Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-grade parasitaemias and cold agglutinins in patients with hyper-reactive malarious splenomegaly and acute haemolysis

Abstract A cluster of 16 cases of hyper-reactive malarious splenomegaly (HMS) with severe, acute haemolysis, from an isolated, Venezuelan, Yanomami population, was prospectively investigated. Nine (69%) of the 13 HMS sera investigated but only one (7%) of 14 control sera (P < 0.005) contained elevated titres (of at least 1:32) of complement-fixing IgM cold agglutinins (CA). The CA detected had specificity for both the I and i blood-group antigens (with a relative predominance of anti-I) and wide thermal stability. The mean reciprocal CA titre was much higher for the HMS sera than for the control samples (59.16 v. 2.28; P < 0.001). Indirect tests for antiglobulin were positive for two of the 13 HMS cases (but none of 14 controls) investigated; all of the direct tests for antiglobulin gave negative results. The seven HMS cases checked, using an assay based on a nested PCR which amplified species-specific ribosomal sequences from Plasmodium vivax or P. falciparum, each yielded the PCR product that indicated P. vivax infection. However, only six (25%) of the 24 control samples (collected, at the same time as the HMS samples, from asymptomatic adults from the same Yanomami population) were PCR-positive (P < 0.001). In some cases at least, the acute severe episodes of haemolysis occasionally seen in HMS appear to be associated with an auto-immune, cold-agglutinin-mediated response triggered by non-patent parasitaemias.
Efficient “Pop-Out” Visual Search Elicits Sustained Broadband Gamma Activity in the Dorsal Attention Network

An object that differs markedly from its surrounding—for example, a red cherry among green leaves—seems to pop out effortlessly in our visual experience. The rapid detection of salient targets, independently of the number of other items in the scene, is thought to be mediated by efficient search brain mechanisms. It is not clear, however, whether efficient search is actually an “effortless” bottom-up process or whether it also involves regions of the prefrontal cortex generally associated with top-down sustained attention. We addressed this question with intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings designed to identify brain regions underlying a classic visual search task and correlate neural activity with target detection latencies on a trial-by-trial basis with high temporal precision recordings of these regions in epileptic patients. The spatio-temporal dynamics of single-trial spectral analysis of iEEG recordings revealed sustained energy increases in a broad gamma band (50–150 Hz) throughout the duration of the search process in the entire dorsal attention network both in efficient and inefficient search conditions. By contrast to extensive theoretical and experimental indications that efficient search relies exclusively on transient bottom-up processes in visual areas, we found that efficient search is mediated by sustained gamma activity in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, alongside the superior parietal cortex and the frontal eye field. Our findings support the hypothesis that active visual search systematically involves the frontal-parietal attention network and therefore, executive attention resources, regardless of target saliency.
PERTUSSIS TOXIN‐SENSITIVE G‐PROTEINS AND REGULATION OF BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RAT

1. Increased Gi‐protein‐mediated receptor–effector coupling in the vasculature of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has been proposed as a contributing factor in the maintenance of elevated blood pressure. If increased Gi‐protein‐mediated activity plays an important role in hypertension in SHR, then inhibition of Gi‐proteins by pertussis toxin would be expected to decrease blood pressure in this genetic hypertensive model. To address this hypothesis, studies were undertaken comparing the cardiovascular effects of pertussis toxin in SHR and normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats.
Electrophysiological brain activity and memory source monitoring

TO investigate brain mechanisms involved in identifying the origin of memories, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as participants discriminated previously presented (old) from new items or identified their earlier source (picture, word, or new). Differences in ERPs between old–new recognition and source identification were focused at frontal sites. For source identification, prominent negative deflections at occipital or frontal sites occurred depending on encoding task. These results support a model in which memory attributes are distributed neocortically and the frontal lobes are critical for source monitoring.
Extended dissipativity of generalised neural networks including time delays

ABSTRACT This article explores the extended dissipativity conditions for generalised neural networks (GNNs) including interval time-varying delays. Extended dissipativity criterions are proposed by making proper Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional. The improved reciprocally convex combination and weighted integral inequality techniques are together applied in main results to establish the new extended dissipativity conditions of delayed GNNs. Finally, the feasibility and superiority of the proposed novel approach is clearly shown by numerical examples.
Community Composition of Photosynthetic Picoeukaryotes in a Subtropical Coastal Ecosystem, with Particular Emphasis on Micromonas

