Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute and chronic sleep deprivation in residents: Cognition and stress biomarkers

Insufficient sleep affects circadian hormonal profiles and inflammatory markers and may modulate attention, executive functioning and decision‐making. Medical professionals and specifically resident physicians, who are involved in long‐term nightshift schedules during their post‐graduate training, are prone to acute and chronic sleep deprivation and disruption, putting them at risk for making medical errors. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of chronic and acute‐on‐chronic sleep deprivation and disruption among residents on selected physiological and cognitive measures.
Impact of insecticides on the haemogram of Rhynocoris kumarii Ambrose and Livingstone (Hem., Reduviidae)

Abstract: The haemogram of Rhynocoris kumarii Ambrose and Livingstone comprises prohaemocytes, plasmatocytes, granular haemocytes, cystocytes and oenocytoids. The impact of five insecticides, viz. monocrotophos, dimethoate, methylparathion, quinalphos and endosulfan on the total haemocyte count (THC) and differential haemocyte counts (DHC) was studied. All of the insecticides except endosulfan initially reduced both prohaemocytes and plasmatocytes, increased the granular haemocytes, altered the percentage of cystocytes and oenocytoids and increased the total haemocyte count (THC). On the contrary, endosulfan initially increased the prohaemocytes and plasmatocytes, decreased the granular haemocytes and also the THC. The highest impact on the DHC and THC was caused by methylparathion and monocrotophos and the least impact by endosulfan. Hence, endosulfan is considered as the safest insecticide followed by dimethoate and quinalphos among these five insecticides to use with R. kumarii.
The role of infections and leukocytes in male infertility

Declining birth rates are one of the problems facing society today. Male counterparts are responsible for about half of the infertility cases, and genitourinary tract infections may play a contributing role in approximately 15% of male infertility cases. Leukocytospermia is an established indicator of infection in the male urogenital tract, although other microorganisms such as bacteria and virus may also be contributors to the etiology of male infertility. The pathophysiology of these infectious agents may be initiated by a local inflammatory reaction resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). This results in testicular injury, thereby affecting sperm morphology, sperm motility, sperm viability and elevation of the seminal leukocyte as a result of the genital tract infection. The infectious and inflammatory changes can result in male infertility. It is proposed that high concentrations of seminal leukocyte and infectious agents may affect sperm function resulting in clumping of motile spermatozoa, decreasing acrosomal functionality and also causing alterations in sperm morphology. However, the literature has poorly clarified the role of infection in male infertility, provoking further debate and research on this topic.
Reassessment of Efficiency of Synthesis of Microbial Matter in the Rumen

Abstract Published determinations of efficiency of synthesis of microbial matter, methods, and procedures for calculations were assessed critically. The generalized composition of microbial matter was calculated from results of analyses of microbial fractions from the rumen of animals under varied conditions. Terms to describe dissimilation of organic matter in the rumen were defined. Distinction was made between organic matter apparently digested but corrected for microbial matter entering the duodenum, organic matter truly digested, and organic matter fermented. Equations were derived to show how these quantities and efficiencies calculated from them are interrelated. Attempted rationalizing results of 75 individual determinations reported in 25 papers by considering the microbial composition and method of calculating efficiency showed that efficiency of synthesis of microbial matter is less than has been assumed. The theoretical efficiency obtained calculating it from the stoichiometry of rumen fermentation on the assumption that polyglucose (+ ammonia) is the sole substrate, showed that theoretical efficiency was similar to the mean overall efficiency calculated from published data. Numerous attempts have been made to measure the rate of synthesis of microbial matter in the rumen. There is agreement (26, 27, 33, 34, 37) in reviews that rates of microbial synthesis are variable and depend greatly on conditions.
Our plants, our heritage: Preliminary survey of some medicinal plant speciesof Southwestern University Nigeria Campus, Ogun State, Nigeria

