Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Acipenser European Iridovirus (AcIV-E) in Sturgeon Farms in Northern Italy between 2021–2023

Sturgeon farming is rapidly expanding in Europe, where Italy ranks first in farmed caviar production. A major threat to sturgeon health in captivity is infection with Acipenser European Iridovirus (AcIV-E), a viral disease definitively identified in 2016. Here we present data on the occurrence of AcIV-E in 482 sturgeons (age ≤ 12 months, species of the genus Acipenser and the species Huso huso) collected from sturgeon farms in northern Italy between January 2021 and December 2023. The health status of each specimen was determined by necroscopy and virological assay. Virological analysis was performed on gill samples and real-time PCR specific to the MCP gene of the iridovirus viral capsid. Molecular analysis revealed positivity to the virus in 204 samples (42.68% of the total), while anatomopathological examination of nearly all fish with positive real-time PCR disclosed swollen abdomen, hepatic steatosis, splenomegaly, and increased gill volume. Two challenges to timely diagnosis are the absence of pathognomonic symptoms and the inability to isolate the virus on cell monolayers. Continuous and widespread health monitoring is therefore crucial for disease management and to effectively control spread of the virus.
Automated Probabilistic Reconstruction of White-Matter Pathways in Health and Disease Using an Atlas of the Underlying Anatomy

We have developed a method for automated probabilistic reconstruction of a set of major white-matter pathways from diffusion-weighted MR images. Our method is called TRACULA (TRActs Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy) and utilizes prior information on the anatomy of the pathways from a set of training subjects. By incorporating this prior knowledge in the reconstruction procedure, our method obviates the need for manual interaction with the tract solutions at a later stage and thus facilitates the application of tractography to large studies. In this paper we illustrate the application of the method on data from a schizophrenia study and investigate whether the inclusion of both patients and healthy subjects in the training set affects our ability to reconstruct the pathways reliably. We show that, since our method does not constrain the exact spatial location or shape of the pathways but only their trajectory relative to the surrounding anatomical structures, a set a of healthy training subjects can be used to reconstruct the pathways accurately in patients as well as in controls.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Orf-A Is Required for Virus Particle Formation and Virus Infectivity

ABSTRACT The orf-A (orf-2) gene of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a small open reading frame predicted to encode a 77-amino-acid protein that contains putative domains similar to those of the ungulate lentiviral Tat protein. Orf-A is reported to be critical for efficient viral replication in vitro and in vivo. A series of FIV-pPPR-derived proviruses with in-frame deletions and point mutations within orf-A were constructed and tested for replication in feline lymphoid cells. Orf-A mutant proviruses were also tested for viral gene and protein expression, viral particle formation, and virion infectivity. Deletions within orf-A severely restricted FIV replication in feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and interleukin-2-dependent T-cell lines. In addition, substitutions of alanines for leucines in the putative leucine-rich domain, for cysteines in the putative cysteine-rich domain, and for a tryptophan at position 43 in Orf-A restricted the replication of FIV mutants. Deletions and point mutations in orf-A imposed a small effect or no effect on FIV long-terminal-repeat-driven viral gene expression and had no effect on viral protein expression. However, release of cell-free, virion-associated viral RNA in supernatants from cells transfected with orf-A mutant proviruses was severely restricted but was rescued by cotransfection with a wild-type Orf-A expression vector. In addition, virions derived from orf-A mutant proviruses expressed reduced infectivity for feline PBMC. Our findings suggest that Orf-A functions involve multiple steps of the FIV life cycle including both virion formation and infectivity. Furthermore, these observations suggest that Orf-A represents an FIV-encoded analog more similar to the accessory gene vpr, vpu, or nef than to the regulatory gene tat encoded by the primate lentiviruses.
Is National Board Certification an Effective Signal of Teacher Quality

