Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asthma exacerbations · 1: Epidemiology

Asthma exacerbations may be triggered by a number of atmospheric and domiciliary environmental factors as well as by those encountered in schools and workplaces. The majority of exacerbations, particularly in children, coincide with respiratory viral infections, most commonly rhinovirus. As most respiratory viruses and many aeroallergens appear in seasonal patterns, asthma exacerbations, particularly those requiring emergency treatment, show analogous seasonal cycles which differ in form in children and adults. While similar in form between the sexes, they differ in amplitude, with boys having higher risks of exacerbation in childhood and women in adult life. Simultaneous exposure of asthmatics with respiratory viral infections to allergens or air pollutants may significantly increase the risks of exacerbation. Access to and compliance with inhaled corticosteroid treatment is an important predictor of the likelihood of asthma exacerbations occurring, including those that occur during respiratory viral infections. Epidemiologically, the degree of asthma control achieved by asthmatics is an important predictor of the likelihood of disease exacerbation including respiratory failure, death, and health service consumption.
STOP and GO with NO: Nitric oxide as a regulator of cell motility in simple brains

During the formation of the brain, neuronal cell migration and neurite extension are controlled by extracellular guidance cues. Here, I discuss experiments showing that the messenger nitric oxide (NO) is an additional regulator of cell motility. NO is a membrane permeant molecule, which activates soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) and leads to the formation of cyclic GMP (cGMP) in target cells. The analysis of specific cells types in invertebrate models such as molluscs, insects and the medicinal leech provides insight how NO and cyclic nucleotides affect the wiring of nervous systems by regulating cell and growth‐cone motility. Inhibition of the NOS and sGC enzymes combined with rescue experiments show that NO signalling orchestrates neurite outgrowth and filopodial dynamics, cell migration of enteric neurons, glial migration and axonogenesis of pioneer fibers. Cultured insect embryos are accessible model systems in which cellular mechanisms of NO‐induced cytoskeletal reorganizations can be analyzed in natural settings. Finally, I will outline some indications that NO may also regulate cell motility in the developing and regenerating vertebrate nervous system. BioEssays 27:495–505, 2005. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Specificity of Fc receptors induced by herpes simplex virus type 1: comparison of immunoglobulin G from different animal species

Cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) express a cell surface receptor able to bind the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (IgG). Of the four human IgG subclasses, the HSV-1 Fc receptor, like staphylococcal protein A, binds to all except IgG3. In this paper, we describe the binding of a number of animal IgG and IgG subclass molecules to HSV-1-infected cells and compare this binding to that of protein A. Although only few representatives from each animal order were tested, we found that IgG from Carnivora and Rodentia did not bind or bound only slightly to the HSV-1 receptor, whereas IgG from Primates, Lagomorpha, and Artiodactyla bound well. This pattern was clearly different from the species spectrum of IgG binding of protein A. Differences between the two receptors were also found when animal IgG subclasses were tested. The pronounced differences in affinity for the HSV-1 Fc receptor between immunoglobulins from, for example, mouse and rabbit may influence the interpretation of animal studies with this virus.
Collaborative writing as a process of formalizing group memory

A common form of collective memory is the group-authored document. Examining collaborative writing from the group memory perspective may yield important design and theoretical insights. This paper views collaborative writing as a cognitive process in which a portion of group memory is formalized. This view is the basis for expanding an existing model of individual writing to include collaborative writing and group memory. A collaborative writing tool is analyzed with the design implications from the expanded model. The analysis suggests that a group memory view of collaborative writing contributes useful insights that can guide the design of computer-based collaborative writing tools. <<ETX>>
An experimentally validated numerical model of indentation and abrasion by debris particles in machine-element contacts considering micro-hardness effects