A survey was embarked upon to document some of the medicinal plant species at the permanent site of Southwestern University Nigeria, Okun-Owa, Ogun state. The uses of the plants in traditional medicine were also gathered through group discussion with herbalists and traditional healers in communities around the University. The study revealed 90 species in 48 angiosperm families and 85 genera. Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae and Papilionaceae were the dominant families. The trees and herbs also had more species represented (31% and 28% of the total enumeration) while the creepers and lianes only had a few (2% and 1% respectively). Many of the listed plants were however found to be useful in the treatment/management of at least two ailments. Results obtained from the current study also point out the importance of these plant species in traditional medicine practiced in the surrounding communities, and suggest that their conservation and sustainable use be encouraged as a way of ensuring their availability within and outside the study area
H295R-cells as a model system for detection of toxic effects on the adrenal aldosterone synthesis pathways

The adrenal gland is exposed to high concentrations of circulating xenobiotics due to its high rate of blood flow and it may also accumulate lipid soluble chemicals in its lipid rich tissue. These substances can affect the aldosterone synthesis in the glomerulosa cells by activation or suppression of the steroidogenic enzymes' gene expression, hence resulting in effects on blood pressure since this is the main action of aldosterone. The purpose of this project was to set up a model system for detection of xenobiotic effects on aldosterone synthesis due to changes in gene expression of involved enzymes and transporter proteins. The human adrenocarcionoma cell line H295R was subjected to angiotensin II (ang II) and potassium acetate (KAc), in order to establish which modulator that most efficiently differentiates the cells into glomerulosa like aldosterone secreting cells. Further the cells were tested for differences in differentiation due to various time intervals and for Ultroser SF (USF) supplementation in the medium. Leads effect on the involved genes in aldosterone formation was investigated, since lead is a known activator of aldosterone secretion. The results indicated that ang II was the best modulator for differentiating the cells, KAc had cytotoxic effects at higher concentrations. The results also indicated that USF supplementation in the medium had a rising effect on basal gene transcription levels of the steroidogenic enzymes, some genes differed as much as 70-fold in expression levels between the two medium types. Non-USF-supplemented medium was therefore chosen for exposure experiments, since the chemical effect hence became clearer. The lead exposures indicated that this substance did not affect the gene expression level of the investigated genes, except for small effects in medium without USF and ang II. Some other differences in gene expression were noted between the control and the samples, but they were very small even if they were statistically significant. The model will need more testing with other substances and the aldosterone level during chemical exposure will need to be determined. We have so far established that ang II is an efficient stimulator of glomerulosa like differentiation and that non-USF-supplemented medium is favorable in the experiments.
Reconstructive schemes for variational iteration method within Yang-Laplace transform with application to fractal heat conduction problem

A reconstructive scheme for variational iteration method using the Yang-Laplace transform is proposed and developed with the Yang-Laplace transform. The identification of fractal Lagrange multiplier is investigated by the Yang-Laplace transform. The method is exemplified by a fractal heat conduction equation with local fractional derivative. The results developed are valid for a compact solution domain with high accuracy.
Estimating reproductive rates for female bears: Proportions versus transition probabilities

Abstract Estimating reproductive rate is an important element in understanding the demographic status of any bear population. These rates have been traditionally estimated by marking a sample of individuals with radiocollars and tracking them for the life of the transmitter. Rates of reproduction have been estimated in various ways, but all essentially calculate a ratio of female cubs produced by the number of females in the sample. Inherent in these calculations is the assumption that the sample is representative of the female population at large. We compare methods used to estimate reproductive rate, comparing the proportion of females in various reproductive states estimated from capture data with a method that estimates transition probabilities and stable state conditions. The latter is unaffected by capture heterogeneity among reproductive states. We use examples from 2 study areas (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem [Wyoming, Montana, Idaho] and Kenai Peninsula, Alaska), with grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black (Ursus americanus) bears. We discuss the effect of capture heterogeneity and concluded that reproductive rates are more accurately estimated using transition probabilities and stable state conditions if studies are short in duration, capture heterogeneity is evident, or individual bears in the sample are not recollared during the study.
Cytoplasmic pH regulation in thymic lymphocytes by an amiloride- sensitive Na+/H+ antiport

