Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The efficacy of different acaricides against the hard tick Dermacentor marginatus on infested sheep.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of four acaricids, from different pharmacologic groups, in control of tick infestation in sheep. Additionally, clinical specific aspects of the infestations were registered. The study was carried out during of March – April 2012, in a southern area of Romania (Colibasi village, Giurgiu County). The therapeutic efficacy of four different acaricides: Deltamethrin (pirethroid), Amitraz (formamidine), Diazinon (organophosphate), and Ivermectine (macrocyclic lactone) on natural tick infestation in sheep was evaluated. The animals (n=40) were divided into four groups (n=10/group) corresponding to the four used drugs. The first three products were used by dipping, in concentration of 0.05% for Delthametrin, 0.05% for Amitraz, and 0.04% for Diazinon. Ivermectine (1%) was subcutaneously injected (0.2 mg/kg). The animals were examined before and after treatment at 3, 5, 7, 14 and 21 days. The number of ticks per animal, the main elective body regions for tick attachment, and the associated lesions, were also registered. A total number of 1054 ticks (938 females, 116 males) were collected from infested sheep, all belonging to the Dermacentor marginatus species. The body areas highly infested were, in order of prevalence: the substernal area (63.6%), sides of the neck (14.2%) and the tail (7.1%). Lesions associated with tick infestation consisted of local irritations and inflammations, nodular dermatitis and micro abscesses. The best acaricidal efficacy was registered for Delthametrin (79.5%, at 3 days and 100% at 5 days p.t.) and Amitraz (90.4%, 96.4% and 100% at 3, 5 and 7 days p.t. respectively); both acaricids preserved full protection at 14 and 21 days after treatment. Ivermectin reached maximum efficacy at 7 days p.t. (92%), afterwards dropping at 79.8% at 21 days p.t.
Phalangeal Bone Ultrasound and Its Possible Correlation with Nutrient in an Area of High Protein Intake

Aims: The influence of eating habits on bone mass is a controversial topic. We have use ultrasound to search for the relationships between nutrients and bone density. Methods: A total of 228 women (mean age 48.9 ± 13.7 years) were studied, and divided according to their gonadal status (pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women). The dietary intake was recorded for 7 days, and their bone mass was measured by phalangeal amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SOS). ANOVA was made to examine the differences according to gonadal status. To determine the possible correlation between Ad-SOS and nutrient intake, partial correlations, adjusted for important confounding variables, were done. Results: With partial correlations, there was no correlation of Ad-SOS with the nutrients studied here. Conclusion: We find no correlation of bone mass as measured by Ad-SOS with the most common nutrients and trace minerals, either for the participants as a whole or according to gonadal status.
Tobacco industry interference for pictorial warnings.

AIM A study was carried out to understand the process of interference by the tobacco industry, to measure the compliance of the industry for displaying pictorial warnings on a tobacco product as per the packaging and labeling rules post 31st May, 2009, and to understand the public opinion on the messages conveyed through such warnings. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 60 samples of tobacco products were purchased after 31 May, 2009, from the retail vendors of tobacco sellers across the country. RESULTS The government of India has from time to time, taken measures, including legislations, to control tobacco consumption. The actual implementation of these rules has been postponed repeatedly, apparently because of constant pressure exerted by the tobacco industry. The skull and bone sign hurting religious sentiments as stated by the group of ministers proved to be misleading. Later the Group of Ministers (GOM) proposed three very weak and poorly communicative pictorial health warnings to replace those recommended by the Union Health Ministry based on the inputs of the Department of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP). The industry tried to use strategic means by displaying a dull, diluted, and watered down pictorial warning. The focus group study conducted showed that a scorpion gets associated with the product in a non-scientific manner. X-ray of the lung was hardly understood by anybody. CONCLUSION Overall the tobacco industry has constantly flouted with the law right from the policy level to its implementation by displaying dull, diluted, and poorly informed pictorial warnings.
Case Report: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Wall of a Thymic Cyst

Thymic cysts are rare lesions (1–5% of all mediastinal masses) and, most of the times, are incidental findings. The coexistence of a lymphoma and a thymic cyst is rare. In the case reported herein, microscopic foci of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were identified in the wall of a resected thymic cyst. This case report adds to the current knowledge of this rare entity and highlights the necessity of early surgical resection of mediastinal cysts over watchful waiting.
Early protein-calorie malnutrition in slum areas of Bangkok Municipality, 1970-71.

