Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weed seed rain, soil seedbanks, and seedling recruitment in no-tillage crop rotations

Abstract Relationships among weed seed rain, soil seedbank, and seedling recruitment in no-tillage systems were studied from July 1993 to May 1996. Multiple regression analysis indicated that seedling recruitment of only six of the 25 weed species present was correlated with seed rain samples from the previous autumn, spring soil seedbank samples, or a combination of the two. However, seedling recruitment of the dominant annual grasses (yellow foxtail, giant foxtail, and fall panicum in Field 1—1994, Field 2—1995, and Field 3—1996, respectively) was related to seedbank populations or a combination of seedbank and seed rain densities. These grasses accounted for at least 32% of the emerged seedlings, 12 to 78% of the seedbank, and 16 to 77% of the seed rain. Seedling recruitment of large crabgrass and two broadleaf species, Virginia copperleaf and wild carrot, also were described by seedbank densities or a combination of seedbank and seed rain densities. However, both the broadleaf species were minor components of the cropping system, representing ≤ 4% of all seedlings. In each year, the sum of all weeds in the seedbank exceeded 1,300 seeds m−2 (0 to 10 cm deep). The fraction of the total seedbank that emerged each year ranged from 3 to 17%, but there was great variability among species. The aforementioned dominant grasses ranged in emergence from 3 to 25% of their seedbanks. Emergence of other species ranged from a low of 1% for common lambsquarters up to 41% for large crabgrass. Prediction of seedling recruitment from seed rain or seedbank densities was variable; however, combining both components improved the fit of regression describing seedling recruitment. Nomenclature: Common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. CHEAL; fall panicum, Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx. PANDI; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm. SETFA; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. DIGSA; Virginia copperleaf, Acalypha virginica L. ACCVI; wild carrot, Daucus carota L. DAUCA; yellow foxtail, Setaria (Poir.) Roem & Schult SETLU.
Phloem Translocation of Storage Nitrogen in Apple

Mobilization of nitrogenous compounds during the spring was studied in ringed isolated shoot sections (bearing one intact bud each) from Golden Delicious apple trees and in intact stem-ringed apple rootstocks M VII. The changes in total, protein and soluble nitrogen and soluble amino acids and amides were followed in the bark of the shoot sections for 3 weeks during leafing-out and in the shoot and stem bark of the rootstocks for 6 weeks starting at bud-break. Ringing prevented nitrogen movement from below the ring both in the shoot sections and in the rootstocks almost completely, thus demonstrating the importance of the phloem as translocation pathway for stored nitrogenous compounds, even over longer distances. Asparagine and arginine were the major soluble amino compounds throughout. The values of the asparagine/arginine quotient in the various tissues suggest that when the distance between points of nitrogen supply and demand is short asparagine is translocated preferentially, but that at increasing distance this preference shifts to arginine.
The degenerative lumbar disc: not a disease, but still an important consideration for OMPT practice: a review of the history and science of discogenic instability

ABSTRACT Background A recent AAOMPT position paper was published that opposed the use of the term ‘degenerative disc disease’ (DDD), in large part because it appears to be a common age-related finding. While common, there are significant physiologic and biomechanical changes that occur as a result of discogenic degeneration, which are relevant to consider during the practice of manual therapy. Methods A narrative review provides an overview of these considerations, including a historical perspective of discogenic instability, the role of the disc as a pain generator, the basic science of a combined biomechanical and physiologic cycle of degeneration and subsequent discogenic instability, the influence of rotation on the degenerative segment, the implications of these factors for manual therapy practice, and a perspective on an evidence-based treatment approach to patients with concurrent low back pain and discogenic degeneration. Conclusions As we consider the role of imaging findings such as DDD, we pose the following question: Do our manual interventions reflect the scientifically proven biomechanical aspects of DDD, or have we chosen to ignore the helpful science as we discard the harmful diagnostic label?
Easy guide to conducting a systematic review

