Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long acting 2 agonists for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Background The less expensive ipratropium bromide and the newer long acting β2-agonists, salmeterol and formoterol, have all been recommended for first line treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We reviewed evidence of efficacy and safety among these agents in patients with stable COPD. Methods After searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, BIOSIS Previews, the Cochrane Library, and PubMed, as well as Web sites, selected journals, reference lists, and contacting drug manufacturers, two reviewers independetly screened reports of randomised controlled trials of parallel or crossover design lasting four weeks or longer and including patients with a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) ≤ 75% of predicted, a ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) < 70% of predicted, and < 15% improvement in FEV1 after a dose of a β2 agonist. We included trials comparing salmeterol or formoterol with placebo or with ipratropium bromide and reporting one of these outcomes: lung function; exercise capacity; quality of life scores; dyspnea; exacerbations; rescue inhaler use; incidence of tachycardia, hypokalemia, or dry mouth. Two reviewers assessed the quality of included reports using the Jadad scale and allocation concealment, and abstracted data. Results Eight trials satisfied our inclusion criteria; none were high quality (Jadad score ≥4) and two were low quality (≤2). Allocation concealment was unclear in eight. Outcome data were not suitable for meta-analysis. Two trials comparing salmeterol with ipratropium did not detect differences; one trial comparing formoterol and ipratropium described improvement with formoterol in PEFR. Of eight trials comparing long acting β2 agonists with placebo, five reported no improvement in exercise capacity, seven reported improvement in FEV1 lung function (one reported no improvement), three reported less rescue inhaler usage (one reported no difference) and four reported improved dyspnea scores. No differences in quality of life were detected in one salmeterol, and one formoterol trial. Adverse effects of interest were not reported. Conclusion In terms of efficacy and safety, we could not find convincing evidence that salmeterol and formoterol have demonstrated advantages to ipratropium, a less expensive drug, for stable COPD.
Convergent evolution of niche structure in Northeast Pacific kelp forests

Much of the morphological and ecological diversity present on earth is believed to have arisen through the process of adaptive radiation. Yet, this is seemingly at odds with substantial evidence that niches tend to be similar among closely related species (i.e., niche conservatism). Identifying the relative importance of these opposing processes in different circumstances is therefore essential to our understanding of the interaction between ecological and evolutionary phenomena. In this study, we make use of recent advances in our understanding of the phylogeny of kelps (Laminariales) to investigate niche evolution in one of the most important groups of benthic habitat-forming organisms on the planet. We quantify functional traits and use community sampling data from a kelp diversity hotspot to determine which traits are responsible for the habitat (β) niche of kelps and whether they are labile or conserved across the kelp phylogeny. We find that combinations of functional traits have evolved convergently across kelp subclades and that these traits are significant predictors of community structure. Specifically, traits associated with whole-kelp structural reinforcement and material properties were found to be significantly correlated with species distributions along a gradient of wave disturbance and thus predict the outcome of environmental filtering. However, kelp assemblages were made up of species that are more phylogenetically distinct than predicted from null models (i.e., phylogenetic overdispersion), suggesting that niche partitioning along this gradient of wave disturbance has been an important driver of divergence between close relatives. These results collectively demonstrate that environmental filtering by waves plays an essential role in determining the habitat niche of kelps across local communities and further suggest that this community-level process can drive phenotypic divergence between close relatives. We propose that parallel adaptive radiation of kelp subclades has shaped the diversity and species composition of kelp forests in the Northeast Pacific and we discuss how evidence from the literature on incipient or ongoing speciation events support this hypothesis.
Surface digging effect stabilized supported Ni catalyst for efficient methane oxidation.