The mechanisms underlying cytoplasmic pH (pHi) regulation in rat thymic lymphocytes were studied using trapped fluorescein derivatives as pHi indicators. Cells that were acid-loaded with nigericin in choline+ media recovered normal pHi upon addition of extracellular Na+ (Nao+). The cytoplasmic alkalinization was accompanied by medium acidification and an increase in cellular Na+ content and was probably mediated by a Nao+/Hi+ antiport. At normal [Na+]i, Nao+/Hi+ exchange was undetectable at pHi greater than or equal to 6.9 but was markedly stimulated by internal acidification. Absolute rates of H+ efflux could be calculated from the Nao+-induced delta pHi using a buffering capacity of 25 mmol X liter-1 X pH-1, measured by titration of intact cells with NH4+. At pHi = 6.3, pHo = 7.2, and [Na+]o = 140 mM, H+ extrusion reached 10 mmol X liter-1 X min-1. Nao+/Hi+ exchange was stimulated by internal Na+ depletion and inhibited by lowering pHo and by addition of amiloride (apparent Ki = 2.5 microM). Inhibition by amiloride was competitive with respect to Nao+. Hi+ could also exchange for Lio+, but not for K+, Rb+, Cs+, or choline+. Nao+/Hi+ countertransport has an apparent 1:1 stoichiometry and is electrically silent. However, a small secondary hyperpolarization follows recovery from acid-loading in Na+ media. This hyperpolarization is amiloride- and ouabain-sensitive and probably reflects activation of the electrogenic Na+-K+ pump. At normal Nai+ values, the Nao+/Hi+ antiport of thymocytes is ideally suited for the regulation of pHi. The system can also restore [Na+]i in Na+-depleted cells. In this instance the exchanger, in combination with the considerable cytoplasmic buffering power, will operate as a [Na+]i- regulatory mechanism.
Distances to Nearby Molecular Clouds Traced by Young Stars

I present a catalog of distances to 63 molecular clouds located within ∼2.5 kpc of the Sun. The cloud distances are derived based on utilizing the Gaia DR3 parallaxes of the young stellar objects (YSOs). By identifying AllWISE YSO candidates (YSOCs) with infrared excesses and combining them with published YSOC catalogs, I compile an all-sky YSOC sample that is devoid of a significant proportion of contaminants. Using Gaia DR3 astrometric measurements, I associate over 3000 YSOCs with 63 local clouds and obtain the average distance to each cloud by fitting the YSOC parallax distribution within the cloud. I find good agreements with typical scatter of ≲10% between my new cloud distances and previous distance estimates. Unlike cloud distances obtained using stellar extinction, my catalog provides distances to the relatively dense areas of local clouds, which makes them more appropriate references for investigating the physical properties of nearby dense regions.
Ganglioside GM2: a potential biomarker for cholangiocarcinoma

