Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Standardised mortality is increased three‐fold in a population‐based sample of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

There are no type 1 diabetes (T1DM) mortality data on Australian children and limited contemporary data on their international counterparts. Fatalities in children and adolescents (1–17 yr) with T1DM were identified from the Western Australia Children's Diabetes Database between 1987–2011. Seventeen thousand four hundred and fifty‐three patient‐years of diabetes data were analysed and 13 deaths were confirmed (six male). The overall standardised mortality ratio was 3.1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7–5.3] and was highest in the 10–14 yr age group, at 4.6 (95% CI, 1.5–10.8). Median age at death was 16.4 yr (range 5 to 17.8 yr), and median haemoglobin A1c at death was 10.5% (range 6.7 to >14). Cause of death was attributed to diabetes in 10 (77%) cases. Two patients were found ‘dead‐in‐bed’. All diabetes‐related deaths in subjects with known T1DM occurred outside the hospital setting.
The Motivational Outcomes of Psychological Need Support among Pre-Service Teachers: Multicultural and Self-determination Theory Perspectives

The study employed a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their professional training in relation to motivational outcomes. We hypothesized that students’ perceptions of basic psychological need support will be positively associated with their sense of relatedness, competence, and autonomous motivation, and negatively associated with controlled motivation. Sense of relatedness, competence, and autonomous motivation were hypothesized to be positively associated with personal accomplishment, engagement, and self-exploration, and negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. The study was conducted within a multicultural context, which enabled exploration of the hypotheses among students from two different cultural backgrounds. Based on the universality of SDT we expected that the general models would be similar for both cultures, although some mean-level and correlational paths may be different. The sample (N = 308; mean age 23.4) consisted of Muslim-Arab Bedouin (55.3%) and Jewish (44.7%) pre-service teachers enrolled in the same teachers’ college in Israel. The participants completed self-report surveys assessing their sense of basic psychological need support, autonomous and controlled motivation, self-accomplishment, engagement, self-exploration, and emotional exhaustion. Multiple-group structural equation modeling revealed that need support contributed positively to autonomous motivation, sense of relatedness, and sense of competence in both cultures. Autonomous motivation contributed positively to sense of self-accomplishment, engagement, and self-exploration. Competence in turn was positively related to engagement and negatively related to emotional exhaustion, and relatedness was associated with engagement only among the Bedouin students, and with self-accomplishment only among the Jewish students. These results indicate that sense of need support is highly important regardless of cultural background, while sense of relatedness may be related to different outcomes across cultures. The findings demonstrate the utility of Self-Determination Theory within the context of multicultural teacher training and support the universality of the theoretical framework.
Synthesis of Phenoxyacyl-Ethanolamides and Their Effects on Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Activity*

Background: Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) belongs to the family of amidase signature proteins and is involved in N-acylethanolamine (NAE) metabolism. Results: New synthetic phenoxyacyl-ethanolamide compounds increased the amidohydrolase activity of FAAH. Conclusion: Phenoxyacyl-ethanolamide compounds increased the activity of the FAAH enzyme in plants and animals. Significance: New properties of FAAH proteins were revealed with these phenoxyacyl-ethanolamide compounds, and the potential for their applications in vivo was demonstrated. N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are involved in numerous biological activities in plant and animal systems. The metabolism of these lipids by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a key regulatory point in NAE signaling activity. Several active site-directed inhibitors of FAAH have been identified, but few compounds have been described that enhance FAAH activity. Here we synthesized two sets of phenoxyacyl-ethanolamides from natural products, 3-n-pentadecylphenolethanolamide and cardanolethanolamide, with structural similarity to NAEs and characterized their effects on the hydrolytic activity of FAAH. Both compounds increased the apparent Vmax of recombinant FAAH proteins from both plant (Arabidopsis) and mammalian (Rattus) sources. These NAE-like compounds appeared to act by reducing the negative feedback regulation of FAAH activity by free ethanolamine. Both compounds added to seedlings relieved, in part, the negative growth effects of exogenous NAE12:0. Cardanolethanolamide reduced neuronal viability and exacerbated oxidative stress-mediated cell death in primary cultured neurons at nanomolar concentrations. This was reversed by FAAH inhibitors or exogenous NAE substrate. Collectively, our data suggest that these phenoxyacyl-ethanolamides act to enhance the activity of FAAH and may stimulate the turnover of NAEs in vivo. Hence, these compounds might be useful pharmacological tools for manipulating FAAH-mediated regulation of NAE signaling in plants or animals.
Estimation of production and reproductive performance losses in dairy cattle due to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infection.

