Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relative toxicity of compounds used as preservatives in vaccines and biologics.

BACKGROUND In vaccines/biologics, preservatives are used to prevent microbial growth. MATERIAL/METHODS The present study examined: (1) the comparative toxicities of commonly used preservatives in US licensed vaccines to human neurons; and (2) the relative toxicity index of these compounds to human neurons in comparison to bacterial cells. RESULTS Using human neuroblastoma cells, the relative cytotoxicity of the levels of the compounds commonly used as preservative in US licensed vaccines was found to be phenol <2-phenoxyethanol < benzethonium chloride < Thimerosal. The observed relative toxicity indices (human neuroblastoma cells/bacterial cells) were 2-phenoxyethanol (4.6-fold) < phenol (12.2-fold) < Thimerosal (>330-fold). In addition, for the compounds tested, except for 2-phenoxyethanol, the concentrations necessary to induce significant killing of bacterial cells were significantly higher than those routinely present in US licensed vaccine/biological preparations. CONCLUSIONS None of the compounds commonly used as preservatives in US licensed vaccine/biological preparations can be considered an ideal preservative, and their ability to fully comply with the requirements of the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for preservatives is in doubt. Future formulations of US licensed vaccines/biologics should be produced in aseptic manufacturing plants as single dose preparations, eliminating the need for preservatives and an unnecessary risk to patients.
Optimization of lattice Boltzmann simulations on heterogeneous computers

High-performance computing systems are more and more often based on accelerators. Computing applications targeting those systems often follow a host-driven approach, in which hosts offload almost all compute-intensive sections of the code onto accelerators; this approach only marginally exploits the computational resources available on the host CPUs, limiting overall performances. The obvious step forward is to run compute-intensive kernels in a concurrent and balanced way on both hosts and accelerators. In this paper, we consider exactly this problem for a class of applications based on lattice Boltzmann methods, widely used in computational fluid dynamics. Our goal is to develop just one program, portable and able to run efficiently on several different combinations of hosts and accelerators. To reach this goal, we define common data layouts enabling the code to exploit the different parallel and vector options of the various accelerators efficiently, and matching the possibly different requirements of the compute-bound and memory-bound kernels of the application. We also define models and metrics that predict the best partitioning of workloads among host and accelerator, and the optimally achievable overall performance level. We test the performance of our codes and their scaling properties using, as testbeds, HPC clusters incorporating different accelerators: Intel Xeon Phi many-core processors, NVIDIA GPUs, and AMD GPUs.
Molecular Assessment of Mating Strategies in a Population of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins

Similar to other small cetacean species, Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) have been the object of concentrated behavioral study. Although mating and courtship behaviors occur often and the social structure of the population is well-studied, the genetic mating system of the species is unknown. To assess the genetic mating system, we genotyped females and their progeny at ten microsatellite loci. Genotype analysis provided estimates of the minimum number of male sires necessary to account for the allelic diversity observed among the progeny. Using the estimates of male sires, we determined whether females mated with the same or different males during independent estrus events. Using Gerud2.0, a minimum of two males was necessary to account for the genetic variation seen among progeny arrays of all tested females. ML-Relate assigned the most likely relationship between offspring pairs; half or full sibling. Relationship analysis supported the conservative male estimates of Gerud2.0 but in some cases, half or full sibling relationships between offspring could not be fully resolved. Integrating the results from Gerud2.0, ML-Relate with previous observational and paternity data, we constructed two-, three-, and four-male pedigree models for each genotyped female. Because increased genetic diversity of offspring may explain multi-male mating, we assessed the internal genetic relatedness of each offspring’s genotype to determine whether parent pairs of offspring were closely related. We found varying levels of internal relatedness ranging from unrelated to closely related (range -0.136–0.321). Because there are several hypothesized explanations for multi-male mating, we assessed our data to determine the most plausible explanation for multi-male mating in our study system. Our study indicated females may benefit from mating with multiple males by passing genes for long-term viability to their young.
Non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemia: CT findings, clinical outcomes and assessment of the diameter of the superior mesenteric artery.