Durability of supported transition metal particles catalysts usually suffers from the sintering, which makes the increasement of nanoparticles (NPs) size and loss of reactive surface, resulting in catalysts deactivation. Herein, we discovered a surface digging effect of supported Ni NPs on an amorphous N-doped carbon, during which the surface-loaded Ni NPs would etch and sink into the underneath carbon support to prevent sintering. This process is driven by the strong coordination interaction between the surface Ni atoms and N-rich defects. In the aim of activation of C-H bonds for methane oxidation, we could further transform those sinking Ni NPs into thermodynamically stable and active metal-defect sites within the as-generated surface holes by simply elevating temperature. The in-situ transmission electron microscopy images reveal the sunk Ni NPs dig themself adaptive surface holes which would largely prevent the migration of Ni NPs without weakening their accessibility. The reported two-step strategy opens up a new route to manufacture sintering-resistant supported metal catalysts without degrading their catalytic efficiency.
Separation of factors important for the adoption of business process management practices in labor-intensive activities

Usvojenost prakse upravljanja poslovnim procesima podložna je proceni na bazi različitih uticajnih faktora. U okviru rada izvršeno je izdvajanje faktora koji se javljaju u literaturi radi formiranja liste svebuhvatnih faktora od pomoći pri proceni tempa i načina usvojenosti prakse upravljanja poslovnim procesima u radno intenzivnim delatnostima. Primenom fuzzy Delphi metode izvedena je lista faktora na bazi odgovora eksperata, te je uzimajući u obzir radno-intenzivni karakter kao specifičnost u okviru ove metode izdvojena lista i rangirana. Defazifikacijom trougaonih fazi brojeva dobijeno je rešenje na osnovu koga je prvorangirani faktor upravljanje ljudskim resursima. Ključne reči: praksa upravljanja poslovnim procesima, faktori upravljanja poslovnim procesima, radno-intenzivni procesi, fuzzy Delphi metod
Keys to Addressing Older Adult Sexuality in Occupational Therapy Intervention

Overview key concepts about sexual activity and sexual health with older adults Explain common myths about sexuality and older adults Discuss normal age related physiological changes and impact on the sexual health of older adults Explain the relationship of generational values to sexual health Understand the application of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain & Process 3rd Ed. (2014) to older adult sexual health Presentation Objectives
One-Step Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test for Subpixel Target Detection in Hyperspectral Imaging

One of the main objectives of hyperspectral image processing is to detect a given target among an unknown background. The standard data to conduct such detection is a reflectance map, where the spectral signatures of each pixel’s components, known as endmembers, are associated with their abundances in the pixel. Due to the low spatial resolution of most hyperspectral sensors, such a target occupies a fraction of the pixel. A widely used model in the case of subpixel targets is the replacement model. Among the vast number of possible detectors, algorithms matched to the replacement model are quite rare. One of the few examples is the finite target matched filter (MF), which is an adjustment of the well-known MF. In this article, we derive the exact generalized likelihood ratio test for this model. This new detector can be used both with a local covariance estimation window or a global one. It is shown to outperform the standard target detectors on real data, especially for small covariance estimation windows.
Characterizing pathological imperfections in macromolecular crystals: lattice disorders and modulations

Macromolecular crystal structure determination can be complicated or brought to a halt by crystal imperfections. These issues motivated us to write up what we affectionately call ‘The Definitive Hitchhiker’s Guide to Pathological Macromolecular Crystals: Lattice Disorders and Modulations’. Perhaps the most challenging imperfections are lattice order–disorder phenomena and positional modulations. Many of these types of crystals have been solved, and progress has been made on the more challenging forms. Diagnostic tools and how to solve many of these problem crystal structures are reviewed. New avenues are provided for approaching the solution of incommensurately modulated crystals. There are a good number of case studies in the literature of lattice order–disorder phenomena and crystallographic modulations that make it timely to write a review. This review concludes with a projected pathway for solving incommensurately modulated crystals, personal views of future directions and needs of the crystallographic community.
PSVI-14 Differentially expressed microRNAs with potential regulatory roles in ileum of Holstein cows with subclinical Johne’s disease

