Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retail Survey of Brazilian Milk and Minas Frescal Cheese and a Contaminated Dairy Plant To Establish Prevalence, Relatedness, and Sources of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates

ABSTRACT A study was designed to recover Listeria monocytogenes from pasteurized milk and Minas frescal cheese (MFC) sampled at retail establishments (REs) and to identify the contamination source(s) of these products in the corresponding dairy processing plant. Fifty milk samples (9 brands) and 55 MFC samples (10 brands) were tested from REs located in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All milk samples and 45 samples from 9 of 10 MFC brands tested negative for L. monocytogenes; however, “brand F” of MFC obtained from REs 119 and 159 tested positive. Thus, the farm/plant that produced brand F MFC was sampled; all samples from the milking parlor tested negative for L. monocytogenes, whereas several sites within the processing plant and the MFC samples tested positive. All 344 isolates recovered from retail MFC, plant F MFC, and plant F environmental samples were serotype 1/2a and displayed the same AscI or ApaI fingerprints. Since these results established that the storage coolers served as the contamination source of the MFC, plant F was closed so that corrective renovations could be made. Following renovation, samples from sites that previously tested positive for the pathogen were collected from the processing environment and from MFC on multiple visits; all tested negative for L. monocytogenes. In addition, on subsequent visits to REs 159 and 119, all MFC samples tested negative for the pathogen. Studies are ongoing to quantify the prevalence, levels, and types of L. monocytogenes in MFC and associated processing plants to lessen the likelihood of listeriosis in Brazil.
Sinoporphyrin sodium, a novel sensitizer, triggers mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in ECA-109 cells via production of reactive oxygen species

Background Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a promising method that uses ultrasound to activate certain chemical sensitizers for the treatment of cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sonoactivity of a novel sensitizer, sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS), and its sonotoxicity in an esophageal cancer (ECA-109) cell line. Methods The fluorescence intensity of DVDMS, hematoporphyrin, protoporphyrin IX, and Photofrin II was detected by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Generation of singlet oxygen was measured using a 1, 3-diphenylisobenzofuran experiment. A 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay was used to examine cell viability. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and destabilization of the mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis was analyzed using Annexin-PE/7-amino-actinomycin D staining. Confocal microscopy was performed to assess mitochondrial damage and identify release of cytochrome C after treatment. Western blots were used to determine expression of oxidative stress-related and apoptosis-associated protein. Ultrastructural changes in the cell were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Results DVDMS showed higher autofluorescence intensity and singlet oxygen production efficiency compared with other photosensitizers in both cancerous and normal cells. Compared with hematoporphyrin, DVDMS-mediated SDT was more cytotoxic in ECA-109 cells. Abundant intracellular ROS was found in the SDT groups, and the cytotoxicity induced by SDT was effectively remitted by ROS scavengers. DVDMS located mainly to the mitochondria of ECA-109 cells, which were seriously damaged after exposure to SDT. Release of cytochrome C, an increased rate of apoptosis, and activated apoptosis protein were detected in the SDT group. In addition, relatively severe cell damage was observed on scanning electron microscopy after treatment with DVDMS and SDT. Conclusion These results suggest that DVDMS could be activated by ultrasound, and that DVDMS mediates SDT-induced mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in ECA-109 cells via production of ROS.
Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation Delivered by Helmet vs Face Mask on the Rate of Endotracheal Intubation in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) with a face mask is relatively ineffective at preventing endotracheal intubation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Delivery of NIV with a helmet may be a superior strategy for these patients. OBJECTIVE To determine whether NIV delivered by helmet improves intubation rate among patients with ARDS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Single-center randomized clinical trial of 83 patients with ARDS requiring NIV delivered by face mask for at least 8 hours while in the medical intensive care unit at the University of Chicago between October 3, 2012, through September 21, 2015. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned to continue face mask NIV or switch to a helmet for NIV support for a planned enrollment of 206 patients (103 patients per group). The helmet is a transparent hood that covers the entire head of the patient and has a rubber collar neck seal. Early trial termination resulted in 44 patients randomized to the helmet group and 39 to the face mask group. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who required endotracheal intubation. Secondary outcomes included 28-day invasive ventilator-free days (ie, days alive without mechanical ventilation), duration of ICU and hospital length of stay, and hospital and 90-day mortality. RESULTS Eighty-three patients (45% women; median age, 59 years; median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II score, 26) were included in the analysis after the trial was stopped early based on predefined criteria for efficacy. The intubation rate was 61.5% (n = 24) for the face mask group and 18.2% (n = 8) for the helmet group (absolute difference, -43.3%; 95% CI, -62.4% to -24.3%; P < .001). The number of ventilator-free days was significantly higher in the helmet group (28 vs 12.5, P < .001). At 90 days, 15 patients (34.1%) in the helmet group died compared with 22 patients (56.4%) in the face mask group (absolute difference, -22.3%; 95% CI, -43.3 to -1.4; P = .02). Adverse events included 3 interface-related skin ulcers for each group (ie, 7.6% in the face mask group had nose ulcers and 6.8% in the helmet group had neck ulcers). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with ARDS, treatment with helmet NIV resulted in a significant reduction of intubation rates. There was also a statistically significant reduction in 90-day mortality with helmet NIV. Multicenter studies are needed to replicate these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01680783.
Computational Models of Reading: A Primer

