Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Virus-Encoded Chemokine vMIP-II Inhibits Virus-Induced Tc1-Driven Inflammation

ABSTRACT The human herpesvirus 8-encoded protein vMIP-II is a potent in vitro antagonist of many chemokine receptors believed to be associated with attraction of T cells with a type 1 cytokine profile. For the present report we have studied the in vivo potential of this viral chemokine antagonist to inhibit virus-induced T-cell-mediated inflammation. This was done by use of the well-established model system murine lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection. Mice were infected in the footpad, and the induced CD8+ T-cell-dependent inflammation was evaluated in mice subjected to treatment with vMIP-II. We found that inflammation was markedly inhibited in mice treated during the efferent phase of the antiviral immune response. In vitro studies revealed that vMIP-II inhibited chemokine-induced migration of activated CD8+ T cells, but not T-cell-target cell contact, granule exocytosis, or cytokine release. Consistent with these in vitro findings treatment with vMIP-II inhibited the adoptive transfer of a virus-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity response in vivo, but only when antigen-primed donor cells were transferred via the intravenous route and required to migrate actively, not when the cells were injected directly into the test site. In contrast to the marked inhibition of the effector phase, the presence of vMIP-II during the afferent phase of the immune response did not result in significant suppression of virus-induced inflammation. Taken together, these results indicate that chemokine-induced signals are pivotal in directing antiviral effector cells toward virus-infected organ sites and that vMIP-II is a potent inhibitor of type 1 T-cell-mediated inflammation.
CHILD RESTRAINTS SYSTEM USE AMONG CHILDREN WHILE TRAVELLING TO DAY CARE CENTRES KAJANG, MALAYSIA

Research has shown that restrained occupants in vehicles have lower risk of injuries when involved in crashes compared to unrestrained occupants. However, children are often seen not to be restrained when travelling in vehicles on Malaysian roads. This paper presents the results of an observational survey of child restraint system (CRS) usage, conducted in the first half of 2012, within the mukim of Kajang, a suburban sub district in the state of Selangor. Children aged 6 years and below, travelling in M1 class vehicles were observed by two trained observers at selected day care centres when they were being sent in the morning. Observation variables were children seating location, child restraints use and seat belts use by adult occupants.Of the 537 children observed, only 9.5% were using CRS. 13% of children seated in front passenger seats were restrained, compared to only 5% for those seated at the rear. 22% of children driven by belted drivers were restrained, compared to only 7% driven by unbelted drivers. 15% children were restrained by female drivers compared to only 5% when driven by male drivers.Significant factors associated with CRS use among children were seating position of children, seat belt use by drivers and female drivers. The low use of child restraint presents a challenge in reducing of crash injuries and fatalities involving children. More educational campaign for parents and guardians are necessary to instigate awareness on the importance of child restraint use.
Toward an understanding of developmental language and reading disorders.

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the ability of language-impaired and reading-impaired children to process (i.e., encode and retrieve) phonological information. Four measures of phonological awareness and several measures of word and sentence repetition abilities were used to evaluate phonological processing skills. Two additional measures assessed children's awareness of lexical and morphological information. Subjects were 12 language-impaired (LI), 12 reading-impaired (RI), and 12 normal children between the ages of 6 and 8 years. The findings supported previous claims that children with reading impairments have difficulty processing phonological information. To our surprise, however, the LI children performed significantly worse than the RI children on only three measures, all involving word and sentence repetition. These findings raise questions about the distinctiveness of school-age children with a history of language impairment and poor readers with no history of language impairment.
Fever and Pain Management in Childhood: Healthcare Providers’ and Parents’ Adherence to Current Recommendations

In order to evaluate the adherence of healthcare providers and parents to the current recommendations concerning fever and pain management, randomized samples of 500 healthcare providers caring for children and 500 families were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. The 378 health care providers (HCPs) responding to the survey (75.6%) included 144 primary care pediatricians (38.1%), 98 hospital pediatricians (25.9%), 62 pediatric residents (16.4%), and 71 pediatric nurses (19.6%); the 464 responding parents (92.8%) included 175 whose youngest (or only) child was ≤5 years old (37.7%), 175 whose youngest (or only) child was aged 6–10 years (37.7%), and 114 whose youngest (or only) child was aged 11–14 years (24.6%). There were gaps in the knowledge of both healthcare providers and parents. Global adherence to the guidelines was lower among the pediatric nurses than the other healthcare providers (odds ratio 0.875; 95% confidence interval 0.795–0.964). Among the parents, those of children aged 6–10 and 11–14 years old, those who were older, and those without a degree answered the questions correctly significantly less frequently than the others. These findings suggest that there is an urgent need to improve the dissemination of the current recommendations concerning fever and pain management among healthcare providers and parents in order to avoid mistaken and sometimes risky attitudes, common therapeutic errors, and the unnecessary overloading of emergency department resources. Pediatric nurses and parents with older children, those who are older, and those with a lower educational level should be the priority targets of educational programmes.
Aetiological agents of ear discharge: a two year review in a teaching hospital in Ghana.