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis caused by bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), which negatively affects the production performance of infected cattle herds, results in considerable economic losses in dairy farms. The present study aimed to estimate farm-level production and reproductive performance losses in seropositive (SP) dairy cattle infected with BoHV-1. A total of 266 non-vaccinated cows were selected from 31 herds located in different parts of Hatay, Turkey. Data collected from SP and seronegative (SN) cows were compared with each other. Compared to the SN cows, 10% and 9% decreases were found regarding milk production (P<.01) and live weight (P<.01) in SP cows, respectively. Reproductive and mixed clinical problems in infected cows lead to the highest losses in respect of milk production and live weight, respectively. The financial loss due to the infection was estimated to be $US331 if abortion does not occur, and $US509 if abortion occurs as a result of the infection. Considering the likelihood of abortion, the average cost of infection was estimated to be $US379 per infected cow.
Use of hybrid recursive CSR/COO data structures in sparse matrix-vector multiplication

Recently, we have introduced an approach to basic sparse matrix computations on multicore cache based machines using recursive partitioning. Here, the memory representation of a sparse matrix consists of a set of submatrices, which are used as leaves of a quad-tree structure. In this paper, we evaluate the performance impact, on the Sparse Matrix-Vector Multiplication (SpMV), of a modification to our Recursive CSR implementation, allowing the use of multiple data structures in leaf matrices (CSR/COO, with either 16/32 bit indices).
Assay of hepatitis B virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction and its relationship to Pre‐S‐ and S‐encoded viral surface antigens

The polymerase chain reaction was evaluated as a diagnostic tool in 72 chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. Hepatitis B virus DNA was detectable in the serum of HBsAg—positive virus carriers using aliquots as small as 100 al. The detection limit for cloned hepatitis B virus DNA was 100 ag. Primer pairs for different regions of the HBV genome resulted in different sensitivity. Detection of the amplified hepatitis B virus DNA by Southern blotting and subsequent scintillation counting or densitometry allowed a semiquantitative assay. Using several primer pairs in parallel for optimal detection, all HBeAg‐positive HBsAg carriers, 80% of HBe antibody—positive symptomatic HBsAg carriers and 57% of asymptomatic HBe antibody—positive HBsAg carriers were found to have hepatitis B virus DNA in the serum. During antiviral therapy hepatitis B virus DNA disappeared by the polymerase chain reaction assay in patients who became HBeAg negative, but polymerase chain reaction detected a relapse earlier than did the conventional dot blot. Pre‐S antigens were assayed in serum and liver samples from most chronic carriers by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and/or immunoblot. Although most viremic carriers were strongly positive for pre‐S1 and pre‐S2 antigens, some hepatitis B virus DNA—positive HBsAg carriers did not have detectable pre‐S antigens, and vice versa. Our data show that assay of hepatitis B virus DNA in the serum by polymerase chain reaction is by far more proficient than by dot blot and that it cannot be replaced by serological assays of HBeAg or pre‐S antigen. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;13:158–166).
A New Trans-Tympanic Microphone Approach for Fully Implantable Hearing Devices