This article briefly reviews four computational models of reading and the types of empirical findings that they are designed to explain: (1) the Dual-Route model of word identification (Coltheart et al., 2001); (2) the Simple-Recurrent Network model of sentence processing (Elman, 1990); (3) the Construction–Integration model of discourse representation (Kintsch, 1988); and (4) the E-Z Reader model of eye-movement control in reading (Reichle et al., 2012). These particular models are reviewed because they provide comprehensive accounts of a large number of empirical findings in each of their respective domains, and because they have advanced our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in reading by motivating new empirical studies. Future models of reading will build upon the success of their predecessors by integrating models from two or more of the aforementioned domains, thereby providing a means to examine the compatibility of their theoretical assumptions and more comprehensive accounts of the cognitive processes involved in reading.
Feeling Indecent: Breast Cancer Screening Resistance of Mexican-descent Women

This grounded theory study investigated how Mexican-descent women's traditional cultural beliefs, values, and norms regarding the propriety of their behavior and that of their health care providers influence their decision to participate in breast cancer screening. Thirty-four women (aged 49–81 years old) were interviewed in five focus groups using theoretical sampling across levels of acculturation and socioeconomic status. We discovered that the women's basic social-psychological problem is that screening is an insensitive procedure that violates their cultural standards by requiring inappropriate behavior. The risk involved is ‘feeling indecent’ since both touching one's breast and breast exposure to health care providers is prohibited according to cultural norms for respectable female behavior. Thus, women resist participating in breast cancer screening to avoid feeling indecent.
Neutrophil elastase inhibitors: a patent review and potential applications for inflammatory lung diseases (2010 – 2014)

Introduction: The proteolytic activity of neutrophil elastase (NE) not only destroys pathogens but also degrades host matrix tissues by generating a localized protease–antiprotease imbalance. In humans, NE is well known to be involved in various acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome and cystic fibrosis. The regulation of NE activity is thought to represent a promising therapeutic approach, and NE is considered as an important target for the development of novel selective inhibitors to treat these diseases. Areas covered: This article summarizes and analyzes patents on NE inhibitors and their therapeutic potential based on a review of patent applications disclosed between 2010 and 2014. Expert opinion: According to this review of recent NE inhibitor patents, all of the disclosed inhibitors can be classified into peptide- and non-peptide-based groups. The non-peptide NE inhibitors include heterocyclics, uracil derivatives and deuterium oxide. Among the heterocyclic analogs, derivatives of pyrimidinones, tetrahydropyrrolopyrimidinediones, pyrazinones, benzoxazinones and hypersulfated disaccharides were introduced. The literature has increasingly implicated NE in the pathogenesis of various diseases, of which inflammatory destructive lung diseases remain a major concern. However, only a few agents have been validated for therapeutic use in clinical settings to date.
Multi-year evolutionary dynamics of West Nile virus in suburban Chicago, USA, 2005–2007

West Nile virus has evolved in concert with its expansion across North America, but little is known about the evolutionary dynamics of the virus on local scales. We analysed viral nucleotide sequences from mosquitoes collected in 2005, 2006, and 2007 from a known transmission ‘hot spot’ in suburban Chicago, USA. Within this approximately 11 × 14 km area, the viral envelope gene has increased approximately 0.1% yr−1 in nucleotide-level genetic diversity. In each year, viral diversity was higher in ‘residential’ sites characterized by dense housing than in more open ‘urban green space’ sites such as cemeteries and parks. Phylodynamic analyses showed an increase in incidence around 2005, consistent with a higher-than-average peak in mosquito and human infection rates that year. Analyses of times to most recent common ancestor suggest that WNV in 2005 and 2006 may have arisen predominantly from viruses present during 2004 and 2005, respectively, but that WNV in 2007 had an older common ancestor, perhaps indicating a predominantly mixed or exogenous origin. These results show that the population of WNV in suburban Chicago is an admixture of viruses that are both locally derived and introduced from elsewhere, containing evolutionary information aggregated across a breadth of spatial and temporal scales.
Effect of feeding whole linseed as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids on performance and egg characteristics of laying hens kept at high ambient temperature