BACKGROUND The discharging ear is a common presentation in medical practice affecting all age groups but primarily children. This study shows the current aetiological causes of ear discharge and their antibiograms, data which would guide empirical treatment of ear infections, and also form a basis for further research. METHODOLOGY This was a retrospective review of laboratory records of all ear swabs submitted for culture over a two year period in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Accra, Ghana. Data was obtained on demographic characteristics of patients, clinical diagnosis, isolated organisms and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolated organisms. Data was analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. RESULTS A total of 351 ear swabs were received by the laboratory for processing over the two year period. Of these 277(78.9%) had microorganisms isolated. A significant number127 (47%) was obtained from children under five years. Pseudomonas spp was the commonly isolated organism 121(46%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus 33(12.5%) and Proteus spp 32(12.2%). Candida was the commonest isolated fungi 9 (69.2%). Susceptibility of Pseudomonas spp to commonly used ototopics (ciprofloxacin & gentamicin) was 93% and 74% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Most cases of the discharging ear were found in children under the age of five years. The most common bacteriologic cause of the discharging ear was Pseudomonas spp followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Candida species was the commonest fungal cause of ear discharge. Ciprofloxacin and gentamicin are effective ototopic antimicrobial agents for empirical treatment of the discharging ear.
A molecular dynamics simulation study on the deformation behavior for nanotwinned polycrystalline copper

Present research is focused on the mechanical behavior of nanoscale copper with growth twins. Atomistic calculation (Molecular Dynamics simulation) with embedded-atom method potential was used to study the fundamental deformation processes that occur in columnar nanocrystalline copper. The research also investigates the influences of twin spacing and grain size on the deformation characteristics and properties of materials. Simulation results have shown that a material’s strength and toughness can be enhanced by introducing twin boundaries within nanocrystalline grains. Nanotwins act as obstacles to dislocation motion that leads to the strengthening of nanotwinned structures, as well as sources of dislocation nucleation contributing to the toughness of the materials. The enhancement of the properties is more pronounced when the twin boundaries are close enough to the grain boundaries. At extremely small distance, the strength of the nanotwinned models is found to exhibit an inverse relationship. The deformation behavior in different grains depends upon their orientation with respect to the loading direction. The study has also revealed that grain-size refinement in nanotwinned models may deteriorate materials properties.
Mergers, Acquisitions and Firms' Performance: Experience of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

In the context of policy reforms in the 1990s in general and three important amendments made to the Indian Patent Act (1970) in 1999, 2002 and 2005 in particular, the present paper makes an attempt to examine the impact of MA on financial performance of Indian pharmaceutical companies. It is found that the profitability of a firm depends directly on its size, selling efforts and exports and imports intensities but inversely on their market share and demand for the products. However, MA do not have any significant impact on profitability of the firms in the long run possibly due to the resultant X-inefficiency and entry of new firms into the market. In addition, in-house R&D and foreign technology purchase also do not have any significant impact on profitability of the firms.
Assessment of Matrix Metalloproteinases-8 and -9 in Gingival Crevicular Fluid of Smokers and Non-smokers with Chronic Periodontitis Using ELISA

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-8 is increased in smokers with chronic periodontitis (CP). The levels of MMP-9 have not been assessed in the periodontal tissues of smokers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to estimate the concentrations of MMP-8 and -9 in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of smokers and non-smokers with CP. Materials and Methods: Plaque, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth, and attachment level were assessed in 60 subjects who were equally divided into three groups. Group A consisted of smokers with CP, Group B - non-smokers with CP and Group C - periodontally healthy subjects. The concentrations of MMP-8 and -9 were determined from GCF samples by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A highly significant difference (P < 0.0001) was found in the MMP-9 concentration between the Groups A (27.56 ± 2.87 ng/ml) and B (17.16 ± 1.74 ng/ml) and between Groups A and C (14.13 ± 2.87 ng/ml). A significant difference (P < 0.002) was also found between the Groups B and C. A highly significant difference (P < 0.0001) in MMP-8 concentration was found between the A (68.96 ± 20.53 ng/ml) and C (7.05 ± 0.75 ng/ml) and also between Groups B (56.97 ± 12.70 ng/ml) and C. The difference in MMP-8 concentration between A and B was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our findings of significantly elevated MMP-9 than MMP-8 from the diseased sites in smokers imply that MMP-9 is more significantly related to the increased periodontal destruction seen among smokers with CP.
SURVIVAL OF FECAL BACTERIA IN DAIRY COW MANURE

