Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Intestinal Pathogens in HIV Patients with Diarrhea : Implications for Treatment

Patients infected, with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) commonly experience diarrhea at some time during their illness. A variety of enteric pathogens are identified in 50-80% of these patients, depending on the intensity of the diagnostic work-up that is done. In addition to the common enteric pathogens, several unusual enteric pathogens are recognized to cause diarrhea especially in HIV patients. These include protozoan parasites such as Cryptosporidia, Isospora bell;,, Cyclospora cayatenensis and Microsporidium species bacteria such as enteropathogenic Escherichia coil and Mycobacterium avium-intraceilulare, fungi including Candida atbicans and Histoptasma capsulatum, and viruses such as astroviruses and caliciviruses. Diagnosis of these infections sometimes involves special procedures not readily available every where, and empiric therapy based on knowledge of the likely pathogens has been advocated for developing countries. This article reviews the currently available data on geographic variation of enteric pathogens in HIV patients with diarrhea and outlines a rational strategy for empiric therapy of these patients. (Indian J Pediatr 1999; 66 : 85-91)
Experimental Measurements and Thermodynamic Modeling of Paraffinic Wax Formation in Undercooled Solutions

The crystallization of paraffinic materials from hydrocarbon mixtures subject to a cold environment is one of the problems faced by the petroleum industry. It can be found during oil production and in the transport and even in the use of refined materials such as diesels and fuels. A better understanding of the crystallization process and the capacity to model the wax formation would help to overcome this problem. This work is focused on the study of the two-phase region by developing a new experimental technique for measuring the composition of the phases in equilibrium and the amount of paraffins precipitating from a hydrocarbon mixture. The crystallization of several model systems, constituted by a mixture of normal alkanes between n-C19H40 and n-C28H58 dissolved in ethylbenzene in mass concentrations up to 25% weight, was promoted in an optical cell. The composition of the phases in equilibrium at several different temperatures below the cloud point was determined by chromatography. The amount of waxe.
Thermophysical Characterization of Ionic Liquids Able To Dissolve Biomass

Among new potential solvents for lignocellulosic materials, ionic liquids (ILs) are attracting considerable attention. Hence, the knowledge of the thermophysical properties of such fluids is essential for the design of related industrial processes. Therefore, in this work, a set of thermophysical properties, namely, density, viscosity, and refractive index, as a function of temperature, and isobaric thermal expansivity and heat capacities at a constant temperature, were determined for eight ionic liquids with the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation combined with the following anions: acetate, methylphosphonate, methanesulfonate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, dicyanamide, thiocyanate, tosylate, and dimethylphosphate. Imidazolium-based ILs were chosen since these are the most studied ionic fluids in biomass dissolution approaches, while a large array of anions was investigated because it was already demonstrated that it is the IL anion that mainly governs the dissolution.
Quantifying Ultra-high Performance Concrete Flexural System Mechanical Response

The research and application of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC) has been developed significantly within the last 1-2 decades. Due to the specific property of high strength capacity, it is potential to be used in bridge deck system without shear reinforcement so that it provides even lighter self-weight of the deck. However, one of the shear component, dowel action, has not been adequately investigated in the past. In this dissertation, a particular test was designed and carried out to fully investigate the dowel action response, especially its contribution to shear resistance. In addition, research on serviceability and fatigue behavior were expanded as well delete the concern on other factors that may influence the application to the deck system. Both experimental and analytical methods including finite element modeling, OpenSees modeling and other extension studies were presented throughout the entire dissertation where required.
On the Duality Between Retinex and Image Dehazing

Image dehazing deals with the removal of undesired loss of visibility in outdoor images due to the presence of fog. Retinex is a color vision model mimicking the ability of the Human Visual System to robustly discount varying illuminations when observing a scene under different spectral lighting conditions. Retinex has been widely explored in the computer vision literature for image enhancement and other related tasks. While these two problems are apparently unrelated, the goal of this work is to show that they can be connected by a simple linear relationship. Specifically, most Retinex-based algorithms have the characteristic feature of always increasing image brightness, which turns them into ideal candidates for effective image dehazing by directly applying Retinex to a hazy image whose intensities have been inverted. In this paper, we give theoretical proof that Retinex on inverted intensities is a solution to the image dehazing problem. Comprehensive qualitative and quantitative results indicate that several classical and modern implementations of Retinex can be transformed into competing image dehazing algorithms performing on pair with more complex fog removal methods, and can overcome some of the main challenges associated with this problem.
Fox control and 1080 baiting conundrums: time to prepare for a CRISPR solution