Paratuberculosis or Johne’s disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract of ruminants. The mechanisms of JD pathogenesis remain unclear but MAP can cause chronic inflammatory lesions in the terminal small intestine of cattle. Using microRNA (miRNA) transcriptome analysis, this study investigated the impact of MAP infection on miRNA expression and their potential regulatory roles in JD progression. Ileal tissues were collected from MAP infected Holstein cows (n = 5) and healthy cows (n = 5). Purified total RNA were used to construct libraries followed by next generation sequencing, bioinformatic processing using a standard pipeline, differential miRNA expression analysis with DESeq2 software, and functional enrichment with ClueGo app in Cytoscape. A total of 269 miRNAs were expressed in ileal tissue including three abundantly expressed miRNAs (Bta-miR-143; 54.05% of total read counts), bta-miR-145 (11.54%) and bta-miR-192 (4.31%)). Twenty miRNAs were significantly (P < 0.05) differently expressed (DE) when comparing ileal tissues from MAP infected and uninfected cows. Bta-miR-383 (fold change = -12.93) and bta-miR-1842 (fold-change = 8.17) were the most down- and up-regulated miRNAs, respectively. Amongst the DE miRNAs, bta-miR-146a, bta-miR-146b and bta-miR-393 are inflammation-related miRNAs and considered potential biomarkers of bovine mastitis and other diseases, while bta-miR-370 and bta-miR-383 are associated with lipid metabolism. The predicted target genes of DE miRNAs were enriched (P < 0.05) for gene ontology terms related to regulation of metabolic, cell and developmental processes, and immune system development. KEGG pathway analysis revealed potential involvement in immune regulation (e.g. T-cell receptor signaling and C-type lectin receptor signaling pathways) and pathways in cancer were also enriched (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that some DE miRNAs play important roles by regulating metabolism and immune processes during JD and provide DE miRNAs that might form targets for future development of intervention measures.
Effects of CaO on Two-Step Reduction Characteristics of Copper Slag Using Biochar as Reducer: Thermodynamic and Kinetics

Technology system of copper slag thermal energy recovery and direct reduction (TER-DR) was proposed in this paper. Effects of CaO addition and C/O on reduction characteristics were discussed. CaO can improve reduction reaction of 2FeO•SiO2 in copper slag and decreases Gibbs free energy significantly. Besides, CaO improves reduction mass loss (RML), reduction rate and peaks of DTG curves move to lower temperature. The temperature of DTG peaks cuts down by 54K. Besides, CaO decreases activation energy. When CaO/S is 0.3, copper slag presents the highest RML, reduction rate and lowest activation energy. Furthermore, with increase of biochar addition ratio, values of RML and DTG peaks increased sharply. Based on Coats-Redfern method, reaction kinetics copper slag reduction is acquired. 960K~1478K, C and [O] diffusion in copper slag is reaction rate controlling step; 1478K~1703K, chemical reaction rate of C and CO with [O] in copper slag is rate controlling step. Mechanism functions didn’t change with the vari.
Hydrodynamics of flow over two-dimensional dunes

The turbulence characteristics in flow over and within the interface of two-dimensional dunes are investigated experimentally. Besides the spatial flow and turbulence quantities, their double-averaged profiles are also analyzed. The flow over dunes is recognized to be a wake-interference flow, where the decelerated flow at the immediate downstream of the crest causes the kolk-boil effect. The flow reattachment can be explained from the perspective of the Coandă effect. The inner boundary layer edge follows the locus of the inflection points of velocity profiles having a velocity defect. The Reynolds shear stress profiles attain their respective peaks along this locus. In addition, the dispersive shear stress initiates from the edge of the form-induced sublayer being negative, indicating a spatially decelerated flow. The third-order correlations reveal that an inrush of rapidly moving fluid streaks coupled with a downward-downstream Reynolds stress diffusion prevails within the interfacial sublayer, while an arrival of slowly moving fluid streaks coupled with an upward-upstream stress diffusion governs the flow zone above the crest. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) flux results corroborate the similar findings. Concerning the TKE budget, the dispersive kinetic energy diffusion is found to be substantial within the roughness sublayer. The budget terms exhibit their respective peaks near the crest. The production rate is greater than the dissipation rate. However, the TKE diffusion and pressure energy diffusion rates are negative in the interfacial sublayer. The bursting analysis endorses that the sweeps and ejections govern within the interfacial sublayer and the flow zone above the crest, respectively.
Utilization of exogenous enzymes in beef cattle creep feeds

