Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maintenance and sustained use of insecticide‐treated bednets and curtains three years after a controlled trial in western Kenya*

Summary In large experimental trials throughout Africa, insecticide‐treated bednets and curtains have reduced child mortality in malaria‐endemic communities by 15%–30%. While few questions remain about the efficacy of this intervention, operational issues around how to implement and sustain insecticide‐treated materials (ITM) projects need attention. We revisited the site of a small‐scale ITM intervention trial, 3 years after the project ended, to assess how local attitudes and practices had changed. Qualitative and quantitative methods, including 16 focus group discussions and a household survey (n = 60), were employed to assess use, maintenance, retreatment and perceptions of ITM and the insecticide in former study communities. Families that had been issued bednets were more likely to have kept and maintained them and valued bednets more highly than those who had been issued curtains. While most households retained their original bednets, none had treated them with insecticide since the intervention trial was completed 3 years earlier. Most of those who had been issued bednets repaired them, but none acquired new or replacement nets. In contrast, households that had been issued insecticide‐treated curtains often removed them. Three (15%) of the households issued curtains had purchased one or more bednets since the study ended. In households where bednets had been issued, children 10 years of age and younger were a third as likely to sleep under a net as were adults (relative risk (RR) = 0.32; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.19, 0.53). Understanding how and why optimal ITM use declined following this small‐scale intervention trial can suggest measures that may improve the sustainability of current and future ITM efforts.
Increased filtration efficiency of attached compared to free-swimming flagellates

Heterotrophic flagellates often attach to surfaces while feeding. A possible fluid dynamic reason is that attachment increases filtration efficiency. This was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The effect of attachment on flow field and clearance was studied by video microscopy in the nanoflagellates Paraphysomonas vestita and Pteridomonas danica. The flow field around feeding cells was visualised by latex bead suspensions. From a fluid dynamics point of view, it is advantageous to be sessile if the radius of the transectional area of the water flow that is swept for particles is smaller than 1.5 × cell radius. For flagellates with a smooth flagellum, this also requires that the flagellum beats with a large amplitude. For attached P. vestita, clearance is ca. 70% higher relative to free-swimming cells and for P. danica this value is ca. 34%. The difference between the 2 species accords with the fact that Pteridomonas sweeps a wider area of the water flow relative to its cell size than Paraphysomonas. Protozoa may attach for other reasons, such as to remain at sites with high food concentrations, but in the case of suspension feeders, it is also advantageous to attach in terms of fluid dynamics. It is likely that a large proportion of the heterotrophic nanoflagellates in plankton are associated with suspended particles that act as drift anchors, thus enhancing clearance.
Biochemical characterization of muscle tissue of limb girdle muscular dystrophy: An 1H and 13C NMR study

The metabolic differences between the muscle biopsies of patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) and normal controls were characterized using high‐resolution 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. In all, 44 metabolites were unambiguously assigned in the perchloric acid extracts of skeletal muscle tissue, using 2D double quantum filtered (DQF COSY), total correlation (TOCSY), and 1H/13C heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) spectroscopy. The concentrations of glycolytic substrate, glucose (p = 0.03), gluconeogenic amino acids, glutamine (p = 0.02) and alanine (p = 0.009) together with glycolytic product, lactate (p = 0.04), were found to be significantly lowered in LGMD patients as compared with controls. The reduction in the concentration of glucose may be attributed to the decrease in the concentration of gluconeogenic amino acids in the degenerated muscle. Reduction in the rate of anaerobic glycolysis and lowered substrate concentration appear to be the possible reasons for the decrease in the concentration of lactate. A significant reduction in the concentration of choline in LGMD patients was also observed compared with controls. Lower concentration of choline may be the result of decreased rate of membrane turnover in LGMD patients. The data presented here provide an insight into the potentials of in‐vitro NMR spectroscopy in the study of muscle metabolism. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vascular and Degenerative Processes Differentially Affect Regional Interhemispheric Connections in Normal Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer Disease

Background and Purpose— Despite the critical importance of the corpus callosum (CC) to the connection between brain hemispheres, little is known about the independent contribution of degenerative and vascular processes to regional changes in the microstructural integrity of the CC. Here, we examine these changes in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, with Alzheimer disease, and in cognitively normal elderly adults. Methods— We used 3-dimensional brain MRI with diffusion tensor imaging in 47 Alzheimer disease, 77 mild cognitive impairment, and 107 cognitively normal subjects, and we calculated mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values for 4 CC regions corresponding to 4 homologous regions of cortical gray matter (GM). To assess vascular and degenerative processes, we also measured cortical GM and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume in corresponding regions and evaluated their vascular risk. Results— We found that GM volumes in anterior and posterior regions were significantly related to FA values in the corresponding regions of the CC for all 3 diagnostic groups. Independent of GM volume, frontal WMH volume was also associated with FA values in the corresponding CC regions, but posterior WMH volume was not. Vascular risk was associated with FA of most CC regions, whereas diagnosis of cognitive state was associated only with FA of the anterior and posterior CC regions. Conclusions— We found differential region-specific associations between degenerative and vascular processes and the structural integrity of the CC across the spectrum of cognitive ability. Based on these results, we propose a model to explain regional disruption in the interhemispheric connection.
Development of early brainstem projections to the tail spinal cord of xenopus

