall 15 days prior to harvesting were investigated for one region, SST was the best pre-harvest indicator for elevated concentrations of both Vibrio species.
Tomographic Field Free Line Magnetic Particle Imaging With an Open-Sided Scanner Configuration

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have a high potential for use in clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. <italic>In vivo</italic> distribution of SPIONs can be imaged with the Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) method, which uses an inhomogeneous magnetic field with a field free region (FFR). The spatial distribution of the SPIONs are obtained by scanning the FFR inside the field of view (FOV) and sensing SPION related magnetic field disturbance. MPI magnets can be configured to generate a field free point (FFP), or a field free line (FFL) to scan the FOV. FFL scanners provide more sensitivity, and are also more suitable for scanning large regions compared to FFP scanners. Interventional procedures will benefit greatly from FFL based open magnet configurations. Here, we present the first open-sided MPI system that can electronically scan the FOV with an FFL to generate tomographic MPI images. Magnetic field measurements show that FFL can be rotated electronically in the horizontal plane and translated in three dimensions to generate 3D MPI images. Using the developed scanner, we obtained 2D images of dot and cylinder phantoms with varying iron concentrations between 11 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/ml and 770 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/ml. We used a measurement based system matrix image reconstruction method that minimizes <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _{{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm and total variation in the images. Furthermore, we present 2D imaging results of two 4 mm-diameter vessel phantoms with 0% and 75% stenosis. The experiments show high quality imaging results with a resolution down to 2.5 mm for a relatively low gradient field of 0.6 T/m.
Ocean acidification impacts on biomass and fatty acid composition of a post-bloom marine plankton community

A mesocosm approach was used to investigate the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on a natural plankton community in coastal waters off Norway by manipulating CO2 partial pressure (pCO2). Eight enclosures were deployed in the Raunefjord near Bergen. Treatment levels were ambient (~320 µatm) and elevated pCO2 (~2000 µatm), each in 4 replicate enclosures. The experiment lasted for 53 d in May-June 2015. To assess impacts of OA on the plankton community, phytoplankton and protozooplankton biomass and total seston fatty acid content were analyzed. In both treatments, the plankton community was dominated by the dinoflagellate Ceratium longipes. In the elevated pCO2 treatment, however, biomass of this species as well as that of other dinoflagellates was strongly negatively affected. At the end of the experiment, total dinoflagellate biomass was 4-fold higher in the control group than under elevated pCO2 conditions. In a size comparison of C. longipes, cell size in the high pCO2 treatment was significantly larger. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids of seston decreased at high pCO2. In particular, the concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (C 22:6n3c), essential for development and reproduction of metazoans, was less than half at high pCO2 compared to ambient pCO2. Thus, elevated pCO2 led to a deterioration in the quality and quantity of food in a natural plankton community, with potential consequences for the transfer of matter and energy to higher trophic levels
Development of Instruments to Measure Mathematical Anxiety of Elementary School Students

To generate high-quality research, a reliable instrument is required. This study aims to develop an instrument that can measure mathematical dimensions of elementary school students appropriately, for use in mathematics learning on spatial geometry. Each statement item in Mathematical Anxiety Instrument was developed based on 3 learning aspects, namely Attitudinal, Cognitive, Somatic. This study uses Research and Development (R&D) method with a quasi-experimental design on geometry topic. The sample is 100 sixth grade students in an elementary school located in Karawang Regency. The instrument developed in this study is in the form of a questionnaire with closed-ended questions. The validity test analysis implies that 23 out of 30 items on the instrument are valid. This data is supported by Cronbach’s Alpha test results, where all item has reliability value higher than 0.80 indicating that the instrument being tested has a very high-test reliability. Therefore, 23 items out of 30 items were developed into instruments for measuring mathematics anxiety that applicable in Mathematics learning activities. Thus, it leads to the conclusion that this mathematics anxiety questionnaire can be utilized as an instrument for future research. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19. 6.17
Reappraisal of the Eocene whiptail stingrays (Myliobatiformes, Dasyatidae) of the Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy

The Eocene whiptail stingrays of the family Dasyatidae from the Bolca Lagerstätte, NE Italy, are revised herein in detail. The analysis of the anatomical and morphometric features allows us to identify the species “Dasyatis” zigni (Molin, 1861) as a junior synonym of “D. ” muricatus (Volta, 1796), and to assign it to the new genus Tethytrygon gen. n. This new taxon exhibits a unique combination of features (e.g., rhombic disc wider than long, elongated tail folds fail to reach the tip of the tail, thorns absent, single serrated tail sting, “caniniform” teeth on upper jaw, tooth crown ornamentation absent, 175–179 vertebrae, 108–117 pectoral radials, 24–27 pelvic radials and other features of clasper anatomy) that clearly support its attribution to the subfamily Neotrygoninae of the stingray family Dasyatidae. The morphological and phylogenetic affinities of Tethytrygon gen. n. with the living neotrygonines (Neotrygon and Taeniura) suggest a close association of this taxon with the tropical shallow‐water habitats hypothesized for the Bolca palaeoenvironment during the early Eocene. Moreover, the analysis of the fossil occurrences of the neotrygonines provides new insights into the role of the Tethys for the origin and evolutionary history of certain whiptail stingrays.
A Darwinian Uncertainty Principle

