Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-Step PCR-Based Assay for Identification of Bacterial Etiology of Otitis Media with Effusion in Infected Lebanese Children

ABSTRACT We developed and evaluated a two-step PCR-based assay with universal primers and genus- or species-specific primers for the detection of the most prevalent bacterial etiologies of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children from Lebanese hospitals. These etiologies included Haemophilus, Streptococcus, and Moraxella (Branhamella)catarrhalis, which were detected in middle-ear effusion (MEE) samples taken from children with OME. A total of 47 MEE samples were aspirated from 36 patients during insertion of a tympanostomy tube performed particularly for OME. The duration of effusion in all patients was ≥2 months. DNA was extracted from MEE samples, and PCR was initially done with DNA extracts by using the universal primers RW01 and DG74, which flank an ∼370-bp fragment found in the 16S rRNA gene of all bacterial species. For the identification of specific bacteria, we used in three separate reaction mixtures the following genus- or species-specific primers: (i) aHaemophilus-specific probe (probe RDR125) as a primer along with DG74, (ii) a Streptococcus-specific primer (primer STR1; designed by us) along with DG74, and (iii) an M. catarrhalis-specific primer pair (primer pair MCA1-MCA2). Thirty-five MEE samples (74.5%) gave the expected 370-bp band, indicating the presence of bacterial DNA in the tested samples. Of the 35 PCR-positive samples tested, 33 (94.3%) were positive forHaemophilus, 3 (8.6%) were positive forStreptococcus, and 10 (28.6%) were positive for M. catarrhalis. Ten samples (28.6%) exhibited a mixed infection and were positive for both Haemophilus and M. catarrhalis. Culture was simultaneously performed for all 47 MEE samples. Ten of the 47 MEE samples (21.3%) exhibited bacterial growth. These 10 were PCR positive for bacterial DNA. The remaining 25 PCR-positive samples were negative by culture, thus showing about 53% discordance between PCR results and those of culture. The PCR assay proved to be more sensitive than culture, more rapid, less cumbersome, and more cost-effective than the available PCR-Southern hybridization-based assays.
Ketamine-Xylazine-Induced Slow (< 1.5 Hz) Oscillations in the Rat Piriform (Olfactory) Cortex Are Functionally Correlated with Respiration

The occurrence of low frequency (<1.5 Hz) cerebral cortical oscillations during slow-wave sleep has recently lead to the suggestion that this pattern of activity is specifically associated with conditions in which the brain is mostly closed to external inputs and running on its own. In the current experiments, we used a combination of in vivo intracellular and extracellular field potential recordings obtained under conditions of ketamine-xylazine anesthesia to examine slow-wave behavior in the olfactory system. We demonstrate the occurrence of low-frequency oscillations in field potentials of both the olfactory bulb and cortex and in the membrane potentials of cortical pyramidal cells. By monitoring ongoing breathing, we also show that these oscillations are all correlated with the natural breathing cycle. Using a tracheotomized preparation, we demonstrate that slow oscillatory patterns could occasionally be produced even when air is no longer entering the nose, supporting the view that the olfactory system has an intrinsic propensity to oscillate. However, in the case of tracheotomized rats, the amplitude and regularity of the oscillations as well as their patterns of correlation are disrupted. All temporal relationships were restored when air was pulsed into the nostrils. We conclude that, in the olfactory system of freely breathing rats, there is a strong relationship between the occurrence and timing of slow oscillations and the ongoing periodic sensory input resulting from respiration. This coupling between olfactory cortex slow oscillations and respiration may result from the interaction between respiratory-related rhythmic input and the tendency for olfactory structures to oscillate intrinsically. We believe this finding has important functional as well as evolutionary implications.
A Role of Robotic Surgery in Colorectal Cancer Therapy-Past , Present and Future