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to determine the sequence in which axons from different brain neurons reach the tail spinal cord during embryonic and early larval development of Xenopus laevis. Brainstem cells of several classes project to the tail at these stages: mesencephalic reticulospinal neurons of the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, a variety of other reticulospinal neurons, vestibulospinal neurons, and a group of median basal cells which may be raphe neurons. Among the reticulospinal neurons the paired Mauthner cells are the most prominent. They and caudally situated reticular neurons are the first to label with HRP applied to the tail spinal cord (stage 37). Vestibulospinal and other reticular neurons begin to label next (stage 39), followed by mesencephalic and then median basal neurons (stage 41). Except for the Mauthner cells, the number of labeled cells belonging to each neuron class increases gradually as development proceeds.
Phorbol ester-induced actin assembly in neutrophils: role of protein kinase C

The shape changes and membrane ruffling that accompany neutrophil activation are dependent on the assembly and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, the molecular basis of which remains to be clarified. A role of protein kinase C (PKC) has been postulated because neutrophil activation, with the attendant shape and membrane ruffling changes, can be initiated by phorbol esters, known activators of PKC. It has become apparent, however, that multiple isoforms of PKC with differing substrate specificities exist. To reassess the role of PKC in cytoskeletal reorganization, we compared the effects of diacylglycerol analogs and of PKC antagonists on kinase activity and on actin assembly in human neutrophils. Ruffling of the plasma membrane was assessed by scanning EM, and spatial redistribution of filamentous (F)-actin was assessed by scanning confocal microscopy. Staining with NBD-phallacidin and incorporation of actin into the Triton X-100-insoluble ("cytoskeletal") fraction were used to quantify the formation of (F)- actin. [32P]ATP was used to detect protein phosphorylation in electroporated cells. Exposure of neutrophils to 4 beta-PMA (an activator of PKC) induced protein phosphorylation, membrane ruffling, and assembly and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, whereas the 4a-isomer, which is inactive towards PKC, failed to produce any of these changes. Moreover, 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol, mezerein, and 3-(N- acetylamino)-5-(N-decyl-N-methylamino)-benzyl alcohol, which are nonphorbol activators of PKC, also promoted actin assembly. Although these effects were consistent with a role of PKC, the following observations suggested that stimulation of conventional isoforms of the kinase were not directly responsible for actin assembly: (a) Okadaic acid, an inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A, potentiated PMA-induced protein phosphorylation, but not actin assembly; and (b) PMA-induced actin assembly and membrane ruffling were not prevented by the conventional PKC inhibitors 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2- methylpiperazine, staurosporine, calphostin C, or sphingosine at concentrations that precluded PMA-induced protein phosphorylation and superoxide production. On the other hand, PMA-induced actin assembly was inhibited by long-chain fatty acid coenzyme A esters, known inhibitors of nuclear PKC (nPKC). We conclude that PMA-induced actin assembly is unlikely to be mediated by the conventional isoforms of PKC, but may be mediated by novel isoforms of the kinase such as nPKC.
Wood Density and Fiber Length of Eucalyptus Grandis Grown in Kerala, India

Wood density and fiber length of Eucalyptus grandis were studied in trees of four age groups (3, 5, 7, and 9 years). The average basic density was 495 kg m -3 at 3 years and there was no significant increase from 3 to 9 years, whereas 5-year-old trees had a significantly lower value. Fiber length increased consistently with age and fibers of 3-year-old trees (mean 0.81 mm) were about 29% shorter than those of 9-year-old trees (1.15 mm). Density did not differ significantly between the locations, but fibers were longer in one location where trees had faster growth. Density declined from stump level to 25% of tree height and then gradually increased towards the top in a curvilinear manner, whereas fiber length commonly showed the reverse trend. In 5-, 7- and 9-year-old trees, average tree density could be predicted with reasonable accuracy using breast height density, but stump level density was a better predictor of average tree density in 3-year-old trees.
Training in Spatial Visualization: The Effects of Training Method and Gender