A systematic review is a type of study that synthesises research that has been conducted on a particular topic. Systematic reviews are considered to provide the highest level of evidence on the hierarchy of evidence pyramid. Systematic reviews are conducted following rigorous research methodology. To minimise bias, systematic reviews utilise a predefined search strategy to identify and appraise all available published literature on a specific topic. The meticulous nature of the systematic review research methodology differentiates a systematic review from a narrative review (literature review or authoritative review). This paper provides a brief step by step summary of how to conduct a systematic review, which may be of interest for clinicians and researchers.
Optimising the case-crossover design for use in shared exposure settings

Abstract With a case-crossover design, a case's exposure during a risk period is compared to the case's exposures at referent periods. The selection of referents for this self-controlled design is determined by the referent selection strategy (RSS). Previous research mainly focused on systematic bias associated with the RSS. We additionally focused on how RSS determines the number of referents per risk, sensitivity to overdispersion and time-varying confounding. We illustrated the consequences of different RSS using a simulation study informed by data on meteorological variables and Legionnaires’ disease. By randomising the events and exposure time series, we explored statistical power associated with time-stratified and fixed bidirectional RSS and their susceptibility to systematic bias and confounding bias. In addition, we investigated how a high number of events on the same date (e.g. outbreaks) affected coefficient estimation. As illustrated by our work, referent selection alone can be insufficient to control for a time-varying confounding bias. In contrast to systematic bias, confounding bias can be hard to detect. We studied potential solutions: varying the model parameters and link-function, outlier-removal and aggregating the input-data over smaller areas. Our simulation study offers a framework for researchers looking to detect and to avoid bias in case-crossover studies.
Evaluation of lighting programs, diet density, and short term use of mash as compared to crumbled starter to reduce incidence of sudden death syndrome in broiler chicks to 35 d of age

Restricted lighting is used commercially to regulate early growth and limit losses associated with sudden death syndrome (SDS), ascites and leg problems. Standard lighting programs may not be suited for broilers marketed at 35 d of age, and promote injury (scratching, i.e., cellulitis) by creating peak feeding periods. This study evaluates four lighting programs, three phases of mash or crumble starter feeding and two diet densities on performance and mortality of broilers marketed at 35 d of age. Two trials each utilized 7200 male broiler (Cobb × Cobb) chicks randomly housed in six (2.75 × 4.90 m) floor pens in each of eight rearing rooms. Four lighting programs were replicated in each trial and consisted of: (a) 23C (23L:1D 0–35 d); (b) 16C (23L:1D 0–3 d, 16L:8D 4–35 d); (c) DDI (delayed decreasing increasing) (23L:1D 0–3 d; 20L:4D 4–6 d, 16L:8D 7–10 d; 8L:16D 11–15 d; 12L:12D 16–20 d; 16L:8 D 21–28 d; and 20L:4 D 29–35 d); and (d) IL (intermittent lighting, provided in four cycles of 6 h d-1 the same t.
Combined methazolamide and theophylline improves oxygen saturation but not exercise performance or altitude illness in acute hypobaric hypoxia

What is the central question of this study? Does the combination of methazolamide and theophylline reduce symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and improve aerobic performance in acute hypobaric hypoxia? What is the main finding and its importance? The oral combination of methazolamide (100 BID) and theophylline (300 BID) improved arterial oxygen saturation but did not reduce symptoms of AMS and impaired aerobic performance. We do not recommend this combination of drugs for prophylaxis against the acute negative effects of hypobaric hypoxia.
High-throughput screening in multicellular spheroids for target discovery in the tumor microenvironment