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding whole linseed on the laying performance and egg characteristics in laying hens kept at high ambient environmental temperatures (average 34 oC; the diurnal temperature range 26 oC to 41 oC). Two hundred and forty 38-wk-old white Leghorn laying hens were fed diets containing 0, 5, 10 or 15% whole linseed (as a source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) for a period of 12 weeks. Egg production was recorded daily, while feed intake and egg characteristics were monitored on weekly basis. The results of the study demonstrated that egg production and feed intake decreased, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) per dozen of eggs increased (p 0.05) by linseed levels in the diets offered to the laying hens. The results of the present trial suggest that feeding linseed to the laying hens in hot climates has no detrimental effects on egg characteristics, but has suppressive effects on egg production, feed intake and feed efficiency of laying hens.
The ecology of the planktonic diatom Cyclotella and its implications for global environmental change studies

The fossil record of diatoms in lake sediments can be used to assess the effects of climate variability on lake ecosystems if ecological relationships between diatom community structure and environmental parameters are well understood. Cyclotella sensu lato taxa are a key group of diatoms that are frequently dominant members of phytoplankton communities in low‐ to moderate‐productivity lakes. Their relative abundances have fluctuated significantly in palaeolimnological records spanning over a century in arctic, alpine, boreal and temperate lakes. This suggests that these species are sensitive to environmental change and may serve as early indicators of ecosystem effects of global change. Yet patterns of change in Cyclotella species are not synchronous or unidirectional across, or even within, regions, raising the question of how to interpret these widespread changes in diatom community structure. We suggest that the path forward in resolving seemingly disparate records is to identify clearly the autecology of Cyclotella species, notably the role of nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and light, coupled with better consideration of both the mechanisms controlling lake thermal stratification processes and the resulting effects of changing lake thermal regimes on light and nutrients. Here we begin by reviewing the literature on the resource requirements of common Cyclotella taxa, illustrating that many studies reveal the importance of light, nitrogen, phosphorus, and interactions among these resources in controlling relative abundances. We then discuss how these resource requirements can be linked to shifts in limnological processes driven by environmental change, including climate‐driven change in lakewater temperature, thermal stratification and nutrient loading, as well as acidification‐driven shifts in nutrients and water clarity. We examine three case studies, each involving two lakes from the same region that have disparate trends in the relative abundances of the same species, and illustrate how the mechanisms by which these species abundances are changing can be deciphered. Ultimately, changes in resource availability and water clarity are key factors leading to shifts in Cyclotella abundances. Tighter integration of the autecology of this important group of diatoms with environmental change and subsequent alterations in limnological processes will improve interpretations of palaeolimnological records, and clarify the drivers of seemingly disparate patterns in fossil records showing widespread and rapid changes across the northern hemisphere.
Ultraviolet Light Applications in Dairy Processing

The main objective of this chapter is to discuss the potential of ultraviolet (UV) light applications in dairy industry. The principles, inactivation mechanisms, sources and devices of UV light are reviewed as well as its advantages and disadvantages. The factors affecting the efficacy of UV light are also discussed. The potential and present applications of UV light on disinfection of air, water, food contact surfaces and packaging materials are introduced. The efficacy and quality effects of UV light treatment for liquid dairy products are presented. In addition, as a promising application to prevent post-contamination after heat treatment, surface processing by UV light is emphasized. Besides its use for microbial inactivation by UV light, its possible uses such as creating novel dairy products are also introduced. The legal aspects on UV light for production, processing and handling of food briefly are given. Benefits, limitations and challenges of UV light for the future adaption in dairy industry are discussed. film and the thickness of packaging important parameters for eliminating or controlling growth of foodborne pathogens on the applied UV-C light for inactivation of food-borne pathogens on sliced cheese packaged with different types and thicknesses of plastic films. The that adjusted 0.07 mm thick PPor PEfilmpackaging in conjunction with UV-C radiationcan be effectively used for controlling foodborne pathogens including E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium , and L. monocytogenes
Asenapine, a new sublingual atypical antipsychotic

