Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Counterbalancing patient demands with evidence: Results from a pan-canadian randomized clinical trial of brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy for women with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Brief Supportive-Expressive Group Psychotherapy as an adjunct to standard medical care in reducing psychological distress, medical symptoms, and health care costs and improving quality of life in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 133 SLE female patients from 9 clinics across Canada. Clinical and psychosocial measures were taken at baseline, posttreatment, and 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Outcomes assessed were psychological distress, quality of life, disease activity, health service utilization, and diminished productivity. Results: Intention-to-treat analyses revealed that there were no clinically important group differences on any of the outcome measures. Conclusion: Although both groups improved over time on several measures (e.g., decreases in psychological distress, stress, and emotion-oriented coping), these changes could not be attributed to the psychotherapeutic intervention. Thus, evidence does not support the referral of these patients to this type of intervention.
Two-year antibody persistence in children vaccinated at 12–15 months with a measles-mumps-rubella virus vaccine without human serum albumin

ABSTRACT One combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine without Human Serum Albumin (HSA) is currently licensed in the USA (M-M-R II; Merck, USA) and another has been developed (Priorix™ [MMR-RIT, GSK, Belgium]). In this follow-up study, children from USA or Puerto Rico, who had received one dose of M-M-R II or MMR-RIT at 12–15 months of age in the primary study (NCT00861744), were followed-up for 2 y post-vaccination. Anti-measles and anti-rubella antibodies were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and anti-mumps antibodies using ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization (PRN) assays. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were recorded during the entire follow-up. The according-to-protocol (ATP) persistence cohort included 752 children (M-M-R II = 186, MMR-RIT = 566), who received primary vaccination at a mean age of 12.3 ( ± 0.67) months. 104 children were revaccinated with MMR-containing vaccines; therefore, serology results for timepoints after revaccination were excluded from the analysis. Seropositivity for measles (Year 1≥ 98.3%; Year 2≥ 99.4%) and rubella (Year 1≥ 98.9%; Year 2 = 100%) remained as high at Year 2 as at Day 42. Similarly, seropositivity for mumps determined by ELISA (Year 1≥ 90.1%; Year 2≥ 94.1%) and PRN assays (Year 1≥ 87.5%; Year 2≥ 91.7%) persisted. Thirty-three SAEs were recorded in 23 children; 2 SAEs (inguinal adenitis and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) and one SAE (febrile convulsion) were considered as potentially related to MMR-RIT and M-M-R II, respectively. This study showed that antibodies against measles, mumps and rubella persisted for up to 2 y post-vaccination with either MMR vaccine in children aged 12–15 months, and that both vaccines were well-tolerated during the follow-up period.
Disulfide Bond Oxidoreductase DsbA2 of Legionella pneumophila Exhibits Protein Disulfide Isomerase Activity

ABSTRACT The extracytoplasmic assembly of the Dot/Icm type IVb secretion system (T4SS) of Legionella pneumophila is dependent on correct disulfide bond (DSB) formation catalyzed by a novel and essential disulfide bond oxidoreductase DsbA2 and not by DsbA1, a second nonessential DSB oxidoreductase. DsbA2, which is widely distributed in the microbial world, is phylogenetically distinct from the canonical DsbA oxidase and the DsbC protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)/reductase of Escherichia coli. Here we show that the extended N-terminal amino acid sequence of DsbA2 (relative to DsbA proteins) contains a highly conserved 27-amino-acid dimerization domain enabling the protein to form a homodimer. Complementation tests with E. coli mutants established that L. pneumophila dsbA1, but not the dsbA2 strain, restored motility to a dsbA mutant. In a protein-folding PDI detector assay, the dsbA2 strain, but not the dsbA1 strain, complemented a dsbC mutant of E. coli. Deletion of the dimerization domain sequences from DsbA2 produced the monomer (DsbA2N), which no longer exhibited PDI activity but complemented the E. coli dsbA mutant. PDI activity was demonstrated in vitro for DsbA2 but not DsbA1 in a nitrocefin-based mutant TEM β-lactamase folding assay. In an insulin reduction assay, DsbA2N activity was intermediate between those of DsbA2 and DsbA1. In L. pneumophila, DsbA2 was maintained as a mixture of thiol and disulfide forms, while in E. coli, DsbA2 was present as the reduced thiol. Our studies suggest that DsbA2 is a naturally occurring bifunctional disulfide bond oxidoreductase that may be uniquely suited to the majority of intracellular bacterial pathogens expressing T4SSs as well as in many slow-growing soil and aquatic bacteria.
Urban Heat Island: Causes, Effects and Mitigation Measures - A Review