Fully implantable hearing devices (FIHDs) have been developed as a new technology to overcome the disadvantages of conventional acoustic hearing aids. The implantable microphones currently used in FIHDs, however, have difficulty achieving high sensitivity to environmental sounds, low sensitivity to body noise, and ease of implantation. In general, implantable microphones may be placed under the skin in the temporal bone region of the skull. In this situation, body noise picked up during mastication and touching can be significant, and the layer of skin and hair can both attenuate and distort sounds. The new approach presently proposed is a microphone implanted at the tympanic membrane. This method increases the microphone’s sensitivity by utilizing the pinna’s directionally dependent sound collection capabilities and the natural resonances of the ear canal. The sensitivity and insertion loss of this microphone were measured in human cadaveric specimens in the 0.1 to 16 kHz frequency range. In addition, the maximum stable gain due to feedback between the trans-tympanic microphone and a round-window-drive transducer, was measured. The results confirmed in situ high-performance capabilities of the proposed trans-tympanic microphone.
Air Pollution and ST-Segment Depression in Elderly Subjects

Increased levels of daily ambient particle pollution have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. Black carbon (BC) is a measure of the traffic-related component of particles. We investigated associations between ambient pollution and ST-segment levels in a repeated-measures study including 269 observations on 24 active Boston residents 61–88 years of age, each observed up to 12 times from June through September 1999. The protocol involved continuous Holter electrocardiogram monitoring including 5 min of rest, 5 min of standing, 5 min of exercise outdoors, 5 min of recovery, and 20 cycles of paced breathing. Pollution-associated ST-depression was estimated for a 10th- to 90th-percentile change in BC. We calculated the average ST-segment level, referenced to the P-R isoelectric values, for each portion of the protocol. The mean BC level in the previous 12 hr, and the BC level 5 hr before testing, predicted ST-segment depression in most portions of the protocol, but the effect was strongest in the postexercise periods. During post-exercise rest, an elevated BC level was associated with −0.1 mm ST-segment depression (p = 0.02 for 12-hr mean BC; p = 0.001 for 5-hr BC) in continuous models. Elevated BC also predicted increased risk of ST-segment depression ≥0.5 mm among those with at least one episode of that level of ST-segment depression. Carbon monoxide was not a confounder of this association. ST-segment depression, possibly representing myocardial ischemia or inflammation, is associated with increased exposure to particles whose predominant source is traffic.
Sub-Antarctic marine aerosol: dominant contributions from biogenic sources