Objective To investigate the expression of glycosphingolipids in serum and tissue from patients with cholangiocarcinoma compared with healthy controls. Methods Nanospray ionization-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (NSI-MSn) was used to demonstrate the comparative structural glycomics of glycosphingolipids in serum from patients with cholangiocarcinoma (n=15), compared with healthy controls (n = 15). GM2 expression in cholangiocarcinoma tissues (n = 60) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results Eleven glycosphingolipids were detected by NSI-MSn: CMH (ceramide monohexose), Lac-Cer (galactose (Gal)β1-4 glucose (Glc)β1-1'-ceramide), Gb3 (Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide), Gb4/Lc4 (N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)β1-3Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide/Galβ1-4 N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)β1-3Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide), GM3 (N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc)2-3Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide), GM2 (GalNAcβ1-4[NeuAc2-3]Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide), GM1 (Galβ1-3GalNAcβ1-4[NeuAc2-3]Galβ1-4Glcβ1-1'-ceramide), hFA (hydroxylated fatty acid)-CMH, hFA-Lac-Cer, hFA-Gb3, and hFA-GM3. Lac-Cer was the most abundant structure among the lactosides and globosides (normal, 24.40% ± 0.11%; tumor, 24.61% ± 2.10%), while GM3 predominated among the gangliosides (normal, 29.14% ± 1.31%; tumor, 30.53% ± 4.04%). The two glycosphingolipids that significantly differed between healthy controls and patients with cholangiocarcinoma were Gb3 and GM2. High expression of GM2 was associated with vascular invasion in tissue from patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Conclusions Altered expression of glycosphingolipids in tissue and serum from patients with cholangiocarcinoma may contribute to tumor growth and progression. The ganglioside GM2, which significantly increased in the serum of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, represents a promising target as a biomarker for cholangiocarcinoma.
Granuloma formation and tissue pathology in Schistosoma japonicum versus Schistosoma mansoni infections

Schistosomiasis is the most important helminth disease in the world from a public health perspective. S mansoni and S japonicum account for the majority of global intestinal schistosomiasis cases, and the pathogenesis is widely assumed to be fundamentally similar. However, the majority of research on schistosomiasis has been carried out on S mansoni and comparisons between the two species are rarely made. Here, we will discuss aspects of both older and recent literature where such comparisons have been made, with a particular focus on the pathological agent, the host granulomatous response to the egg. Major differences between the two species are apparent in features such as egg production patterns and cellular infiltration; however, it is also clear that even subtle differences in the cascade of various cytokines and chemokines contribute to the different levels of pathology observed between these two main species of intestinal schistosomiasis. A better understanding of such differences at species level will be vital when it comes to the development of new treatment strategies and vaccines.
Ecological Succession on Restored Intertidal Oyster Habitat in the Tidal Creeks of Coastal Georgia

ABSTRACT Microhabitat availability resulting from spatial complexity on oyster reef allows niche overlap and enhances benthic-pelagic coupling within a localized area; however, in Georgia, little is known regarding the temporal succession patterns of resident species on constructed reef. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the development and relative habitat value of man-made oyster habitat by monitoring oyster growth and the colonization by structurally important and resident oyster reef community species. Sixteen sampling units of commercial spat sticks in densities of 81/m2 were deployed prior to the oyster reproductive season during April 2004. Two sampling units were extracted every 3 mo starting July 2004 and assessed for biomass; oyster shell height and growth rate; oyster, barnacle, and mussel density per 0.01 m2; and species and phyla richness. Maximum oyster growth rate (0.39 mm/day) occurred during January 2005, with mean oyster shell height peaking at 83.56 ± 1.31 mm by May 2005. Oysters, barnacles, and scorched mussels appeared concurrently on sampling units during July 2004, and ribbed mussels appeared in October 2004. There were significant positive relationships between oyster and mussel (ribbed and scorched) densities (P < 0.0001), but none were detected between oyster and barnacle densities. Reef species rapidly colonized sampling units (24 of 31 species by October 2004), and a significant correlation between biomass and species (R2 = 0.91) and phyla (R2 = 0.96) richness was observed. Settlement and optimal growth of structurally important species on vertically elevated man-made oyster reef enhanced habitat availability and supported rapid colonization of reef-associated species.
Prediction of maximum scaled feed intake in broiler chickens based on physical properties of bulky feeds