High temperature in the city centers than its’ surroundings known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which is causing discomfort to the urban dwellers in the summer time is gaining much attention around the world because the world is getting urbanized as it advances in technology. Alterations of surface area, improper urban planning, air pollution, etc. are causing this increasingly growing phenomenon and it is accountable for human discomfort, human casualties and decline of climate. In this paper, an attempt has been taken to review various measures to encounter UHI effect and the processes by which these strategies work is described with diagrams. Using high albedo materials and pavements, green vegetation and green roofs, urban planning, pervious pavements, shade trees and existence of water bodies in city areas are the potential UHI mitigation strategies on which discussion is done in this paper with their limitations. Green vegetation seems to be the most effective measure and other strategies can play a major role under proper condition.
Review of the surface architecture of the equine neopallium: Principle elements of a cartographic pattern of sulci revisited and further elaborated

The surface architecture of the equine telencephalon is far more complex and complicated than, for example, that of the carnivore's brain, and basic organization patterns are more difficult to recognize. This is due to species differences, to interindividual variations and even to asymmetries between right and left hemispheres. Moreover, a very heterogeneous anatomical terminology, especially in the pioneering older literature, does not allow easy access to a unanimous topographical orientation. This review article presents the key features of this heterogeneity and its anatomical and terminological backgrounds, focusing on the cerebral sulci. The abundant, often divergent data from the reviewed literature are displayed by means of graphical illustrations highlighting the key issues and comparing them with the terminology of the present Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria. These illustrations are supposed to convey the relevant conformities and discrepancies regarding locations, courses and names of cerebral sulci in an easier and more effective manner than written texts could possibly do with such a complex and heterogeneous matter. The data from the selected literature are supplemented by and discussed together with photographs and drawings of brains from our own collection. This combination of a classic review article and own findings is supposed to confirm, to further elaborate and to evaluate the key sulci serving as landmarks for an orientation on the equine neopallium. These are, laterally, the Sulcus suprasylvius, coronalis and praesylvius; dorsally, the Sulcus marginalis; and medially, the Sulcus genualis, cinguli and splenialis. Special attention is also given to the Fissura sylvia; a Fissura sylvia accessoria is proposed.
Piezo-optic and Dielectric Behavior of the Ferroelectric Lithium Heptagermanate Crystals

