Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbiological Assessment, Nutritional Characterization and Phenolic Compounds of Bee Pollen from Mellipona mandacaia Smith, 1983

This study aims to assess the microbiological parameters and the chemical composition of 21 samples of stingless bee pollen (Melipona mandacaia) from two regions of Bahia, Brazil (João Dourado and Uibaí), with particular emphasis on the nutritional value, total phenols and flavonoids and fatty acids composition. Regarding the microbiological quality, the studied microorganisms (moulds and yeasts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., psychrotrophic and sulfite-reducing Clostridia) were absent in all samples. On the other hand, the values obtained for the aerobic mesophilic microorganism ranged from 11.0 ± 1.0 to 1.32 ± 1.2 cfu∙g−1 (JD samples) and from 282 ± 3.82 to 688 ± 10.1 cfu∙g−1 (U samples). The nutritional parameters (moisture, ash, water activity, pH, total acidity, protein, fiber, total phenolic, flavonoids and reducing sugars) were within the stipulated by law, except for pH and moisture content, which presented superior and inferior values, respectively. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (54.1%) were significantly higher than saturated (42.18%) and monounsaturated (3.71%). It was found that the bee pollen is safe from the microbiological point of view and has a good nutritional quality. The influence of the geographical origin on the assessed parameters was evident, especially concerning the fatty acid profile.
A Feature Selection Method Based on the Sparse Multi-Class SVM for Fingerprinting Localization

Feature selection in Fingerprint-based localization systems is of great importance, because of its capability to reduce the overhead in handling high- dimensional data while ensuring positioning accuracy. Several methods for such a task have been proposed, but they either do not consider the correlation between features, or propose an inefficient method to deal with the correlation. The study in this paper proposes a novel feature selection scheme based on the Sparse multi-class SVM (MSVM) technique which can address the feature selection problem via efficiently handling the correlation among them. The scheme first rules out several "unimportant" features via a simple criterion for scalability, and then selects a portion of the remaining features by controlling the sparsity of the optimization results of the Sparse MSVM. The method is applied to a realistic GSM-based fingerprinting localization system and the experimental results show that it outperforms several previous ones via reducing the mean localization error by about 20%.
Public network integrity-avoiding a crisis in trust

Public telecommunications networks have historically been designed with high levels of integrity in mind. Network architects have recognized that public communications facilities play a critical role in society and that a disruption in service could cause severe economic dislocation or even the loss of life. Given this sensitivity, how could the recent series of massive network failures occur? What went wrong with our thinking? What should we change in the future to prevent the recurrence of such failures and thereby avoid a possible crisis in the public's trust of our stewardship? The paper addresses these questions and offers a set of recommendations based on new network integrity measures and design objectives. >
Management and outcomes of delayed sternal closure after cardiac surgery in neonates and infants

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and patterns of management of open sternotomy and delayed sternal closure in infants who were left with an open sternum after cardiac surgery and to assess these patterns for possible correlation with outcome. Design: Retrospective chart review with statistical analysis. Setting: Pediatric cardiac surgery service at a regional referral center based in an urban university teaching hospital. Patients: All 128 patients <1 yr of age who were left with an open sternum after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass during the 4‐yr period from July, 1992 to June, 1996. Interventions: Procedures for managing open sternotomy and delayed sternal closure were analyzed retrospectively. No interventions were undertaken for the study. Measurements and Results: Of the 128 patients, 14 (11%) died before sternal closure; delayed sternal closure was performed in the remaining 114. Of these 114, 13 died in the early postoperative period. During sternal closure, significant increases were noted in pulmonary arterial (from 21.1 ± 7.6 mm Hg to 26.1 ± 6.5 mm Hg; p = .006), left atrial (from 8.4 ± 3.4 mm Hg to 11.5 ± 3.7 mm Hg; p < .001), and right atrial pressures (from 7.3 ± 2.5 mm Hg to 9.8 ± 2.5 mm Hg; p < .001). In addition, mean airway pressure (from 7.4 ± 2.0 mm Hg to 8.6 ± 2.4 mm Hg; p < .001) and peak inspiratory pressure (from 29.3 ± 5.4 mm Hg to 31.3 ± 5.6 mm Hg; p = .004) increased. Sternal wound infection occurred in one patient. Conclusions: Delayed sternal closure is an effective approach to the management of neonates and infants at risk for hemodynamic, respiratory, or hemostatic instability early after cardiac surgery. Significant changes in hemodynamics and respiratory variables occur during sternal closure, often requiring adjustment of inotropic and ventilatory management.
Atypical ductal hyperplasia of the breast: clonal proliferation with loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 16q and 17p.

