Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the effects of five adjuvants on the antibody response to influenza virus antigen in guinea pigs.

Five adjuvants were tested for their effect on the immune response in guinea pigs to the hemagglutinin antigen of influenza virus strain B/Panama. Vaccines containing 924 micrograms of hemagglutinin antigen/ml were prepared at high and low doses of Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvants, Syntex adjuvant, RIBI's adjuvant, TiterMax adjuvant, and aluminum phosphate adjuvant. Responses to these vaccines were compared with those to a control vaccine containing influenza virus B/Panama hemagglutinin antigen and saline. On day 28, vaccines containing the following adjuvant doses had significantly higher titers than the titer for the control: Freund adjuvants at high and low doses, RIBI at high dose, TiterMax at high and low doses, and aluminum phosphate at high dose. On day 42, vaccines containing the following adjuvant doses had significantly higher titers than that for the control: Freund adjuvants at high and low doses, RIBI at high dose, TiterMax at high dose, and aluminum phosphate at high dose. Freund adjuvants at high and low doses, RIBI adjuvant at high dose, and aluminum phosphate at high dose caused significantly greater swelling at the inoculation site than did the control vaccine. TiterMax adjuvant at high and low doses, and aluminum phosphate at low dose caused minor swelling at the inoculation site, but it was not significantly different from the swelling caused by the control vaccine. Syntex adjuvant at high and low doses, RIBI at low dose, and control (saline/antigen) at high and low doses caused no swelling after inoculation. Overall, the high dose of adjuvants caused greater tissue swelling than did the low dose of adjuvants. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
THE LOCATION AND FUNCTION OF THE CHEMORECEPTORS OF THE AORTA

Although Heymans and Heymans (1927) demonstrated tIhe presence of chemically sensitive nerve receptors in the region of the aortic arch several years before Heymans et al. (1931) discovered similar receptors in the carotid sinus area, the former have received little attention since that time while the latter have been investigated repeatedly. Consequently the localization and physiological significance of the carotid receptors are now fairly well understood, but even the existence of the aortic receptors has been denied (Dautrebande and Wegria, 1937; Beyne, Gautrelet and Halpern, 1933), and their localization and significance are bot.h uncertain. A number of investigators (Selladurai and Wright, 1932; Schmidt, 1932; Jongbloed, 1936; Gesell and Moyer, 1937; Lambert and Gellhorn, 1938) have confirmed the presence of extracarotid chemoreceptors by showing that, even after complete carotid denervation, anoxemia still produces some increase in respiration which disappears when the vagodepressor nerves are cut. However no attempts at precise physiological localization have been reported since the work of Heymans and Heymans (1927). Anatomical studies made by Penitschka (1931), Palme (1934), Muratori (1934), Seto (1935), Nonidez (1935, 1937), and Boyd (1937) have demonstrated the presence about the aortic arch of cell groups which are similar in appearance to the chemoreceptors of the carotid bodies-a structural relationship which has led to the suggestion that these cells represent the chemically sensitive areas of the aortic region. Until now this suggestion lacked physiological confirmation. The objects of the present experiments were to ascertain the anatomical
Effect of dietary protein quality and fatty acid composition on plasma lipoprotein concentrations and hepatic triglyceride fatty acid synthesis in obese cats undergoing rapid weight loss.