The evolution of minimally invasive laparoscopic technology in the field of surgery has revolutionized how surgeons pursue surgical treatment options in colorectal cancer. With several major randomized controlled trials to date, laparoscopic colectomies have shown to be equal, if not superior, to open colectomies in regards to oncologic outcome and complications. The introduction of robotic technology in 2000 with the da Vinci S Surgical System, da Vinci Si in 2009 and its latest alteration da Vinci Xi (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) in 2014 have expanded minimally invasive surgical options. Robotic surgery is a natural evolution of minimally invasive surgery. This paper reviews the contribution and impact of robotic surgery and reflects on future considerations of robotics in colorectal cancer therapy.
Clinical characteristics and effects of GH replacement therapy in adults with childhood-onset craniopharyngioma compared with those in adults with other causes of childhood-onset hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE Adults with childhood-onset (CO) craniopharyngioma (COCP) have poor quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcomes, but few studies have compared these patients with adults with other causes of CO hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction. In this study, we compared baseline clinical characteristics and patient-reported outcomes before starting GH replacement therapy in adults with GH deficiency (GHD) due to COCP with those of adults either with CO idiopathic/congenital hypopituitarism (COH) or with CO extrasellar (COE) tumours, and evaluated the 1- and 5-year effects of GH replacement therapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of the data recorded in KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database) was carried out. Patients with COCP, COH and COE tumours were evaluated at baseline, and after 1 and 5 years of therapy. RESULTS Compared with COH and COE patients, more COCP patients underwent surgery, had greater abnormalities of body composition and higher prevalence of pituitary hormone deficits (all P<0.001), but comparable fasting glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels, marital status, parenthood, living arrangements, education, employment and annual sick-leave days. After 1 and 5 years of GH replacement therapy, similar changes were evident with regard to body composition, fasting glucose and HbA1c levels, QoL, and the level of and satisfaction with physical activity across the three groups. CONCLUSIONS Adults with untreated COCP with GHD at baseline demonstrated more co-morbidities including greater abnormalities of body composition, pituitary hormone deficits and visual field defects. Overall, adults with COCP, COH and COE tumours responded comparably to short- and long-term GH replacement therapy, suggesting that patients with GHD due to COCP benefited from GH replacement therapy to a similar degree as those with other causes of CO hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction did.
One-year mortality in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas as an indicator of delay in presentation.

INTRODUCTION For many cancers, one-year mortality following diagnosis is a reflection of either advanced stage at diagnosis, multiple co-morbidities and/or complications of treatment. One-year mortality has not been reported for soft tissue or bone sarcomas. This study reports 1-year sarcoma mortality data over a 25-year period, investigates prognostic factors and considers whether a delay in presentation affects 1-year mortality. METHODS A total of 4,945 newly diagnosed bone sarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma patients were identified from a prospectively maintained, single institution oncology database. Of these, 595 (12%) died within 1 year of diagnosis. Both patient factors and tumour characteristics available at diagnosis were analysed for effect. RESULTS There was significant variation in one-year mortality between different histological subtypes. There has been no significant change in mortality rate during the last 25 years (mean: 11.7%, standard deviation: 2.8 percentage points). Soft tissue sarcoma patients who survived over one year reported a longer duration of symptoms preceding diagnosis than those who died (median: 26 vs 20 weeks, p<0.001). Prognostic factors identified in both bone and soft tissue sarcomas mirrored those for mid to long-term survival, with high tumour stage, large tumour size, metastases at diagnosis and increasing age having the greatest predictive effect. CONCLUSIONS One-year mortality in bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients is easy to measure, and could be a proxy for late presentation and therefore a potential performance indicator, similar to other cancers. It is possible to predict the risk of one-year mortality using factors available at diagnosis. Death within one year does not correlate with a long history but is associated with advanced disease at diagnosis.
Cinnamon Extract Enhances Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and C2C12 Myocytes by Inducing LKB1-AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling

