Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excretion of 19-norandrosterone after consumption of boar meat.

The consumption of the offal of non-castrated pigs can lead to the excretion of 19-norandrosterone (NorA) in urine of humans. In doping control, GC/C/IRMS is the method of choice to differentiate between an endogenous or exogenous origin of urinary NorA. In some cases, after the consumption of wild boar offal, the δ13C values of urinary NorA fulfill the criteria of an adverse analytical finding due to differing food sources of boar and consumer. However, consumption of wild boar's offal is not very common in Germany and thus the occurrence of such an analytical finding is unlikely. In contrast, the commerce with wild boar meat has increased in Germany within the last years. Up to 20,000 tons of wild boar meat are annually consumed. In order to probe for the probability of the occurrence of urinary NorA after consumption of wild boar meat, human urine samples were tested following the ingestion of commercially available game. In approximately half of the urine samples, traces of NorA were detected post administration of 200 to 400 g boar meat. The highest urinary concentration was 2.9 ng/ml, and significant amounts were detected up to nine hours after the meal. δ13C values ranged from -18.5 to -23.5 ‰, which would have led to at least two adverse analytical findings if the samples were collected in an anti-doping context. IRMS analysis on German boar tissue samples showed that δ13C values for wild boar's steroids are unpredictable and may vary seasonally.
Genetic association among feeding behavior, feed efficiency and growth traits in growing indicine cattle.

This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters, including genomic data, for feeding behavior, feed efficiency, and growth traits in Nellore cattle. The following feeding behavior traits were studied (861 animals with records): time spent at the feed bunk (TF), duration of one feeding event (FD), frequency of visits to the bunk (FF), feeding rate (FR), and dry matter intake (DMI) per visit (DMIv). The feed efficiency traits (1543 animals with records) included residual feed intake (RFI), residual weight gain (RWG), and feed conversion (FC). The growth traits studied were average daily gain (ADG, n=1543 animals) and selection (postweaning) weight (WSel, n=9549 animals). The (co)variance components were estimated by the maximum restricted likelihood (REML) method, fitting animal models that did (ssGBLUP) or did not include (BLUP) genomic information in two-trait analyses. The direct responses to selection were calculated for the feed efficiency traits, ADG, and WSel, as well as the correlated responses in feed efficiency and growth by direct selection for shorter TF. The estimated heritabilities were 0.51±0.06, 0.35±0.06, 0.27±0.07, 0.34±0.06 and 0.33±0.06 for TF, FD, FF, FR and DMIv, respectively. In general, TF and FD showed positive genetic correlations with all feed efficiency traits (RFI, RWG, and FC), ADG, DMI, and WSel. Additionally, TF showed high and positive genetic and phenotypic correlations with RFI (0.71±0.10 and 0.46±0.02, respectively) and DMI (0.56±0.09 and 0.48±0.03), and medium to weak genetic correlations with growth (0.32±0.11 with ADG and 0.14±0.09 with WSel). The results suggest that TF is a strong indicator trait of feed efficiency, which exhibits high heritability and a weak positive genetic correlation with growth. In a context of a selection index, the inclusion of TF to select animals for shorter TF may accelerate the genetic gain in feed efficiency by reducing RFI but with zero or slightly negative genetic gain in growth traits.
Antagonistic Effect of Lantana camara against E.coli Versha Upadhyay Uttaranchal PG College of Biomedical Sciences and Hospital, Dehradun

Lantana camara has a wide range of pharmacological activities. E.coli strains and its virulent strains can cause different chronic disease. In this different concentration of extract (100, 75, 50, 25%) gave inhibition zone as 8.33, 6.03, 5.43, 2.65mm. It showed that maximum inhibition at 100% concentration.
Comparison of 3D-Printed Dental Implants with Threaded Implants for Osseointegration: An Experimental Pilot Study

This study aimed to compare bone healing and implant stability for three types of dental implants: a threaded implant, a three-dimensional (3D)-printed implant without spikes, and a 3D-printed implant with spikes. In four beagle dogs, left and right mandibular premolars (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) and 1st molars were removed. Twelve weeks later, three types of titanium implants (threaded implant, 3D-printed implant without spikes, and 3D-printed implant with spikes) were randomly inserted into the edentulous ridges of each dog. Implant stability measurements and radiographic recordings were taken every two weeks following implant placement. Twelve weeks after implant surgery, the dogs were sacrificed and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone area fraction occupied (BAFO) were compared between groups. At implant surgery, the primary stability was lower for the 3D-printed implant with spikes (74.05 ± 5.61) than for the threaded implant (83.71 ± 2.90) (p = 0.005). Afterwards, no significant difference in implants’ stability was observed between groups up to post-surgery week 12. Histomorphometrical analysis did not reveal a significant difference between the three implants for BIC (p = 0.101) or BAFO (p = 0.288). Within the limits of this study, 3D-printed implants without spikes and threaded implants showed comparable implant stability measurements, BIC, and BAFO.
Identifying individual predictive factors for treatment efficacy