This paper reports the findings from an experimental study involving thirty three secondary school students (mean age = 15.5 years) in spatial visualization (SV) training through an interactive desktop virtual environment spatial trainer (iDVEST). Stratified random sampling was used to assign students into two experimental groups and one control group. The first experimental group trained in interaction-enabled DVEST (i-DVEST), the second experimental group trained in animation-enhanced DVEST (a-DVEST), and the control group received conventional training. A multi-factorial pretest posttest design procedure was used and data were analyzed using 2-way ANCOVA. Participants trained in i-DVEST made the highest improvement gain in SV, followed by those trained in a-DVEST, and the control group achieved the lowest improvement gain. In general, male participants achieved higher SV improvement gain compared to female participants. Interaction effect between method of training and gender was observed indicating that male students tended to benefit more when trained in i-DVEST, moderately in a-DVEST, and poorly in conventional method. On the other hand, female students seemed to benefit from training irrespective of the method used.
Neural and Behavioral Evidence for Affective Priming from Unconsciously Perceived Emotional Facial Expressions and the Influence of Trait Anxiety

Affective judgments can often be influenced by emotional information people unconsciously perceive, but the neural mechanisms responsible for these effects and how they are modulated by individual differences in sensitivity to threat are unclear. Here we studied subliminal affective priming by recording brain potentials to surprise faces preceded by 30-msec happy or fearful prime faces. Participants showed valence-consistent changes in affective ratings of surprise faces, although they reported no knowledge of prime-face expressions, nor could they discriminate between prime-face expressions in a forced-choice test. In conjunction with the priming effect on affective evaluation, larger occipital P1 potentials at 145175 msec were found with fearful than with happy primes, and source analyses implicated the bilateral extrastriate cortex in this effect. Later brain potentials at 300400 msec were enhanced with happy versus fearful primes, which may reflect differential attentional orienting. Personality testing for sensitivity to threat, especially social threat, was also used to evaluate individual differences potentially relevant to subliminal affective priming. Indeed, participants with high trait anxiety demonstrated stronger affective priming and greater P1 differences than did those with low trait anxiety, and these effects were driven by fearful primes. Results thus suggest that unconsciously perceived affective information influences social judgments by altering very early perceptual analyses, and that this influence is accentuated to the extent that people are oversensitive to threat. In this way, perception may be subject to a variety of influences that govern social preferences in the absence of concomitant awareness of such influences.
Bloom syndrome cells undergo p53-dependent apoptosis and delayed assembly of BRCA1 and NBS1 repair complexes at stalled replication forks

Bloom syndrome (BS) is a hereditary disorder characterized by pre- and postnatal growth retardation, genomic instability, and cancer. BLM, the gene defective in BS, encodes a DNA helicase thought to participate in genomic maintenance. We show that BS human fibroblasts undergo extensive apoptosis after DNA damage specifically when DNA replication forks are stalled. Damage during S, but not G1, caused BLM to rapidly form foci with γH2AX at replication forks that develop DNA breaks. These BLM foci recruited BRCA1 and NBS1. Damaged BS cells formed BRCA1/NBS1 foci with markedly delayed kinetics. Helicase-defective BLM showed dominant-negative activity with respect to apoptosis, but not BRCA1/NBS1 recruitment, suggesting catalytic and structural roles for BLM. Strikingly, inactivation of p53 prevented the death of damaged BS cells and delayed recruitment of BRCA1/NBS1. These findings suggest that BLM is an early responder to damaged replication forks. Moreover, p53 eliminates cells that rapidly assemble BRCA1/NBS1 without BLM, suggesting that BLM is essential for timely BRCA1/NBS1 function.
Automatic processing of unattended object features by functional connectivity

Observers can selectively attend to object features that are relevant for a task. However, unattended task-irrelevant features may still be processed and possibly integrated with the attended features. This study investigated the neural mechanisms for processing both task-relevant (attended) and task-irrelevant (unattended) object features. The Garner paradigm was adapted for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test whether specific brain areas process the conjunction of features or whether multiple interacting areas are involved in this form of feature integration. Observers attended to shape, color, or non-rigid motion of novel objects while unattended features changed from trial to trial (change blocks) or remained constant (no-change blocks) during a given block. This block manipulation allowed us to measure the extent to which unattended features affected neural responses which would reflect the extent to which multiple object features are automatically processed. We did not find Garner interference at the behavioral level. However, we designed the experiment to equate performance across block types so that any fMRI results could not be due solely to differences in task difficulty between change and no-change blocks. Attention to specific features localized several areas known to be involved in object processing. No area showed larger responses on change blocks compared to no-change blocks. However, psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses revealed that several functionally-localized areas showed significant positive interactions with areas in occipito-temporal and frontal areas that depended on block type. Overall, these findings suggest that both regional responses and functional connectivity are crucial for processing multi-featured objects.
Reliability of CBCT as an assessment tool for mandibular molars furcation defects

