Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meat quality and caecal content characteristics of rabbit according to dietary content and botanical origin of starch

The research was carried out to study the influence of diets differing in contents and botanical origin of starch on fattening and slaughtering performance of rabbits. Four pelleted diets (LSM, LSW, HSM, HSW) were prepared according to a 2 X 2 factorial scheme: two starch contents (23 vs 28% DM) and two botanical origins (wheat vs maize). Before being slaughtered, 4 groups of 24 Hyla hybrid male rabbits from 50 to 90 days of age were fed ad libitum on the above diets. High starch diets decreased the feed intake (g 104.1 vs 111.5; P < 0.05 and g 109.8 vs 123.6; P < 0.01, respectively for periods of 51-70 d and 71-90 d) and determined a more favourable (P< 0.05) feed conversion (2.729 vs 3.071 and 3.801 vs 4.020 respectively for periods of 51-70 d and 71-90 d). In the first period (51-70 d), the liveweight gain showed an important trend (P = 0.16) for LS groups in comparison to HS groups (g 38.1 vs 36.3). An opposite trend was shown in the period of 71-90 d (g 28.9 vs 30.7 for groups HS and LS, respectively). In fact, liveweight at 90 d was similar (g 2755 vs 2757 for groups LS and HS, respectively) in the groups feeding different starch levels. The diets did not significantly affect slaughtering yields (hot carcass weight g 1705 vs 1714 and reference carcass weight g 1352 vs 1352 for groups LS and HS, respectively), chemical and nutritional characteristics of meat (crude protein 22.3% vs 22.2 and ether extract 3.0% vs 3.1 for groups LS and HS, respectively), and acidic composition of intramuscular fat. No significant differences were observed in the caecal content parameters (VFA mml/I 66.5 vs 66.4 for groups LS and HS, respectively), except for a lower caecal starch level (1.6% vs 2.0% DM; P < 0.05) in the group fed the diet with wheat and 23% of starch. No other botanical effect was significant.
vWF maturation and release are controlled by two regulators of Weibel-Palade body biogenesis: exocyst and BLOC-2.

von Willebrand factor (vWF) is an essential hemostatic protein that is synthesized in endothelial cells and stored in Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). Understanding the mechanisms underlying WPB biogenesis and exocytosis could enable therapeutic modulation of endogenous vWF, yet optimal targets for modulating vWF release have not been established. Since biogenesis of lysosomal related organelle-2 (BLOC-2) functions in the biogenesis of platelet dense granules and melanosomes, which like WPBs are lysosome-related organelles (LROs), we hypothesized that BLOC-2-dependent endolysosomal trafficking is essential for WPB biogenesis and sought to identify BLOC-2 interacting proteins. Depletion of BLOC-2 caused misdirection of cargo-carrying transport tubules from endosomes, resulting in immature WPBs that lack endosomal input. Immunoprecipitation of BLOC-2 identified the exocyst complex as a binding partner. Depletion of the exocyst complex phenocopied BLOC-2 depletion, resulting in immature WPBs. Furthermore, releasates of immature WPBs from either BLOC-2 or exocyst-depleted endothelial cells lacked high-molecular weight forms of vWF, demonstrating the importance of BLOC-2/exocyst-mediated endosomal input during vWF maturation. Yet BLOC-2 and exocyst showed very different effects on vWF release. While BLOC-2 depletion impaired exocytosis, exocyst depletion augmented WPB exocytosis, indicating that it acts as a clamp. Exposure of endothelial cells to a small molecule inhibitor of exocyst, Endosidin2, reversibly augmented secretion of mature WPBs containing high molecular weight forms of vWF. These studies show that while BLOC-2 and exocyst cooperate in WPB formation, only exocyst serves to clamp WPB release. Exocyst function in vWF maturation and release are separable, a feature that can be exploited to enhance vWF release.
Daily Pad Usage Versus the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form for Continence Assessment Following Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose Continence assessment is an essential component of follow-up after radical prostatectomy (RP). Several methods exist to assess the severity of urinary incontinence (UI). Our study examined the relationship and degree of agreement between International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) scores and the number of pads used in a 24-hour period in the assessment of UI following RP. Methods Continence was prospectively assessed in 746 men from a Spanish urology clinic 12 months after RP using the ICIQ-SF and pad usage. The relationship between ICIQ-SF scores and pad usage was assessed using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. The Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test was used to determine whether the ICIQ-SF score and the component question scores increased with increasing pad usage. The Bonferroni-corrected pairwise Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to determine which pairs of pad usage levels differed. The weighted kappa was used to evaluate the agreement between pad usage levels and ICIQ-SF questions. Results The continence rate was 82% using the “no pad usage” definition of continence versus 78% using the definition of an ICIQ-SF score of 0 (P<0.001). Strong positive correlations were observed between the number of pads and the ICIQ-SF total and component question scores (rs>0.85, P<0.001). The ICIQ-SF total and component question scores increased significantly with increasing pad usage (P<0.001). The ICIQ-SF scores (P<0.018) for all pairs of pad usage levels (0, 1, 2, or 3 or more) differed significantly. The agreement between the ICIQ-SF leakage amount question and pad usage was very good (rs=0.861, P<0.001). Conclusions At 12 months post-RP, 24-hour pad usage was closely correlated with ICIQ-SF, although the continence rate differed depending on the definition used. Higher levels of pad usage were associated with higher questionnaire scores, more leakage, and poor quality of life (interference with everyday life).
Antibacterial Potential of Rhinacanthus nasutus against Clinically Isolated Bacteria from Thai Cancer Patients