Given the heterogeneous responses to therapy and the high cost of treatments, there is an increasing interest in identifying pretreatment predictors of therapeutic effect. Clearly, the success of such an endeavor will depend on the amount of information that the patient‐specific variables convey about the individual causal treatment effect on the response of interest. In the present work, using causal inference and information theory, a strategy is proposed to evaluate individual predictive factors for cancer immunotherapy efficacy. In a first step, the methodology proposes a causal inference model to describe the joint distribution of the pretreatment predictors and the individual causal treatment effect. Further, in a second step, the so‐called predictive causal information (PCI), a metric that quantifies the amount of information the pretreatment predictors convey on the individual causal treatment effects, is introduced and its properties are studied. The methodology is applied to identify predictors of therapeutic success for a therapeutic vaccine in advanced lung cancer. A user‐friendly R library EffectTreat is provided to carry out the necessary calculations.
CenH3 distribution reveals extended centromeres in the model beetle Tribolium castaneum

Centromeres are chromosomal domains essential for kinetochore assembly and correct chromosome segregation. Inconsistent in their underlying DNA sequences, centromeres are defined epigenetically by the presence of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CenH3. Most of the analyzed eukaryotes have monocentric chromosomes in which CenH3 proteins deposit into a single, primary constriction visible at metaphase chromosomes. Contrary to monocentrics, evolutionary sporadic holocentric chromosomes lack a primary constriction and have kinetochore activity distributed along the entire chromosome length. In this work, we identified cCENH3 protein, the centromeric H3 histone of the coleopteran model beetle Tribolium castaneum. By ChIP-seq analysis we disclosed that cCENH3 chromatin assembles upon a repertoire of repetitive DNAs. cCENH3 in situ mapping revealed unusually elongated T. castaneum centromeres that comprise approximately 40% of the chromosome length. Being the longest insect regional centromeres evidenced so far, T. castaneum centromeres are characterized by metapolycentric structure composed of several individual cCENH3-containing domains. We suggest that the model beetle T. castaneum with its metapolycentromeres could represent an excellent model for further studies of non-canonical centromeres in insects.
Quantitative Risk Assessment for the Introduction of Bovine Leukemia Virus-Infected Cattle Using a Cattle Movement Network Analysis

The cattle industry is suffering economic losses caused by bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), the clinical condition associated with BLV infection. This pathogen spreads easily without detection by farmers and veterinarians due to the lack of obvious clinical signs. Cattle movement strongly contributes to the inter-farm transmission of BLV. This study quantified the farm-level risk of BLV introduction using a cattle movement analysis. A generalized linear mixed model predicting the proportion of BLV-infected cattle was constructed based on weighted in-degree centrality. Our results suggest a positive association between weighted in-degree centrality and the estimated number of introduced BLV-infected cattle. Remarkably, the introduction of approximately six cattle allowed at least one BLV-infected animal to be added to the farm in the worst-case scenario. These data suggest a high risk of BLV infection on farms with a high number of cattle being introduced. Our findings indicate the need to strengthen BLV control strategies, especially along the chain of cattle movement.
Low-Energy Multiligament Knee Injuries Are Associated With Higher Postoperative Activity Scores Compared With High-Energy Multiligament Knee Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Literature

Background: Multiligament knee injuries (MLKIs) can result from high-energy injury mechanisms such as motor vehicle accidents or low-energy injury mechanisms such as activities of daily living or sports. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to conduct a systematic review on postoperative patient-reported outcomes after MLKIs and to conduct a meta-analysis of comparable outcome variables based upon high- versus low-energy injury mechanisms. It was hypothesized that MLKIs with low-energy injury mechanisms would demonstrate significantly improved subjective clinical outcome scores compared with high-energy injuries. Study design: Meta-analysis and systematic review. Methods: A systematic review was performed with the inclusion criteria of postoperative MLKI outcomes based upon high-versus low-energy mechanisms of injury with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Outcome scores included were the Lysholm knee scoring scale, Tegner activity scale, and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score. High-energy mechanisms included motor vehicle accidents or falls from a height >5 feet; low-energy mechanisms included sports-related injuries, activities of daily living, or falls from <5 feet. A meta-analysis was performed comparing the outcome scores of high- versus low-energy mechanisms of MLKIs. Results: Overall, 1214 studies were identified, 15 of which were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Thirteen studies included surgical reconstructions of all injured ligaments. A total of 641 patients with 275 high-energy and 366 low-energy injuries were grouped for comparison in the meta-analysis. No significant differences in Lysholm scale (78.6 vs 78.0) or IKDC scores (69.0 vs 68.4) were found between high- and low-energy groups at a minimum of 2 years (range, 2-10 years) postoperatively (P > .05). The low-energy injury group demonstrated significantly higher Tegner activity scale scores (5.0 vs 3.9; P = .03). There was no significant difference in failure rates between groups (3.5% vs 2.0%; P = .23). Conclusion: We found in this systematic review and meta-analysis that patients with low-energy mechanisms of MLKI surgery had improved postoperative Tegner activity scores compared with those patients with high-energy mechanisms after MLKI surgery. However, there were no differences in Lysholm score, IKDC score, or failure rates between high- and low-energy MLKI patients at an average of 5.3 years postoperatively.
Herd Protection against Meningococcal Disease through Vaccination