OBJECTIVE To determine effects of dietary lipid and protein on plasma lipoprotein and free fatty acid concentrations and hepatic fatty acid synthesis during weight gain and rapid weight loss in cats. ANIMALS 24 ovariohysterectomized cats. PROCEDURE Cats were fed a high energy diet until they gained 30% of their ideal body weight and then randomly assigned to receive 1 of 4 weight reduction diets (6 cats/diet) at 25% of maintenance energy requirements. Diets contained a low or high quality protein source and a lipid source deficient or sufficient in long chain essential fatty acids. Plasma samples and liver biopsy specimens were obtained before and after weight gain and during and after weight loss for determination of free fatty acid, triglyceride, and lipoprotein concentrations. Synthesis of these substances was measured by use of isotope enrichment. RESULTS Plasma total cholesterol concentration and concentration of lipoprotein fractions increased after weight gain, compared with baseline values. Weight loss resulted in a significant decrease in concentrations of all lipoprotein fractions except high density lipoprotein. High density lipoprotein concentration was significantly greater in cats fed diets containing an oil blend, compared with cats fed diets containing corn oil. Fatty acid synthesis after weight loss was below the detection limit of the measurement technique. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In cats undergoing rapid weight loss there is neither increased triglyceride synthesis nor decreased transport of very low density lipoproteins from the liver, suggesting that their involvement in the development of hepatic lipidosis may be minimal.
Putting energy back in control

Energy is one of the fundamental concepts in science and engineering practice, where it is common to view dynamical systems as energy-transformation devices. This perspective is particularly useful in studying complex nonlinear systems by decomposing them into simpler subsystems that, upon interconnection, add up their energies to determine the full system's behavior. The action of a controller may also be understood in energy terms as another dynamical system. The control problem can then be recast as finding a dynamical system and an interconnection pattern such that the overall energy function takes the desired form. This energy-shaping approach is the essence of passivity-based control (PBC), a controller design technique that is very well known in mechanical systems. Our objectives in the article are threefold. First, to call attention to the fact that PBC does not rely on some particular structural properties of mechanical systems, but hinges on the more fundamental (and universal) property of energy balancing. Second, to identify the physical obstacles that hamper the use of standard PBC in applications other than mechanical systems. In particular, we show that standard PBC is stymied by the presence of unbounded energy dissipation, hence it is applicable only to systems that are stabilizable with passive controllers. Third, to revisit a PBC theory that has been developed to overcome the dissipation obstacle as well as to make the incorporation of process prior knowledge more systematic. These two important features allow us to design energy-based controllers for a wide range of physical systems.
Are there inequities in the utilisation of childhood eye-care services in relation to socio-economic status? Evidence from the ALSPAC cohort

Background: Equity of access to eye care in childhood remains poorly researched, and most studies report data on utilisation without any objective measure of clinical need. Participants/method: 8271 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a longitudinal birth cohort, were seen at age 7, when they underwent a comprehensive eye examination and details of family history of eye conditions, vision problems and contact with eye-care services were obtained. Results: 2931 (35.4%) children had been in contact with an eye-care specialist, and 1452 (17.6%) had received vision screening. Compared with social class I, the prevalence of eye conditions was higher in the lower groups (social class IIIM, IV, V) (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.46). However, children from lower socio-economic status groups were less likely to see an eye-care specialist (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.00) or to use screening services (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.98). Discussion/conclusion: The differences in the trends between socio-economic groups in eye conditions and utilisation of services suggest inequitable access to services. These data highlight the limitations of community-based preschool vision screening, which fails to abolish this inequity. It is important that future research explores the reasons behind these patterns. Compulsory school-entry vision screening, as recommended by the National Screening Committee and the Hall Report may redress this differential uptake of services.
Experimental Study on an Enhanced Performance Solar Water Heater

The paper presents preliminary results of an experimental study on solar water heater with full width and 75% twisted tapes as heat transfer enhancement device. The study shows that the thermal efficiency due the use of the twisted tape increases by 4.5-8%; higher for the 75% twisted tape. Keyword Solar water heater (collector), tube-in-fin, twisted tape, thermal efficiency, performance enhancement
Lipid Profile and Serum Characteristics of the Blind Subterranean Mole Rat, Spalax