Indentation and abrasion of machine-element contacts by solid contamination particles is a major problem in many industries and manufacturing processes involving the automotive, aerospace, medical and electronics industries among others. Published theoretical studies on indentation and soft abrasion of surfaces by ductile debris particles other than those of the author are based on several major simplifications concerning material properties, hardness, plasticity modelling, interfacial friction, kinematic conditions, etc. None of the studies published in the literature to date (2011) have those simplifications concurrently relaxed. In view of the shortcomings of existing numerical models on debris particle indentation and abrasion, and given the importance of dent geometry and size on fatigue life of machine elements, a greatly improved numerical model has been developed based on the previous studies of the author. The new model deals with elastoplastic indentation and abrasion of rolling–sliding, dry and lubricated contacts by spherical particles of any hardness, from very soft (e.g. 40 HV) to very hard (e.g. over 1000 HV), including harder than the contact counterfaces. The model incorporates strain-hardening and strain-gradient or indentation-size micro-hardness effects with an expanding-cavity plasticity model, a localised treatment of friction, generalised boundary and kinematic conditions involving localised stick and slip of the particle, linear and nonlinear work-hardening models of the particle, a basic approach on pile-up/sink-in plasticity effects and several other improvements. The model has passed extensive validation tests and found to give realistic predictions that are quantitatively quite close to the experimental results published by independent researchers in the literature concerning dent dimensions and slope. Moreover, it has verified and explained theoretically for the first time the formation of dimples inside and outside dents experimentally observed in rolling and rolling–sliding contacts. This article presents the mathematics of the model, the validation procedure with several real cases from the experimental literature, and a parametric study to show the model’s predictions on precise dent geometry in several realistic cases.
A Chromoplast-Specific Carotenoid Biosynthesis Pathway Is Revealed by Cloning of the Tomato white-flower Locus[W]

Carotenoids and their oxygenated derivatives xanthophylls play essential roles in the pigmentation of flowers and fruits. Wild-type tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) flowers are intensely yellow due to accumulation of the xanthophylls neoxanthin and violaxanthin. To study the regulation of xanthophyll biosynthesis, we analyzed the mutant white-flower (wf). It was found that the recessive wf phenotype is caused by mutations in a flower-specific β-ring carotene hyroxylase gene (CrtR-b2). Two deletions and one exon-skipping mutation in different CrtR-b2 wf alleles abolish carotenoid biosynthesis in flowers but not leaves, where the homologous CrtR-b1 is constitutively expressed. A second β-carotene hydroxylase enzyme as well as flower- and fruit-specific geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, phytoene synthase, and lycopene β-cyclase together define a carotenoid biosynthesis pathway active in chromoplasts only, underscoring the crucial role of gene duplication in specialized plant metabolic pathways. We hypothesize that this pathway in tomato was initially selected during evolution to enhance flower coloration and only later recruited to enhance fruit pigmentation. The elimination of β-carotene hydroxylation in wf petals results in an 80% reduction in total carotenoid concentration, possibly caused by the inability of petals to store high concentrations of carotenoids other than xanthophylls and by degradation of β-carotene, which accumulates as a result of the wf mutation but is not due to altered expression of genes in the biosynthetic pathway.
Establishment and Application of Evaluation Model for College Students’ Perceived Quality of Clothing

Perceived quality occupy an increasingly important position in the factors that affect consuming. Perceived quality is the subjective judgment by consumers which is different from the actual objective quality, and it is an overall evaluation to the product performance. College students, as a special consumer groups ，have higher cultural level and are in pursuit of individuality. Through this research, it can be known which perceived quality have an impact on buying behavior when students buy clothing, thus provide a reference to the clothing enterprises. In the process of production or distribution, they can pay attention to these perceived qualities to meet the needs of college students, so as to reach a win-win situation.
Computational Tools for Investigating RNA-Protein Interaction Partners

RNA-protein interactions are important in a wide variety of cellular and developmental processes. Recently, high-throughput experiments have begun to provide valuable information about RNA partners and binding sites for many RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), but these experiments are expensive and time consuming. Thus, computational methods for predicting RNA-Protein interactions (RPIs) can be valuable tools for identifying potential interaction partners of a given protein or RNA, and for identifying likely interfacial residues in RNA-protein complexes. This review focuses on the “partner prediction” problem and summarizes available computational methods, web servers and databases that are devoted to it. New computational tools for addressing the related “interface prediction” problem are also discussed. Together, these computational methods for investigating RNA-protein interactions provide the basis for new strategies for integrating RNA-protein interactions into existing genetic and developmental regulatory networks, an important goal of future research.
S3J: A Parallel Semi-Stream Similarity Join

Semi-stream join algorithms join a continuous stream with a large disk-based relation. While there are efficient semi-stream equijoins for exact matches in the joined data, there are currently no semi-stream similarity joins for approximate matches. The existing similarity join algorithms work either offline (on datasets that are fully known) or on several streams (using a join window), and are less suitable for applications where continuous, immediate and complete similarity join results are required. To address this gap we propose S3J, the first semi-stream similarity join algorithm. To utilize disk and CPU optimally, S3J combines a disk-intensive queue-based semi-stream join approach with a CPU-intensive similarity matching algorithm. The similarity matching algorithm is based on tries to minimize the memory footprint. Moreover, it supports parallel execution to utilize modern multicore CPUs. We provide a cost model for S3J and evaluate its performance empirically.
Biogeochemical responses to nutrient, moisture and temperature manipulations of soil from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands in the Maritime Antarctic