We previously demonstrated that cinnamon extract (CE) ameliorates type 1 diabetes induced by streptozotocin in rats through the up-regulation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation in both muscle and adipose tissues. This present study was aimed at clarifying the detailed mechanism(s) with which CE increases the glucose uptake in vivo and in cell culture systems using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes in vitro. Specific inhibitors of key enzymes in insulin signaling and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways, as well as small interference RNA, were used to examine the role of these kinases in the CE-induced glucose uptake. The results showed that CE stimulated the phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. An AMPK inhibitor and LKB1 siRNA blocked the CE-induced glucose uptake. We also found for the first time that insulin suppressed AMPK activation in the adipocyte. To investigate the effect of CE on type 2 diabetes in vivo, we further performed oral glucose tolerance tests and insulin tolerance tests in type 2 diabetes model rats administered with CE. The CE improved glucose tolerance in oral glucose tolerance tests, but not insulin sensitivity in insulin tolerance test. In summary, these results indicate that CE ameliorates type 2 diabetes by inducing GLUT4 translocation via the AMPK signaling pathway. We also found insulin antagonistically regulates the activation of AMPK.
The Anticommutator Spin Algebra, its Representations and Quantum Group Invariance

We define a 3-generator algebra obtained by replacing the commutators with anticommutators in the defining relations of the angular momentum algebra. We show that integer spin representations are in one to one correspondence with those of the angular momentum algebra. The half-integer spin representations, on the other hand, split into two representations of dimension $j+\frac{1}{2}$. The anticommutator spin algebra is invariant under the action of the quantum group SOq(3) with q=-1.
Effect of trans-fat free shortening and temperature on the rheological characteristics of pie crust dough and quality of pie crust

This research purpose was to evaluate the effect of Trans -fat free shortening and temperature on the rheological characteristics of pie crust dough and quality of pie crust. Lubricated squeezing flow techniques were used to evaluate the rheological characteristics of pie crust dough prepared from Trans-fat free shortening and commercial shortening. The relationship between biaxial extensional viscosity and biaxial extensional strain rate of both shortenings can be described by a power-law model with a biaxial consistency coefficient (KB) of 14.63 3.07 and 8.13 2.07 kPa.s as well as a flow behavior index (n) of 0.31 0.09 and 0.32 0.07, respectively. The pie crust dough from each shortening prepared at 5 temperature levels (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25°C) showed all extensional thinning behaviors. The biaxial consistency coefficient of pie crust dough from commercial shortening at every temperature level showed significantly higher than the one from Trans-fat free shortening. However the flow behavior index of pie crust dough from commercial shortening prepared at 25°C (0.34 0.10) was not significantly different from Trans -fat free shortening prepared at 10 and 15oC. The hardness and fracturability of pie crust was then evaluated by Texture Analyzer and found that the hardness of pie crust from commercial shortening was greater than from Trans -fat free shortening for each temperature from 5-25°C. Nevertheless the fracturability of pie crust with commercial shortening at 5-25 °C was not significantly different from the pie crust with Trans -fat free shortening at 10, 15 and 20 °C.
Overexpression of Cotton RAV1 Gene in Arabidopsis Confers Transgenic Plants High Salinity and Drought Sensitivity

RAV (related to ABI3/VP1) protein containing an AP2 domain in the N-terminal region and a B3 domain in the C-terminal region, which belongs to AP2 transcription factor family, is unique in higher plants. In this study, a gene (GhRAV1) encoding a RAV protein of 357 amino acids was identified in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Transient expression analysis of the eGFP:GhRAV1 fusion genes in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) epidermal cells revealed that GhRAV1 protein was localized in the cell nucleus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that expression of GhRAV1 in cotton is induced by abscisic acid (ABA), NaCl and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Overexpression of GhRAV1 in Arabidopsis resulted in plant sensitive to ABA, NaCl and PEG. With abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, seed germination and green seedling rates of the GhRAV1 transgenic plants were remarkably lower than those of wild type. In the presence of NaCl, the seed germination and seedling growth of the GhRAV1 transgenic lines were inhibited greater than those of wild type. And chlorophyll content and maximum photochemical efficiency of the transgenic plants were significantly lower than those of wild type. Under drought stress, the GhRAV1 transgenic plants displayed more severe wilting than wild type. Furthermore, expressions of the stress-related genes were altered in the GhRAV1 transgenic Arabidopsis plants under high salinity and drought stresses. Collectively, our data suggested that GhRAV1 may be involved in response to high salinity and drought stresses through regulating expressions of the stress-related genes during cotton development.
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among Iranian HIV/AIDS patients.