Reduction in the transmission of Neisseria meningitidis within a population results in fewer invasive disease cases. Vaccination with meningococcal vaccines composed of high weight capsular polysaccharide without carrier proteins has minimal effect against carriage or the acquisition of carriage. Conjugate vaccines, however, elicit an enhanced immune response which serves to reduce carriage acquisition and hinder onwards transmission. Since the 1990s, several meningococcal conjugate vaccines have been developed and, when used in age groups associated with higher carriage, they have been shown to provide indirect protection to unvaccinated cohorts. This herd protective effect is important in enhancing the efficiency and impact of vaccination. Studies are ongoing to assess the effect of protein-based group B vaccines on carriage; however, current data cast doubt on their ability to reduce transmission.
Exploring a rural Latino community’s perception of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objectives The purpose of our study was to understand the perception of the Latino community in a rural state regarding COVID-19. Over one third of national COVID-19 cases are among Latinos, likely due to an increased prevalence of comorbid risk factors and social determinants of health that make following precautions difficult. Design Respondents were recruited using snowball sampling as part of a previous effort to establish an academic-community partnership with Latinos in the area. In April 2020, we conducted 14 semi-structured interviews in Spanish with participants over the phone. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed into Spanish, and translated to English. We employed the framework approach in a thematic analysis using NVivo 12. Results Common themes were a wariness of news appearing on social media, generalized worry, and the use of natural medicines to maintain health. Respondents followed recommended guidelines to protect their own health, though expressed concern that members of their community were not. Conclusions We offer insights into the perception of Latinos of the COVID-19 pandemic in a rural state. Our findings may influence communication techniques of local health departments and offer a way to understand how this often-overlooked community deals with the pandemic.
A Scalable and Secure Group Key Management Method for Secure V2V Communication

Safety applications based on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications can significantly enhance road safety and reduce traffic fatalities. Ensuring the security and privacy of the vehicular network is essential for the widespread adoption of V2X communications for commercial use. V2X safety and service applications require periodic broadcast communications among all the vehicles. However, compared to unicast communication, it is extremely challenging to provide broadcast communication with network security requirements such as confidentiality, in infotainment contents distribution, sensor data sharing, and security credentials management services. To address the providing confidentiality of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) broadcasting, we propose a group key management and message encryption method that is secure, lightweight, and scalable. The proposed group key management method can efficiently handle various scenarios like a node joining or leaving the group, with scalable rekeying algorithms. It employs a distributed and scalable architecture that offers several advantages such as the reduction of the key management overhead and the enhancement of the security level by keeping the key sizes with large networks. In addition, the proposed method employs a lightweight matrix-based encryption algorithm that can be easily applicable with the proposed group key management method. Further, we have implemented the proposed method and evaluated the performance using a V2V network simulator with several networks of highly dynamic group members. The simulation results show that the proposed method can reduce computation time for group key generation and message encryption by more than 80% compared to existing methods.
Molecular Characterization of Some Indigenous Plantain and Cooking Type Banana Germplasm