Many states and districts are moving toward more targeted compensation policies as a way to attract higher quality candidates into the teaching profession and to encourage increases in productivity among current teachers. Rather than align pay increases only to level of education and years of experience, for example, many school systems have started to tie pay increases or bonuses to National Board Certification (NBC). But the practice has been questioned, in part because of a lack of empirical evidence that NBC is an effective signal of teaching quality. The present study uses data from a large urban school district to examine the association between student gains in mathematics in the ninth and tenth grades, NBC, and other indicators of teacher quality. Based on a variety of different specifications and student subsamples, we find robust evidence that NBC is an effective indicator of teacher quality. 1 Funding for this study was provided by the National Science Foundation under grant REC 0107014, and by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. I thank them for their financial support. I also thank Miami-Dade County Public Schools for granting permission to use their data, and district administrators for their time and effort in the preparation of data used in this study. The results reported here do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF, NBPTS, or the school district. I thank Robert Shuford, Linda Marr and Leslie Patterson for excellent research assistance, and Joseph Guzman, Daniel Burke, Michael Hansen, Jennie Wenger, and Tomas Husted for helpful comments and suggestions. Any errors are solely those of the author.
Feeding habits and condition factor of Oreochromis niloticus in Lake Alau, Northeastern Nigeria

The stomach contents of 100 Oreochromis niloticus, sampled between April and August, 2011 in Alau Lake, northeastern Nigeria, were examined. Herbs and algae were the main contents representing 40.15%, 23.36% followed by some mud / sand components, insect parts and fish remains representing 14.60%, 13.87% and 8.03% respectively. Oreochromis niloticus was affirmed as an herbivore and a benthic feeder due to the presence of both herbs and mud/sand among its stomach content. The mean stomach fullness percentage was 70.94% and stomach emptiness was 29.06%. The average condition factor of the fishes was 1.69 with the best conditions recorded in the dry months of April and May at 1.74 and 1.94 respectively. The general trend in the condition factor for this species in this study is that relatively higher condition factors were recorded for relatively higher lengths.
The role of maintenance thalidomide therapy in multiple myeloma: MRC Myeloma IX results and meta-analysis.

Thalidomide maintenance has the potential to modulate residual multiple myeloma (MM) after an initial response. This trial compared the effect of thalidomide maintenance and no maintenance on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in MM patients. After intensive or nonintensive induction therapy, 820 newly diagnosed MM patients were randomized to open-label thalidomide maintenance until progression, or no maintenance. Interphase FISH (iFISH) analysis was performed at study entry. Median PFS was significantly longer with thalidomide maintenance (log-rank P < .001). Median OS was similar between regimens (log-rank P = .40). Patients with favorable iFISH showed improved PFS (P = .004) and a trend toward a late survival benefit. Patients with adverse iFISH receiving thalidomide showed no significant PFS benefit and worse OS (P = .009). Effective relapse therapy enhanced survival after progression, translating into a significant OS benefit. Meta-analysis of this and other studies show a significant late OS benefit (P < .001, 7-year difference hazard ratio = 12.3; 95% confidence interval, 5.5-19.0). Thalidomide maintenance significantly improves PFS and can be associated with improved OS. iFISH testing is important in assessing the clinical impact of maintenance therapy. Overview analysis demonstrated that thalidomide maintenance was associated with a significant late OS benefit. This trial was registered at www.isrctn. org as #ISRCTN68454111.
Characterization of microsatellite markers for pinedrops, Pterospora andromedea (Ericaceae), from Illumina MiSeq sequencing