It is well known that piezo-optic and electro-optic effects in crystals find wide ranging applications in laser devices. The photoelastic behavior of crystals forms a necessary prelude to study the electro-optical effect of ferroelectric crystals. Lithium heptagermanate Li2Ge7O15 (LGO) is regarded as a weak ferroelectric and its curie point Tc is 283.5K (Wada et al., 1981, 1983). Due to its intermediate behaviour between order-disorder and displacive types in a conventional grouping of ferroelectric materials LGO remains a subject of interest from both the theoretical and the application point of view. The paraelectric phase above Tc is orthorhombic 14 2h D ~ pbcn and below Tc the ferroelectric phase is 5 2v C ~ pbc21 with four formula units in a unit cell in both the phases. Below Tc LGO shows dielectric hysteresis loop and the permittivity shows a sharp peak at Tc (Preu, 1982; Wada et al., 1981, 1983). The Raman scattering spectrum shows a shoft mode whose frequency tends to zero as Tc is approached from below (Wada & Ishibashi, 1983). Below Tc the spontaneous polarization appears along the c-axis. The nature of the second order phase transition is not simple because according to Raman spectra the transition is suggested to be a displacive phase transition. But the temperature dependence of the permittivity ┝ is indicative of the order disorder character of the phase transition (Preu, 1982; Wada et al., 1981, 1983) and does not agree with the behaviour expected of a displacive phase transition. Many interesting physical properties of LGO such as birefringence (Kaminsky & HaussUhl, 1990), elastic (HaussUhl et al., 1980), thermal expansion (Wada & Ishibashi, 1983), dielectric susceptibility (Preu, 1982; Kudzin, 1994a, 1995b), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of doped ions Mn2+ and Cr+3 (Trubitsyn et al., 1992; Bain, 1994) and photoluminescence (Bain, 1994) exhibit strong anomalies around Tc. However, the optical properties vary only to such a small degree that the transition could not be detected with the aid of a standard polarization microscope (Kaminsky & HaussUhl, 1990). Interestingly with the help of a high resolution polarization device, Kaminsky and HaussUhl (Kaminsky & HaussUhl, 1990) studied the birefringence in LGO near Tc and observed anomalies at the phase transition. The study of piezo-optic dispersion of LGO (un-irradiated and irradiated) in the visible region of the spectrum of light at room temperature (RT=298 K) shows an optical zone/window in between 5400A and 6200A with an enhanced piezo-optical behavior (Bain et al., 2008). The temperature dependence of the photoelastic coefficients of the ferroelectric
Development of PCR Assays Targeting Genes in O-Antigen Gene Clusters for Detection and Identification of Escherichia coli O45 and O55 Serogroups

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli O45 O-antigen gene cluster of strain O45:H2 96-3285 was sequenced, and conventional (singleplex), multiplex, and real-time PCR assays were designed to amplify regions in the wzx (O-antigen flippase) and wzy (O-antigen polymerase) genes. In addition, PCR assays targeting the E. coli O55 wzx and wzy genes were designed based on previously published sequences. PCR assays targeting E. coli O45 showed 100% specificity for this serogroup, whereas by PCR assays specific for E. coli O55, 97/102 strains serotyped as E. coli O55 were positive for wzx and 98/102 for wzy. Multiplex PCR assays targeting the E. coli O45 and the E. coli O55 wzx and wzy genes were used to detect the organisms in fecal samples spiked at levels of 106 and 108 CFU/0.2 g feces. Thus, the PCR assays can be used to detect and identify E. coli serogroups O45 and O55.
Modified olfactory training in patients with postinfectious olfactory loss

Patients with olfactory dysfunction benefit from repeated exposure to odors, so‐called olfactory training (OT). This does not mean occasional smelling but the structured sniffing of a defined set of odors, twice daily, for a period of 4 months or longer. In this prospective study, we investigated whether the effect of OT might increase through the use of more odors and extension of the training period.
Hypoxic, Hypercapnic, and Hyperoxic Responses of the Optic Nerve Head and Subfoveal Choroid Blood Flow in Healthy Humans.

Purpose To investigate the impact of different gas mixtures (hyperoxia, hypoxia, and hypercapnia) on the optic nerve head (ONH) and choroidal (Ch) hemodynamics. Methods Twenty-three healthy subjects (28 ± 6 years) took part in the study. Variations in inspired oxygen and carbon dioxide fraction were produced by a gas mixing device. Arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) was measured continuously using a transcutaneous sensor and end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure by capnography. The experiment comprised three successive periods: 3-minute baseline (room air breathing), 15-minute gas mixture inhalation (normocapnic hypoxia, hypercapnia, or hyperoxia), and 15-minute recovery (room air breathing). Laser Doppler flowmeter parameters-velocity (VEL), volume (VOL), and flow (BF) of red blood cells-were measured. Two-way ANOVAs were performed for statistical analysis. Results In response to hyperoxia, ONHBF significantly decreased by -18% ± 6% (P = 0.04) from baseline, due to significant changes in VEL (-12% ± 3% P = 0.0002). During hypoxia at 85% SpO2, ONH VEL increased by +12% ± 3% (P = 0.0009), whereas VOL and BF did not change significantly. ChBF significantly increased by +7% ± 2% (P = 0.004) in response to hypoxia, due to significant changes in VEL +5% ± 2% (P = 0.03). Both Ch and ONHBFs did not vary significantly in response to hypercapnia. Conclusions The magnitude of the blood flow response is the most significant during hyperoxia for ONH and hypoxia for ChBF. For ONHBF, a 37% difference between hyperoxia and hypoxia can be useful when vasoreactivity to O2 will be tested in patients.
The National Institute For Commodity Promotion Research and Evaluation

