Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of the Safety of Pediatric Vaccine Schedules in a Non-Human Primate Model: Assessments of Neurodevelopment, Learning, and Social Behavior

Background In the 1990s, the mercury-based preservative thimerosal was used in most pediatric vaccines. Although there are currently only two thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) recommended for pediatric use, parental perceptions that vaccines pose safety concerns are affecting vaccination rates, particularly in light of the much expanded and more complex schedule in place today. Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the safety of pediatric vaccine schedules in a non-human primate model. Methods We administered vaccines to six groups of infant male rhesus macaques (n = 12–16/group) using a standardized thimerosal dose where appropriate. Study groups included the recommended 1990s Pediatric vaccine schedule, an accelerated 1990s Primate schedule with or without the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine, the MMR vaccine only, and the expanded 2008 schedule. We administered saline injections to age-matched control animals (n = 16). Infant development was assessed from birth to 12 months of age by examining the acquisition of neonatal reflexes, the development of object concept permanence (OCP), computerized tests of discrimination learning, and infant social behavior. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, multilevel modeling, and survival analyses, where appropriate. Results We observed no group differences in the acquisition of OCP. During discrimination learning, animals receiving TCVs had improved performance on reversal testing, although some of these same animals showed poorer performance in subsequent learning-set testing. Analysis of social and nonsocial behaviors identified few instances of negative behaviors across the entire infancy period. Although some group differences in specific behaviors were reported at 2 months of age, by 12 months all infants, irrespective of vaccination status, had developed the typical repertoire of macaque behaviors. Conclusions This comprehensive 5-year case–control study, which closely examined the effects of pediatric vaccines on early primate development, provided no consistent evidence of neurodevelopmental deficits or aberrant behavior in vaccinated animals. Citation Curtis B, Liberato N, Rulien M, Morrisroe K, Kenney C, Yutuc V, Ferrier C, Marti CN, Mandell D, Burbacher TM, Sackett GP, Hewitson L. 2015. Examination of the safety of pediatric vaccine schedules in a non-human primate model: assessments of neurodevelopment, learning, and social behavior. Environ Health Perspect 123:579–589; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408257
Selfcare in Type I Diabetes with Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Introduction: The number of diabetes patients are increasing. If the blood glucose is not controlled in diabetics, patients will face with complications. Self-care is important to control the blood glucose of diabetic patients and prevention of complications such as neurological complications, heart, eye disease, amputations and so on. Therefore aim of this study is to identify the effect of Continuous blood Glucose Monitoring or CGM on the blood glucose control in type I diabetes.Materials and methods: The study was done on 20 patients chosen from an online data set available in http://www.jaeb-diabetes.net/ . These patients used CGM to test blood glucose and the result of three month test was measured. To analyze the data, the software SPSS 21, independent Mann- Whitney test was used.Results: The results showed that blood glucose in patients of the experimental group reduced significantly rather than patient of the control group in the second and third month. Also, HbA1C of the patients has reduced.Conclusion: The CGM has an effective role in controlling blood glucose and prevention of complications. Therefore it is recommended that educational programs on the use of monitoring blood glucose, such as CGM as a requirement to be developed.
Importance of dietary salt in the hemodynamic adjustment to weight reduction in obese hypertensive men.