The common psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder are very devastating, and antipsychotic drugs form the fi rst line of treatment while psychotherapy plays an adjunctive role in promoting drug compliance, improving family relationships, etc.[1] Chlorpromazine and haloperidol are classical antipsychotics (neuroleptics) that are effi cacious against positive symptoms of schizophrenia. They have little effect on negative symptoms and produce elevation in serum prolactin which hinder their long-term use. Clozapine made a resurgence in 1989 which lead to a new group called ‘atypical antipsychotics’. This group rapidly replaced the older antipsychotics as it had comparable effi cacy and lesser incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms. But clozapine causes potentially fatal adverse effects such as agranulocytosis. This further led to the discovery of olanzapine, risperidone, quetiabine, etc. The last addition to this armamentarium was aripiprazole in 2004. Aripiprazole is proposed to have a novel mechanism of action as it alters the high and low affi nity forms of dopamine D2 receptors. [2] Asenapine is the latest in this group that has received US FDA approval in August 2009.
Employment Differences in OECD Countries

The deteriorating position of less qualified workers has been a growing cause for concern in many OECD countries in the 1980s and 1990s. As well as contributing directly to rising inequality it compounds the difficulties faced by workers already disadvantaged in the labour market for reasons of age, gender or race. This paper documents the employment record of the less qualified and examines the factors which help to explain the variety of experience among OECD countries.
Design and testing of a phantom and instrumented gynecological applicator based on GaN dosimeter for use in high dose rate brachytherapy quality assurance.

PURPOSE High dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) is widely used to treat gynecologic, anal, prostate, head, neck, and breast cancers. These treatments are typically administered in large dose per fraction (>5 Gy) and with high-gradient-dose-distributions, with serious consequences in case of a treatment delivery error (e.g., on dwell position and dwell time). Thus, quality assurance (QA) or quality control (QC) should be systematically and independently implemented. This paper describes the design and testing of a phantom and an instrumented gynecological applicator for pretreatment QA and in vivo QC, respectively. METHODS The authors have designed a HDR-BT phantom equipped with four GaN-based dosimeters. The authors have also instrumented a commercial multichannel HDR-BT gynecological applicator by rigid incorporation of four GaN-based dosimeters in four channels. Specific methods based on the four GaN dosimeter responses are proposed for accurate determination of dwell time and dwell position inside phantom or applicator. The phantom and the applicator have been tested for HDR-BT QA in routine over two different periods: 29 and 15 days, respectively. Measurements in dwell position and time are compared to the treatment plan. A modified position-time gamma index is used to monitor the quality of treatment delivery. RESULTS The HDR-BT phantom and the instrumented applicator have been used to determine more than 900 dwell positions over the different testing periods. The errors between the planned and measured dwell positions are 0.11 ± 0.70 mm (1σ) and 0.01 ± 0.42 mm (1σ), with the phantom and the applicator, respectively. The dwell time errors for these positions do not exhibit significant bias, with a standard deviation of less than 100 ms for both systems. The modified position-time gamma index sets a threshold, determining whether the treatment run passes or fails. The error detectability of their systems has been evaluated through tests on intentionally introduced error protocols. With a detection threshold of 0.7 mm, the error detection rate on dwell position is 22% at 0.5 mm, 96% at 1 mm, and 100% at and beyond 1.5 mm. On dwell time with a dwell time threshold of 0.1 s, it is 90% at 0.2 s and 100% at and beyond 0.3 s. CONCLUSIONS The proposed HDR-BT phantom and instrumented applicator have been tested and their main characteristics have been evaluated. These systems perform unsupervised measurements and analysis without prior treatment plan information. They allow independent verification of dwell position and time with accuracy of measurements comparable with other similar systems reported in the literature.
High-speed visualization of combustion synthesis discrete reaction waves: coherent heat microstructures

The paper shows new possibilities for studying the effects of microheterogeneous combustion by the method of high-speed micro-thermal imaging. On each video frame, the area of the microfocal reaction, where local superadiabatic heating occurs has been identified,. All the discrete regions of heat generation were combined on a common image of the thermal microstructure of the combustion reaction wave. The characteristic size of the foci of combustion in the Ni-Al system was from 150 to 300 μm, which is 5 times larger than the size of the largest powder particles. It was found experimentally that the combustion front propagates only in the local regions of superadiabatic heating and the motion has a discrete step. The thermal microstructure has the form of a quasiperiodic sequence of layers, the spatial direction of which weakly depends on the position of the combustion front with respect to the horizontal. To verify this fact, which contradicts the classical theory of wave stability in the spin combustion mode, the differential chronoscopic analysis of the interframe difference in the motion of the combustion front line was selected. As a result, it was shown that, independently of the geometry of the combustion front, a synchronous and quasi-periodic occurrence of new local combustion sites is observed. The period of thermochemical induction between each discrete step of motion was from 0.1 to 0.2 ms. Thus, the data of the 2D thermal map of differential chronoscopy (DCS) allow visualization of the SHS combustion wave in the form of coherent thermal structures with quasiperiodic parameters.