Introduction. In numerous clinical situations it is not possible to have an exact clinical evaluation of the furcation defects. Recently the use of CBCT in periodontology has led to an increased precision in diagnostic. Aim. To determine the accuracy of CBCT as diagnostic tool of the furcation defects. Material and method. 19 patients with generalised advanced chronic periodontitis were included in this study, presenting a total of 25 lower molars with different degrees of furcation defects. Clinical and digital measurements (in mm) were performed on all the molars involved. The data obtained has been compared and statistically analysed. Results. The analysis of primary data has demonstrated that all the furcation grade II and III defects were revealed using the CBCT technique. Regarding the incipient defects (grade I Hamp < 3mm), the dimensions measured on CBCT images were slightly bigger. The results have shown that 84% of the defects detected by CBCT have been confirmed by clinical measurements. These data are similar to those revealed by other studies1. Conclusions. The use of CBCT technique in evaluation and diagnosis of human mandibular furcation defects can provide many important information regarding the size and aspect of the interradicular defect, efficiently and noninvasively. CBCT technique is used more effectively in detection of advanced furcation degree compared to incipient ones. However, the CBCT examination cannot replace, at least in this stage of development, the clinical measurements, especially the intraoperative ones, which are considered to represent the „golden standard” in this domain.
An Integrated Approach for Numerical Analysis of Coupled Flow and Heat Transfer in Co-rotating Twin Screw Extruders

Abstract The co-rotating twin screw extrusion process is widely employed in chemical industries for the processing of complex fluids including various polymers, suspensions, emulsions and gels. Here we propose a new integrated modeling strategy that is based on the numerical analysis of pressure-generating extrusion elements concomitantly with the pressure-losing extrusion elements of the co-rotating twin screw extrusion process for non-Newtonian fluids under nonisothermal conditions. The numerical analysis undertakes three-dimensional (3-D) finite element simulations of any multiple combinations of forwarding and reversing fully-flighted screw elements with other types of elements including kneading discs staggered in the forward or reverse configurations and the die. The abilities of the methodologies in simulating the coupled flow and heat transfer in industrially-relevant mixing sections or pressurization/die shaping are demonstrated with predictions of the degree of fill and typical velocity, deformation rate, stress magnitude, pressure distributions as functions of various operating parameters and basic twin screw extrusion geometries for a viscoplastic type generalized Newtonian fluid.
On Representations of Algebraic-Geometric Codes

We show that all algebraic-geometric codes possess a succinct representation that allows for the list decoding algorithms of [9, 6] to run in polynomial time. We do this by presenting a root-finding algorithm for univariate polynomials over function fields when their coefficients lie in finite-dimensional linear spaces, and proving that there is a polynomial size representation given which the root finding algorithm runs in polynomial time.
Lack of SARS Transmission among Healthcare Workers, United States

Healthcare workers accounted for a large proportion of persons with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during the worldwide epidemic of early 2003. We conducted an investigation of healthcare workers exposed to laboratory-confirmed SARS patients in the United States to evaluate infection-control practices and possible SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) transmission. We identified 110 healthcare workers with exposure within droplet range (i.e., 3 feet) to six SARS-CoV–positive patients. Forty-five healthcare workers had exposure without any mask use, 72 had exposure without eye protection, and 40 reported direct skin-to-skin contact. Potential droplet- and aerosol-generating procedures were infrequent: 5% of healthcare workers manipulated a patient’s airway, and 4% administered aerosolized medication. Despite numerous unprotected exposures, there was no serologic evidence of healthcare-related SARS-CoV transmission. Lack of transmission in the United States may be related to the relative absence of high-risk procedures or patients, factors that may place healthcare workers at higher risk for infection.
Simulation research on ultra-precision cutting of mould steel with diamond tool

Conventional finite element methods are not able to deal with large deformation problems because of severe mesh distortion. And the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method can avoid this drawback, which is of mesh-free fashion and has an inherent advantage over the FEM methods in cutting simulations. In this paper, an SPH model of ultra-precision cutting is conducted using the LS-DYNA software. The orthogonal cutting process of AISI 4340 steel is simulated. It is revealed that cutting process is mainly performed by the rounded tool tip. During the cutting process, one part of the cutting layer is pushed forward to form the chip and the other part of cutting layer is extruded back into the bulk to form a smooth and dense surface. The simulation also gives an insight into changes of the temperature filed and the result implies cutting speed has a most notable effect on cutting temperature.