Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Clustering of Porcine Cysticercosis in Mbulu District, Northern Tanzania

Background Porcine cysticercosis is caused by a zoonotic tapeworm, Taenia solium, which causes serious disease syndromes in human. Effective control of the parasite requires knowledge on the burden and pattern of the infections in order to properly direct limited resources. The objective of this study was to establish the spatial distribution of porcine cysticercosis in Mbulu district, northern Tanzania, to guide control strategies. Methodology/Principal Findings This study is a secondary analysis of data collected during the baseline and follow-up periods of a randomized community trial aiming at reducing the incidence rate of porcine cysticercosis through an educational program. At baseline, 784 randomly selected pig-keeping households located in 42 villages in 14 wards were included. Lingual examination of indigenous pigs aged 2–12 (median 8) months, one randomly selected from each household, were conducted. Data from the control group of the randomized trial that included 21 of the 42 villages were used for the incidence study. A total of 295 pig-keeping households were provided with sentinel pigs (one each) and reassessed for cysticercosis incidence once or twice for 2–9 (median 4) months using lingual examination and antigen ELISA. Prevalence of porcine cysticercosis was computed in Epi Info 3.5. The prevalence and incidence of porcine cysticercosis were mapped at household level using ArcView 3.2. K functions were computed in R software to assess general clustering of porcine cysticercosis. Spatial scan statistics were computed in SatScan to identify local clusters of the infection. The overall prevalence of porcine cysticercosis was 7.3% (95% CI: 5.6, 9.4; n = 784). The K functions revealed a significant overall clustering of porcine cysticercosis incidence for all distances between 600 m and 5 km from a randomly chosen case household based on Ag-ELISA. Lingual examination revealed clustering from 650 m to 6 km and between 7.5 and 10 km. The prevalence study did not reveal any significant clustering by this method. Spatial scan statistics found one significant cluster of porcine cysticercosis prevalence (P = 0.0036; n = 370). In addition, the analysis found one large cluster of porcine cysticercosis incidence based on Ag-ELISA (P = 0.0010; n = 236) and two relatively small clusters of incidence based on lingual examination (P = 0.0012 and P = 0.0026; n = 241). These clusters had similar spatial location and included six wards, four of which were identified as high risk areas of porcine cysticercosis. Conclusion/Significance This study has identified local clusters of porcine cysticercosis in Mbulu district, northern Tanzania, where limited resources for control of T. solium could be directed. Further studies are needed to establish causes of clustering to institute appropriate interventions.
Persistence and variability of ice-stream grounding lines on retrograde bed slopes

Abstract. In many ice streams, basal resistance varies in space and time due to the dynamically evolving properties of subglacial till. These variations can cause internally generated oscillations in ice-stream flow. However, the potential for such variations in basal properties is not considered by conventional theories of grounding-line stability on retrograde bed slopes, which assume that bed properties are static in time. Using a flow-line model, we show how internally generated, transient variations in ice-stream state interact with retrograde bed slopes. In contrast to predictions from the theory of the marine ice-sheet instability, our simulated grounding line is able to persist and reverse direction of migration on a retrograde bed when undergoing oscillations in the grounding-line position. In turn, the presence of a retrograde bed may also suppress or reduce the amplitude of internal oscillations in ice-stream state. We explore the physical mechanisms responsible for these behaviors and discuss the implications for observed grounding-line migration in West Antarctica.
Enactment versus Observation: Item-Specific and Relational Processing in Goal-Directed Action Sequences (and Lists of Single Actions)

What are the memory-related consequences of learning actions (such as “apply the patch”) by enactment during study, as compared to action observation? Theories converge in postulating that enactment encoding increases item-specific processing, but not the processing of relational information. Typically, in the laboratory enactment encoding is studied for lists of unrelated single actions in which one action execution has no overarching purpose or relation with other actions. In contrast, real-life actions are usually carried out with the intention to achieve such a purpose. When actions are embedded in action sequences, relational information provides efficient retrieval cues. We contrasted memory for single actions with memory for action sequences in three experiments. We found more reliance on relational processing for action-sequences than single actions. To what degree can this relational information be used after enactment versus after the observation of an actor? We found indicators of superior relational processing after observation than enactment in ordered pair recall (Experiment 1A) and in emerging subjective organization of repeated recall protocols (recall runs 2–3, Experiment 2). An indicator of superior item-specific processing after enactment compared to observation was recognition (Experiment 1B, Experiment 2). Similar net recall suggests that observation can be as good a learning strategy as enactment. We discuss possible reasons why these findings only partly converge with previous research and theorizing.
Guidelines for developing a k-strategy