For many years, managing rock-wallaby colonies (Petrogale lateralis lateralis) in the Western Australian Wheatbelt seemed to be a matter of routinely exposing foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to toxic baits (sodium fluoroacetate, 1080®) laid around their rocky outcrops. Recent research has revealed that 1080 baitings are no longer a viable management option. Baiting is flawed over the long term because it does not erase the wallabies’ pervasive fear of being depredated by foxes, which can still make their menacing presence felt before succumbing to poison bait. Accordingly, a ‘landscape of fear’ exists on all rock-wallaby sites, creating a ‘virtual boundary’ beyond which they fear to forage. Severe overgrazing occurs, ultimately causing population crashes, leaving behind devastated outcrops greatly diminished in carrying capacity. The fallout from this scenario produces a management conundrum. Rock-wallaby populations are unstable in the absence of fox control, and conversely, they are also unstable under long-term fox control. Management is now left with few options, and the future of the colonies remains open. Other conundrums involving bait interference and mesopredator release are described. An alternative to 1080 baiting is clearly needed. Recent developments in gene engineering (CRISPR technology) offer a solution in the foreseeable future.
Kruppel-Like Factor 2-Mediated Suppression of MicroRNA-155 Reduces the Proinflammatory Activation of Macrophages

Objective Recent evidence indicates that significant interactions exist between Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in endothelial cells. Because KLF2 is known to exert anti-inflammatory effects and inhibit the pro-inflammatory activation of monocytes, we sought to identify how inflammation-associated miR-155 is regulated by KLF2 in macrophages. Approach and Results Peritoneal macrophages from wild-type (WT) C57Bl/6 mice were transfected with either recombinant adenovirus vector expressing KLF2 (Ad-KLF2) or siRNA targeting KLF2 (KLF2-siRNA) for 24 h–48 h, then stimulated with oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL, 50 μg/mL) for 24 h. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that KLF2 markedly reduced the expression of miR-155 in quiescent/ox-LDL-stimulated macrophages. We also found that the increased expression of miR-155, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) and interleukin (IL)-6 and the decreased expression of the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-1 and IL-10 in ox-LDL-treated macrophages were significantly suppressed by KLF2. Most importantly, over-expression of miR-155 could partly reverse the suppressive effects of KLF2 on the inflammatory response of macrophages. Conversely, the suppression of miR-155 in KLF2 knockdown macrophages significantly overcame the pro-inflammatory properties associated with KLF2 knockdown. Finally, Ad-KLF2 significantly attenuated the diet-induced formation of atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice, which was associated with a significantly reduced expression of miR-155 and its relative inflammatory cytokine genes in the aortic arch and in macrophages. Conclusion KLF2-mediated suppression of miR-155 reduced the inflammatory response of macrophages.
A Unified Model for Multilabel Classification and Ranking

Label ranking studies the problem of learning a mapping from instances to rankings over a predefined set of labels. Hitherto existing approaches to label ranking implicitly operate on an underlying (utility) scale which is not calibrated in the sense that it lacks a natural zero point. We propose a suitable extension of label ranking that incorporates the calibrated scenario and substantially extends the expressive power of these approaches. In particular, our extension suggests a conceptually novel technique for extending the common learning by pairwise comparison approach to the multilabel scenario, a setting previously not being amenable to the pairwise decomposition technique. We present empirical results in the area of text categorization and gene analysis, underscoring the merits of the calibrated model in comparison to state-of-the-art multilabel learning methods.
The influence of hand or foot responses on response times in investigating action sentence processing

In a response time experiment dealing with action language comprehension, we investigated the question of whether the execution of a hand-response would interfere with or facilitate hand-related action sentence processing. We analyzed response times on concrete action, abstract action, and abstract control stimuli, given by hand or with the foot respectively. Beside the well-known concreteness effect, we found that responses by hand on concrete action sentences were relatively prolonged in relation to responses with the foot. Thus, there is a decisive interdependency between the effector-reference of the action verb and the effector used for response detection. We suggest that this has to be taken into account when analyzing action language comprehension and that response effectors should be chosen in accordance with the action language stimuli used.
Local Fields in Human Subthalamic Nucleus Track the Lead-up to Impulsive Choices