The antibacterial potential of fifteen extracts from roots, leaves and stems of Rhinacanthus nasutus (family Acanthaceae) was evaluated by the agar dilution method. Four quality control isolates of bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 together with 68 clinically isolated bacteria from Thai cancer patients; coagulase positive staphylococci (12), coagulase negative staphylococci (10), β-hemolytic streptococci (16), enterococci (10), Escherichia coli (5), Klebsiella spp. (5), Enterobacter spp. (5) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5) were used as tested bacteria. The results demonstrated that n-hexane and chloroform extracts of roots and n-hexane extract of leaves showed potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, whereas the aqueous extracts of all parts, methanolic extracts of stems and leaves as well as 85% ethanolic extract of stems were inactive. None of the extracts showed activity against Gram- negative bacteria. Bioassay-directed fractionations of the active extracts led to the isolation of 3 main naphthoquinone esters which were classified by spectroscopic data as rhinacanthins-C, -N and -Q, respectively. Their antibacterial potential against the clinical and standard bacteria was then analyzed. Rhinacanthins-N, -Q and -C exhibited potent antibacterial activity against β-hemolytic streptococci, enterococci and staphylococci, with potencies comparable to those of gentamicin, an antibiotic drug. Among them, rhinacanthin-N was the most active compound with the MIC50 and MIC90 values of 4.9 and 9.76 μg/ml, respectively. Our findings suggest that it is of interest to further study the activity and usage of the Rhinacanthus plant as an antimicrobial drug for the treatment of infectious diseases in patients. ©All right reserved.
Sintese de biodisel catalisada por lipases imobilizadas em suportes hidrofóbicos

1 Laboratório de Biotecnologia Departamento de Engenharia Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) R. Eng. Luis Englert, s/n. Campus Central. CEP: 90040-040 Porto Alegre RS BRASIL, E-MAIL: {jakeline.poppe@enq.ufrgs.br} 2 Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) Rua Bento Gonçalves, 9500. CEP 91501-970 – Porto Alegre – RS – BRASIL, E-MAIL:{mazayub@ufrgs.br, rafaelcrodrigues@ufrgs.br}
Reduced tillage for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) production in East Cuba. Soil physical properties and crop yield

The area devoted to growing tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.) in the province of Granma, Cuba, accounted for nearly 2600 ha in the year 1997, which represented the 4% of the total tobacco plantation area on the island in that year. Tobacco is tillage-intensive since traditional production systems entail seven or eight cultivation operations before transplanting. The objective of this study was to evaluate two alternative tillage systems in comparison with conventional tillage for tobacco production with the aim to improve soil conditions, reduce the number of tillage operations for soil preparation for transplanting, and increase yields. The treatments studied were: (T1) conventional or traditional tillage, (T2) reduced tillage with a multi-tiller plough, and (T3) reduced tillage with a chisel plough. T1 consisted in disc ploughing twice and disc harrowing twice for primary tillage, while before transplanting plots were ploughed twice with a horse-drawn mouldboard plough and harrowed twice with a horse-drawn spike-tooth harrow. In T2 primary tillage was accomplished with two passes with the multi-tiller followed by disc harrowing twice before transplanting. In T3 chisel ploughing was substituted for multi-tiller ploughing. The two reduced tillage systems improved the physical conditions of the soil, which resulted in: lower bulk density, with average values across the 0-30 cm soil profile of 1.48, 1.34 and 1.30 Mg m -3 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, at the end of the growing season; higher soil water content in the soil profile in all four sampling dates per season; greater porosity; and lower resistance to penetration with values of 2.48, 2.15 and 1.71 MPa in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, before crop harvesting. Tillage system T3 provided the highest crop yields (2.26 Mg ha -1 ) compared with T2 (2.14 Mg ha -1 ) and T1 (1.95 Mg ha -1 ), for the plants grown on T3 plots had the largest number of leaves. The size of the leaves was similar in all three systems, however.
In defense of the ivory tower: Why philosophers should stay out of politics