OBJECTIVE Review of the experience of a tertiary care centre for almost 10 years in the CT diagnosis of non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemia (NOMI). Analysis of CT findings, correlation with clinical outcomes and evaluation of the usefulness of measuring the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) diameter for the diagnosis of NOMI. METHODS 106 patients were diagnosed with NOMI in a biphasic CT examination from 2008 to 2017 in our hospital. Clinical outcomes and CT findings were reviewed. In 55 patients, the diameter of the SMA was compared with a previous CT scan where NOMI was not the diagnosis, and statistical analysis using paired t-test was performed. RESULTS 81 patients (76%) had findings consistent with small bowel ischaemia and the ileum was the segment most commonly involved (47%). Lack of wall enhancement, pneumoperitoneum, pneumatosis intestinalis and portal venous gas were all considered signs of bowel necrosis and surgery was performed promptly. 70 patients had signs of vascular narrowing of the SMA branches and in the 55 cases with a previous CT scan, there were statistically significant differences regarding the SMA diameter with a mean reduction of the artery calibre and standard deviation of 1.93 ± 1.1 mm between the NOMI and non-NOMI scans (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Acknowledgment of characteristic bowel necrosis CT findings is crucial for determining the therapeutic attitude and the use of previous CT scans to compare the SMA diameter may help the radiologist to achieve an early diagnosis of NOMI in an often critically ill patient population. Advances in knowledge: Diagnosis of NOMI can be difficult in cases of partial mural ischaemia, thus objective data (diameter of the SMA) should be useful for the radiologist to include NOMI as the first diagnostic option in the differential diagnosis.
ENU Mutagenesis Identifies Mice with Morbid Obesity and Severe Hyperinsulinemia Caused by a Novel Mutation in Leptin

Background Obesity is a multifactorial disease that arises from complex interactions between genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Leptin is central to the regulation of energy metabolism and control of body weight in mammals. Methodology/Principal Findings To better recapitulate the complexity of human obesity syndrome, we applied N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis in combination with a set of metabolic assays in screening mice for obesity. Mapping revealed linkage to the chromosome 6 within a region containing mouse Leptin gene. Sequencing on the candidate genes identified a novel T-to-A mutation in the third exon of Leptin gene, which translates to a V145E amino acid exchange in the leptin propeptide. Homozygous Leptin145E/145E mutant mice exhibited morbid obesity, accompanied by adipose hypertrophy, energy imbalance, and liver steatosis. This was further associated with severe insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and hyperleptinemia, characteristics of human obesity syndrome. Hypothalamic leptin actions in inhibition of orexigenic peptides NPY and AgRP and induction of SOCS1 and SOCS3 were attenuated in Leptin145E/145E mice. Administration of exogenous wild-type leptin attenuated hyperphagia and body weight increase in Leptin145E/145E mice. However, mutant V145E leptin coimmunoprecipitated with leptin receptor, suggesting that the V145E mutation does not affect the binding of leptin to its receptor. Molecular modeling predicted that the mutated residue would form hydrogen bond with the adjacent residues, potentially affecting the structure and formation of an active complex with leptin receptor within that region. Conclusions/Significance Thus, our evolutionary, structural, and in vivo metabolic information suggests the residue 145 as of special function significance. The mouse model harboring leptin V145E mutation will provide new information on the current understanding of leptin biology and novel mouse model for the study of human obesity syndrome.
PORTFÓLIO REFLEXIVO COMO ESTRATÉGIA DE AVALIAÇÃO FORMATIVA

Objetivo: analisar a percepcao de mestrandos em enfermagem sobre o uso de portfolios como estrategia de avaliacao da aprendizagem. Metodologia: estudo descritivo, exploratorio, de abordagem qualitativa cujos dados foram analisados com base na Proposta Operativa, desenvolvida a partir da experiencia de estudantes do Mestrado em Enfermagem, da Faculdade de Enfermagem (FAEN), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), nos anos de 2012 e 2013. Resultados: os estudantes revelaram dificuldades na elaboracao do portfolio, contudo a relacao dialogica e avaliacao por competencia/formativa, caracteristicas inerentes a esta metodologia, proporcionaram a superacao de dificuldades e potencializacao das facilidades. Conclusao: o portfolio reflexivo mostrou-se uma poderosa estrategia avaliativa que permitiu a (re)elaboracao do conhecimento, com estimulo ao desenvolvimento da autonomia, da liberdade e da conscientizacao do sujeito na busca pelo conhecimento. Descritores: Educacao; Avaliacao educacional; Educacao em enfermagem.
Revisiting 3D geometric models for accurate object shape and pose

Geometric 3D reasoning has received renewed attention recently, in the context of visual scene understanding. The level of geometric detail, however, is typically limited to qualitative or coarse-grained quantitative representations. This is linked to the fact that today's object class detectors are tuned towards robust 2D matching rather than accurate 3D pose estimation, encouraged by 2D bounding box-based benchmarks such as Pascal VOC. In this paper, we therefore revisit ideas from the early days of computer vision, namely, 3D geometric object class representations for recognition. These representations can recover geometrically far more accurate object hypotheses than just 2D bounding boxes, including relative 3D positions of object parts. In combination with recent robust techniques for shape description and inference, our approach outperforms state-of-the-art results in 3D pose estimation, while at the same time improving 2D localization. In a series of experiments, we analyze our approach in detail, and demonstrate novel applications enabled by our geometric object class representation, such as fine-grained categorization of cars according to their 3D geometry and ultra-wide baseline matching.
Cardiac Evaluation of Pediatric Relatives in Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome: A 2-Center Experience