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs) are important constituents in picoplankton communities in many marine ecosystems. However, little is known about their community composition in the subtropical coastal waters of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. In order to study their taxonomic composition, this study constructed 18S rRNA gene libraries using flow cytometric sorting during the warm season. The results show that, after diatoms, prasinophyte clones are numerically dominant. Within prasinophytes, Micromonas produced the most common sequences, and included clades II, III, IV, and VI. We are establishing the new Micromonas clade VI based on our phylogenetic analysis. Sequences of this clade have previously been retrieved from the South China Sea and Red Sea, indicating a worldwide distribution, but this is the first study to detect clade VI in the coastal waters of Taiwan. The TSA‐FISH results indicated that Micromonas clade VI peaked in the summer (~4 × 102 cells/ml), accounting for one‐fifth of Micromonas abundance on average. Overall, Micromonas contributed half of Mamiellophyceae abundance, while Mamiellophyceae contributed 40% of PPE abundance. This study demonstrates the importance of Micromonas within the Mamiellophyceae in a subtropical coastal ecosystem.
The Legal Construction of Victim/Survivors in Parent-child Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse Trials in the Victorian County Court of Australia in 1995: A Research Summary

A thesis that documents, identifies and articulates the structural disadvantages inherent and entrenched in legal process and judicial discourse is illustrated. Research shows that the trial process and the treatment towards the victim/survivor reflects the same structural inequalities and abuses of power the victim/survivor experiences in intrafamilial sexual abuse because the law replicates the same structured male dominated social ethos located across the social stratum.
Influence of the home literacy environment on pre-kindergarten children's emergent literacy skills

CHILDREN’S EMERGENT LITERACY SKILLS by JISU HAN (Under the Direction of Stacey M. Neuharth-Pritchett) ABSTRACT The current study examined the influence of the home literacy environment on prekindergarten children’s emergent literacy skills. Mother’s educational level and children’s initial differences in their emergent literacy skills at pre-kindergarten entry were taken into account. Parent-child interactions during shared book reading were examined as an important aspect of the home literacy environment. Five measures of emergent literacy skills were used: receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter-name knowledge, and lettersounds knowledge. The results indicated that parents and children focused more on meanings of the story rather than printed letters during shared book reading suggesting that the influence of home literacy environment was explained by children’s receptive and expressive vocabulary. The possible influences of mother’s educational level and children’s pre-kindergarten experiences on children’s emergent literacy skills are also discussed.
A low-voltage charge pump with improved pumping efficiency

A charge pump with enhanced output voltage pumping gain and efficiency for low-voltage applications is proposed in this paper. Except for threshold voltage drop and body effect, another factor that limits voltage pumping efficiency is undesired charge transfer. The proposed charge pump circuit utilizes charge transfer switches to eliminate the effects of threshold voltage drop and body effect. Moreover, a complementary branch scheme is applied to reduce undesired charge transfer in order to further improve the pumping efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate better pumping performance of the proposed charge pump circuit compared with other circuits.
Qualitative comparison of qualitative buffy coat and light microscopy in malaria diagnosis

time of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) and oral polio immunization. This multicentre randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in Ghana, India and Peru. Mothers received 60mg of retinol palmitate at 18–42 days postpartum, and infants received 7.5mg three times at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Mother who received the supplement had higher vitamin A in breast milk at 2 months, and less infants were deficient than controls at 6 months. The benefits of this programme were greatest in the Indian cohort studied. Supplementation had no effect at 9 months and the authors suggest additional strategies to improve vitamin A status of 6to 9-month-old infants. It would appear that a strategy of vitamin supplementation of non-breastfed children must follow the pattern of this study and provide supplements at 6, 10 and 12 weeks. Ours was a hospital-based study and, from this, it is not possible to estimate the problem in the community. The unusual age at presentation, however, indicates a change in the pattern of the disease, in the community. We need to address the needs of this vulnerable group, if we are to meet the Vision 20/20 by 2020.
Depth camera SLAM on a low-cost WiFi mapping robot

Radio-Frequency fingerprinting is an interesting solution for indoor localization. It exploits existing telecommunication infrastructure, such as WiFi routers, along with a database of signal strengths at different locations, but requires manually collecting signal measurements along with precise position information. To automatically build signal maps, we use an autonomous, self-localizing, low-cost mobile robotic platform. Our robot relies on the Kinect depth camera that is limited by a narrow field of view and short range. Our two-stage localization architecture first performs real-time obstacle-avoidance-based navigation and visual-based odometry correction for bearing angles. It then uses RGB-D images for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping. We compare the applicability of 6-degrees-of-freedom RGB-D SLAM, and of particle filtering 2D SLAM algorithms and present novel ideas for loop closures. Finally, we demonstrate the use of the robot for WiFi localization in an office space.
Zidovudine/Lamivudine for HIV-1 Infection Contributes to Limb Fat Loss