ABSTRACT Introduction Solid tumors are highly influenced by a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) that cannot be modeled with conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. In addition, monolayer culture conditions tend to induce undesirable molecular and phenotypic cellular changes. The discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo is an important factor accounting for the high failure rate in drug development. Three-dimensional (3D) multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS) more closely resemble the in vivo situation in avascularized tumors. Areas covered This review describes the use of MTS for anti-cancer drug discovery, with an emphasis on high-throughput screening (HTS) compatible assays. In particular, we focus on how these assays can be used for target discovery in the context of the TME. Expert opinion Arrayed MTS in microtiter plates are HTS compatible but remain more expensive and time consuming than their 2D culture counterpart. It is therefore imperative to use assays with multiplexed readouts, in order to maximize the information that can be gained with the screen. In this context, high-content screening allowing to uncover microenvironmental dependencies is the true added value of MTS-based screening compared to 2D culture-based screening. Hit translation in animal models will, however, be key to allow a broader use of MTS-based screening in industry.
Níveis de fibra em detergente neutro na dieta de cordeiros: consumo, digestibilidade e fermentação ruminal

Eight castrated raw lambs (35.0± 6.0kg live weight) were used in a replicated 4 ´ 4 latin square design to evaluate the effect of four neutral detergent fiber (NDF) levels (25, 31, 37 and 43% of dry matter (DM)) on intake and digestion traits. Nitrogen (N) intake varied quadratically; intake of DM, organic matter (OM) and energy decreased (P<0.05) and that of NDF increased (P<0.01) as fibre level increased. NDF and N digestibility, as well as pH and ruminal concentrations of peptides were similar for all treatments. Apparent digestibility of DM, OM and energy, as well as ruminal concentrations of sugars decreased (P<0.01) and, ruminal microbial protein synthesis and ruminal concentrations of ammonia and amino acids varied in a quadratic way (P<0.05) with increased levels of NDF. The effect of NDF in decreasing intake and digestibillity was more evident only at the highest level (43%). The inclusion of about 30% NDF represents the most adequate level for sorghum silage and concentrate based diets fed to feedlot lambs.
Synthetic oligomers mimicking capsular polysaccharide diheteroglycan are potential vaccine candidates against encapsulated Enterococcal infections.

Infections caused by Enterococcus spp. , are a major concern in the clinical setting. In Enterococcus faecalis, the capsular polysaccharide diheteroglycan (DHG), composed of ß-D-galactofuranose-(1→3)-ß-D-glucopyranose repeats, has been described as an important virulence factor and as a potential vaccine candidate against encapsulated strains. Synthetic structures emulating immunogenic polysaccharides present many advantages over native polysaccharides for vaccine development. In this work, we described the synthesis of a library of DHG oligomers, differing in length and order of the monosaccharide constituents. Using suitably protected thioglycoside building blocks, oligosaccharides up to the 8-mer in length built up from either Galf-Glcp or Glcp-Galf dimers were generated and we evaluated their immunoreactivity with antibodies raised against DHG. After the screening, we selected two octasaccharides, having either a galactofuranose or glucopyranose terminus, which were conjugated to a carrier protein for the production of polyclonal antibodies. Resulting antibodies were specific towards the synthetic structures and mediated in-vitro opsonophagocytic killing of different encapsulated E. feacalis strains. The evaluated structures are the first synthetic structures described to elicit antibodies that target encapsulated E. faecalis strains, and are, therefore, promising candidates for the development of a well-defined enterococcal glycoconjugate vaccine.
CORM-2 Pretreatment Attenuates Inflammation-mediated Islet Dysfunction

During the process of human islet isolation a cascade of stressful events are triggered and negatively influence islet yield, viability, and function, including the production of proinflammatory cytokines and activation of apoptosis. Carbon monoxide-releasing molecule 2 (CORM-2) is a donor of carbon monoxide (CO) and can release CO spontaneously. Accumulating studies suggest that CORM-2 exerts cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of CORM-2 on islet isolation is still unclear. In this study, we found that CORM-2 pretreatment significantly decreased the expression of critical inflammatory genes, including tissue factor, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, C-X-C motif chemokine 10, Toll-like receptor 4, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The isolated islets of the CORM-2 pretreatment group showed reduced apoptotic rate, improved viability, and higher glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and functional gene expression in comparison to control group. Importantly, CORM-2 pretreatment prevented the impairment caused by TNF-α, evidenced by the improved glucose-stimulated index and transplantation outcomes. The present study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory property of CORM-2 during human islet isolation, and we suggest that CORM-2 pretreatment is an appealing treatment to mitigate inflammation-mediated islet dysfunction during isolation and culture ex vivo and to preserve long-term islet survival and function.
Protective effects of tiopronin on oxidatively challenged human lung carcinoma cells (A549)