Background—Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome defines a sudden unexpected and unexplained death despite comprehensive pathological and toxicological investigation. Previous studies have focused on evaluation of adult relatives. There is, however, a lack of data in children, leading to highly variable management. We sought to determine the clinical utility of cardiac evaluation in pediatric relatives of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome probands. Methods and Results—Retrospective review was undertaken of pediatric patients with a family history of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome assessed from 2010 to 2013 in 2 centers. Clinical history, cardiac, and genetic investigations were assessed, including diagnoses made after evaluation of adult relatives. A total of 112 pediatric relatives from 61 families were evaluated (median age at presentation, 8 years; range, 0.5–16 years). A probable diagnosis was made in 18 (29.5%) families: Brugada syndrome, 13/18 (72%); long QT syndrome, 3/18 (17%); and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, 2/18 (11%). Genetic testing identified mutations in 20% of Brugada syndrome (2/10) and 50% of long QT syndrome (1/2) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia families (1/2) who were tested. Pediatric evaluation diagnosed 6/112 relatives (5.4%), increasing to 7% (6/85) if only first-degree relatives were assessed. The only useful diagnostic tests were the 12-lead and exercise electrocardiograms and ajmaline provocation test. The median duration of follow-up was 2.1 years (range, 0.2–8.2 years) with no cardiac events. Conclusions—The yield of evaluating pediatric relatives is significant and higher when focused on first-degree relatives and on conditions usually expressed in childhood. We propose a management pathway for these children.
Prediction Research on Cyber Learners’ Course Satisfaction and Learning Persistence

This study investigated whether college students’ self-efficacy, learning strategy utilization, academic burnout, and school support predict course satisfaction and learning persistence. To this end, self-efficacy, learning strategy utilization, academic burnout, and school support were used as prediction variables; and course satisfaction and learning persistence, as criterion variables. The subjects were 178 students who registered for online and mobile “Culture and Art History” courses at K online university. They participated in an online survey. Multiple regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy and learning strategy utilization positively predicted course satisfaction and learning persistence, academic burnout negatively predicted them, and school support predicted neither. Accordingly, we suggest that raising self-efficacy and learning strategy utilization, and reducing academic burnout in the learning environment will improve the course satisfaction and learning persistence of online learners.
Work Status Differences Related to Personality Traits and Psychological Health among Professional Women

This study was conducted to identify the relationship among job status, personality traits, and psychological health of professional women in Pakistan. A sample of (N = 240) professional women of age range of 22-60 years was selected from banks, hospitals, and telecom sector. Three job status groups including executive group, managerial group, and junior executive group were established. NEO-Five Factor Inventory (Costa and McCrae, 1992) and General health Questionnaire-28 (Goldberg and Hillier, 1979) were used as measuring tools. Results revealed that neuroticism and agreeableness had significant positive relationship with anxiety and depression. Differences among job status groups indicated that junior executive worker women scored high on neuroticism, anxiety, and depression as compared to managers and executives. It is concluded that women holding lower status were facing difficulty in determining job and life balance and women having predisposition of neuroticism displayed poor health. Furthermore, executive women scored high on agreeableness; their status and support at work place helped them to be compassionate and cooperative.
Epidermal stem cells

The clinical implications of understanding epidermal stem cell biology abound. Thousands of burns victims across the world have benefited from early research into the proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes in vitro. Advances now indicate there are a number of stem cell repositories within the epidermis, two of which, the interfollicular epidermis and the bulge region of the hair follicle, may supply each other when damaged. This review details the progress made in the identification and characterisation of stem cells within the epidermis and discusses the molecules involved in the epidermal stem cell's choice of fate. Finally, the skin, like bone marrow, could be a readily accessible source of stem cells for therapeutic intervention and evidence of skin stem cell plasticity is highlighted.
The structurally related exbB and tolQ genes are interchangeable in conferring tonB-dependent colicin, bacteriophage, and albomycin sensitivity

Double exbB tolQ mutants of Escherichia coli were completely resistant to bacteriophages T1 and phi 80, in contrast to strains with exbB or tolQ mutations, which were sensitive. Cells carrying mutations in exbB were partially tolerant to colicins B, D, and M and became fully tolerant by the introduction of tolQ mutations. This suggested involvement of both exbB and tolQ in tonB-dependent uptake.
When age is irrelevant: distractor inhibition and target activation in priming of pop-out.