Background Spalax (blind subterranean mole rat), is a mammal adapted to live in fluctuating oxygen levels, and can survive severe hypoxia and hypercapnia. The adaptive evolution of Spalax to underground life resulted in structural and molecular-genetic differences comparing to above-ground mammals. These differences include higher myocardial maximal oxygen consumption, increased lung diffusion capacity, increased blood vessels density, and unique expression patterns of cancer and angiogenesis related genes such as heparanase, vascular endothelial growth factor, and P53. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we elucidate the main characteristics of Spalax lipid profile, as well as its main antioxidant and serum parameters. Compared to human, Spalax possesses lower total-cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL) and triglycerides levels, and higher levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL). Apolipoprotein A-I and apolipoprotein B-100 were significantly lower in Spalax compared to human. Paraoxonase (PON) 1 arylesterase activity, was higher in Spalax compared to both human and mouse serum levels. Analysis of serum chemistry of Spalax revealed special features in this mammal. Conclusions/Significance Spalax possesses a unique lipid profile with high HDL and low LDL lipoproteins. The antioxidant serum content in the mole rat is higher than that of human and mouse. Serum C reactive protein (CRP) levels are significantly lower in Spalax compared to that of human or mouse, reflecting low levels of inflammation. These differences between Spalax, human and mouse are due to several factors including the intensive activity life-style that Spalax pursue underground, dietary components, and evolutionary genetic adaptations. Unfolding the genetic basis of these differences will probably result in unique treatments for a variety of human diseases such as dyslipedemias, inflammation and cancer.
Experimental characterisation of WiMAX propagation in different environments

The aim of this work is to continue the cooperation on Fixed WiMAX experimental propagation characterization between Instituto de Telecomunicações — DEM of University of Beira Interior, Portugal, Fondazione Ugo Bordoni and the Department of Electronics and Information Systems of the University of Bologna, both from Italy. The field trials addressed different environments, i.e., suburban and open areas in a hilly terrain for the study of the propagation characteristics of WiMAX systems. The IEEE 802.16–2004 equipment operates at 3.5 GHz with a bandwidth of 3.5 MHz. Different antenna heights are considered. The measurements have been performed in outdoor, indoor and mixed environments, with omnidirectional and 120º sectored antennas. In the outdoor environment, results show an adequacy between the trend-curve for the experimental results with the modified Friis equation with propagation exponent 2.71.
Dental erosion, an extraesophageal manifestation of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The experience of a center for digestive physiology in Southeastern Mexico.

BACKGROUND Dental erosion (DE) is the loss of the hard tissues of the tooth produced by the action of gastric juice, pepsin and acid on the dental enamel, its frequency ranges from 5 to 53.41 %. In Mexico there are no reports on the frequency and possible association. OBJECTIVE To establish the prevalence of dental erosion and its relationship to GERD. PATIENTS AND METHODS Prospective, observational, descriptive and comparative study was conducted in 60 patients diagnosed with GERD and 60 healthy patients at the Institute of Medical and Biological Research of the Universidad Veracruzana in Veracruz city. Anthropometric characteristics, dietary habits, oral hygiene, alcohol consumption, smoking, ED index and Index of decayed/missing dental pieces/sealed and correlation between severity of ED and GERD were analyzed. RESULTS 78.67 % of patients with GERD had ED, 23.33 % corresponded to grade 0, 41.67 % to N1, N2 and 23.33 % to 11.67 % to N3. Predominance of females (2,3:1). The mean age was 50.92 +/- 13.52 years. The severity of dental erosion was significantly related to the severity of reflux, halitosis, CPO index and poor eating habits. There was no statistically significant difference in the other variables analyzed. CONCLUSIONS Dental erosion has a high frequency in patients with GERD and reflux characteristics are directly related to their severity and therefore should be considered as a manifestation of GERD extraesophageal.
Mysteries and Insights of Dirac Theory

The Dirac equation has a hidden geometric structure that is made manifest by reformulating it in terms of a real spacetime algebra. This reveals an essential connection between spin and complex numbers with profound implications for the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Among other things, it suggests that to achieve a complete interpretation of quantum mechanics, spin should be identifled with an intrinsic zitterbewegung.
Changing prevalence and the risk factors for antenatal obstetric hospitalizations in Denmark 2003–2012