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the inclusion of feed enzymes into beef cattle creep feeds. In the first one, the following treatments were tested in vitro: (1) 100% bermudagrass (GRASS); (2) a mixture of 75% bermudagrass and 25% creep feed (CREEP); (3) CREEP enhanced with endo-1,4-β-xylanase (XYLAN); (4) CREEP enhanced with endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase (BGLUC). Degradation of fibre was greatest (P ≤ 0.03) for BGLUC, whereas in vitro dry matter digestibility was greatest (P = 0.01) for XYLAN. In the second experiment, cow-calf pairs from 2 farms were split into 3 groups: (1) Group with no supplementation of calves (NO FEED); (2) Group where calves were supplemented in a creep feeding system (PLAIN FEED); and (3) Same feed regimen as PLAIN FEED, but with the addition of endo-1,4-β-xylanase due to the positive results observed in experiment 1 (ENZYME FEED). There was a numerical increase in calf average daily gain in the 2 groups that were supplemented, however, only ENZYME FEED was significantly different (P ≤ 0.03) than NO FEED. At one farm, supplement gain:feed was improved (P = 0.01) in ENZYME FEED, compared to PLAIN FEED. Collectively, these results indicate that xylanase can be used to enhance beef cattle creep feeds.
Predictors of HIV Risk Behavior in Iranian Women Who Inject Drugs

This study aimed to investigate predictors of drug-related HIV risk behaviors among women who inject drugs. A total of 163 women were recruited from harm-reduction-oriented drug-treatment centers in Tehran, Iran. Each completed a set of measures that included the Risk Behavior Assessment, Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition, Revised Self-Efficacy Scale, and Peer Group Beliefs Regarding HIV-related Risk Behaviors Scale. The results indicated that past attempts to abstain from drugs, using methadone maintenance treatment programs, and acceptance of peers’ risky norms were significant predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing predictors of frequency of injection, respectively. Furthermore, predictors of frequency of sharing injection paraphernalia included purchasing drugs jointly with other drug users and peers’ norms conforming injecting drug use behaviors. Harm reduction services that take into consideration cultural and peer norms, as well as the development and implementation of HIV prevention programs, are likely to reduce drug-related HIV risk behaviors in women who inject drugs.
What is the role for donor NK cells after nonmyeloablative conditioning

Background: The potential role of donor NK cells after nonmyeloablative conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is not defined. We investigated the impact of the kinetics of donor NK cell engraftment as well as the impact of missing recipient KIR ligands and the number of donor inhibitory and activating KIR genes on HCT outcomes in 282 patients (153 with HLA-matched related donors and 129 with unrelated donors) conditioned with 2 Gy TBI +/− fludarabine. Postgrafting immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil. Diagnoses were hematological malignancies (n=274) or solid tumors (8). Methods: NK cells were isolated from peripheral blood by flow cytometry on days 14, 28 and 42 after HCT. The proportions of cells of donor and host origin were assessed by FISH or by VNTR-PCR. High-resolution HLA-typing was performed using oligonucleotide probe and/or direct sequencing methods. Donor KIR genotyping was performed using a commercial PCR-SSP kit (Invitrogen) following manufacturers protocol. Results: High numbers of T (P=0.01) and CD34+ (P=0.009) cells in the graft, as well as lower numbers of donor inhibitory KIR genes (P=0.01) were each associated with higher levels of donor NK cell chimerism. There was a suggestion of an association between lower numbers of activating KIR genes and higher CD56 chimerism, however this was not statistically significant. NK cell chimerism levels were comparable in patients who had all KIR ligands present vs. in those who were missing any ligand, and there was no association between the specific missing ligand and NK chimerism. A day-14 NK cell chimerism level of P =. 009). Modeling chimerism levels as a continuous linear variable, there was no association between NK cell chimerism levels on day 14 and occurrence of grade II-IV acute GVHD. In contrast, high levels of donor NK cell chimerism on days 14–42 were associated with a lower risk of relapse (P=0.006) and better progression-free survival (P=0.003) in time-dependent analyses. The qualitative associations between donor NK cell chimerism and graft rejection, GVHD, relapse or progression-free survival did not change after adjustment for the presence of recipient KIR ligands nor after adjustment for the number of donor inhibitory or activating KIR genes. Finally, the 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 42% in patients who have all ligand for donor NK cell KIR, versus 38% in patients who miss one or more ligand for donor NK cell KIR (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.05; 95% confidence interval 0.65–1.68; p=0.85). Conclusions: Robust engraftment of donor NK cells correlated with low risk of graft rejection, low risk of relapse and high progression-free survival but not with acute GVHD. The clinical importance of donor KIR inhibitory and activating genes on post-transplant donor NK chimerism merits further study.
Listening and watching: Do camera traps or acoustic sensors more efficiently detect wild chimpanzees in an open habitat?