As companies start to engage with the knowledge economy, they have to shift their mindsets to understanding knowledge management more holistically and, more importantly, understand the role of knowledge management as it pertains to sustainable competitive advantage. It requires companies to think of age‐old concepts in new ways, and necessarily requires deep insight into the enablers of business success within the company, and then creative insight is required to reveal the new possibilities. This paper, drawing on resource‐based theory, provides some guidelines for companies to develop business strategies, critically dependent on knowledge management initiatives. A chain of sustainability is introduced and three insightful concepts are highlighted (complementary resource combinations, strategic architecture and pool of resources); however, they do not tell companies specifically what to do, but robustly explain what the requirements of a knowledge strategy are, if they want to attain, and sustain, competitive advantage.
Variations in adult body mass in roe deer: the effects of population density at birth and of habitat quality

Body mass is a key determinant of fitness components in many organisms, and adult mass varies considerably among individuals within populations. These variations have several causes, involve temporal and spatial factors, and are not yet well understood. We use long‐term data from 20 roe deer cohorts (1977‐96) in a 2600 ha study area (Chizé, western France) with two habitats contrasting in quality (rich oak forest in the North versus poor beech forest in the South) to analyse the effects of both cohort and habitat quality on adult mass (i.e. median body mass between 4 and 10 years of age) of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Cohort strongly influenced the adult body mass of roe deer in both sexes: males born in 1994 were 5.2 kg heavier when aged between 4 and 10 years old than males born in 1986, while females born in 1995 were 4.7 kg heavier between 4 and 10 years old than females born in 1982. For a given cohort, adult males were, on average, 0.9 kg heavier in the rich oak forest than in the poor beech forest. A similar trend occurred for adult females (0.5 kg heavier in the oak forest). The effects of cohort and habitat were additive and accounted for ca. 40% of the variation observed in the adult mass of roe deer at Chizé (males: 41.2%; females: 40.2%). Population density during the spring of the birth accounted for about 35% of cohort variation, whereas rainfall in May‐June had no effect. Such delayed effects of density at birth on adult body mass probably affect population dynamics, and might constitute a mechanism by which delayed density‐dependence occurs in ungulate populations.
Nanocrystalline ceria imparts better high–temperature protection

Nanomaterials have attracted considerable interest with numerous technological developments in the last decade. Nanomaterials exhibit different physicochemical properties compared with their bulk counterparts because the diameters of the nanoparticles are less than the Bohr exciton radius. Cerium oxide based materials have been extensively studied for various technological applications. In the present study, the application of nanocrystalline cerium oxide for improvement of high–temperature–oxidation resistance of stainless steel has been studied. The role of coating of nanocrystalline cerium oxide towards improvement of high–temperature–oxidation resistance has been investigated and compared with that of the micrometre–sized cerium oxide particles. It was observed that nanocrystalline ceria improved high–temperature–oxidation resistance of AISI 304 stainless steel to a large extent compared with the micrometre–sized ceria coating. Nanocrystalline ceria coating decreased the isothermal parabolic rate constant of oxidation by more than two orders of magnitude compared with that of the bare alloy. The resistance to oxide scale spallation was also found to improve with the coating of cerium oxide nanoparticles. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) study of nanocrystalline ceria–coated and oxidized specimens revealed the presence of nanoceria at the outermost oxide surface, indicating a change in the oxide scale growth mechanism from outward cation diffusion to inward oxygen diffusion in the bare alloy at high temperature in dry air. The oxide scale morphology was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) while a focused ion beam (FIB) technique was used to study the oxide–alloy interface. X–ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of nanocrystalline ceria showed the presence of Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states. It is proposed that the presence of the Ce3+ oxidation state in nanocrystalline ceria improves the oxidation resistance of stainless steel, and the related mechanisms are discussed.
Relationship of Aortic Wall and Baroreceptor Properties during Development in Normotensive and SpontaneouslyHypertensive Rats