PURPOSE Treatment adherence of 95% or higher is recommended for appropriate therapeutic response and improving the function of immune system in HIV positive patients. To the best of our knowledge, there was report of adherence to HAART regimen from Iran. In the present study, we have reported the HAART adherence rate of Iranian HIV positive patients. METHOD In a twelve-month period, all patients older than 18 years old who referred to HIV clinic were on HAART regimen enrolled in the study. Beside demographic and clinical characteristics of Iranian HIV positive patients, Adherence to HAART was assessed by self-report and pill count methods at during the three consecutive months of the patients' visits. RESULTS The mean of patients' adherence to HAART regimen based on the self-report method was 69.4%, 64.6% and 62.8% in the first, second and third month of follow up, respectively. The mean of adherence rates in three months followup assessed by self-report (65.5%) and pill count (60.4%) methods were correlated significantly (r=0.93 and p < 0.001). Living with family members, changing the HAART regimen and stage of disease had a significant relationship with adherence rates. CONCLUSION Although the adherence level of Iranian HIV infected patients is acceptable compared to other countries, the available antiretroviral medications are limited in our country, therefore, encouraging patients to have higher levels of adherence is more important.
The impact of categorical and thematic relations on associative recognition memory

Human memory enables us to store and access general world knowledge, such as concepts, facts and interrelations, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, specific information about previously experienced life events. These two types of remembered information are potentially associated with distinct but closely interacting mnemonic systems, termed semantic and episodic memory (Tulving, 1985, 1993). A body of research (Bousfield, 1953; Bower & Winzenz, 1970; Gardiner, 1988; Naveh-Benjamin, Hussain, Guez, & Bar-On, 2003; Greve, Rossum, & Donaldson, 2007) addressing the question of how making use of semantic information might impact episodic recognition memory for previously encountered items and relations delivered compelling support for the beneficial effect of semantic memory access on subsequent episodic recognition. Of crucial importance is still the question which episodic recognition processes might be especially sensitive to semantic memory access. Episodic recognition memory is thought to be supported by two qualitatively different processes: a fast and relatively automatic familiarity enabling recognition of an item on the basis of the strength of the elicited mnemonic signal, and recollection, a slow threshold process leading to the retrieval of detailed information about the study episode (Mandler, 1980; Jacoby, 1991; Aggleton & Brown, 2006; Yonelinas, 2002; Eichenbaum, Yonelinas, & Ranganath, 2007). Recollection is known to be a primary process supporting associative recognition memory, i.e. recognition memory for relational information. Recent research, however, indicates that familiarity might also make a substantial contribution when to-be-learned items are integrated into a coherent structure by means of an existing semantic relation (Greve et al., 2007; Opitz & Cornell, 2006). The main goal of the present thesis was to explore how specific kinds of pre-existing semantic relations within to-be-remembered word pairs (categorical vs. thematic relations) might modulate the engagement of familiarity and recollection in associative recognition tasks as indexed by behavioral (Experiment 1 and 2) and electrophysiological (Experiment 1) measures. The findings support the conclusion that long-standing semantic relations act upon both familiarity and recollection. The pattern of modulation appears to depend on the type of the semantic relatedness with thematic relations giving more room for familiarity-based associative recognition and categorical relations relying upon both familiarity and recollection. The second direction of the project followed the cross-cultural research suggesting potential differences in reliance on relational information between Asians and Westerners in categorization and memory tasks (Unsworth & Pexman, 2005; Gutchess et al., 2006). This research proposed that
ANALISIS KARAKTERISTIK GAYA BELAJAR VAK(VISUAL, AUDITORIAL, KINESTETIK)MAHASISWA PENDIDIKAN INFORMATIKA ANGKATAN 2014