Bacterial pollution of water is impacted to a great extent by the ability of bacteria to survive in manure following excretion. We investigated the effects of environmental temperature (4°C, 27°C, and 41°C) and manure moisture content (30%, 55%, and 83%) on the survival and release of indicator bacteria in dairy cow manure. Fresh manure samples of about 60 g were packed to 12 mm depth in polystyrene dishes and held at controlled temperatures and moisture contents for up to 103 days. Supernatant from a distilled-water extraction was enumerated for fecal bacteria (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and fecal streptococci) by the membrane filtration method. Bacterial populations increased as much as 2.5 log10 (over 300×) in the three days following excretion. Temperature had a significant overall effect on survival of all three fecal bacteria, whereas moisture content produced a consistent effect on fecal streptococci survival only. Fecal streptococci showed no significant die-off at any temperature or moisture content studied. In contrast, no measurable E. coli or fecal coliforms were found in supernatant water samples from the 41°C treatment after day 35. E. coli and fecal coliform populations for the 4°C treatment at lower moisture content (30% and 55%) conditions were close to the detection limits after five weeks, but significant numbers of E. coli (2.34 × 104 cfu g-1 wet manure) and fecal coliforms (3.84 × 104 cfu g-1 wet manure) remained for the 4°C treatment at 83% moisture content after 103 days. First-order die-off rate coefficients for E. coli were found to be appropriate after day 3 for about a 3-week period and averaged 0.11 d-1 at 4°C, 0.20 d-1 at 27°C, and 0.32 d-1 at 41°C. Results from this study suggest that barnyard, feedlot, and manure management practices that detain manure at higher temperatures (e.g., 41°C) will decrease the E. coli and fecal coliform populations but not those of fecal streptococci. Coliform bacterial populations tested remained viable for long periods (>3 months) particularly at moderate temperature (27°C) for any moisture level, and streptococci survived under all conditions studied.
A Generalized Instantaneous Method for Harmonics, Positive and Negative Sequence Detection/Extraction

One of the most common problems in power systems is the unbalanced load and harmonics that causes losses and interference in power systems. To eliminate or detect these problems, the compensator or detection equipment needs an algorithm for the real time detection/extraction of the positive, negative sequence and harmonics components that will be used for generating the reference signal for the converter or analyzer. This paper proposes a generic method to obtain the positive, negative and/or harmonics reference signals that not requires any coordinate transform or signal filtering.
The chemical composition of the Orion star forming region. II. Stars, gas, and dust: the abundance discrepancy conundrum

Aims. We re-examine the recombination/collisional emission line (RL/CEL) nebular abundance discrepancy problem in the light of recent high-quality abundance determinations in young stars in the Orion star-forming region. Methods. We re-evaluate the CEL and RL abundances of several elements in the Orion nebula and estimate the associated uncertainties, taking into account the uncertainties in the ionization correction factors for unseen ions. We estimate the amount of oxygen trapped in dust grains for several scenarios of dust formation. We compare the resulting gas+dust nebular abundances with the stellar abundances of a sample of 13 B-type stars from the Orion star-forming region (Ori OB1), analyzed in Papers I and III of this series. Results. We find that the oxygen nebular abundance based on recombination lines agrees much better with the stellar abundances than the one derived from the collisionally excited lines. This result calls for further investigation. If the CEL/RL abundance discrepancy were caused by temperature fluctuations in the nebula, as argued by some authors, the same kind of discrepancy should be seen for the other elements, such as C, N and Ne, which is not what we find in the present study. Another problem is that with the RL abundances, the energy balance of the Orion nebula is not well understood. We make some suggestions concerning the next steps to undertake to solve this problem.
Episodic Future Thinking in Semantic Dementia: A Cognitive and fMRI Study