Purpose Population-based studies evaluating the use and extent of antenatal obstetric hospitalizations (AOH) are sparse. The objective of the present study was to describe the prevalence, time trend, and risk factors for AOH in Denmark. Materials and methods A retrospective national register-based cohort study was conducted that included all pregnancies with delivery after 22 gestational weeks in Denmark from 2003 to 2012. The outcomes were AOH and the diagnoses leading to these hospitalizations. AOH was defined as an antenatal hospitalization for at least 1 day with at least one obstetric International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnosis and admission date more than 3 days before delivery. Results The study included 617,906 pregnancies; 48,366 (7.8%) pregnancies were associated with 64,072 AOH before delivery. The percentage of pregnancies with AOH decreased from 8.6% to 7.1%. The median length of stay decreased from 3 to 2 days, and admission for at least 7 days was almost halved. Threatened preterm delivery was the most frequent diagnostic category for AOH. A decline was seen in all diagnostic categories except maternal diseases. Significant risk factors for AOH were multiple pregnancies, low or high maternal age and body mass index, nulliparity, lower educational levels, unemployment or being outside the workforce, single partner status, and smoking. The relative risk of very preterm delivery before gestational age of 34 weeks was higher in pregnancies with AOH compared with pregnancies without AOH (relative risk 15.2; 95% confidence interval: 14.6–15.8). Conclusion This study shows a shift toward less use and shorter duration of antenatal hospitalization in Denmark. The most common indication used in pregnancies with AOH was threatened preterm delivery, and more than one-third resulted in very preterm deliveries.
Sympathetic cooling of bosonic and fermionic lithium gases towards quantum degeneracy

Sympathetic cooling of two atomic isotopes is experimentally investigated. Using forced evaporation of a bosonic 7Li gas in a magnetic trap, a sample of 3 10^5 6Li fermions has been sympathetically cooled to 9(3)muK, corresponding to 2.2(0.8) times the Fermi temperature. The measured rate constant for 2-body inelastic collisions of 7Li |2,2> state at low magnetic field is 1.0^{+0.8}_{-0.5} 10^-14 cm^3s^-1.
Cytokeratin‐18 fragment levels as noninvasive biomarkers for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: A multicenter validation study

Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We have recently demonstrated that plasma cytokeratin 18 (CK‐18) fragment levels correlate with the magnitude of hepatocyte apoptosis and independently predict the presence of NASH. The goal of this study was to validate the use of this biomarker for NASH diagnosis. The study was an ancillary study of the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN). Our cohort consisted of 139 patients with biopsy‐proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) from eight CRN participant centers across the United States and 150 age‐matched healthy controls. CK‐18 fragments were measured using a specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Histology was assessed centrally by study pathologists. CK‐18 fragments were markedly increased in patients with NASH versus those without NASH and borderline diagnosis (median [25th, 75th percentile], 335 [196, 511], 194 [151, 270], 200 [148, 284], respectively; P < 0.001). Moreover, the odds of having fibrosis on liver biopsy increased with increasing plasma CK‐18 fragment levels (P < 0.001). On multivariate regression analysis, CK‐18 fragments remained an independent predictor of NASH after adjusting for variables associated with CK‐18 fragments or NASH on univariate analysis (fibrosis, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, age, biopsy length). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for NASH diagnosis was estimated to be 0.83 (0.75, 0.91). Conclusion: Determination of CK‐18 fragments in the blood predicts histological NASH and severity of disease in a large, diverse population of patients with biopsy‐proven NAFLD, supporting the potential usefulness of this test in clinical practice. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Optimization of MEMS intraocular capacitive pressure sensor