OBJECTIVES Recent research suggests that inhibition at early stages of visual processing may be age invariant. We test this proposal using a priming of pop-out (PoP) measure developed by Lamy, Antebi, Aviani, and Carmel (2008. Priming of pop-out provides reliable measures of target activation and distractor inhibition in selective attention. Vision Research, 48, 30-41. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2007.10.009). In PoP, a unique item, which visually "pops-out" in a field of distractors, grabs our attention faster when its defining feature (e.g., color red) repeats across trials and slower when distractor- and target-defining features switch between trials. Here, we explore whether the processes underlying PoP, which prevent access to distractors and facilitate access to the singleton, remain intact with age. METHOD Participants faced a display of circles and judged the direction of a letter T inscribed within a uniquely colored circle. RESULTS All underlying components of PoP were present in older and younger adults. Participants revealed distractor inhibition by responding faster to a color singleton when the color of surrounding distractors repeated and slower when the singleton assumed the color of distractors from the previous trial. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that the inhibitory processes underlying PoP remain intact with age.
Behavioral Therapies Trials: A Case Example

Background: Behavior change is integral to the prevention and treatment of many disorders associated with deleterious lifestyles. Rigorous scientific testing of behavior change interventions is an important goal for nursing research. Approach: The stage model for behavioral therapy development is recommended as a useful framework for evaluating behavior change strategies. The NIH model specifies three stages from initial testing of novel behavioral therapies to their dissemination in community settings. Definitions of each step in a Stage I trial and a case example of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in therapeutic community treatment are provided. Results: It is feasible to adapt a behavioral therapy such as MBSR using the stage model framework. Steps in the process include: (a) determining pilot study design and describing the population; (b) modifying the intervention and developing the manual; (c) training the teachers; (d) implementing a pilot study; and (e) monitoring treatment integrity. Discussion: The development of behavior therapies requires the same scientific rigor used in pharmacotherapy research. Stage I of the model enables consideration of the "dose" of a behavioral intervention necessary to achieve behavior change in a defined population. The stage model offers an excellent approach to achieving rigor in a variety of potentially useful therapies of interest to nurse researchers.
Bootstrapping in the acquisition of word stress in Brazilian Portuguese

This paper deals with the acquisition of word stress in Brazilian Portuguese. In the course of acquisition, children use several strategies to mark stress prominence before the adult algorithm of primary stress is used productively. I argue that the prominences found in children´s early utterances do not reflect word stress but prominences of a higher prosodic level. In other words, children use the stress information available in higher prosodic domains as a cue for the acquisition of the algorithm of primary stress.
Bacterial chemoreceptor arrays are hexagonally packed trimers of receptor dimers networked by rings of kinase and coupling proteins

Chemoreceptor arrays are supramolecular transmembrane machines of unknown structure that allow bacteria to sense their surroundings and respond by chemotaxis. We have combined X-ray crystallography of purified proteins with electron cryotomography of native arrays inside cells to reveal the arrangement of the component transmembrane receptors, histidine kinases (CheA) and CheW coupling proteins. Trimers of receptor dimers lie at the vertices of a hexagonal lattice in a “two-facing-two” configuration surrounding a ring of alternating CheA regulatory domains (P5) and CheW couplers. Whereas the CheA kinase domains (P4) project downward below the ring, the CheA dimerization domains (P3) link neighboring rings to form an extended, stable array. This highly interconnected protein architecture underlies the remarkable sensitivity and cooperative nature of transmembrane signaling in bacterial chemotaxis.
Phylogeography of the copepod Tigriopus japonicus along the Northwest Pacific rim

Copepod genus Tigriopus is distributed worldwide in coastal splash-pools, and is recognized as a suitable taxon for testing evolutionary and environmental hypotheses that are also relevant to water column research. Here, we present the complete DNA sequence (7709 bp) of a single ribosomal DNA (rDNA) unit of a Tigriopus species distributed along the coastlines of the Northwest Pacific ocean. The genomic organization of the Tigriopus japonicus (T japonicus) rDNA was observed to be 18S (1817 bp)-ITS1 (465 bp)-5.8S (165 bp)-ITS2 (226 bp)-28S (3628 bp)-IGS (1417 bp). The relationship of populations was studied using rDNA ITS (internal transcribed spacer) sequences from different geographical areas. The phylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNAs showed a single monophyletic clade of the Copepoda with an unresolved polytomy of the Harpacticoida, Monstrilloida and Siphonostomatoida. In Harpacticoida phytogeny, three species of Tigriopus were monophyletic; T. japonicus and Tigriopus californicus as sister species formed a cluster with Tigriopus brevicornis. Furthermore, phylogeographic analysis of ITS-5.8S sequences showed that Tigriopus from 15 Asian locations formed four distinct clades according to their geographical origins. When ITS-5.8S of those Asian specimens was compared with the corresponding mitochondrial COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) gene data, a high similarity was found in the identical genotypes. However, they were different between the localities. This suggests that four groups identified from Asian Tigriopus would be different (sub)species, and the pattern of Asian Tigriopus genetic relatedness is due to their geographical separation.