A component of the Land Grant committee structure to coordinate research in agriculture and related fields, NEC-63 was established in 1985 to foster quality research and dialogue on the economics of commodity promotion. The Institute's mission is to enhance the overall understanding of economic and policy issues associated with commodity promotion programs. An understanding of these issues is crucial to ensuring continued authorization for domestic checkoff programs and to fund export promotion programs. The Institute supports specific research projects and facilitates collaboration among administrators and researchers in government, universities, and commodity promotion organizations. Through its sponsored research and compilations of related research reports, the Institute serves as a centralized source of knowledge and information about commodity promotion economics. • Support, coordinate, and conduct studies to identify key economic relationships and assess the impact of domestic and export commodity promotion programs on farmers, consumers, and the food industry. • Develop and maintain comprehensive databases relating to commodity promotion research and evaluation. • Facilitate the coordination of multi-commodity and multi-country research and evaluation efforts. • Enhance both public and private policy maker's understanding of the economics of commodity promotion programs. • Facilitate the development of new theory and research methodology. It is the Policy of Cornell University actively to support equality of educational and employment opportunity. No person shall be denied admission to any educational program or activity or be denied employment on the basis of any legally prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, University is committed to the maintenance of affirmative action programs which will assure the continuation of such equality of opportunity. grateful for the comments and suggestions made by Henry Kinnucan and anonymous referees. Escalating media advertising costs have prompted shifts away from advertising to non-advertising promotion activities in the dairy industry's generic commodity promotion program. As advertising budgets become tighter, determining the optimal allocation of these funds becomes particularly important. Optimal seasonal generic advertising expenditure shares for the national fluid milk and cheese generic advertising programs were estimated, with shares higher in the first and fourth quarters for fluid milk and relatively even across quarters for cheese. Estimates of producer welfare gains from reallocation were substantial, with average welfare gains of 12 to 24 percent of annual advertising investments.
Prospective Estimation of Recombination Signal Efficiency and Identification of Functional Cryptic Signals in the Genome by Statistical Modeling

The recombination signals (RS) that guide V(D)J recombination are phylogenetically conserved but retain a surprising degree of sequence variability, especially in the nonamer and spacer. To characterize RS variability, we computed the position-wise information, a measure correlated with sequence conservation, for each nucleotide position in an RS alignment and demonstrate that most position-wise information is present in the RS heptamers and nonamers. We have previously demonstrated significant correlations between RS positions and here show that statistical models of the correlation structure that underlies RS variability efficiently identify physiologic and cryptic RS and accurately predict the recombination efficiencies of natural and synthetic RS. In scans of mouse and human genomes, these models identify a highly conserved family of repetitive DNA as an unexpected source of frequent, cryptic RS that rearrange both in extrachromosomal substrates and in their genomic context.
A Genomic Island in Salmonella enterica ssp. salamae Provides New Insights on the Genealogy of the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement

The genomic island encoding the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is an important virulence factor of the human pathogenic Escherichia coli. LEE typically encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS) and secreted effectors capable of forming attaching and effacing lesions. Although prominent in the pathogenic E. coli such as serotype O157:H7, LEE has also been detected in Citrobacter rodentium, E. albertii, and although not confirmed, it is likely to also be in Shigella boydii. Previous phylogenetic analysis of LEE indicated the genomic island was evolving through stepwise acquisition of various components. This study describes a new LEE region from two strains of Salmonella enterica subspecies salamae serovar Sofia along with a phylogenetic analysis of LEE that provides new insights into the likely evolution of this genomic island. The Salmonella LEE contains 36 of the 41 genes typically observed in LEE within a genomic island of 49, 371 bp that encodes a total of 54 genes. A phylogenetic analysis was performed on the entire T3SS and four T3SS genes (escF, escJ, escN, and escV) to elucidate the genealogy of LEE. Phylogenetic analysis inferred that the previously known LEE islands are members of a single lineage distinct from the new Salmonella LEE lineage. The previously known lineage of LEE diverged between islands found in Citrobacter and those in Escherichia and Shigella. Although recombination and horizontal gene transfer are important factors in the genealogy of most genomic islands, the phylogeny of the T3SS of LEE can be interpreted with a bifurcating tree. It seems likely that the LEE island entered the Enterobacteriaceae through horizontal gene transfer as a single unit, rather than as separate subsections, which was then subjected to the forces of both mutational change and recombination.
Impact of dexamethasone in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

The role of corticosteroids in the treatment of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) has remained controversial for decades. Recent studies have suggested that the administration of corticosteroids in SAH patients is associated with favourable outcomes. Given their significant adverse effects, it is essential to identify those patients who will benefit from treatment with corticosteroids.
Composite adaptive dynamic surface control using online recorded data

This paper presents an online recorded data‐based design of composite adaptive dynamic surface control for a class of uncertain parameter strict‐feedback nonlinear systems, where both tracking errors and prediction errors are applied to update parametric estimates. Differing from the traditional composite adaptation that utilizes identification models and linear filters to generate filtered modeling errors as prediction errors, the proposed composite adaptation integrates closed‐loop tracking error equations in a moving time window to generate modified modeling errors as prediction errors. The time‐interval integral operation takes full advantage of online recorded data to improve parameter convergence such that the application of both identification models and linear filters is not necessary. Semiglobal practical asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is rigorously established by the time‐scales separation and Lyapunov synthesis. The major contribution of this study is that composite adaptation based on online recorded data is achieved at the presence of mismatched uncertainties. Simulation results have been provided to verify the effectiveness and superiority of this approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monitoring Elite Soccer Players' External Loads Using Real-Time Data.

PURPOSE To assess the validity of measuring locomotor activities and PlayerLoad using real-time (RT) data collection during soccer training. METHODS Twenty-nine English soccer players participated. Each player wore the same MEMS device (Micromechanical Electrical Systems; S5, Optimeye; CatapultSports, Melbourne, Australia) during 21 training sessions (N = 331 data sets) in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. An RT receiver (TRX; Catapultsports, Melbourne, Australia) was used to collect the locomotor activities and PlayerLoad data in RT and compared with the postevent downloaded (PED) data. PlayerLoad and locomotor activities (total distance covered; total high-speed running distance covered, >5.5#x00A0;m/s; total sprinting distance covered, >7 m/s; maximum velocity) were analyzed. RESULTS Correlations were near perfect for all variables analyzed (r = .98-1.00), with a varied level of noise between RT and PED also (0.3-9.7% coefficient of variation). CONCLUSIONS Locomotor activities and PlayerLoad can use both RT and PED concurrently to quantify a player's physical output during a training session. Caution should be taken with higher-velocity-based locomotor activities during RT compared to PED.
UHF PD measurements on power transformers-advantages and limitations

Recently, Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Partial Discharge (PD) measurements on power transformers has attracted a lot of attention. Despite numerous publications, there are still missing information about considerations and limitations of this method in regards to antenna characteristics, relation between IEC 60270 and UHF detection methods and robustness against external noises. In this paper, each of the mentioned sections is investigated in detail by simulation analysis or laboratory measurements. Applying the results obtained in each section leads to a more precise measurement, more accurate analysis of UHF PD data and solving some of the problems associated with it.
A Single-phase Buck-boost ACAC Converter with Three Legs

838 Copyright c The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A Single-phase Buck-boost AC-AC Converter with Three Legs