Abstract Tiopronin (MPG) is a thiol antioxidant drug that has been explored as a treatment for various oxidative stress-related disorders. However, many of its antioxidant capabilities remain untested in well-validated cell models. To more thoroughly understand the action of this promising pharmaceutical compound against acute oxidative challenge, A549 human lung carcinoma cells were exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) and treated with MPG. Analyses of cell viability, intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels, and the prevalence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide were used to examine the effects of MPG on tBHP-challenged cells. MPG treatment suppressed intracellular ROS and mitochondrial superoxide and prevented tBHP-induced GSH depletion and apoptosis. These results indicate that MPG is effective at preserving redox homeostasis against acute oxidative insult in A549 cells if present at sufficient concentrations during exposure to oxidants such as tBHP. The effects of treatment gleaned from this study can inform experimental design for future in vivo work on the therapeutic potential of MPG.
Three Central American Bat Communitis: Structure, Reproductive Cycles, and Movement Patterns

Three bat communities were studied for 1 year at each of two localities in the Panama Canal Zone and one locality in western Costa Rica. Removal sampling and banding techniques using Japanese mist nets were employed to document community structure, food habits, reproductive cycles, and movement patterns of these bats. Results indicated that 27—31 species occur at or near ground level at each locality. Species diversity, as measured by H', was highest in the Costan Rican community; each community contained 3—4 common species and many uncommon species. Based on body size and general food habits, niche overlap appears to be greatest among small to intermediate—sized insectivores and frugivores, many of which, however, are apparently uncommon. Four basic reproductive patterns are found among the species. Most frugivores are seasonally polyestrous whereas some insectivores are monestrous and at least one is polyestrous. It is postulated that in both insectivores and frugivores birth peaks coincide with maximum food levels. Recapture patterns of several species suggest that home range size may be positively correlated with body size; omnivorous species may have larger home ranges than similarly size species with more restricted diets.
Physical Conditions in Sun and Shade

Students of the relation of environmental conditions to the distribution of organisms have long recognized the fact that relatively great differences in conditions nay occur within areas of very restricted size. Certain environmental conditions are more constant from spot to spot than are others; but the entire complex upon which the life and distribution of the organism depends, is to be thought of as uniform only throughout areas or volumes of extremely limited dimensions. It follows that the customary manner of measuring climatic conditions, so well suited to the purely physical requirements of meteorology, can give the student of environment nothing more than a normal base from which to determine the departures in the various habitats of an area. Physiological work has given us a large body of facts relative to the influence which difference intensities of a given condition are found to exert on various physiological processes. Very few of these relationships can be expressed by straight line curves. Not only may a small difference between 2 environments be of importance, but the same number of units of difference may vary in effect at different intensities of the condition under investigation. The importance of a given degree of difference can be ascertained only by determining its influence upon some specific life process. The study of environmental conditions can be fruitful for biological purposes only when it is carried on in close conjunction with the investigation of the physiology of the organisms which live under that environment. An important part of the program of the Desert Laboratory comprises such a study of the physiological behavior of a small group of plants, together with the intensive study of the conditions in their natural habitats. Some of the larger habitat differences ill the vicinity of the Desert Laboratory have been determined in the work of past years. Further work is being directed to determining the conditions for a number of localities in which differences in the dominant vegetation, or in the seasonal behavior of the vegetation, would seem to indicate that differences in the environment are operative on a small scale.
Structural and ultrastructural characterization of buffalo fetus (Bubalus bubalis) ovarian germinative cells