Twenty-three moderately obese middle-aged men with previously untreated hypertension (World Health Organization classification 1-2) were evaluated to assess the effects on blood pressure (BP) of a diet restricted in energy (fats and carbohydrates) but unrestricted in sodium (Group 1) compared to a diet restricted in energy and sodium (Group 2). The patients were randomly allocated to either of the two groups and were comparable in age, sex, weight, and BP. The same energy- and sodium- restricted diet was given to both groups, but the intake of Group 1 (n = 13) was supplemented with dietary sodium. The average urinary output for Group 1 was 192 +/- 39 mmol/24 hr at baseline and 200 +/- 56 mmol/24 hr during the diet. For Group 2 (n = 10), which remained on the initial diet, urinary sodium excretion changed from 188 +/- 53 mmol/24 hr at baseline to 97 +/- 32 mmol/24 hr (p less than 0.001). Intraarterial BP, cardiac output (CO), plasma volume, circulating norepinephrine (NE), and urinary NE were measured at baseline and at the end of the dieting periods. Before the dietary sodium supplement while on the initial diet, the patients in Group 2 showed a reduction in body weight from 97.3 +/- 10.5 kg to 88.6 +/- 9.9 kg (p less than 0.001). Heart rate (HR) and urinary NE output were significantly reduced in comparison with baseline, but intraarterial BP was unchanged. No change in cardiopulmonary blood volume, CO, or stroke volume (SV) was observed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Association Study in U.S. Holstein Cattle

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful approach to identify genomic regions and genetic variants associated with phenotypes. However, only limited mutual confirmation from different studies is available. We conducted a large-scale GWAS using 294,079 first-lactation Holstein cows and identified new additive and dominance effects on five production traits, three fertility traits, and somatic cell score. Four chromosomes had the most significant SNP effects on the five production traits, a Chr14 region containing DGAT1 mostly had positive effects on fat yield and negative effects on milk and protein yields, the 88.07–89.60 Mb region of Chr06 with SLC4A4, GC, NPFFR2, and ADAMTS3 for milk and protein yields, the 30.03–36.67 Mb region of Chr20 with C6 and GHR for milk yield, and the 88.19–88.88 Mb region with ABCC9 as well as the 91.13–94.62 Mb region of Chr05 with PLEKHA5, MGST1, SLC15A5, and EPS8 for fat yield. For fertility traits, the SNP in GC of Chr06, and the SNPs in the 65.02–69.43 Mb region of Chr01 with COX17, ILDR1, and KALRN had the most significant effects for daughter pregnancy rate and cow conception rate, whereas SNPs in AFF1 of Chr06, the 47.54–52.79 Mb region of Chr07, TSPAN4 of Chr29, and NPAS1 of Chr18 had the most significant effects for heifer conception rate. For somatic cell score, GC of Chr06 and PRLR of Chr20 had the most significant effects. A small number of dominance effects were detected for the production traits with far lower statistical significance than the additive effects and for fertility traits with similar statistical significance as the additive effects. Analysis of allelic effects revealed the presence of uni-allelic, asymmetric, and symmetric SNP effects and found the previously reported DGAT1 antagonism was an extreme antagonistic pleiotropy between fat yield and milk and protein yields among all SNPs in this study.
CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO STRESS INDUCIBLE GENES FROM THE MANGROVE SPECIES AVICENNIA MARINA VIERCH

Plants are exposed to several abiotic stresses such as high salinity, drought, extreme light and temperature under natural conditions which thereby affect their growth and development (Jithesh et al., 2006). Salinity stress is of particular importance since it is a threat which confronts the modern agricultural productivity. Salinity stress affects seed germination, seedling growth and vigour, vegetative growth, flowering and fruit set in plants (Sairam and Tyagi, 2004). The series of events that happen when a plant is subjected to salinity stress are CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO STRESS INDUCIBLE GENES FROM THE MANGROVE SPECIES AVICENNIA MARINA VIERCH. FORSK
Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Resistance Frequency in Tobacco Budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

ABSTRACT The tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera Noctuidae), is one of the most important pests of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. , that has become resistant to a wide range of synthetic insecticides. Cry1Ac-expressing cotton has proven its effectiveness against this insect since its introduction in North America in 1996. However, the constant exposure of tobacco budworm to this protein toxin may result in the development of resistance to it. To estimate the frequency of alleles that confer resistance to a 1.0 µg of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac diagnostic concentration in field-collected insects, the second generation (F2) of 1,001 single-pair families from seven geographical regions representing 2,202 alleles from natural populations was screened in 2006 and 2007 without finding major resistant alleles. Neonates of 56 single-pair families were able to develop to second instar on the diagnostic concentration in the initial screen, but only seven of these lines did so again in a second confirmatory screen. Minor resistance alleles to Cry1Ac may be quite common in natural populations of H. virescens. Our estimated resistance allele frequencies (0.0036 – 0.0263) were not significantly different from a previously published estimate from 1993. There is no evidence that H. virescens populations have become more resistant to Cry1Ac.
[Endometriosis and fertility: physiopathology and treatment options].