AIMS--To determine if allelic loss on chromosomes 16q and 17p, commonly encountered in in situ and invasive ductal carcinomas, is present in atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH); to determine whether ADH is a neoplastic (clonal) or hyperplastic (polyclonal) proliferation. METHODS--Fourteen cases of ADH were examined for allele loss at loci on chromosome 16q and 17p using a microdissection technique, polymorphic DNA markers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS--Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was detected in five of nine informative cases on chromosome 16q at the microsatellite D16S413 and two of eight informative cases on chromosome 17p at D17S796. CONCLUSIONS--The incidence of LOH at these loci is similar to that previously observed in ductal carcinoma in situ and in invasive ductal carcinoma. Because of the nature of the technique used, our findings also demonstrate that ADH is a monoclonal, and hence, neoplastic proliferation rather than a hyperplastic (polyclonal) condition as its name suggests. There is thus a case for including ADH, as presently defined, within the spectrum of ductal carcinoma in situ.
The Endogenous Danger Signal Uric Acid Augments Contact Hypersensitivity Responses in Mice

Objective: The danger hypothesis proposes that the immune system responds not only to foreign antigens but also to damaged cells or tissues. Recently, uric acid crystals (monosodium urate, MSU) from necrotic cell lysates were identified as a danger signal for dendritic cells (DCs). Our aim was to determine whether MSU modulates immune responses in the skin. Method: We analyzed the effect of MSU on trinitrochlorobenzene-induced contact hypersensitivity responses using BALB/c mice administered potassium oxonate, an uricase inhibitor, to prevent MSU degradation. Ear swelling response after elicitation and activation profiles of DCs and T cells in draining lymph nodes after sensitization were assessed. Results: Intradermal administration of MSU augmented the ear swelling response in potassium oxonate-administered mice and enhanced expression of CD86 and CD40 molecules on DCs in the lymph nodes. Activation of DCs was followed by an increase in CD69+ and CD44+ T cells in CD4+ and/or CD8+ subsets in the lymph nodes 4 days after trinitrochlorobenzene sensitization. Conclusion: These observations demonstrate that MSU is an endogenous danger signal, which augments the contact hypersensitivity response in mice. MSU released from damaged skin may act as an endogenous adjuvant to augment immune response.
VisTACO: visualizing tabletop collaboration

As we design tabletop technologies, it is important to also understand how they are being used. Many prior researchers have developed visualizations of interaction data from their studies to illustrate ideas and concepts. In this work, we develop an interactional model of tabletop collaboration, which informs the design of VisTACO, an interactive visualization tool for tabletop collaboration. Using VisTACO, we can explore the interactions of collaborators with the tabletop to identify patterns or unusual spatial behaviours, supporting the analysis process. VisTACO helps bridge the gap between observing the use of a tabletop system, and understanding users' interactions with the system.
Nosocomial Exposure to Parvovirus B19: Low Risk of Transmission to Healthcare Workers

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the risk of nosocomial transmission of parvovirus B19 (B19) infection to healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to patients with transient aplastic crisis (TAC) caused by acute B19 infection. Design: Cohort study. Setting: 1,000-bed, urban teaching hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants: Eighty-seven exposed HCWs who cared for two patients with TAC prior to the time they were isolated and a comparison group of 88 unexposed HCWs from wards or clinics where the patients did not receive care. Intervention: Self-administered questionnaire on hospital contact with index patients, B19 community risk factors, and signs and symptoms suggestive of B19 disease. Serology for B19-specific IgM and IgG antibodies measured by antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: 1 (3.1%) of the 32 nonimmune exposed HCWs had serologic evidence of recent B19 infection compared to 3 (8.1%) of the 37 nonimmune HCWs in the comparison group (P=.6). In a subgroup analysis of exposed HCWs who cared for index patients during the time when the virus load was expected to be greatest, a recent infection rate of 5.8% (1/17) was found among nonimmune HCWs. Conclusions: The finding of similar rates of recent infection in nonimmune exposed and unexposed HCWs suggests that transmission to HCWs did not occur, despite failure to place the patients in isolation at the onset of hospitalization.
Genetic Overexpression of NR2B Subunit Enhances Social Recognition Memory for Different Strains and Species