Salah satu karakteristik belajar yang berkaitan dengan menyerap, mengolah, dan menyampaikan informasi tersebut adalah gaya belajar peserta didik. Gaya belajar merupakan modalitas belajar yang sangat penting. Informasi terkait karakteristik gaya belajar mahasiswa yang akan diajari, sangat penting bagi dosen untuk meningkatkan kualitas pembelajarannya.Mahasiswa juga akan lebih mudah memotivasi dirinya dalam pembelajaran. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian non-eksperimen, yaitu tergolong pada penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Subjek penelitian ini adalah seluruh mahasiswa program studi pendidikan informatika yang berasal dari angkatan 2014. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berupa angket/kuesioner yang akan diisi oleh subjek penelitian. Angket gaya belajar ini diisi oleh sebanyak 115 subjek penelitian yang berasal dari mahasiswa Pendidikan Informatika Angkatan 2014. Hasil analisis gaya belajar terhadap Mahasiswa Kelas A didominasi oleh gaya belajar Visual (53%), Kelas B didominasi gaya belajar Auditorial (35%), dan Kelas C didominasi gaya belajar didominasi Visual (29%). Secara keseluruhan, kecenderungan gaya belajar Mahasiswa Angkatan 2014 Prodi Pendidikan Informatika didominasi oleh tipe gaya belajar Visual sebesar 33%. Contoh karakteristik pembelajaran yang cocok untuk mahasiswa visual adalah memotivasi mahasiswa untuk menggambarkan informasi, dengan membuat diagram, simbol dan gambar berwarna dalam catatan mahasiswa Visual.
Using the T-scan III system to analyze occlusal function in mandibular reconstruction patients: A pilot study

Background: This study was designed to analyze the post-rehabilitation occlusal function of subjects treated with complex mandibular resection and subsequently rehabilitated with fibula osteoseptocutaneous flaps, dental implants, and fixed prostheses utilizing the T-scan system. Methods: Ten mandibular complex resection cases that adopted fibula osteoseptocutaneous flaps, dental implants, and fixed prostheses to reconstruct occlusal function were analyzed. The mandibular reconstructions were divided into three groups based on size: full mandibular reconstructions, mandibular reconstructions larger than half of the arch, and mandibular reconstructions smaller than half of the arch. The T-scan III system was used to measure maximum occlusal force, occlusal time, anterior-posterior as well as left-right occlusal force asymmetries, and anterior-posterior as well as left-right asymmetrical locations of occlusal centers. Results: Subjects with larger mandibular reconstructions and dental implants with fixed partial dentures demonstrated decreased average occlusal force; however, the difference did not reach the statistically significant level (p > 0.05). The most significant asymmetry of occlusal center location occurred among subjects with mandibular reconstructed areas larger than half of the mandibular arch. Conclusions: Comparison of the parameters of T-scan system used to analyze the occlusal function showed that the occlusal force was not an objective reference. Measurements of the location of the occlusal center appeared more repeatable, and were less affected by additional factors. The research results of this study showed that the size of a reconstruction did not affect the occlusal force after reconstruction and larger reconstructed areas did not decrease the average occlusal force. The most significant parameter was left and right asymmetry of the occlusion center (LROC) and was measured in subjects with reconstruction areas larger than half of the arch.
A corpus-based approach to contemporary Irish writing: Ross O’Carroll-Kelly’s use of «like» as a discourse marker

This paper analyses in quantitative and qualitative terms the representation of the discourse marker like in contemporary Irish English writing. A common feature of contemporary spoken English, the discourse marker like seems to have made its way into the English spoken in Ireland, as portrayed by contemporary Irish authors such as Paul Howard. Howard, whose narrative can be taken as an example of oral writing, has been acclaimed by critics as having an exceptionally fine ear for Dublin English, but what is this acclamation based on? The paper argues that the findings of corpus stylistics (comparative frequencies, distributions, etc.) document in a more systematic way what literary critics and readers may intuitively deduce. By analysing the syntactic and pragmatic behaviour of like in Howard’s fictional discourse, this paper aims to show the value of the combination of computer methodology and literary interpretation in evaluating the representation of fictional dialect.