Background Lipoatrophy is known to be associated with stavudine as part of the treatment for HIV infection, but it is less clear if this serious side effect is also related to other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors like zidovudine. We aimed to determine whether zidovudine-sparing first-line antiretroviral therapy would lead to less lipoatrophy and other metabolic changes than zidovudine-containing therapy. Methodology/Principal Findings Fifty antiretroviral therapy-naïve HIV-1 infected men with an indication to start antiretroviral therapy were included in a randomized single blinded clinical trial. Randomisation was between zidovudine-containing therapy (zidovudine/lamivudine+lopinavir/ritonavir) and zidovudine-sparing therapy (nevirapine+lopinavir/ritonavir). Main outcome measures were body composition assessed by computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan and lipid profile before and after 3, 12, 24 months of antiretroviral therapy. In the zidovudine/lamivudine+lopinavir/ritonavir group, from 3 months onward limb fat decreased progressively by 684±293 grams (estimated mean±standard error of the mean)(p = 0.02) up to 24 months whereas abdominal fat increased, but exclusively in the visceral compartment (+21.9±8.1 cm2, p = 0.008)). In contrast, in the nevirapine+lopinavir/ritonavir group, a generalized increase in fat mass was observed. After 24 months no significant differences in high density lipoprotein and total/high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were found between both treatment groups, but total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher in the nevirapine+lopinavir/ritonavir group (6.1±0.2 versus 5.3±0.2 and 3.6±0.1 versus 2.8±0.1 mmol/l respectively, p<0.05). Virologic response and safety were comparable in both groups. Conclusions/Significance Zidovudine/lamivudine+lopinavir/ritonavir, but not nevirapine+lopinavir/ritonavir in antiretroviral therapy-naïve patients, is associated with lipoatrophy and greater relative intraabdominal lipohypertrophy, suggesting that zidovudine/lamivudine contributes to both these features of lipodystrophy. These findings support to no longer consider zidovudine/lamivudine as one of the preferred possible components of first-line antiretroviral therapy where alternative treatments are available. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 00122226
The Interleukin‐23 / Interleukin‐17 axis in intestinal inflammation

Although the precise aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear, recent discoveries have led to an improved understanding of disease pathogenesis. Whilst these findings have underscored the central role of innate and adaptive immune responses in intestinal inflammation, they have also precipitated a paradigm shift in the key cytokine pathways that drive disease. The prevailing dogma that IBD was mediated by interleukin (IL)‐12‐driven T‐helper (Th)1 CD4 T cell responses towards the bacterial flora has been largely dispelled by findings that the closely related cytokine IL‐23 appears to be the key mediator of intestinal inflammation. IL‐23 is associated with a novel subset of IL‐17‐secreting CD4 T cells termed Th17 cells and rodent studies have implicated the IL‐23/IL‐17 axis in autoimmune inflammation. Genome‐wide association studies in IBD patients have confirmed the predominant role of the IL‐23 pathway, indicating that this could represent an important future therapeutic target.
An examination of the associations among cultural dimensions, relational silence and stress

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between power distance, collectivism and relational silence; the associations between relational silence and stress; and the mediating role of relational silence in the link between power distance, collectivism and stress. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a survey among 1,153 highly skilled employees using a self-administered questionnaire. The authors received 813 responses from a total of 1,153 individuals. Among the 813 responses, the authors excluded 81 due to incomplete data, and thus analyzed a total of 732 responses. The overall response rate was 63.4 percent. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were utilized for the analyses. Findings – The findings suggest that power distance and collectivism induce relational silence; relational silence increases stress and mediates the associations between power distance, collectivism and stress. Originality/value – The present study is the first to p.
Detection of the STAT5B–RARA fusion transcript in acute promyelocytic leukemia with the normal chromosome 17 on G‐banding

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by chromosomal rearrangements of 17q21, leading to fusion of the gene‐encoding retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA) with a number of alternative partner genes. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 beta (STAT5B) is one of the alternative partners. We report a rare case of APL with STAT5B–RARA fusion transcript and the normal chromosome 17 on G‐banding. Administration of all trans‐retinoic acid improved disseminated intravascular coagulation without decrease of the leukemia cells in his peripheral blood and bone marrow. The molecular mechanism of fusion between STAT5B and RARA by chromosomal rearrangement is discussed based on the data from genome database. Clinical characteristics of APL with STAT5B–RARA are also discussed.
M-protein gene-type distribution and hyaluronic acid capsule in group A Streptococcus clinical isolates in Chile: association of emm gene markers with csrR alleles