A health survey was conducted on preschool children in 4 slum districts of Bangkok Thailand. The survey included anthropometric measurements plotted against normal curves for North American children and both middle class Bangkok and rural Thai children. Both the middle class urban and the rural children had mean heights and weights equal to the North American reference; the slum children were already substantially below the norm within the 1st 6 months of life. That their heights increased relative to the other children in the study while their head circumferences did not indicates that severe retardation in brain growth during the early months of life is more lasting than the early retardation in height. In 3 of the 4 slums over 80% of the total child population studied suffered from protein-calorie malnutrition. 2nd and 3rd degree malnutrition among these populations were pronounced. These effects are attributed to a lack of breastfeeding. The survey showed that many of these urban poor children were from rural families who had migrated whose mothers had to work to supplement family income. The pattern follows a similar migrant pattern observed in Chile.
Social Capital Knowledge

Organizations have capabilities for creating and sharing knowledge (intellectual capital) that give them their distinctive advantage over other institutional arrangements, such as markets (Ghoshal & Nahapiet, 1998). But, what is the basis of a firm’s knowledge development capabilities? At least in part, the answer is that these capabilities stem from the social capital that an organization possesses as a result of bringing people together for extended periods of time, creating interdependence through specialization and integration, forcing interaction, and providing boundaries and directions. Following the resource-based theory of the firm (Conner & Prahalad, 1996), enterprises that cultivate particular forms of social capital are likely to realize competitive advantages (Ghoshal & Nahapiet, 1998). This article traces the connections between an organization’s social capital and the organization’s development of knowledge. Understanding these connections is important for leaders of knowledge management initiatives, particularly if they seek to leverage knowledge production into enhanced competitiveness. We begin with a background discussion of the nature of social capital including its structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions. This is followed by a consideration of intellectual capital (i.e., knowledge that can be used to achieve an organization’s purpose) and an explanation of the supportive role of social capital in furnishing conditions necessary for developing this knowledge. We describe a model of knowledge conversion processes whereby intellectual capital is developed within a social capital context known as Ba. Some future trends in socially-based processes of knowing by people and organizations are outlined, followed by concluding remarks.
Induction of ovulation in chronically hypophysectomized Booroola ewes.

Booroola Merino ewes, with (F+; N = 17) and without (++; N = 13) a copy of the fecundity gene were hypophysectomized and 6 weeks later were given an i.m. injection of PMSG (high, medium or low dose) followed by hCG. The induced ovulation rates were observed laparoscopically. Ovulation rates were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in Booroola F+ ewes than in ++ ewes (8.00 +/- 1.66 s.e.m. vs 3.62 +/- 1.10 respectively). This suggests that the high fecundity of the Booroola ewe may be due primarily to ovarian rather than pituitary factors.
Voluntary counselling, HIV testing and adjunctive cotrimoxazole are associated with improved TB treatment outcomes under routine conditions in Thyolo District, Malawi.

SETTING Two rural districts in Malawi: Thyolo, where voluntary counselling and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing (VCT) is offered to all tuberculosis (TB) patients and adjunctive cotrimoxazole to HIV positives, and Mulanje, where no such interventions are offered. OBJECTIVES For all TB patients registered in 2001: 1) to determine the uptake of VCT and cotrimoxazole in Thyolo, and 2) to compare treatment outcomes between Thyolo and Mulanje. DESIGN A cohort study using routinely collected programme data. RESULTS There were 1239 TB patients in Mulanje and 1103 in Thyolo. In Thylo, 1064 (97%) patients consented to VCT, 1006 were HIV tested (91%) and 761 (69%) were started on cotrimoxazole a median of 4 days from registration; 77% of patients tested in Thyolo were HIV-positive. For all TB patients, in Thyolo and Mulanje, treatment success was respectively 75% and 61% (P < 0.001); death was 21% and 25% (P = 0.026); and other outcomes were 4% and 14% (P < 0.001). The adjusted relative risks of treatment success (1.23), death (0.84) and other outcomes (0.26) in Thyolo were significantly different from those in Mulanje (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION VCT and adjunctive cotrimoxazole is well accepted by TB patients in Thyolo and, with other HIV care and support services, is associated with good treatment outcome indicators for the National Tuberculosis Programme. This intervention is being expanded to other districts in Malawi, and other African countries should consider a similar approach to the dual HIV-TB epidemic.
Modulation of mitochondrial Ca by nitric oxide in cultured bovine vascular endothelial cells