Abstract We have investigated how the microbially-driven processes of carbon (C) mineralization (respiration) and nitrogen (N) mineralization/immobilization in a soil from the northern Maritime Antarctic respond to differences in water availability (20% and 80% water-holding capacity) and temperature (5°C and 15°C) in the presence and absence of different organic substrates (2 mg C as either glucose, glycine or tryptone soy broth (TSB) powder (a complex microbial growth medium)) in a controlled laboratory experiment over 175 days. Soil respiration and N mineralization/immobilization in the presence of a C-rich substrate (glucose) increased with increases in water and temperature. These factors were influential individually and had an additive effect when applied together. For the N-rich substrates (glycine and TSB), microbial responses to increased water or temperature alone were weak or not significant, but these factors interacted to give significantly positive increases when applied together. These data indicate that under the expected changes in environmental conditions in the Maritime Antarctic, where temperature and the availability of water and organic substrates will probably increase, soil microbial activity will lead to more rapid C and N cycling and have a positive feedback on these biogeochemical processes, particularly where or when these factors increase concurrently.
Marine Benthic Diatoms Contain Compounds Able to Induce Leukemia Cell Death and Modulate Blood Platelet Activity

In spite of the high abundance and species diversity of diatoms, only a few bioactive compounds from them have been described. The present study reveals a high number of mammalian cell death inducing substances in biofilm-associated diatoms sampled from the intertidal zone. Extracts from the genera Melosira, Amphora, Phaeodactylum and Nitzschia were all found to induce leukemia cell death, with either classical apoptotic or autophagic features. Several extracts also contained inhibitors of thrombin-induced blood platelet activation. Some of this activity was caused by a high content of adenosine in the diatoms, ranging from 0.07 to 0.31 μg/mg dry weight. However, most of the bioactivity was adenosine deaminase-resistant. An adenosine deaminase-resistant active fraction from one of the extracts was partially purified and shown to induce apoptosis with a distinct phenotype. The results show that benthic diatoms typically found in the intertidal zone may represent a richer source of interesting bioactive compounds than hitherto recognized.
A Real-Time Rodent Tracking System for Both Light and Dark Cycle Behavior Analysis

Position tracking of rodents is useful and necessary to help elucidate the behavioral and physiological effects of genetic mutations, drug action, and environmental stimuli. In this paper we describe a real-time system developed to allow continuous overhead video monitoring of rodent behavior in a home cage environment, either in a daylight condition (light-cycle) using standard visible illumination or a night-time condition (dark-cycle), using overhead near infrared illumination (NIR). Due to the lack of research on the effects of NIR on rodent behavior, we also examined open-field locomotor activity under 880 nm and 940 nm wavelengths of NIR, as well as visible white light and a "dark" condition consisting of a very dim level of NIR. The experimental result validated the described system and robustly tracked the target rodent in the light cycle, and for high contrast conditions in the dark cycle.
Mutation in the gyrA gene of quinolone-resistant clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii

The gyrA gene mutations associated with quinolone resistance were determined in 21 epidemiologically unrelated clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii. Our studies highlight the conserved sequences in the quinolone resistance-determining region of the gyrA gene from A. baumannii and other bacteria. All 15 isolates for which the MIC of ciprofloxacin is > or = 4 micrograms/ml showed a change at Ser-83 to Leu. Six strains for which the MIC of ciprofloxacin is 1 microgram/ml did not show any change at Ser-83, although a strain for which the MIC of ciprofloxacin is 1 microgram/ml exhibited a change at Gly-81 to Val. Although it is possible that mutations in other locations of the gyrA gene, the gyrB gene, or in other genes may also contribute to the modulation of the MIC level, our results suggest that a gyrA mutation at Ser-83 is associated with quinolone resistance in A. baumannii.
Survival and Prognostic Analysis of Adjacent Segments after Spinal Fusion