MEMS intraocular capacitive pressure sensor is used for monitoring glaucoma disease. The structure of the diaphragm of MEMS capacitive pressure sensor is one of the important factors which could affect the sensor's performance. In this paper, Taguchi and Two-Level Factorial approach are employed to optimize the size of diaphragm thickness, slot width, and slot length. The typical range of intraocular pressure is at 0 - 60 mmHg and applied on 550 × 550 μm four slotted diaphragms. The effects of sensitivity and linearity on these parameters are investigated. From this study, it is found that the optimized parameters are 4. 2μm, 25μm, and 100μm for diaphragm thickness, slot width, and slot length respectively. Simulated results by COMSOL Multiphysics indicate that the optimized parameters produce more sensitivity with high linearity compared to the initial parameters condition.
Tests of General Relativity from Timing the Double Pulsar

The double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039A/B is unique in that both neutron stars are detectable as radio pulsars. They are also known to have much higher mean orbital velocities and accelerations than those of other binary pulsars. The system is therefore a good candidate for testing Einstein's theory of general relativity and alternative theories of gravity in the strong-field regime. We report on precision timing observations taken over the 2.5 years since its discovery and present four independent strong-field tests of general relativity. These tests use the theory-independent mass ratio of the two stars. By measuring relativistic corrections to the Keplerian description of the orbital motion, we find that the “post-Keplerian” parameter s agrees with the value predicted by general relativity within an uncertainty of 0.05%, the most precise test yet obtained. We also show that the transverse velocity of the system's center of mass is extremely small. Combined with the system's location near the Sun, this result suggests that future tests of gravitational theories with the double pulsar will supersede the best current solar system tests. It also implies that the second-born pulsar may not have formed through the core collapse of a helium star, as is usually assumed.
New repair strategy of Hadamard minimum storage regenerating code for distributed storage system

To be considered for the Special Session celebrating Prof. Kumar's birthday. The newly presented (k + 2, k) Hadamard minimum storage regenerating (MSR) code is the first class of high rate storage code with optimal repair properly for all single node failures. In this paper, we propose a new simple repair strategy, which can considerably reduce the computation load of the node repair in contrast to the original one.
Effectiveness of vacuum saturation preconditioning regime for assessing water permeability of high performance concrete

Saturating high performance concrete (HPC) for assessing water permeability is a challenge. This paper reports a testing program established to determine the reliability and efficiency of an in situ preconditioning regime, the vacuum saturation, for the water permeability test. The vacuum saturation regime was examined through changing the parameters used and to justify if the field conditioning regime is able to yield similar results as in the laboratory, the results after vacuum saturation were statistically analysed and compared with that after incremental immersion. Its accuracy was further examined by additional experiments, whereas factors considered include different concrete mixes and different initial moisture conditions. The results suggest that the proposed method can eliminate the influence of moisture for different HPCs under the high initial moisture content. It is not effective, when the initial moisture content is low.
Incident Use of a Potentially Inappropriate Medication and Hip Fracture in Community-Dwelling Older Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) increase the risk of adverse drug reactions and events and have been associated with greater health care service use, such as an increased risk of hospitalization. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between PIM use and hip fractures in a nationwide cohort of community-dwelling persons ≥65 years old with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: The study, which is based on the Finnish nationwide MEDALZ cohort, included all persons diagnosed with AD between 2005 and 2011 (n = 70 718). After a 1-year washout period for PIM use and exclusion of persons with previous hip fracture before AD diagnosis or those who had been hospitalized, we included 47 850 persons ≥65 years old with AD. PIM use was identified using Finnish criteria. Associations between PIM use and hip fracture were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Of the study population, 12.3% (n = 5895) initiated PIMs during the follow-up (maximum follow-up 2921 days and total number of person-years 139 538.7). Of those, 103 (1.7%) persons had hip fractures during the PIM use period. The results suggest that PIM use was only associated with an increased risk of hip fracture with incident PIM use (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.06-1.63; P = 0.014). Conclusions: PIM use is associated with increased risk of hip fracture when a person uses PIMs for the first time. However, the association between PIM use and hip fracture should be investigated more comprehensively in future studies.