With one million animal species at risk of extinction, there is an urgent need to regularly monitor threatened species. However, in practice this is challenging, especially with wide‐ranging, elusive and cryptic species or those that occur at low density. Here we compare two non‐invasive methods, passive acoustic monitoring (n = 12) and camera trapping (n = 53), to detect chimpanzees Pan troglodytes in a savanna‐woodland mosaic habitat at the Issa Valley, Tanzania. With occupancy modelling we evaluate the efficacy of each method, using the estimated number of sampling days needed to establish chimpanzee absence with 95% probability, as our measure of efficacy. Passive acoustic monitoring was more efficient than camera trapping in detecting wild chimpanzees. Detectability varied over seasons, likely due to social and ecological factors that influence party size and vocalization rate. The acoustic method can infer chimpanzee absence with less than 10 days of recordings in the field during the late dry season, the period of highest detectability, which was five times faster than the visual method. Synthesis and applications. Despite some technical limitations, we demonstrate that passive acoustic monitoring is a powerful tool for species monitoring. Its applicability in evaluating presence/absence, especially but not exclusively for loud call species, such as cetaceans, elephants, gibbons or chimpanzees provides a more efficient way of monitoring populations and inform conservation plans to mediate species‐loss.
Prospective randomized evaluation of propofol and desflurane in patients undergoing surgery for cerebellopontine angle tumors

Background & objective: Resection of cerebellopontine (CP) angle tumors is a technically demanding surgery in view of important neural structures in the vicinity of tumor giving limited working area to the neurosurgeon. Consequently, it is important to advocate anesthetic techniques which provide optimal surgical conditions. Moreover, the prolonged duration of surgery necessitates fast tracking of emergence from anesthesia to allow early neurological complication and reintervention. We compared the effect of propofol and desflurane on hemodynamics, brain relaxation, vasomotor response to surgical stimulus, emergence and postoperative complications in patients undergoing cerebellopontine angle tumor resection. Setting: A tertiary care hospital in Northern India Methodology: Thirty adult patients scheduled to undergo CP angle tumor resection were randomized to receive propofol or desflurane under a standardized anesthesia and emergence protocol. Normality of the data was checked by measures of Kolmogrov Smirnov tests of normality. Means of normally distributed data were compared using Student’s t-test for two groups and for skewed data or for scores Mann–Whitney test were applied. For time dependent changes repeated measure ANOVA was applied. Results: The demographic and intraoperative hemodynamics were similar among the two groups. The brain relaxation scores and vasomotor response to surgical stimulus were comparable in both the groups. The time to emergence was 9.60 ± 3.3 min in the propofol and 4.7 ± 1.3 min in desflurane group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Both propofol and desflurane are comparable as anesthetic agents for patients undergoing CP angle tumor resection in terms of hemodynamics, brain relaxation scores and response to surgical stimulus. However, the use of desflurane in these patients is associated with faster emergence when compared with propofol.