Many political theorists, philosophers, social scientists, and other academics engage in political activism. And many think this is how things ought to be. In this essay, I challenge the ideal of the politically engaged academic. I argue that, quite to the contrary, political theorists, philosophers, and other political thinkers have a prima facie duty to refrain from political activism. This argument is based on a commonsense moral principle, a claim about the point of political thought, and findings in cognitive psychology.
Leaf‐litter breakdown in pasture and deciduous woodland streams: a comparison among three European regions

Summary 1. Human land-use has altered catchments on a large scale in most parts of the world, with one of the most profound changes relevant for streams and rivers being the widespread clearance of woody riparian vegetation to make way for livestock grazing pasture. Increasingly, environmental legislation, such as the EU Water Framework Directive (EU WFD), calls for bioassessment tools that can detect such anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem functioning. 2. We conducted a large-scale field experiment in 30 European streams to quantify leaf-litter breakdown, a key ecosystem process, in streams whose riparian zones and catchments had been cleared for pasture compared with those in native deciduous woodland. The study encompassed a west–east gradient, from Ireland to Switzerland to Romania, with each of the three countries representing a distinct region. We used coarse-mesh and fine-mesh litter bags (10 and 0.5 mm, respectively) to assess total, microbial and, by difference, macroinvertebrate-mediated breakdown. 3. Overall, total breakdown rates did not differ between land-use categories, but in some regions macroinvertebrate-mediated breakdown was higher in deciduous woodland streams, whereas microbial breakdown was higher in pasture streams. This result suggests that overall ecosystem functioning is maintained by compensatory increases in microbial activity in pasture streams. 4. We suggest that simple coefficients of breakdown rates on their own often might not be powerful enough as a bioassessment tool for detecting differences related to land-use such as riparian vegetation removal. However, shifts in the relative contributions to breakdown by microbial decomposers versus invertebrate detritivores, as revealed by the ratios of their associated breakdown rate coefficients, showed clear responses to land-use.
Platelets in Tissue Regeneration

Platelets are especially well known for their thrombotic role. However, besides their role on stopping bleeding, platelets contribute for several mechanisms and steps in wound healing and tissue repair, such as inflammation, angiogenesis, cells proliferation, and differentiation. The potential of platelets to be used therapeutically to assist in wound repair led researchers around the world to look at platelet-based products and their capacity to promote tissue regeneration, in vitro and in vivo. In this chapter, we will discuss the main growth factors present in platelet granules that affect tissue regeneration. In addition, we will consider how platelet-derived products, such as those obtained from platelet-rich plasma (PRP), can be used to enhance tissue regeneration. We will review the applications of this knowledge in clinical trials, and in vivo models, as well as discussing the capacity for platelet products to substitute for classical components of media for in vitro cell culture.
The geometric framework: An in vivo approach

Abstract The science of nutrition is complex and multifactorial. To render accessible this multidimensional discipline, one-factor-at-a-time experimental approaches are useful. For example, when Met requirements for broilers are investigated, it is common for a Met-deficient diet to be offered to broilers of a specific age, and phenotypic responses to supplemental Met measured. Though these experimental approaches are clearly useful, they are usually focused in scope and do not allow panoptic interpretation across environmental-, bird-, and diet-related factors. An alternative experimental approach has been recently described and is called geometric framework. This framework uses Euclidean geometric vocabulary to describe nutrients, ingredients, animals, and environmental conditions as coordinates in multidimensional space. The current review briefly describes the foundational premises of the geometric framework and how it may be applied to explore the complex and multifactorial interactions that exist in broiler nutrition to derive nutritional tautology.
Determination of antibiotics susceptibility of frequently isolated pathogen microorganisms from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792).

Özet: Çalışmada gökkuşağı alabalıkları (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792)’nda ekonomik kayıplara sebep olan önemli bakteriyel hastalık etkenlerinin tespit edilerek, ilaç kullanımına bağlı sorunların ve tedavi maliyetinin azaltılabilmesi için çeşitli antibakteriyel ilaçlara karşı gösterdikleri duyarlılık derecelerinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Bu amaçla her ay 8 adet olmak üzere 12 ay boyunca toplam 96 adet balığın iç organları (karaciğer, dalak, böbrek) ve solungaçlarından uygun besi yerlerine ekimler yapılarak 22 ve 37 oC’de inkübasyonları gerçekleştirildi. Elde edilen izolatların antibakteriyel ilaçlara karşı duyarlılıkları disk difüzyon yöntemi ile belirlendi. Bakterilerin morfolojik ve biyokimyasal testleri sonucunda belirlenen 37 adet izolatın 6’sını (%16,22) A. salmonicida, 13’ünü (%35,13) L. garvieae, 7’sini (%18,92) V. anguillarum ve 11’ini (%29,73) Y. ruckeri oluşturdu. Su sıcaklıklarının arttığı (Mayıs-Ağustos arası) dönemlerde L. garvieae ve Y. ruckeri’nin, mevsimsel geçiş (Şubat-Nisan arası) dönemlerinde ise A. salmonicida ve V. anguillarum’un daha yüksek oranda izole edildiği görüldü. Etkenlerinin tümünün enrofloksasin, florfenikol ve siprofloksasine duyarlı oldukları tespit edildi. Diğer yandan bazı etkenlerin amoksisilin, ampisilin, basitrasin, eritromisin, fusidik asit, gentamisin, kloramfenikol, linkomisin, nalidiksik asit, neomisin, novobiosin, oksitetraiklin, sefoksitin ve sulfametoksazol-trimetoprim’e karşı değişen oranlarda dirençli oldukları belirlendi. Anahtar kelimeler: Gökkuşağı alabalığı, patojen mikroorganizmalar, antibakteriyel duyarlılık.
In vitro antitumor potential of Bulgarian Tanacetum vulgare L. on human breast adenocarcinoma cells