SUMMARY Streptococcus pyogenes causes a variety of infections because of virulence factors such as capsular hyaluronic acid and M protein. The aim of this study was to determine emm types and capsule phenotype in 110 isolates of S. pyogenes from patients with invasive (sterile sites) and non-invasive (mainly pharyngitis) infections in Chile, and the relationship between both virulence factors. The most abundant types found were emm12, emm1, emm4 and emm28 and their distribution was similar to that seen in Latin America and developed countries, but very different from that in Asia and Pacific Island countries. Ten of 16 emm types identified in pharyngeal isolates were found in sterile-site isolates, and three of nine emm types of sterile-site isolates occurred in pharyngeal isolates; three emm subtypes were novel. The amount of hyaluronic acid was significantly higher in sterile-site isolates but did not differ substantially among emm types. Only three isolates were markedly capsulate and two of them had mutations in the csrR gene that codes for a repressor of capsule synthesis genes. We found a non-random association between emm types and csrR gene alleles suggesting that horizontal gene transfer is not freely occurring in the population.
Energy transformations early in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle revealed by DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR

By exploiting dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at 90 K, we observe the first NMR spectrum of the K intermediate in the ion-motive photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin. The intermediate is identified by its reversion to the resting state of the protein in red light and by its thermal decay to the L intermediate. The 15N chemical shift of the Schiff base in K indicates that contact has been lost with its counterion. Under these circumstances, the visible absorption of K is expected to be more red-shifted than is observed and this suggests torsion around single bonds of the retinylidene chromophore. This is in contrast to the development of a strong counterion interaction and double bond torsion in L. Thus, photon energy is stored in electrostatic modes in K and is transferred to torsional modes in L. This transfer is facilitated by the reduction in bond alternation that occurs with the initial loss of the counterion interaction, and is driven by the attraction of the Schiff base to a new counterion. Nevertheless, the process appears to be difficult, as judged by the multiple L substates, with weaker counterion interactions, that are trapped at lower temperatures. The double-bond torsion ultimately developed in the first half of the photocycle is probably responsible for enforcing vectoriality in the pump by causing a decisive switch in the connectivity of the active site once the Schiff base and its counterion are neutralized by proton transfer.
Financial Institutions Center The Incentive Effects of No Fault Automobile Insurance by

The Wharton Financial Institutions Center provides a multidisciplinary research approach to the problems and opportunities facing the financial services industry in its search for competitive excellence. The Center's research focuses on the issues related to managing risk at the firm level as well as ways to improve productivity and performance. The Center fosters the development of a community of faculty, visiting scholars and Ph.D. candidates whose research interests complement and support the mission of the Center. The Center works closely with industry executives and practitioners to ensure that its research is informed by the operating realities and competitive demands facing industry participants as they pursue competitive excellence. A variety of working papers related to this subject are also available online at: If you would like to learn more about the Center or become a member of our research community, please let us know of your interest. Abstract This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the effects of no fault automobile insurance on accident rates. As a mechanism for compensating the victims of automobile accidents, no fault has several important advantages over the tort system. However, by restricting access to tort, no fault may weaken incentives for careful driving, leading to higher accident rates. We conduct an empirical analysis of automobile accident fatality rates in all U.S. states over the period 1982-1994, controlling for the potential endogeneity of no fault laws. The results support the hypothesis that no fault is significantly associated with higher fatal accident rates than tort. 1 No fault has been proposed frequently as a measure for reforming the tort liability system both for automobile and medical malpractice claims (see, for example, Sloan, et al. 1997); and a national no-fault automobile insurance program has recently been considered by Congress (Brostoff 1998). 2 In comparison with tort, a higher proportion of premiums under no fault represents loss payments as opposed to legal and administrative expenses (Grabowski, Viscusi, and Evans 1989, Carroll, et al. 1991). No fault is also superior to tort in promptness of claims payment (Rand Corporation 1985) and can reduce insurance fraud by removing relatively small bodily injury liability claims from the tort system (Weisberg and Derrig 1991). Finally, no-fault reduces the proportion of claimants who receive compensation in excess of their economic losses and increases the proportion of claimants who are fully compensated for their economic losses (Carroll, et al. 1991).