The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is not clear despite a large literature. 30-40% of women with endometriosis are infertile, compared to fewer than 10% in the general population. A direct relationship has never been proven, but numerous physiopathological hypotheses have been advanced to explain such a relationship. The role of severe forms of endometriosis in infertility is clear and there is consensus concerning treatment. In cases of destruction of the ovarian parenchyma by voluminous endometriomas, drug treatment is not sufficient and laparoscopic removal of the cyst is required. In cases of complete bilateral obstruction of the proximal tubes, drug treatment is usually disappointing and surgery or in vitro fertilization is required. Treatment choice for nonobstructing lesions is less clear. The role of small polyps and isolated localized diverticuli is doubtful. The most difficult treatment problems arise in cases of minimal to moderate endometriosis. Several cycle anomalies have been reported. In order to establish causality, such effects must be studied hormonally and sonographically for at least six consecutive cycles. Several potential mechanisms have been suggested to explain such effects, including hyperproduction of prostaglandins, hyperprolactinemia, anomalies in luteolysis, and biphasal LH peak, among others. Peritoneal endometrial implants may cause an aseptic inflammatory reaction and an antigenic stimulation leading to increased volume of peritoneal liquid, elevation of prostaglandins in the peritoneal liquid that then cause other problems, augmented number and activation of peritoneal and tubal macrophages with various effects, or auto-immune type responses. Associated male infertility factors may play a role. If endometriosis is a cause of infertility, pregnancy rates should be increased by specific treatment. Efficacy of different treatments was evaluated in a meta-analysis of 25 studies. Systematic destruction of lesions during laparoscopy appeared to offer the best results. In vitro fertilization may be proposed in severe forms or associated male infertility. The results have been similar to those for other indications, except possibly in severe and extensive forms characterized by diminished retrieval of oocytes. It is possible that endometriosis does not explain infertility except in forms severe enough to alter pelvic anatomy.
X-Ray Computed Tomography: Semiautomated Volumetric Analysis of Late-Stage Lung Tumors as a Basis for Response Assessments

Background. This study presents a semiautomated approach for volumetric analysis of lung tumors and evaluates the feasibility of using volumes as an alternative to line lengths as a basis for response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). The overall goal for the implementation was to accurately, precisely, and efficiently enable the analyses of lesions in the lung under the guidance of an operator. Methods. An anthropomorphic phantom with embedded model masses and 71 time points in 10 clinical cases with advanced lung cancer was analyzed using a semi-automated workflow. The implementation was done using the Cognition Network Technology. Results. Analysis of the phantom showed an average accuracy of 97%. The analyses of the clinical cases showed both intra- and interreader variabilities of approximately 5% on average with an upper 95% confidence interval of 14% and 19%, respectively. Compared to line lengths, the use of volumes clearly shows enhanced sensitivity with respect to determining response to therapy. Conclusions. It is feasible to perform volumetric analysis efficiently with high accuracy and low variability, even in patients with late-stage cancer who have complex lesions.
Sympatry and interference of divergent Microbotryum pathogen species