In recent decades the search for new oncotherapeutic agents of natural origin with selective antitumor activity is of significant priority for cancer treatment. The antitumor potential of the medicinal plant Tanacetum vulgare L. is limitedly studied and no data are so far available concerning the Bulgarian plant. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antitumor potential of crude aqueous ethanolic extract of Bulgarian Tanacetum vulgare L. Anticancer effect was investigated by МТТ cell viability assay on human breast cancer cell line MCF7. Cell morphological characteristics were examined under light microscope. The analysis showed that plant extract exposure decreased considerably cancer cell viability in dose- and time dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration was determined to be 286.8 μg/ml. Morphological alterations were found in treated tumor cells compared to untreated control cells. The here-presented results are the first demonstrating antitumor properties of the Bulgarian Tanacetum vulgare L. and are indicative for further more detailed investigations on the active compounds and molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity.
Did suburban zoning become more restrictive?

The US National Commission on Urban Problems in 1968 alleged that an increase in minimum residential lot sizes in the suburbs was a leading cause of suburban restrictiveness, and that part of the motivation for the increase was discrimination against households of low and moderate income. An examination of the zoning ordinances in all of the suburban municipalities in Cook County, Illinois for 1946 and 1971 shows that, except for a few prominent examples, such an allegation cannot be substantiated. Cook County is the second‐largest county in the USA and had a suburban population of 2.124 million in 1970. Suburban Cook County consisted largely of dormitory suburbs in 1940. Eleven suburbs increased the restrictiveness of zoning during the 1946–71 period, but only two of these are of major importance. Nine suburbs reduced the restrictiveness of zoning, of which eight reduced the land requirements for multi‐family housing. The study confirms the view that, in the 25 years after Word War II, some of the impact of restrictive zoning was mitigated by the availability of a wide variety of jurisdictions.
Topical Application of ASN008, a Permanently Charged Sodium Channel Blocker, Shows Robust Efficacy, a Rapid Onset, and Long Duration of Action in a Mouse Model of Pruritus

The sensation of pruritus, or itch, is associated with a variety of skin and medical disorders. Itch is transmitted through afferent C-fibers, and sodium channels play a key role in the transmission process. Local anesthetics, which block sodium channels, are used topically to treat itch but generally have a short duration of action and are not selective for afferent nerves underlying the itch sensation. Accordingly, there is a substantial unmet need for safe, efficacious, long-acting treatments for chronic pruritus, including nonhistaminergic itch. We investigated the dose-response, time to onset, and duration of action of ASN008 topical gel, which targets small afferent sodium channels, in a murine model of pruritus in which scratching behavior is induced by intradermal injection of chloroquine into the nape of the neck of C57BL/6 mice. Topical application of ASN008 gel resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction of scratching behavior. Onset of action was ≤1 hour, and duration of scratching inhibition was 15–24 hours. In a further study involving once-daily application for 5 days with chloroquine challenge on day 5, treatment with ASN008 gel again resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction of chloroquine-induced scratching, even when the gel was removed 3 hours after each daily application. In conclusion, topical ASN008 gel produces a dose-dependent reduction of scratching in a mouse model of pruritus, with a rapid onset and long duration of action, and may prove to be an effective, once-daily treatment of a variety of pruritic conditions in humans, including nonhistaminergic itch. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT ASN008 gel produces a dose-dependent reduction of scratching in a mouse model of pruritus, with a rapid onset and long duration of action, and may prove to be an effective, once- or twice-daily treatment for a variety of pruritic conditions in humans. ASN008 gel has demonstrated good safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers and is currently under investigation in a phase 1b clinical study to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antipruritic efficacy in atopic dermatitis patients (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03798561).