Reconstructing ancestral characters and traits along a phylogenetic tree is central to evolutionary biology. It is the key to understanding morphology changes among species, inferring ancestral biochemical properties of life, and recovering migration routes in phylogeography. The goal is twofold: to reconstruct the character state at the tree root (e.g. the region of origin of some species), and to understand the process of state changes along the tree (e.g. species flow between countries). Although each goal can be achieved with high accuracy individually, we use mathematics and simulations to demonstrate that it is generally impossible to accurately estimate both the root state and the rates of state changes along the tree branches from the observed data at the tips of the tree. This inherent ‘Darwinian uncertainty principle’ concerning the simultaneous estimation of ‘pattern’ and ‘process’ governs ancestral reconstructions in biology. Increasing the number of tips improves the joint estimation accuracy for certain tree shapes that arise in evolutionary models, however, for other trees shapes it does not.
Extension of the northward migratory route of the Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) to the western slope of the Andes

ABSTRACT The Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is a migratory shorebird with main wintering areas in Argentina and Uruguay. The migration route from the wintering to the breeding areas has been described as passing through the Amazon basin, but some records suggested that the western slope of the Andes is part of the regular route. To assess if this area is regularly used by the species, we encouraged volunteers to be part of a Citizen Science project in Chile to conduct listening points at night, allowing us to gather records from extensive areas. In 2 years, we collected 80 records of Upland Sandpiper from Arica to La Serena, confirming that northern Chile is part of the regular route. This migration strategy might be a result of the current winds, which blow from east to west in March and April on the South American continent and from south to north following the Pacific coast. These results change our understanding of the Upland Sandpiper migration through South America, adding a new, important area where the species must be considered for energetic project assessments.
Adaptive control of feedforward nonlinear systems with uncertain time‐varying parameters and an unknown time‐varying delay in the input

In this paper, we consider a global regulation problem for a class of feedforward nonlinear systems. The key features of our considered system are identified by the presence of uncertain time‐varying parameters associated with main diagonal states and input and an unknown time‐varying delay in the input. Moreover, the growth rates of nonlinearity and the input‐delay are only known to be finite. To solve our considered problem, we give a process to obtain a compact set that contains the allowed time‐varying parameters. Then, we propose an adaptive controller which handles both unknown growth rate of nonlinearity and input‐delay for system regulation. We carry out the rigorous system analysis and show the effectiveness of our proposed control scheme via an application example.
Evaluation and projection of snowfall changes in High Mountain Asia based on NASA’s NEX-GDDP high-resolution daily downscaled dataset

High Mountain Asia (HMA), which includes the Tibetan Plateau, Tienshan Mountains and surrounding region, has abundant snowfall and a long period of snow cover annually. The headwaters of many prominent Asian rivers depend in part on HMA meltwater. In this study, we evaluate projected changes in mean snowfall (Smean), snowfall days (Sd), and snowfall fraction (Sf) for the years 2070–2099 relative to 1976–2005, under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) and 8.5 (RCP8.5) emission scenarios. An evaluation of the results shows that while NASA’s NEX-GDDP (National Aeronautics and Space Administration Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections) high-resolution daily downscaled dataset can successfully capture the distribution of mean snowfall climatology, it has a strong bias for extreme snowfall indices. In general, the projected increase of temperature under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5—especially in winter—will result in a decrease in snowfall amount (−18.9%, −32.8%), fewer snowfall days (−29.6%, −47.3%), and less precipitation falling as snow (−26.7%, −42.3%). Furthermore, under high emission scenarios, rain-dominated regions are projected to expand 53.9%, while snow-dominated areas will only account for 17.9% of the entire HMA. Spatially, snowfall shows a more robust decline in eastern HMA (e.g. East Tienshan, East Kun Lun, Qilian, South and Eastern Tibet, and Hengduan) than in western HMA (e.g. Hissar Alay, Pamir, and Karakoram). This difference can be attributed to various environmental factors, such as climatology, elevation influences, and the unique seasonal recycle between the two regions.
Let’s talk about place: Considerations for future spatial stigma research

ABSTRACT A growing body of research has considered how spatial stigma can affect the health of individuals who reside in or relocate from stigmatized locales. However, no research has considered ways to mitigate spatial stigma’s effects on health. We consider four possibilities. First, to reduce spatial stigma, we must evaluate policies and initiatives that may perpetuate it. Second, challenging spatial stigma requires acknowledging the limitations of place-based interventions. Third, to reduce the perpetuation of spatial stigma we must actively work to change perceptions about stigmatized places. Lastly, scholars must reconcile how spatial stigma is used as a tool to appropriate space.
Natural regeneration after gap cutting in Scots pine stands in northern Finland

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to examine the success of regeneration in gaps of variable size in pine-dominated stands in terms of seedling density. It was based on an experiment in central Lapland containing circular clear-cut gaps of 20, 40 and 80 m in diameter on typical sub-xeric and xeric pine sites with site preparation (patch scarification). The observation period covered the first five years after cutting. The average number of seedlings that had emerged after gap cutting was about 22 000 ha−1 for pine and 7 000 ha−1 for birch. The proportion of regeneration sample plots without any pine seedlings was less than 10%. The seedling density diminished constantly with greater distance from the edge stand but indicating sufficient density up to the largest gap size in the study (diameter 80 m, area ca. 0.5 ha). Site preparation promoted regeneration remarkably, and we conclude that successful regeneration would be achieved in most cases with soil scarification exposing just 10–20% of the soil surface.