Abstract The impact of infectious diseases in natural ecosystems is strongly influenced by the degree of pathogen specialization and by the local assemblies of potential host species. This study investigated anther‐smut disease, caused by fungi in the genus Microbotryum, among natural populations of plants in the Caryophyllaceae. A broad geographic survey focused on sites of the disease on multiple host species in sympatry. Analysis of molecular identities for the pathogens revealed that sympatric disease was most often due to co‐occurrence of distinct, host‐specific anther‐smut fungi, rather than localized cross‐species disease transmission. Flowers from sympatric populations showed that the Microbotryum spores were frequently moved between host species. Experimental inoculations to simulate cross‐species exposure to the pathogens in these plant communities showed that the anther‐smut pathogen was less able to cause disease on its regular host when following exposure of the plants to incompatible pathogens from another host species. These results indicate that multi‐host/multi‐pathogen communities are common in this system and they involve a previously hidden mechanism of interference between Microbotryum fungi, which likely affects both pathogen and host distributions.
Determinants of Eco-innovations by Type of Environmental Impact: The Role of Regulatory Push/Pull, Technology Push and Market Pull

Empirical analyses of the determinants of environmental innovations were rarely able to distinguish between different areas of environmental impacts. The paper tries to close this gap by employing a new and unique dataset based on the German Community Innovation Survey conducted in 2009. The main purpose of the paper is to test whether different types of eco-innovations (according to their environmental impacts) are driven by different factors. Besides a complex set of different supply, firm specific and demand factors, the literature on the determinants of environmental innovations accentuates the important role of regulation, cost savings and customer benefits. We find that current and expected government regulation is particularly important for pushing firms to reduce air (e.g. CO2, SO2 or NOx) as well as water or noise emissions, avoid hazardous substances and increase recyclability of products. Cost savings are an important motivation for reducing energy and material use, pointing to the role of energy and raw materials prices as well as taxation as drivers for eco-innovation. Customer requirements are another important source for eco-innovations, particularly with regard to products with improved environmental performance and process innovations that increase material efficiency, reduce energy consumption and waste and the use of dangerous substances. Firms confirm a high importance of expected future regulations for all environmental product innovations.
Apoptosis Occurs in the Penumbra Zone during Short-Duration Focal Ischemia in the Rat

To investigate the appearance of apoptosis in short-duration focal ischemia, the authors induced left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in male rats by insertion of an intraluminal suture. The total number of apoptotic cells was determined by hematoxylin–eosin staining and TUNEL labeling and confirmed by gel electrophoresis. The data indicate that the total number of apoptotic cells increased with ischemia duration (P = 0.0006), with most apoptotic cells located in the striatum of the ischemic hemisphere. As the duration of ischemia lengthened, necrosis became more prevalent and apoptosis receded to the periphery of the infarct. Using iodo[14C]-antipyrine to correlate the distribution of apoptosis to regional CBF (rCBF), the authors found that rCBF in the ischemic dorsolateral striatum was compatible with penumbra flow and significantly lower than the ventromedial striatum and frontoparietal cortex. This difference disappeared after 45 minutes of reperfusion. The authors conclude that focal ischemia of short duration results in changes compatible with apoptosis in regions of low rCBF, and this can occur without necrosis. This model is relevant to transient ischemic attack in the human and may suggest that, in addition to being a harbinger of stroke, transient ischemic attacks may cause histopathologic changes not yet clinically detectable.
Single cortical neurons as deep artificial neural networks

We introduce a novel approach to study neurons as sophisticated I/O information processing units by utilizing recent advances in the field of machine learning. We trained deep neural networks (DNNs) to mimic the I/O behavior of a detailed nonlinear model of a layer 5 cortical pyramidal cell, receiving rich spatio-temporal patterns of input synapse activations. A Temporally Convolutional DNN (TCN) with seven layers was required to accurately, and very efficiently, capture the I/O of this neuron at the millisecond resolution. This complexity primarily arises from local NMDA-based nonlinear dendritic conductances. The weight matrices of the DNN provide new insights into the I/O function of cortical pyramidal neurons, and the approach presented can provide a systematic characterization of the functional complexity of different neuron types. Our results demonstrate that cortical neurons can be conceptualized as multi-layered “deep” processing units, implying that the cortical networks they form have a non-classical architecture and are potentially more computationally powerful than previously assumed.
Depressive traits in essential tremor: impact on disability, quality of life, and medication adherence