We studied the relationship between aortic baroreceptor function and aortic wall properties in normotensive (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats 10-20 weeks old. Baroreceptor discharge, static pressure-volume (P-V), and pressure-radius relationships were measured in excised aortic segments. Histological studies of wall thickness and receptor numbers also were made. Circumferential wall stress and strain were calculated, as was the incremental elastic modulus (EINC). EINC in NTR's at 100 mm Hg was similar to values reported for in vivo human, dog, and rat aortas. At 10 weeks, SHR's had significantly elevated blood pressure, but SHR and NTR aortas had similar relationships among pressures, volumes, strains, and EINC'S. Differences arose subsequently and, at 20 weeks, NTR aortas had larger volumes, larger strains, and smaller EINC'S at equivalent pressures, whereas SHR aortas were unchanged. Thus the reduced distensibility of SHR relative to NTR aortas, rather than being due to retrogressive changes from normal, appeared to result from a failure to pass through a phase of increased distensibility. At 10 weeks, SHR baroreceptors showed resetting in both pressure-response and strain-response curves, and it was concluded that early hypertensive baroreceptor resetting was due to primary changes in the receptors. At 20 weeks, the order of the strain-response curves for NTR and SHR baroreceptors was reversed due to a reduction in strain sensitivity of NTR baroreceptors. Resetting of NTR baroreceptors during development may have important implications as a mechanism of blood pressure control in development.
Selection on the Drosophila seminal fluid protein Acp62F

Sperm competition and sexual conflict are thought to underlie the rapid evolution of reproductive proteins in many taxa. While comparative data are generally consistent with these hypotheses, few manipulative tests have been conducted and those that have provided contradictory results in some cases. Here, we use both comparative and experimental techniques to investigate the evolution of the Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid protein Acp62F, a protease inhibitor for which extensive functional tests have yielded ambiguous results. Using between-species sequence comparisons, we show that Acp62F has been subject to recurrent positive selection. In addition, we experimentally evolved populations polymorphic for an Acp62F null allele over eight generations, manipulating the opportunities for natural and sexual selection. We found that the Acp62F null allele increased in frequency in the presence of natural selection, with no effect of sexual selection.
Interaction of Two Phagocytic Host Defense Systems

Phagocytosis of foreign pathogens by cells of the immune system is a vitally important function of innate immunity. The phagocytic response is initiated when ligands on the surface of invading microorganisms come in contact with receptors on the surface of phagocytic cells such as neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and dendritic cells. The complement receptor CR3 (CD11b/CD18, Mac-1) mediates the phagocytosis of complement protein (C3bi)-coated particles. Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) bind IgG-opsonized particles and provide a mechanism for immune clearance and phagocytosis of IgG-coated particles. We have observed that stimulation of FcγRs modulates CR3-mediated phagocytosis and that FcγRIIA and FcγRI exert opposite (stimulatory and inhibitory) effects. We have also determined that an intact FcγR immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif is required for these effects, and we have investigated the involvement of downstream effectors. The ability to up-regulate or down-regulate CR3 signaling has important implications for therapeutics in disorders involving the host defense system.
Knowledge gaps and research priorities in Staphylococcus aureus mastitis control

This study assessed knowledge gaps and suggested research priorities in the field of Staphylococcus aureus mastitis. Staphylococcus aureus infecting the mammary gland remains a major problem to the dairy industry worldwide because of its pathogenicity, contagiousness, persistence in the cow environment, colonization of skin or mucosal epithelia, and the poor curing efficacy of treatments. Staphylococcus aureus also constitutes a threat to public health due to food safety and antibiotic usage issues and the potential for bidirectional transmission of strains between humans and dairy animals (cows and small ruminants). Gaps have been identified in (i) understanding the molecular basis for pathogenesis of S. aureus mastitis, (ii) identifying staphylococcal antigens inducing protection and (iii) determining the cell-mediated immune responses to infection and vaccination. The recommended priorities for research are (i) improved diagnostic methods for early detection of infection and intervention through treatment or management, (ii) development of experimental models to investigate the strategies used by S. aureus to survive within the mammary gland and resist treatment with anti-microbials, (iii) investigation of the basis for cow-to-cow variation in response to S. aureus mastitis, (iv) identification of the immune responses (adaptive and innate) induced by infection or vaccination and (v) antibacterial discovery programmes to develop new, more effective, narrow spectrum antibacterial agents for the treatment of S. aureus mastitis. With the availability and ongoing improvement of molecular research tools, these objectives may not be out of reach in the future.
Cosmological Simulations with TreeSPH

We describe numerical methods for incorporating gas dynamics into cosmological simulations and present illustrative applications to the cold dark matter (CDM) scenario. Our evolution code, a version of TreeSPH (Hernquist \& Katz 1989) generalized to handle comoving coordinates and periodic boundary conditions, combines smoothed--particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with the hierarchical tree method for computing gravitational forces. The Lagrangian hydrodynamics approach and individual time steps for gas particles give the algorithm a large dynamic range, which is essential for studies of galaxy formation in a cosmological context. The code incorporates radiative cooling for an optically thin, primordial composition gas in ionization equilibrium with a user-specified ultraviolet background. We adopt a phenomenological prescription for star formation that gradually turns cold, dense, Jeans-unstable gas into collisionless stars, returning supernova feedback energy to the surrounding medium. In CDM simulations, some of the baryons that fall into dark matter potential wells dissipate their acquired thermal energy and condense into clumps with roughly galactic masses. The resulting galaxy population is insensitive to assumptions about star formation; we obtain similar baryonic mass functions and galaxy correlation functions from simulations with star formation and from simulations without star formation in which we identify galaxies directly from the cold, dense gas.
Effects of statins on renal sodium and water handling: acute and short-term effects of atorvastatin on renal haemodynamics, tubular function, vasoactive hormones, blood pressure and pulse rate in healthy, normocholesterolemic humans.