Background To examine the survival function and prognostic factors of the adjacent segments based on a second operation after thoracolumbar spinal fusion. Methods This retrospective study reviewed 3,188 patients (3,193 cases) who underwent a thoracolumbar spinal fusion at the author's hospital. Survival analysis was performed on the event of a second operation due to adjacent segment degeneration. The prognostic factors, such as the cause of the disease, surgical procedure, age, gender and number of fusion segments, were examined. Sagittal alignment and the location of the adjacent segment were measured in the second operation cases, and their association with the types of degeneration was investigated. Results One hundred seven patients, 112 cases (3.5%), underwent a second operation due to adjacent segment degeneration. The survival function was 97% and 94% at 5 and 10 years after surgery, respectively, showing a 0.6% linear reduction per year. The significant prognostic factors were old age, degenerative disease, multiple-level fusion and male. Among the second operation cases, the locations of the adjacent segments were the thoracolumbar junctional area and lumbosacral area in 11.6% and 88.4% of cases, respectively. Sagittal alignment was negative or neutral, positive and strongly positive in 47.3%, 38.9%, and 15.7%, respectively. Regarding the type of degeneration, spondylolisthesis or kyphosis, retrolisthesis, and neutral balance in the sagittal view was noted in 13.4%, 36.6%, and 50% of cases, respectively. There was a significant difference according to the location of the adjacent segment (p = 0.000) and sagittal alignment (p = 0.041). Conclusions The survival function of the adjacent segments was 94% at 10 years, which had decreased linearly by 0.6% per a year. The likelihood of a second operation was high in those with old age, degenerative disease, multiple-level fusion and male. There was a tendency for the type of degeneration to be spondylolisthesis or kyphosis in cases of the thoracolumbar junctional area and strongly positive sagittal alignment, but retrolisthesis in cases of the lumbosacral area and neutral or positive sagittal alignment.
Learning Potential in Narrative Writing: Measuring the Psychometric Properties of an Assessment Tool

Objective: The Computerized and Dynamic Writing Test (TIDE) is designed to examine the learning potential of adolescents in narrative writing. This was a validation study of the TIDE based on its internal structure. Learning potential is responsible for cognitive modifiabilty according to the Theory of Cognitive Structural Modifiability (CSM) developed by Feüerstein. Method: Included 304 participants between 10 and 17 years of age from schools in the South of Brazil. The data collection involved student groups that were divided according to age and school grade. Each participant reponded to the TIDE for an average of 50 min in the school's computer lab. The participants' selection criteria were: being regularly enrolled in the fifth to eighth grade and providing an informed consent form signed by a responsible caregiver. The exclusion criteria included: neurological problems, having been held back in school for two or more years, not cooperating, not completing the test for any reason and physical conditions impeding the assessment. Results: The Kendall test indicated agreement between two evaluators, who corrected the participants' first and second texts that resulted from applying the TIDE. The TIDE is divided into three modules. Factor analysis was applied to the first module (pre-test), which revealed a division in two factors, and to the second module (instructional module), which was divided in three factors. The reliability of the TIDE items was verified using Cronbach's Alpha with coefficients >0.7. The analysis of the third module (post-test) was based on McNemar's Test and showed statistically significant results that demonstrated an evolution in the participants' learning potential. Conclusion: The TIDE proved to be valid and is considered a relevant tool for speech, language, hearing, psychological and educational assessment. The original nature of the tool presented here is highlighted, based on the dynamic assessment method, offering data on a narrative writing learning method as well as its possible adaptation to other contexts and languages. In addition, the computer-based nature of the tool is emphasized, enabling its more precise application and analysis of participant performance, in addition to its lower cost, reduced application bias and ability to test more than one person simultaneously.
Role of Islam in the management of Psychiatric disorders

With the significant growth of the Muslim population all over the world, there exists a corresponding increase in the need for mental health services that suit this group of patients. Research demonstrates the effectiveness of the integration of spirituality and religiosity into psychotherapy and how religious beliefs could affect the management plans. This article discusses the impact of various beliefs in the Islamic faith on the bio-psychosocial model for the management of different psychiatric disorders including focusing on the modification of psychotherapeutic techniques as cognitive restructuring. It also shows other types of therapies such as music therapy, meditation therapy, and aromatherapy. The main emphasis remains to ensure that Muslim psychiatric patients get ethical, acceptable, and effective treatment.
Epstein–Barr virus‐induced B‐cell proliferation of Hodgkin's and Reed–Sternberg cell pheno‐ and genotype may develop in peripheral T‐cell lymphomas

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