The ability to learn and remember conspecifics is essential for the establishment and maintenance of social groups. Many animals, including humans, primates and rodents, depend on stable social relationships for survival. Social learning and social recognition have become emerging areas of interest for neuroscientists but are still not well understood. It has been established that several hormones play a role in the modulation of social recognition including estrogen, oxytocin and arginine vasopression. Relatively few studies have investigated how social recognition might be improved or enhanced. In this study, we investigate the role of the NMDA receptor in social recognition memory, specifically the consequences of altering the ratio of the NR2B∶NR2A subunits in the forebrain regions in social behavior. We produced transgenic mice in which the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor was overexpressed postnatally in the excitatory neurons of the forebrain areas including the cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. We investigated the ability of both our transgenic animals and their wild-type littermate to learn and remember juvenile conspecifics using both 1-hr and 24-hr memory tests. Our experiments show that the wild-type animals and NR2B transgenic mice preformed similarly in the 1-hr test. However, transgenic mice showed better performances in 24-hr tests of recognizing animals of a different strain or animals of a different species. We conclude that NR2B overexpression in the forebrain enhances social recognition memory for different strains and animal species.
X-ray variability of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS 0558-504

We present results from several XMM-Newton observations of the radio-loud Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) PKS 0558-504. We find evidence for strong and persistent X-ray variability, both on short and long time-scales. On short time scales of $\ga$2 hours the source varies smoothly by 15-20%; long-term variations by a factor $\ga$2 could not be resolved in the relatively short exposures: we find the source mostly in a “low” state, in 2 out of the 11 observations in a “high state”. X-ray flares seem to be recurrent with a time scale of ~24 ks which, if interpreted as the Keplerian time scale in the disc, would place the emission region just outside the last stable orbit. The X-ray spectrum of PKS 0558-504 can be well fitted by two Comptonization components, one at moderate temperatures of kT ~ 4.5 keV and optical depths of $\tau \sim 2$, the other at high temperatures ( kT $\ga$ 50 keV) and low optical depths ($\tau \la 1.0$). These parameters are, however, subject to large errors due to the inherent degeneracy of the Comptonization models. Flux variations of the source are caused by changes of the colder component only, the hot component with parameters very similar to those of BLS1 galaxies, stays constant. All results fit nicely the picture that NLS1 galaxies are lower mass objects, accreting close to the Eddington rate emitting X-rays from a very active magnetically powered accretion disc corona.
Various applications of TALEN- and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination to modify the Drosophila genome

ABSTRACT Modifying the genomes of many organisms is becoming as easy as manipulating DNA in test tubes, which is made possible by two recently developed techniques based on either the customizable DNA binding protein, TALEN, or the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Here, we describe a series of efficient applications derived from these two technologies, in combination with various homologous donor DNA plasmids, to manipulate the Drosophila genome: (1) to precisely generate genomic deletions; (2) to make genomic replacement of a DNA fragment at single nucleotide resolution; and (3) to generate precise insertions to tag target proteins for tracing their endogenous expressions. For more convenient genomic manipulations, we established an easy-to-screen platform by knocking in a white marker through homologous recombination. Further, we provided a strategy to remove the unwanted duplications generated during the “ends-in” recombination process. Our results also indicate that TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 had comparable efficiency in mediating genomic modifications through HDR (homology-directed repair); either TALEN or the CRISPR/Cas9 system could efficiently mediate in vivo replacement of DNA fragments of up to 5 kb in Drosophila, providing an ideal genetic tool for functional annotations of the Drosophila genome.
Diagnostic accuracy of effusion cytology

The aim of this investigation was to report on the diagnostic accuracy of conventional effusion cytology. Cytological diagnoses of 300 pleural effusions and 300 ascites were compared with clinical and/or histological follow‐ups of the respective patients. Sensitivity of our cytological diagnoses on pleural effusions was 50.0%, specificity 97.0%, positive predictive value 95.7%, and negative predictive value 86.4%. Sensitivity in ascitic effusions was 62.4%, specificity 98.0%, positive predictive value 100.0%, and negative predictive value 88.3%; 5.8% of diagnoses for pleural and 4.4% for peritoneal effusions were suspicious or doubtful. The overall false‐positive rate was 0.5%, while the false‐negative rate was 31.5%. False‐negative results were due to sampling errors in 71% of pleural and 73% of peritoneal effusions and to screening errors in 29% and 27%, respectively. Our data and those from the literature show that diagnostic accuracy of effusion cytology is still unsatisfactory and should be improved. Therefore, the use of different adjuvant methods is recommended. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;20:350–357. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence of teicoplanin MICs on treatment outcomes among patients with teicoplanin-treated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: a hospital-based retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES Higher vancomycin MIC values (≥1.5 mg/L via Etest) may be associated with vancomycin treatment failure among patients with serious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. As there were limited similar data for teicoplanin, this retrospective cohort study intended to determine the predictive value of teicoplanin MICs for treatment failure among patients with MRSA bacteraemia. PATIENTS AND METHODS All patients with at least one blood culture positive for MRSA admitted to the hospital between January 2010 and January 2011 were reviewed. Patients with an age ≥18 years and receipt of teicoplanin therapy throughout the course or receipt of <72 h of vancomycin therapy and then teicoplanin for >3 days were enrolled. Teicoplanin Etest(®) MICs and treatment outcomes for MRSA bacteraemia were reviewed to identify the breakpoint of teicoplanin MICs influencing treatment outcomes. RESULTS Of the 101 patients enrolled, 56 had a lower teicoplanin MIC (≤1.5 mg/L) for MRSA and 45 had a higher MIC (>1.5 mg/L) for MRSA. A lower teicoplanin MIC was associated with a favourable outcome [37 (66.1%) versus 13 (28.9%); P<0.001] and a lower rate of bloodstream infection-related mortality [15 (26.8%) versus 22 (48.9%); P=0.022]. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bacteraemic pneumonia or higher Pittsburgh bacteraemia score had an unfavourable outcome (P=0.028, 0.022 and <0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that teicoplanin MIC >1.5 mg/L, higher Pittsburgh bacteraemia score and bacteraemic pneumonia were independent risk factors for unfavourable outcome. CONCLUSIONS A higher teicoplanin MIC value (>1.5 mg/L) may predict an unfavourable outcome and higher mortality rate among teicoplanin-treated MRSA bacteraemic patients.
Reduction of a general matrix to tridiagonal form using a hypercube multiprocessor