ABSTRACT 1. A trial was conducted to investigate the capacity of broiler chickens to consume bulky feeds during three stages of growth. These phases were from 1 to 15 d, 16 to 30 d and from 31 to 45 d. 2. A basal feed was serially diluted (0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 10% or 15%) with one of five diluents (cellulose fibre, sawdust, rice husk, sand or vermiculite) to produce 25 feeds which were supplied on an ad libitum basis to the birds in each phase. Cobb 500® strain chicks were used, and, within each phase, each feed was given to nine individually-caged birds, 225 in total, distributed in a completely randomised design. 3. Intake increased initially, and then declined, as the proportion of each diluent increased. The consumption of feeds that limited intake were directly proportional to metabolic body weight and so a scaled feed intake, expressed as g/BW0.67 per day, was calculated. There were large effects of feed type on intake, in the short term, with consumption of a bulky feed leading to higher intakes. 4. It was concluded the Water Holding Capacity (WHC) content of the feeds could be appropriate measurement of ‘bulk’ responsible for limiting intake and could be used to predict maximum feed intake capacities of broiler chickens fed bulky diets.
Modelling the Volatility of GHC_USD Exchange Rate Using Garch Model

Modelling and forecasting the exchange rate volatility is a crucial area, as it has implications for many issues in the arena of finance and economics. Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models with their modifications, is used in capturing the volatility of the exchange rates. Simple rate of returns is employed to model the currency exchange rate volatility of Ghana Cedi-United States Dollar. The daily closing exchange rates were used as the daily observations. The parameters of these models are estimated using the maximum likelihood method. The results indicate that the volatility of the GHC_USD exchange rate is persistent. The asymmetry terms for TARCH are not statistically significant. Also in TARCH case, the coefficient estimate is negative, suggesting that positive shocks imply a higher next period conditional variance than negative shocks of the same sign. This is the opposite to what would have been expected in the case of the application of a GARCH model to a set of stock returns. But arguably, neither the leverage effect or volatility feedback explanations for asymmetries in the context of stocks apply here. Keywords: Exchange rate, volatility, GARCH model
Development and Validation of an Image-based Deep Learning Algorithm for Detection of Synchronous Peritoneal Carcinomatosis in Colorectal Cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to build a SVM classifier using ResNet-3D algorithm by artificial intelligence for prediction of synchronous PC. Background: Adequate detection and staging of PC from CRC remain difficult. Methods: The primary tumors in synchronous PC were delineated on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images. The features of adjacent peritoneum were extracted to build a ResNet3D + SVM classifier. The performance of ResNet3D + SVM classifier was evaluated in the test set and was compared to routine CT which was evaluated by radiologists. Results: The training set consisted of 19,814 images from 54 patients with PC and 76 patients without PC. The test set consisted of 7837 images from 40 test patients. The ResNet-3D spent only 34 seconds to analyze the test images. To increase the accuracy of PC detection, we have built a SVM classifier by integrating ResNet-3D features with twelve PC-specific features (P < 0.05). The ResNet3D + SVM classifier showed accuracy of 94.11% with AUC of 0.922 (0.912–0.944), sensitivity of 93.75%, specificity of 94.44%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 93.75%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.44% in the test set. The performance was superior to routine contrast-enhanced CT (AUC: 0.791). Conclusions: The ResNet3D + SVM classifier based on deep learning algorithm using ResNet-3D framework has shown great potential in prediction of synchronous PC in CRC.
metaPIS: A Sequence-based Meta-server for Protein Interaction Site Prediction

The identification of interfaces in protein complexes is effective for the elucidation of protein function and helps us to understand their roles in biological processes. With the exponentially growing amount of protein sequence data, an exploration of new methods that predict protein interaction sites based solely on sequence information is becoming increasingly urgent. Because a combination of different methods could produce better results than a single method, interaction site prediction can be improved through the utilization of different methods. This paper describes a new method that predicts interaction sites based on protein sequences by integrating five different algorithms employing meta-method, Majority Vote and SVMhmm Regression techniques. The 'metaPIS' web-server was implemented for meta-prediction. An evaluation of the meta-methods using independent datasets revealed that Majority Vote achieved the highest average Matthews correlation coefficient (0.181) among all the methods assessed. SVMhmm Regression achieved a lower score but provided a more stable result. The metaPIS server allows experimental biologists to speculate regarding protein function by identifying potential interaction sites based on protein sequence. As a web server, metaPIS is freely accessible to the public at http://202.116. 74.5:84/metapis.