Abstract The objective of the present study was to characterize ovogones, primary oocytes and preantral follicles of buffalo fetus in different ages of gestation. For this, 29fetuses were collected from a slaughterhouse (Frigol, Brazil) and crown-rump lengths were measured to estimate the fetal age (0-3, 4-6, 7-10 months of gestation). The ovaries were removed and ovarian tissue was processed for classic histology and transmission eletron microscopy examination. The structural evaluation demonstrated that in the first period of the gestation (0-3 months) the buffalo fetus showed ovogones (in mitotic division) and in some cases, the primary oocytes surrounded by somatic cells. In the second period (4-6 months), it was verified that the preantral follicles were completely formed. In the last period (7o month to the end of gestation) the ovaries contained a large amount of preantral follicles, and in some fetuses, antral follicles were observed. The ultrastructural analysis of the ovogones, primary oocytes and preantral follicles showed that these cells have feworganelles and the quantity of mitochondria, endoplasmatic reticulum and apparatus Golgi complex is increased as the germinative cells passing from one stage to another.
A new genus of monogenean parasites (Capsalidae: Benedeniinae) from stingrays (Rajiformes: Dasyatidae) with a description of a new species from the long-tailed stingray Himantura uarnak Forsskål from Queensland, Australia

Trimusculotrema warnaki gen. et sp. nov. is described from the skin of Himantura uarank Forsskal. Trimusculotrema is distinguished from other genera in the Benedeniinae by the following combination of anatomical features: accessory sclerites and anterior hamuli small; haptor with two or three intrinsic, concentric muscle bands; haptor papillate ventrally; cirrus sac with internal seminal vesicle and spermatophore matrix reservoir; separate male and female pores opening ventrally and dorsally respectively; vagina short. On the basis of these features Benedenia micracantha Euzet and Maillard, 1967 from the skin and B. leucanthemum Euzet and Maillard, 1967 from the gills of Dasyatis marmorata Steindachner off Senegal are transferred to the new genus as Trimusculotrema micracantha comb. nov. and T. leucanthemum comb. nov. The presence of haptoral papillae, noted previously in some species of Entobdella, perhaps indicates that the new genus is more closely related to entobdellids than to benedeniids. Several l.
Assessment of mental workload based on multi-physiological signals

BACKGROUND: Mental workload is one of the contributing factors to human errors in road accidents or other potentially adverse incidents. OBJECTIVE: This research probes the effects of mental workload on the electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) of subjects in visual monitoring tasks, based on which a comprehensive evaluation model for mental workload is established effectively. METHODS: Three degrees of mental workload were obtained by monitoring tasks with different levels of difficulty. 20 healthy subjects were selected to take part in the research. RESULTS: The subjective scores showed a significant increase with the increase of task difficulty, meanwhile the reaction time (RT) increased and the accuracy decreased significantly, which proved the validity of three degrees of mental workload induced. For the EEG parameters, a significant decrease of θ energy was found in Frontal, Parietal and Occipital with the increase of level of mental workload, as well as a significant decrease of α energy in Frontal, Central and Occipital, meanwhile a significant increase of β energy occurred in Frontal and Occipital. There was a significant decrease of α/θ in Occipital, and significant increases of θ/β and (α+β)/θ in Frontal, Central and Occipital, meanwhile (α+θ)/β and WPE decreased significantly in Frontal and Occipital. Among the ECG parameters, it was shown that Mean RR, RMSSD, HF_norm and SampEn decreased significantly with the increase of task difficulty, while LF_norm and LF/HF showed significant increases. These EEG indictors in Occipital and ECG indictors were chosen and constituted a multidimensional original sample. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to extract the principal elements and decreased the dimension of sample space in order to simplify the calculation, based on which an effective classification model with accuracy of 80% was achieved by support vector machine (SVM). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the proposed algorithm can be applied to mental workload monitoring.