Premise of the study: Pterospora andromedea (Ericaceae) is a mycoheterotrophic plant endemic to North America with a disjunct distribution. Eastern populations are in decline compared to western populations. Microsatellite loci will allow comparison of genetic diversity in endangered to nonthreatened populations. Methods and Results: Illumina MiSeq sequencing resulted in development of 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci from 63 perfect microsatellite loci tested. One polymorphic locus was obtained from a traditional enrichment method. These 13 loci were screened across two western and two eastern populations. For western and eastern populations, respectively, number of alleles ranged from one to 10 and one to four, and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.389 and 0.000 to 0.143. Conclusions: These are the first microsatellite loci developed for Pterospora. They will be useful in conservation efforts of the eastern populations and for examination of population genetic parameters at different geographic scales and comparison with mycorrhizal fungal hosts.
Identifying optimal hauling densities for adult Chinook salmon trap and haul operations

Trap and haul programmes are used to conserve fish populations by circumventing high mortality locations or events and enhancing population abundance by reintroducing fish to historical habitats and mitigating for fish passage limitations. Spring‐run Chinook salmon are transported in trucks upstream of barrier dams in Willamette River Tributaries as part of fish conservation efforts. Fish mortalities occurring during hauling minimize the utility of the effort because natural origin fish are targeted for theses outplanting efforts. The objectives of this study were to develop models predicting hauling mortality and identify optimal hauling densities that minimize mortality risk and effort. We used an information‐theoretic approach to evaluate multiple models predicting hauling mortality. Predictors identified varied between the two dams evaluated but were related to operations and annual or in‐river conditions. The amount of time loading fish and the density of fish in tank trucks were positively associated with hauling mortality. Instream flows and thermal exposure were also identified as factors predicting with hauling mortality. We used the results of model selection to predict mortality risk and calculate daily hauling effort. Risk and effort were combined into a utility to identify optimal hauling densities for varying numbers of fish to haul and transport truck volume. Optimal hauling densities varied between dams reflecting whether loading time or hauling density was associated with hauling mortality. This analysis provides managers a way to integrate research, monitoring, and management to improve understanding of factors associated with hauling mortality and adjust optimal hauling densities using adaptive management.
Topographic Analysis of the Supratrochlear Artery and the Supraorbital Artery: Implication for Improving the Safety of Forehead Augmentation

Background: The supratrochlear and supraorbital artery branches from the ophthalmic artery are the primary suppliers of blood to the forehead. Filler injection into the forehead without precise knowledge of its vascular topography poses a risk of severe complications. Methods: Twenty hemifaces from 11 cadavers were dissected. Results: Based on the presence of the deep branch of the supratrochlear artery, two main arterial distribution patterns of the forehead were observed. Type I (deep branch of the supratrochlear artery–present pattern) was classified into two subtypes: type Ia, in which the layer superficial to the frontalis was supplied medially by the superficial branch of the supratrochlear artery and laterally by the superficial branch of the supraorbital artery, and the deep branch of the supratrochlear artery and the deep branch of the supraorbital artery were distributed deep to the frontalis; and type Ib, in which the layer superficial to the frontalis was supplied by the superficial branch of the supratrochlear artery and the superficial branch of the supraorbital artery in addition to the central artery or the paracentral artery, and the layer deep to the frontalis was supplied the same with type Ia. For type II (deep branch of the supratrochlear artery–absent pattern), the layer superficial to the frontalis was supplied the same with type Ia; only the deep branch of the supraorbital artery supplied the layer deep to the frontalis. Conclusion: This study yielded novel arterial systems of the forehead and provided guidance for the safe forehead augmentation.
"Markets for Electric Power: Experimental Results for Alternative Auction Institutions"

Copyright 1998 IEEE. Published in the Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference On System Sciences,January 6-9, 1997, Kona, Hawaii.Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising orpromotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuseany copyrighted component of this work in other works, must be obtained from the IEEE. Contact: Manager,Copyrights and Permissions/IEEE Service Center/445 Hoes Lane/P.O. Box 1331/Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331,USA. Telephone: + Intl. 908-562-3966.
Factors Affecting the Participation of Tanzanian College Youths in Purchasing Online Products