Abstract. Biogenic influences on the composition and characteristics of aerosol were investigated on Bird Island (54°00' S, 38°03' W) in the South Atlantic during November and December 2010. This remote marine environment is characterised by large seabird and seal colonies. The chemical composition of the submicron particles, measured by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), was 21% non-sea-salt sulfate, 2% nitrate, 8% ammonium, 22% organics and 47% sea salt including sea salt sulfate. A new method to isolate the sea spray signature from the high-resolution AMS data was applied. Generally, the aerosol was found to be less acidic than in other marine environments due to the high availability of ammonia, from local fauna emissions. By positive matrix factorisation five different organic aerosol (OA) profiles could be isolated: an amino acid/amine factor (AA-OA, 18% of OA mass), a methanesulfonic acid OA factor (MSA-OA, 25%), a marine oxygenated OA factor (M-OOA, 41%), a sea spray OA fraction (SS-OA, 7%) and locally produced hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA, 9%). The AA-OA was dominant during the first two weeks of November and found to be related with the hatching of penguins in a nearby colony. This factor, rich in nitrogen (N : C ratio = 0.13), has implications for the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen in the area as particulate matter is often transported over longer distances than gaseous N-rich compounds. The MSA-OA was mainly transported from more southerly latitudes where phytoplankton bloomed. The bloom was identified as one of three sources for particulate sulfate on Bird Island, next to sea salt sulfate and sulfate transported from South America. M-OOA was the dominant organic factor and found to be similar to marine OA observed at Mace Head, Ireland. An additional OA factor highly correlated with sea spray aerosol was identified (SS-OA). However, based on the available data the type of mixture, internal or external, could not be determined. Potassium was not associated with sea salt particles during 19% of the time, indicating the presence of biogenic particles in addition to the MSA-OA and AA-OA factors.
Development of a metabolically active, non-replicating sporozoite vaccine to prevent Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Immunization of volunteers by the bite of mosquitoes carrying radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites protects greater than 90% of such volunteers against malaria, if adequate numbers of immunizing biting sessions and sporozoite-infected mosquitoes are used. Nonetheless, until recently it was considered impossible to develop, license and commercialize a live, whole parasite P. falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccine. In 2003 Sanaria scientists reappraised the potential impact of a metabolically active, non-replicating PfSPZ vaccine, and outlined the challenges to producing such a vaccine. Six years later, significant progress has been made in overcoming these challenges. This progress has enabled the manufacture and release of multiple clinical lots of a 1(st) generation metabolically active, non-replicating PfSPZ vaccine, the Sanaria PfSPZ Vaccine, submission of a successful Investigational New Drug application to the US Food and Drug Administration, and initiation of safety, immunogenicity and protective efficacy studies in volunteers in MD, US. Efforts are now focused on how best to achieve submission of a successful Biologics License Application and introduce the vaccine to the primary target population of African children in the shortest possible period of time. This will require implementation of a systematic, efficient clinical development plan. Short term challenges include optimizing the (1) efficiency and scale up of the manufacturing process and quality control assays, (2) dosage regimen and method of administration, (3) potency of the vaccine, and (4) logistics of delivering the vaccine to those who need it most, and finalizing the methods for vaccine stabilization and attenuation. A medium term goal is to design and build a facility for manufacturing highly potent and stable vaccine for pivotal Phase 3 studies and commercial launch.
Effects of Harvesting Equipment on Soil Compaction in Sugarcane Farms

This study was performed in a cane field in Iran to investigate the effects of harvesting equipment on soil compaction. The study was conducted in a factorial experiment based on the completely randomized blocks design having three replications. Two models of bins, three travel speeds and two tyre inflation pressures were imposed as main plots, subplots and subsubplots respectively. Results showed that harvester traffic significantly increased soil compaction in the 0-20 cm depth profile; however the difference of soil cone indexes before and after bin traffic was not statistically significant. Other than 0-10 cm and 30-40 cm depth profiles, other layers of soil were significantly affected by exerted treatments. Compaction effect of Shaker bin was lower compared to HEPCO bin because of wider tyres and lesser tread height. By decreasing tyre inflation pressure from 240 to 290 kPa, soil compaction effects of bin traffic decreased. Results also showed that the effect of travel speed treatment mostly appeared in toper layers of soil whereas the effects of bin type and inflation pressure treatments mostly appeared in deeper layers of soil.
Molecular dynamics simulations of human prion protein: importance of correct treatment of electrostatic interactions.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the dynamical and structural behavior of a homology model of human prion protein HuPrP(90-230) generated from the NMR structure of the Syrian hamster prion protein ShPrP(90-231) and of ShPrP(<90-231) itself. These PrPs have a large number of charged residues on the protein surface. At the simulation pH 7, HuPrP(90-230) has a net charge of -1 eu from 15 positively and 14 negatively charged residues. Simulations for both PrPs, using the AMBER94 force field in a periodic box model with explicit water molecules, showed high sensitivity to the correct treatment of the electrostatic interactions. Highly unstable behavior of the structured region of the PrPs (127-230) was found using the truncation method, and stable trajectories could be achieved only by including all the long-range electrostatic interactions using the particle mesh Ewald (PME) method. The instability using the truncation method could not be reduced by adding sodium and chloride ions nor by replacing some of the sodium ions with calcium ions. The PME simulations showed, in accordance with NMR experiments with ShPrP and mouse PrP, a flexibly disordered N-terminal part, PrP(90-126), and a structured C-terminal part, PrP(127-230), which includes three alpha-helices and a short antiparallel beta-strand. The simulations showed some tendency for the highly conserved hydrophobic segment PrP(112-131) to adopt an alpha-helical conformation and for helix C to split at residues 212-213, a known disease-associated mutation site (Q212P). Three highly occupied salt bridges could be identified (E146/D144<-->R208, R164<-->D178, and R156<-->E196) which appear to be important for the stability of PrP by linking the stable main structured core (helices B and C) with the more flexible structured part (helix A and strands A and B). Two of these salt bridges involve disease-associated mutations (R208H and D178N). Decreased PrP stability shown by protein unfolding experiments on mutants of these residues and guanidinium chloride or temperature-induced unfolding studies indicating reduced stability at low pH are consistent with stabilization by salt bridges. The fact that electrostatic interactions, in general, and salt bridges, in particular, appear to play an important role in PrP stability has implications for PrP structure and stability at different pHs it may encounter physiologically during normal or abnormal recycling from the pH neutral membrane surface into endosomes or lysomes (acidic pHs) or in NMR experiments (5.2 for ShPrP and 4.5 for mouse PrP).
Costimulation of the Horizontal Semicircular Canal during Skull Vibrations in Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome

A sound- and pressure-induced vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) has been described as vertical and torsional in superior canal dehiscence (SCD), and the rotational axes of induced VOR have been assumed to fit with the axis of the affected superior semicircular canal (SC). However, it has been difficult to characterize the pattern of vibration-induced VOR (ViVOR). We aimed to characterize the pattern of ViVOR by comparing the intensity and the axis of ViVOR with several clinical parameters of SCD. Ten symptomatic SCD patients were recruited. SCD size and location were measured on a reformatted image in the plane of the SC. Unilateral vibratory stimulation (100 Hz) was applied to the mastoid surface. ViVOR were recorded using 3D videooculography. The median 3D velocity of ViVOR was measured and the 3D vector trajectory plotted for reference against the axes of the human semicircular canals. A correlation between the magnitude of ViVOR and the size of SCD was evaluated. We also compared the location of SCD with the vertical-to-torsional component ratio of the ViVOR. ViVOR were present in 7 patients; 6 patients showed a substantial horizontal component in the excitatory direction in addition to strong torsional and weak vertical components. The computed rotational axes of ViVOR were located mostly between the axes of the ipsilateral SC and horizontal canal (HC) with a variable deviation to the axis of the ipsilateral posterior canal (PC). The magnitude of ViVOR was not related to the size of the SCD. The vertical-to-torsional component ratio of ViVOR tended to decline as the dehiscence was closer to the common crus. In SCD, mastoid vibration may stimulate the affected-side HC and PC as well as the SC. SCD can be suspected when excitatory horizontal torsional ViVOR direct to the side of the auditory symptoms.
Epsilon Equitable Partition: A positional analysis method for large social networks

Positional analysis is considered an important tool in the analysis of social networks. It involves partitioning of the set of actors into subsets such that actors in a subset are similar in their structural relationships with other actors. Traditional methods of positional analysis such as structural equivalence, regular equivalence, and equitable partitions are either too strict or too generic. For real world large graphs, most of these methods result into almost trivial partitions. We propose a useful relaxation to the concept of equitable partition called an epsilon equitable partition. A variant of epsilon equitable partition called maximal epsilon equitable partition is also proposed and formulated as an optimization problem. A fast algorithm for computing epsilon equitable partitions is proposed. We also present the results of performing positional analysis on a number of networks and demonstrate empirically that positional analysis with our notion gives raise to non-trivial and meaningful partitions. Along with the static network analysis with respect to positions, we study the impact of positional analysis on the evolution of networks. Our results show that positional analysis indeed plays an important role in the evolution of networks.