BACKGROUND Statins have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality due to a reduction in plasma cholesterol. However, statins seem to have effects beyond the lowering of plasma cholesterol. We hypothesize that these effects are caused by an effect on renal function. METHODS We measured the effects of atorvastatin (AS) on renal function in two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded and crossover studies in healthy man. In an acute trial (Study 1), 19 subjects received either 80 mg AS as a single dose or placebo. In a short-term trial (Study 2), 20 subjects received either 80 mg AS or placebo daily for 4 weeks. In both studies glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), plasma concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II), renin (PRC), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), aldosterone (Aldo), vasopressin (AVP) and blood pressure (BP) were determined. RESULTS In Study 1 AS decreased fractional excretion of sodium (FE(Na)) significantly (P = 0.035), but very modestly, and reduced diastolic BP (P = 0.024). Apart from this, we found no significant differences in GFR, RPF, tubular function and vasoactive hormones in either Study 1 or 2. CONCLUSIONS An acute dose of AS decreased FE(Na) and DBP in healthy humans. The reduction in fractional urinary sodium excretion was very modest and transitory, and most likely secondary to the fall in diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However, renal haemodynamics, tubular function, vasoactive hormones and blood pressure were unchanged during short-term statin treatment in healthy man.
Title : Evaluation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae diagnostic tests using samples from naturally and experimentally infected pigs – NPB # 08-095

The objective of this study was to compare the performance of different diagnostic tests for the detection of pigs subclinically infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. To address this question, we infected pigs with APP serotypes 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, and 15 and collected weekly tonsil swabs for isolation and PCR and serum samples for serological testing. Our results showed that the Multi-APP ELISA test tended to detect infection one week earlier than the serotype-specific ELISA tests. The Multi-APP ELISA was also more consistent in identifying positives throughout the experiment. This is the first study to compare different diagnostic tests for the detection of subclinical infected pigs with APP serotypes clinically relevant to the U.S. swine industry. We recommend the use of the Multi-APP ELISA test for serological screening followed by testing of positive serum samples with the serotype-specific ELISA test offered by BIOVET.
Recognition and Management of Pediatric Food Allergy in the Emergency Department

Abstract Recently, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases sought to establish consistency in definitions, diagnostic criteria, and management practices concerning food allergies (FAs). This review aimed to summarize and highlight the relevant findings of these guidelines for the emergency department provider, as pediatric patients often present to the emergency department with FAs or other disorders mimicking FAs.
Multisession Radiosurgery for Optic Nerve Sheath Meningiomas—An Effective Option: Preliminary Results of a Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND Traditional treatment options for optic nerve sheath meningiomas (ONSMs) include observation, surgery, and radiotherapy, but to date none of these has become the clear treatment of choice. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of multisession radiosurgery for ONSMs. METHODS From May 2004 to June 2008, 21 patients with ONSMs were treated by radiosurgery using the frameless CyberKnife system. Patient age ranged from 36 to 73 years (mean, 54 years). All patients were treated using multisession radiosurgery, with 5 fractions of 5 Gy each to a total dose of 25 Gy prescribed to the 75% to 85% isodose line. Patients were evaluated for tumor growth control and visual function. RESULTS The median pretreatment tumor volume was 2.8 mL (range, 0.3-23 mL). The mean follow-up was 30 months (range, 11-68 months). All patients tolerated treatment well, with only 1 patient in whom a mild optic neuropathy developed (which remitted after systemic steroid therapy). No other acute or late radiation-induced toxicities were observed. No patients showed ONSM progression on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging. Two patients (10%) had a partial response. No patients had worsening of visual function; visual function was stable in 65% and improved in 35% of patients. CONCLUSION Multisession radiosurgery for ONSMs was found to be safe and effective. The preliminary results from this study, in terms of growth control, visual function improvement, and toxicity, are quite promising. Further investigations are warranted. ABBREVIATIONS fSRT: fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy mSRS: multisession radiosurgery ONSM: optic nerve sheath meningioma