Recently, Tanzania has experienced an exponential growth of internet users, with youths forming the largest number of users who access internet service. Despite statistics showing that youths form the largest number of internet users in the country, the number of youths who purchase online products is still limited. This study aimed to analyse factors affecting youth online purchasing in Tanzania and suggest strategies to improve its adoption. The subjects of the study were 43 students from the Arusha Technical College in Tanzania who were studying an E-commerce and Internet Technology course. The data were collected using questionnaires and participatory workshop. The collected data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings reveal ten factors that influence youth engagement in online purchases: quality risks, delayed deliveries, e-commerce skill gaps, fraud fears, extra charges, internet costs, payment issues, network reliability, local availability, and absence of bargaining habits. To enhance the participation of youths in online shopping, the study recommends several strategies which, if implemented, will help improve e-commerce adoption in Tanzania. The major contribution of this study is to reveal the status of online purchase adoption among Tanzanian youths and document strategies for accelerating its adoption in the country.
Dispersal Range of Anopheles sinensis in Yongcheng City, China by Mark-Release-Recapture Methods

Background Studying the dispersal range of Anopheles sinensis is of major importance for understanding the transition from malaria control to elimination. However, no data are available regarding the dispersal range of An. sinensis in China. The aim of the present study was to study the dispersal range of An. sinensis and provide the scientific basis for the development of effective control measures for malaria elimination in China. Methodology/Principal Findings Mark-Release-Recapture (MRR) experiments were conducted with 3000 adult wild An. sinensis in 2010 and 3000 newly emerged wild An. sinensis in 2011 in two villages of Yongcheng City in Henan Province. Marked An. sinensis were recaptured daily for ten successive days using light traps. The overall recapture rates were 0.83% (95% CI, 0.50%∼1.16%) in 2010 and 1.33% (95% CI, 0.92%∼1.74%) in 2011. There was no significant difference in the recapture rates of wild An. sinensis and newly emerged An. sinensis. The majority of An. sinensis were captured due east at study site I compared with most in the west at study site II. Eighty percent and 90% of the marked An. sinensis were recaptured within a radius of 100 m from the release point in study site I and II, respectively, with a maximum dispersal range of 400 m within the period of this study. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that local An. sinensis may have limited dispersal ranges. Therefore, control efforts should target breeding and resting sites in proximity of the villages.
Esomeprazole 40 mg Administered Intravenously Has Similar Safety and Efficacy Profiles to the Oral Formulation in Patients with Erosive Esophagitis

Background/Aims: An intravenous formulation of esomeprazole has been developed for use in patients where oral administration is not appropriate. This study evaluated safety after 1 and 4 weeks, and efficacy after 4 weeks’ esomeprazole 40 mg once daily treatment, administered via an intravenous injection, intravenous infusion or orally, in patients with erosive esophagitis. Methods: In this double-blind, multi-centre study, patients with endoscopically confirmed erosive esophagitis (Los Angeles grade A–D) were randomized to receive 1 week’s treatment of esomeprazole 40 mg once daily, via a 3-min injection, a 30-min infusion or orally, followed by 3 weeks of open treatment with oral esomeprazole 40 mg once daily. Safety variables were evaluated following 1 and 4 weeks’ esomeprazole treatment. Healing rates at 4 weeks were estimated. Results: Intravenous and oral esomeprazole were equally well tolerated during the first week, and after 4 weeks’ treatment. The 3 treatment groups showed similar levels of healing following 4 weeks’ treatment with esomeprazole (injection + oral: 79.7%; infusion + oral: 80.2%; oral alone: 82.6%). Conclusions: Esomeprazole 40 mg administered via an intravenous injection, intravenous infusion or orally administered for 1 week, followed by 3 weeks of oral dosing, is well tolerated and provides effective healing of erosive esophagitis.
Perceived Cost and Intrinsic Motor Variability Modulate the Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off