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 12 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com Globally, banana is the maximum distributed fruit crop and is the fourth most important commodity and is grown in more than 130 countries across the world, continuously exhibiting a spectacular growth pattern worldwide in an area of 6507.7 million ha producing 98946 million tones. India is the largest producer of banana in the world. There are diverse germplasms of banana traditionally cultivated in different regions of India having remarkable genetic differences. Traditional procedure to characterize banana plants by morphological descriptors has many limitations. Different communities refer to the local cultivars by different names and lack of clear clone identity in the crop has resulted in unnecessary duplication with regard to cultivation, conservation and research. To alleviate this problem application of modern finger printing technology through DNA studies have been recommended for accurate selection of banana clones. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers are usually preferred for the initiation of this kind of work as the technique is simple, versatile, relatively inexpensive and able to detect minute differences. Progress in the breeding of plantain and banana has been restricted by the complex genetic structure and behavior of cultivated polyploidy Musa. Genetic improvement has been hindered due to the large amount of space required for growth and maintenance of plant populations, in addition to the long growth cycle and the low levels of fertility and seed viability characteristic of cultivated genotypes. Molecular marker assisted breeding has the potential to dramatically enhance the pace and efficiency of genetic improvement in Musa. A proper classification of Musa clones and cultivars is important to assisting the selection of characters for banana breeding. In the present investigation, a detailed study was performed to evaluate the characterization of banana genotypes done by genetical assessment through RAPD markers. For this study, fifteen genotypes were used. By analyzing the molecular characters, we found several clusters and for the conformation of their genetical stability. Evaluating molecular characters of clusters we observed genetical assistance proved that eleven cultivars were fully characterize and they prevailed in same group (ABB group) except Manjeri Nendran and Nendran (AAB). K e y w o r d s
Multicenter Study of Intense Pulsed Light for Patients with Refractory Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eye Accompanied by Mild Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Aqueous-deficient dry eye (ADDE) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) can be refractory to therapy. Intense pulsed light (IPL) was recently introduced as an effective treatment for MGD. We here evaluated the efficacy of IPL combined with MG expression (MGX) compared with MGX alone (n = 23 and 20, respectively) for patients with refractory ADDE with mild MGD at three sites. Symptom score, visual acuity (VA), noninvasive breakup time (NIBUT) and lipid layer thickness (LLT) of the tear film, lid margin abnormalities, fluorescein BUT (FBUT), fluorescein staining, tear meniscus height (TMH), meibum grade, meiboscore, and Schirmer’s test value were assessed at baseline and 1 and 3 months after treatment. LLT, plugging, vascularity, FBUT and NIBUT were improved only in the IPL-MGX group at three months compared with baseline. All parameters with the exception of VA, meiboscore, TMH, Schirmer’s test value were also improved in the IPL-MGX group compared with the control group at three months, as was VA in patients with central corneal epitheliopathy. Although IPL-MGX does not affect aqueous layer, the induced improvement in quality and quantity of the lipid layer may increase tear film stability and ameliorate symptoms not only for evaporative dry eye but for ADDE.
Methods of Incorporating Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds into Films Made with Agro-Based Polymers for Application as Food Packaging: A Brief Review

Plastic, usually derived from non-renewable sources, is among the most used materials in food packaging. Despite its barrier properties, plastic packaging has a recycling rate below the ideal and its accumulation in the environment leads to environmental issues. One of the solutions approached to minimize this impact is the development of food packaging materials made from polymers from renewable sources that, in addition to being biodegradable, can also be edible. Different biopolymers from agricultural renewable sources such as gelatin, whey protein, starch, chitosan, alginate and pectin, among other, have been analyzed for the development of biodegradable films. Moreover, these films can serve as vehicles for transporting bioactive compounds, extending their applicability as bioactive, edible, compostable and biodegradable films. Biopolymer films incorporated with plant-derived bioactive compounds have become an interesting area of research. The interaction between environment-friendly biopolymers and bioactive compounds improves functionality. In addition to interfering with thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of films, depending on the properties of the bioactive compounds, new characteristics are attributed to films, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, color and innovative flavors. This review compiles information on agro-based biopolymers and plant-derived bioactive compounds used in the production of bioactive films. Particular emphasis has been given to the methods used for incorporating bioactive compounds from plant-derived into films and their influence on the functional properties of biopolymer films. Some limitations to be overcome for future advances are also briefly summarized. This review will benefit future prospects for exploring innovative methods of incorporating plant-derived bioactive compounds into films made from agricultural polymers.
A comparative study on the dielectric response and microwave absorption performance of FeNi-capped carbon nanotubes and FeNi-cored carbon nanoparticles

The mechanisms responsible for the dielectric response of C-based microwave absorbers remain a long-standing theoretical question. Uncovering these mechanisms is critical to enhance their microwave absorption performance. To determine how different C forms alter the dielectric response of C-based absorbers, FeNi-capped carbon nanotubes (FeNi-CNTs) and FeNi–cored carbon nanoparticles (FeNi-CNPs) are synthesized, and a comparative study of their dielectric responses is then carried out in this study. The as-synthesized FeNi-CNTs and FeNi-CNPs have similar magnetic properties and complex permeabilities, but differ in complex permittivities. It is shown that FeNi-CNTs have a much stronger dielectric loss than FeNi-CNPs. At a thickness of 2.8 mm, a low optimal reflection loss of −32.2 dB and a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 8.0 GHz are achieved for FeNi-CNTs. Meanwhile, equivalent circuit models reveal that the CNT network of the FeNi-CNTs could introduce an electrical inductance that can effectively improve its dielectric loss capability. This study demonstrates that designing a composite with a tailored C form and composition is a successful strategy for tuning its microwave absorption performance. Furthermore, the equivalent circuit modeling is an effective tool for analyzing the dielectric response of the microwave absorbers, as is expected to be applicable for other metal-C composites.