The ability to adaptively minimize not only motor but cognitive symptoms of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is a primary goal of next-generation deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices. On the basis of studies demonstrating a link between beta-band synchronization and severity of motor symptoms in PD, the minimization of beta band activity has been proposed as a potential training target for closed-loop DBS. At present, no comparable signal is known for the impulsive side effects of PD, though multiple studies have implicated theta band activity within the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the site of DBS treatment, in processes of conflict monitoring and countermanding. Here, we address this challenge by recording from multiple independent channels within the STN in a self-paced decision task to test whether these signals carry information sufficient to predict stopping behavior on a trial-by-trial basis. As in previous studies, we found that local field potentials (LFPs) exhibited modulations preceding self-initiated movements, with power ramping across multiple frequencies during the deliberation period. In addition, signals showed phasic changes in power around the time of decision. However, a prospective model that attempted to use these signals to predict decision times showed effects of risk level did not improve with the addition of LFPs as regressors. These findings suggest information tracking the lead-up to impulsive choices is distributed across multiple frequency scales in STN, though current techniques may not possess sufficient signal-to-noise ratios to predict—and thus curb—impulsive behavior on a moment-to-moment basis.
Assembly of the Synaptonemal Complex Is a Highly Temperature-Sensitive Process That Is Supported by PGL-1 During Caenorhabditis elegans Meiosis

Successful chromosome segregation during meiosis depends on the synaptonemal complex (SC), a structure that stabilizes pairing between aligned homologous chromosomes. Here we show that SC assembly is a temperature-sensitive process during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis. Temperature sensitivity of SC assembly initially was revealed through identification of the germline-specific P-granule component PGL-1 as a factor promoting stable homolog pairing. Using an assay system that monitors homolog pairing in vivo, we showed that depletion of PGL-1 at 25° disrupts homolog pairing. Analysis of homolog pairing at other chromosomal loci in a pgl-1−null mutant revealed a pairing defect similar to that observed in mutants lacking SC central region components. Furthermore, loss of pgl-1 function at temperatures ≥25° results in severe impairment in loading of SC central region component SYP-1 onto chromosomes, resulting in formation of SYP-1 aggregates. SC assembly is also temperature sensitive in wild-type worms, which exhibit similar SYP-1 loading defects and formation of SYP-1 aggregates at temperatures ≥26.5°. Temperature shift analyses suggest that assembly of the SC is temperature sensitive, but maintenance of the SC is not. We suggest that the temperature sensitive (ts) nature of SC assembly may contribute to fitness and adaptation capacity in C. elegans by enabling meiotic disruption in response to environmental change, thereby increasing the production of male progeny available for outcrossing.
Towards Modeling Legitimate and Unsolicited Email Traffic Using Social Network Properties

Identifying unsolicited email based on their network-leve l behavior rather than their content have received huge inter est. In this study, we investigate the social network proper ties of large-scalemail networks generated from real email traffic to reveal the properties that are indicative of spam a s opposed to the expected legitimate behavior. By analyzing the structural and temporal properties of the email networks we confirm that legitimate email traffic generates a small-world, scale-free network similar to other s ocial networks. However, email traffic as a whole contains unsolicited email, thus the structure of email networks devia t s from that of social networks. Our study points out the distinctive characteristics of spam traffic and reveals that th e anomalies in the structural properties of email networks ar e due to the unsocial behavior of spam.
Activity of intestinal carbohydrases responds to multiple dietary signals in nestling house sparrows

SUMMARY The ‘adaptive modulation hypothesis’ predicts that activity of digestive enzymes should match the amount of their substrates in diet. Interestingly, many passerine birds do not adjust the activity of intestinal carbohydrases to dietary carbohydrate content. It is difficult to assess the generality of this rule, because in some studies passerines fed on low-carbohydrate and high-lipid diet showed reduced activity of intestinal carbohydrases. However, as carbohydrase activity may be inhibited by high dietary lipid content, it is unclear whether observed effects reflected lack of induction by the low carbohydrate levels or suppression by the high lipid levels. Here, we isolated the specific effects of dietary carbohydrate and lipid on carbohydrases. We hand-fed house sparrow nestlings on diets with 25% starch and 8% lipid (diet HS), no starch and 20% lipid (HL), or 25% starch and 20% lipid (HSL). Our results show that activity of intestinal carbohydrases is simultaneously induced by dietary carbohydrates and decreased by dietary lipid, although the latter effect seems stronger. Activities of maltase and sucrase summed over the total intestine decreased in the order HS>HSL>HL. We observed a complex interaction between diet composition and intestinal position for mass-specific activity of these enzymes, suggesting site-specific responses to changes in digesta composition along the intestines caused by digestion and absorption. We re-interpret results of earlier studies and conclude that there is no unequivocal example of adaptive modulation of intestinal carbohydrases by dietary carbohydrate in adult passerine birds, whereas the present experiment confirms that nestlings of at least some species possess such capacity.
The effect of plant extracts fed before farrowing and during lactation on sow and piglet performance