Semantic dementia (SD) is characterized by gradual loss of semantic memory. While episodic autobiographical memory seems relatively preserved, behavioral studies suggest that episodic future thinking is impaired. We used fMRI to measure brain activity in four SD patients (JPL, EP, LL, EG) while they envisioned future events and remembered personal past events. Twelve healthy elders served as controls. Episodic quality, emotion, mental imagery and level of consciousness (via remember/know judgements) were checked at debriefing. We analyzed the future compared to the past for each patient. All patients presented lateral temporal atrophy, but varied in terms of frontal and anterior hippocampal atrophy. Patient JPL presented atrophy in bilateral superior medial frontal gyri and left anterior hippocampus and was unable to engage in episodic future thinking, despite hyperactivations in frontal and occipital regions. Patient EP presented no atrophy in the anterior hippocampus, but atrophy in bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus and had difficulties to engage in episodic future thinking. Patient LL presented atrophy in left anterior hippocampus, but hyperactivated its right counterpart for future compared to past thinking, permitting her to project efficiently in the future in an episodic way. Patient EG presented no atrophy in the superior medial frontal gyri or anterior hippocampi and was able to engage in episodic future thinking. Altogether, patients' future projections differed depending on the severity and localization of their atrophy. The functional integrity of bilateral superior medial frontal gyri and anterior hippocampus appear crucial for episodic future thinking: atrophy of both structures strongly impairs future projection, while integrity of these structures or hyperactivation of residual tissue normalizes episodic future projection.
Predictive value of excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1 and ovarian cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to analyze the association between excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency complementation group 1 (XRCC1) and ovarian cancer risk. METHODS We performed a hospital-based case-control study with 155 cases and 313 controls in China. All Chinese cases with newly diagnosed primary ovarian cancer between May 2005 to May 2010 in our hospital were invited to participate within 2 months of diagnosis. Controls were randomly selected from people who requested general health examinations in the same hospital during the same period. SNPs in EXCC1, ERCC1 C8092A and ERCC1 T19007C, were analyzed by PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS We observed a non-significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer among individuals with ERCC1 8092TT compared with those with the 8092CC genotype (adjusted OR=1.55, 95% CI%=0.74-2.97). Moreover, 19007TT genotype carriers also showed a non-significant increased risk of ovarian cancer over those with the 19007CC genotype (adjusted OR=1.78, 95% CI%=0.91-3.64). CONCLUSION Our firstly investigation of links between polymorphisms in the ERCC1 gene and the risk of ovarian cancer in Chinese population demonstrated no significant association. Further large sample studies in Chinese populations are needed.
Clinically significant psychiatric symptoms among male carriers of the fragile X premutation, with and without FXTAS, and the mediating influence of executive functioning

Abstract Objectives: To clarify the neuropsychiatric phenotype of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), and assess the extent to which it is mediated by the dysexecutive syndrome that is a major feature of the disorder. Methods: We examined the prevalence of clinically meaningful psychiatric symptoms among male carriers of the fragile X premutation, with and without FXTAS, in comparison with men with a normal allele. Measures included the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale, a measure of executive functioning. Between-group differences were evaluated using logistic regression, followed by a mediation analysis with ordinary least squares regression to assess the contribution of dysexecutive syndrome to the observed psychiatric domains. Results: Men with FXTAS showed higher rates of clinically significant symptoms overall and in specific domains: somatization, obsessive compulsive, depression, anxiety, psychoticism, agitation/aggression, apathy/indifference, irritability, and nighttime behavior problems. Post hoc analyses suggested that findings of psychoticism among men with FXTAS may be associated with participants’ accurate acknowledgment of cognitive and physical dysfunction, rather than reflecting psychosis. Asymptomatic carriers showed no evidence of clinically significant psychiatric symptoms, but when all carriers were compared with men having a normal FMR1 allele, executive function deficits were found to mediate scores in several domains on both NPI and SCL-90-R. Conclusions: Building on prior research, the results provide evidence that the psychiatric phenotype for men includes clinically meaningful depression, hostility, and irritability, in association with behavioral and attentional disinhibition. It is likely that these problems reflect the effects of impaired executive functioning.
DNA sequence analysis of NKG2, a family of related cDNA clones encoding type II integral membrane proteins on human natural killer cells

We have previously described the isolation of a cDNA clone, designated NKG2, that was expressed in all natural killer (NK) cells tested but not in T or B cells. In the present communication, the original isolate, when used to probe a cDNA library prepared from a CD3- NK cell clone, was found to crosshybridize with a family of transcripts that fell into four distinct groups designated NKG2-A, -B, -C, and -D. Full- length cDNA sequences were determined for each group, and the DNA and inferred peptide sequences were analyzed. All four transcripts encode type II membrane proteins of 215-233 amino acids. NKG2-A and -B peptides appear to be alternative splicing products of a single gene. NKG2-C is highly homologous with group A, having 94% homology in the external (COOH-terminal) domain and 56% homology throughout the internal and transmembrane regions. NKG2-D is distantly but significantly related (21% amino acid homology) to the first three groups. Therefore, NKG2-A, -C, and -D appear to be encoded by distinct genes within a family of NK cell-specific genes. Peptide sequence homology searches demonstrate that the NKG2 peptides are members of a supergene family that includes several other type II membrane proteins. This family is characterized by the presence of a C-type animal lectin domain, and several of its members have demonstrated transmembrane signaling capability.