Fitts’ Law describes the speed-accuracy trade-off of human movements, and it is an elegant strategy that compensates for random and uncontrollable noise in the motor system. The control strategy during targeted movements may also take into account the rewards or costs of any outcomes that may occur. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that movement time in Fitts’ Law emerges not only from the accuracy constraints of the task, but also depends on the perceived cost of error for missing the targets. Subjects were asked to touch targets on an iPad® screen with different costs for missed targets. We manipulated the probability of error by comparing children with dystonia (who are characterized by increased intrinsic motor variability) to typically developing children. The results show a strong effect of the cost of error on the Fitts’ Law relationship characterized by an increase in movement time as cost increased. In addition, we observed a greater sensitivity to increased cost for children with dystonia, and this behavior appears to minimize the average cost. The findings support a proposed mathematical model that explains how movement time in a Fitts-like task is related to perceived risk.
Discrete time process algebra with silent step

Abstract The axiom system ACP of [10] was extended to discrete time in [6]. Here, we proceed to define the silent step in this theory in branching bisimulation semantics [7, 15] rather than weak bisimulation semantics [11, 20]. The version using relative timing is discussed extensively, versions using absolute and parametric timing are presented in brief. A term model and a graph model are presented and soundness and completeness results are given. The time free theories BPAδ and BPAτδ are embedded in the discrete time theories. Examples of the use of the relative time theory are given by means of some calculations on communicating buffers.
Parameterizing conjugacy classes of maximal unramified tori via Bruhat-Tits theory

Let k denote a field with nontrivial discrete valuation. We assume that k is complete with perfect residue field f. Let G denote the group of k-rational points of a reductive, linear algebraic group G defined over k. A subgroup in G is said to be unramified if it is a connected reductive subgroup of G whose reduced Bruhat-Tits building contains a hyperspecial vertex. Let C denote the set of G-conjugacy classes of pairs (H,x) where H is a maximal rank unramified subgroup of G and x is a hyperspecial point in the reduced Bruhat-Tits building of H . Let I denote the set of pairs (F,H) where F is a facet in the Bruhat-Tits building of G and H is a f-cuspidal maximal rank connected reductive subgroup in GF (the connected reductive f-group associated to F ). There is a natural equivalence relation, to be denoted ∼, on I. We show that there is a bijective correspondence between the set I/ ∼ and C. From this, we derive a classification of the conjugacy classes of maximal unramified tori in G and, when f is finite and G is unramified, we determine which of these conjugacy classes of tori are stably conjugate.
Impaired Osteoblast Function in GPRC6A Null Mice

GPRC6A is a widely expressed orphan G protein–coupled receptor that senses extracellular amino acids, osteocalcin, and divalent cations in vitro. GPRC6A null (GPRC6A−/−) mice exhibit multiple metabolic abnormalities including osteopenia. To investigate whether the osseous abnormalities are a direct function of GPRC6A in osteoblasts, we examined the function of primary osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cell cultures (BMSCs) in GPRC6A−/− mice. We confirmed that GPRC6A−/− mice exhibited a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) associated with reduced expression of osteocalcin, ALP, osteoprotegerin, and Runx2‐II transcripts in bone. Osteoblasts and BMSCs derived from GPRC6A−/− mice exhibited an attenuated response to extracellular calcium‐stimulated extracellular signal‐related kinase (ERK) activation, diminished alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression, and impaired mineralization ex vivo. In addition, siRNA‐mediated knockdown of GPRC6A in MC3T3 osteoblasts also resulted in a reduction in extracellular calcium‐stimulated ERK activity. To explore the potential relevance of GPRC6A function in humans, we looked for an association between GPRC6A gene polymorphisms and BMD in a sample of 1000 unrelated American Caucasians. We found that GPRC6A gene polymorphisms were significantly associated with human spine BMD. These data indicate that GRPC6A directly participates in the regulation of osteoblast‐mediated bone mineralization and may mediate the anabolic effects of extracellular amino acids, osteocalcin, and divalent cations in bone. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research