An algorithm for reducing a nonsymmetric matrix to tridiagonal form as a first step toward finding its eigenvalues is described. The algorithm uses a variation of threshold pivoting, where at each step, the pivot is chosen to minimize the maximum entry in the transformation matrix that reduces the next column and row of the matrix. Situations are given where the tridiagonalization process breaks down, and two recovery methods are presented for these situations. Although no existing tridiagonalization algorithm is guaranteed to succeed, this algorithm is found to be very robust and fast in practice. A gradual loss of similarity is also observed as the order of the matrix increases.
Perineural invasion by ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

The correlation between various levels of perineural invasion by pancreatic carcinoma and the patient's prognosis has never been cleared. The authors carried out a histopathologic study of resected pancreatic carcinoma to elucidate the significance of a new histologic finding concerning perineural invasion, which we designated “ntrapancreatic, extratumoral perineural invasion (nex),” and also to determine its predictive value for prognoses of patients after surgical removal of the tumor.
Returns to Capital in Microenterprises: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Small and informal firms account for a large share of employment in developing countries. The rapid expansion of microfinance services is based on the belief that these firms have productive investment opportunities and can enjoy high returns to capital if given the opportunity. However, measuring the return to capital is complicated by unobserved factors such as entrepreneurial ability and demand shocks, which are likely to be correlated with capital stock. The authors use a randomized experiment to overcome this problem and to measure the return to capital for the average microenterprise in their sample, regardless of whether they apply for credit. They accomplish this by providing cash and equipment grants to small firms in Sri Lanka, and measuring the increase in profits arising from this exogenous (positive) shock to capital stock. After controlling for possible spillover effects, the authors find the average real return to capital to be 5.7 percent a month, substantially higher than the market interest rate. They then examine the heterogeneity of treatment effects to explore whether missing credit markets or missing insurance markets are the most likely cause of the high returns. Returns are found to vary with entrepreneurial ability and with measures of other sources of cash within the household, but not to vary with risk aversion or uncertainty.
Fat and muscle mass in different groups of pre-pubertal and pubertal rural children. Cross-cultural comparisons between Sahelian (rural Senegal) and Amazonian (Beni River, Bolivia) children

Background: An increase in fat accretion is essential for triggering the puberty spurt. Hence, nutritional constraints may influence puberty timing. Aim: To measure changes in fat and muscle mass in children living in natural environments but with different nutritional exposures. Methods: Cross-comparisons of children from rural Senegal and lowland (Amazonian) Bolivia were carried out. Anthropometric measurements of stature, weight, four subcutaneous skin-folds (triceps, biceps, subscapular, supra-iliac) and arm circumference were made. Children were divided into two age groups (5–9.9-year-olds or ‘pre pubescents’ (n = 381) and 10–15-year-olds or ‘pubescents’ (n = 692)). Results: Senegalese girls menstruated later than Bolivian girls and Senegalese boys also matured later than Bolivian boys. Bolivian children displayed more fat and muscle before puberty and during puberty than the Senegalese. They also had more fat deposited on the trunk. There were substantial differences in living conditions and nutritional patterns between both locations. In Senegal, nutritional stress is likely to appear early during in utero life and to persist throughout the growth period, including puberty. This leads to a deficit in fat accretion before and during puberty that is associated with a considerable delay in puberty occurrence. In Bolivia, such stress is far less severe. Conclusion: Variability in puberty should be analysed taking into account these differences.