There is growing study of the psychiatric features of essential tremor. Depressive symptoms occur in a considerable number of patients. Yet their impact, as a primary factor, has received almost no attention. We assessed whether, independent of tremor severity, patients with more depressive symptoms have more perceived tremor‐related disability, lower tremor‐related quality of life, and poorer compliance with tremor medication.
Age-Related Decline of Wrist Position Sense and its Relationship to Specific Physical Training

Perception of limb and body positions is known as proprioception. Sensory feedback, especially from proprioceptive receptors, is essential for motor control. Aging is associated with a decline in position sense at proximal joints, but there is inconclusive evidence of distal joints being equally affected by aging. In addition, there is initial evidence that physical activity attenuates age-related decline in proprioception. Our objectives were, first, to establish wrist proprioceptive acuity in a large group of seniors and compare their perception to young adults, and second, to determine if specific types of training or regular physical activity are associated with preserved wrist proprioception. We recruited community-dwelling seniors (n = 107, mean age, 70 ± 5 years, range, 65–84 years) without cognitive decline (Mini Mental State Examination-brief version ≥13/16) and young adult students (n = 51, mean age, 20 ± 1 years, range, 19–26 years). Participants performed contralateral and ipsilateral wrist position sense matching tasks with a bimanual wrist manipulandum to a 15° flexion reference position. Systematic error or proprioceptive bias was computed as the mean difference between matched and reference position. The respective standard deviation over five trials constituted a measure of random error or proprioceptive precision. Current levels of physical activity and previous sport, musical, or dance training were obtained through a questionnaire. We employed longitudinal mixed effects linear models to calculate the effects of trial number, sex, type of matching task and age on wrist proprioceptive bias and precision. The main results were that relative proprioceptive bias was greater in older when compared to young adults (mean difference: 36% ipsilateral, 88% contralateral, p < 0.01). Proprioceptive precision for contralateral but not for ipsilateral matching was smaller in older than in young adults (mean difference: 38% contralateral, p < 0.01). Longer years of dance training were associated with smaller bias during ipsilateral matching (p < 0.01). Other types of training or physical activity levels did not affect bias or precision. Our findings demonstrate that aging is associated with a decline in proprioceptive bias in distal arm joints, but age does not negatively affect proprioceptive precision. Further, specific types of long-term dance related training may attenuate age-related decline in proprioceptive bias.
Extending TLS with Mutual Attestation for Platform Integrity Assurance

Normally, secure communication between client-server applications is established using secure channel technologies such as Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS is cryptographic protocol which ensures secure transmission of data and authenticity of communication at each endpoint platform. However, the protocol does not provide any trustworthiness assurance of the involved endpoint. This paper incorporates remote attestation in the TLS key exchange protocol to solve this issue.The proposed embedded attestation extension in TLS protocol will provide assurance of sender's platforms integrity to receiver, and vice versa.The CA responsibility in TLS is replaced using own Trusted Certificate Authority (TCA) in our protocol. The credibility of the proposed protocol is studied to secure against replay attack and collusion attack. The proof is performed using AVISPA with High Level Protocol Specification (HLPSL) through Dolev-Yao intruder model implementation of the proposed protocol.
Investigation of Strain Effects on the Band-Structure of Si Nanowires using TB and DFT Methods

Using density functional theory and semi-empirical sp3d5s* tight binding calculations, we find that a 1% axial strain can change the bandgap of Hydrogenated Silicon nanowires by up to 100 meV. Further, compressive strain causes a direct-to-indirect bandgap transition. As the nanowire diameter increases, this transition occurs at smaller compressive strains, which makes it easier to experimentally observe. We also find that the rate of change of bandgap with strain is relatively independent of diameter for small diameter nanowires and only the geometry of the bonds (growth direction) determines its value. These robust effects also manifest as a large effective-mass change with strain, which could prove useful in SiNW-based sensors.