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a mixture of plant extracts (XTRACT 6930), consisting of 5.4% (wt/wt) carvacrol (oregano), 3.2% cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon) and 2.2% capsicum oleoresin (Mexican pepper), on piglet and sow performance when used as dietary supplements to the sows. The experiment was performed on 40 sows, divided into two groups (control and experimental) of 20 sows per group. The study was conducted from day 90 of pregnancy until weaning at day 28. The sows in the control group received the basal diet, and the sows in the experimental group (XT group) received the basal diet, supplemented with 100 mg of XTRACT/kg feed. Backfat thickness of the sows at points P2 and P4 was measured on day 90 of pregnancy and at weaning. Milk samples were collected from each sow on day 15 ± 2 of lactation. The backfat thickness of the sows that received the plant extracts was significantly thicker at weaning than that of the controls, showing less loss of backfat during lactation. The lactose content in the milk of the XTRACT group was higher than that of the control. Piglets of the sows supplemented with the plant extract had a significantly higher average daily gain during the suckling period and a higher body weight at weaning. The mortality of piglets during the suckling period was significantly lower in the XTRACT group than in the control group. The results showed that the plant extract supplementation of sows during late pregnancy and lactation had a beneficial effect on the performance of the sows and piglets. Keywords: XTRACT 6930, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, capsicum oleoresin, sows, piglets
Biomarkers In Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye disease is a multifactorial chronic disorder of the ocular surface that affects up to 100 million people worldwide. During the pathogenesis of dry eye, impaired function of the lacrimal and meibomian glands results in hyposecretion of aqueous tear fluid, coupled with increased evaporation and instability of the tear film, which becomes increasingly hyperosmolar in character at more severe stages of disease. One critical issue in the field is that the commonly used clinical signs and symptoms for the diagnosis or classification of dry eye often do not correlate with one another. This underscores the need to systematically evaluate current tests and highlights the importance of developing new markers of disease progression for use as endpoints in clinical trials of diagnostic devices and potential therapeutics. In this review, we examine the utility and limitations of commonly used signs and symptoms of dry eye disease and comment on newer biomarkers and analytical devices that show promise for future diagnostic and therapeutic use.
Arctic ground squirrel population collapse in the boreal forests of the Southern Yukon

Abstract Context. The arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) comprised 17% of the biomass of herbivores in the Yukon boreal forest during the summer months from 1987 to 1996 and was responsible for 23% of the energy flow at the herbivore level. By 2000, ground squirrel populations in this region collapsed to nearly zero and have remained there. Aims. We summarise the population monitoring (since 1975) and recent experimental work that has been done on this key herbivore in the Kluane area of the southern Yukon to test one mechanistic hypothesis as the possible explanation for this population collapse and subsequent lack of recovery: predation. Methods. Ground squirrels are the preferred summer prey of bird and mammal predators when snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations are declining. We used translocations into formerly occupied habitat and radiotelemetry to determine movements and causes of death from 2009 to 2014. We surveyed 158 sites between 2008 and 2013 to measure the disappearance of colonies in alpine and forest habitats over 25 000 km2. Key results. Ground squirrels from 2000 to 2013 comprised a small fraction of the herbivore biomass in the boreal forest zone, down from 17% earlier. Most forest populations (∼95%) are currently extinct, whereas just over half (65%) of low-elevation meadow populations are locally extinct. One hypothesis is that ground squirrels in the forest have been driven into a predator pit from which they cannot recover. They remain abundant in alpine tundra (93% occupancy rate) and around airport runways and human habitations (97% occupancy), but there is no apparent dispersal from alpine areas down into the boreal forest. Conclusion. The predator pit hypothesis is a likely explanation for the initial collapse and sustained decline in population size from 2000 to 2013. Recent attenuation of the hare cycle and milder winter climate have allowed shrubs to expand throughout the forest, thereby reducing visibility and increasing predation risk. This conclusion will be tested in further research using reintroductions to formerly occupied sites. Implication. If the loss of this herbivore from the boreal forest is not reversed, predator pressure on the other major herbivores of the montane forest zone is likely to change significantly.
A Bug's Life and the Spatial Ontologies of Mosquito Management

This article uses the theory of Gilles Deleuze to address the disjuncture between (1) the mechanical, chemical, and thermal processes of transduction that determine the biogeographical life of the mosquito; and (2) the spatialities of historic and contemporary management strategies. The history of mosquito management reveals two operative spatial ontologies, one an immanent horizontalism underwriting an intimate strategy of detection and destruction of breeding sites, the other a transcendent verticalism appropriate for the partitioning of space in support of widespread chemical spraying of adult populations. We find that two institutions in contemporary, mosquito-rich Arizona—the Pima County Health Department and Maricopa County Vector Control—are representative of this split in management. In this article we attempt to account for the observed interagency differences. Doing so, we suggest, requires an assemblage theory that brings together managers, institutions, and sociocultural-environmental-technological-political contexts with the flights of the mosquito itself.