Dedkova, Elena N. , and Lothar A. Blatter. Modulation of mitochondrial Ca by nitric oxide in cultured bovine vascular endothelial cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 289: C836–C845, 2005. First published May 18, 2005; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00011. 2005. —In the present study, we used laser scanning confocal microscopy in combination with fluorescent indicator dyes to investigate the effects of nitric oxide (NO) produced endogenously by stimulation of the mitochondria-specific NO synthase (mtNOS) or applied exogenously through a NO donor, on mitochondrial Ca uptake, membrane potential, and gating of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) in permeabilized cultured calf pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells. Higher concentrations (100–500 M) of the NO donor spermine NONOate (Sper/NO) significantly reduced mitochondrial Ca uptake and Ca extrusion rates, whereas low concentrations of Sper/NO ( 100 M) had no effect on mitochondrial Ca levels ([Ca ]mt). Stimulation of mitochondrial NO production by incubating cells with 1 mM L-arginine also decreased mitochondrial Ca uptake, whereas inhibition of mtNOS with 10 M L-N-(1-iminoethyl)ornithine resulted in a significant increase of [Ca ]mt. Sper/NO application caused a dose-dependent sustained mitochondrial depolarization as revealed with the voltage-sensitive dye tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE). Blocking mtNOS hyperpolarized basal mitochondrial membrane potential and partially prevented Ca induced decrease in TMRE fluorescence. Higher concentrations of Sper/NO (100–500 M) induced PTP opening, whereas lower concentrations ( 100 M) had no effect. The data demonstrate that in calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells, stimulation of mitochondrial Ca uptake can activate NO production in mitochondria that in turn can modulate mitochondrial Ca uptake and efflux, demonstrating a negative feedback regulation. This mechanism may be particularly important to protect against mitochondrial Ca overload under pathological conditions where cellular [NO] can reach very high levels.
Precision Bounds in GNSS-R Ocean Altimetry

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals offer a promising opportunity to perform mesoscale altimetry with worldwide coverage using small satellites. However, unlike the signals used in classical altimeters, the GNSS signals have smaller bandwidth and lower transmitted power. This paper analyzes the achievable height precision of the Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) altimeters based on the Cramér-Rao bound for time-delay estimation. Precision bounds for the composite signals GPS L1 and L5 and Galileo E1, E5, and E6 in a spaceborne mission scenario are assessed, and the optimum receiver bandwidths which minimize them are obtained.
Traditional perceptions and treatment of mental disorders in western Ethiopia before the 1974 revolution

This article describes the traditional concepts and treatment of mental disorders in the Oromo areas in western Ethiopia before the revolution in 1974. There are three traditional cultural influences operating: traditional Oromo thinking, the Coptic church and the Islamic culture. One important element in traditional Oromo thinking is that each person is believed to possess an ayana, which is a special divine agent that can descend upon people, but also means a person's character and personality. In the traditional Oromo society, the Kallu is the religious leader who, through an ecstatic ritual technique, can investigate the causes of the disorder and advise what to do. Mental disorders are generally explained as resulting from disturbances in the relationship between people and divinity. The second important cultural element in western Ethiopia is the orthodox Coptic church, which usually looks upon mental disorders as possession by evil spirits, which are thus treated by specially gifted priests and monks by praying and giving holy water or eventually exhortation. According to Islamic teaching in the area, mental disorders are caused by evil spirits sent by God to punish the unfaithful people. Some Muslim sheiks treat mental cases with prayers, but herbal remedies are also used. There is a great intermingling of these different cultural and religious elements and people attend different healers and religious leaders more depending on the reputation of the person than on cultural and religious affiliation.
Methodological issues of genetic association studies

Abstract Genetic association studies explore the association between genetic polymorphisms and a certain trait, disease or predisposition to disease. It has long been acknowledged that many genetic association studies fail to replicate their initial positive findings. This raises concern about the methodological quality of these reports. Case-control genetic association studies often suffer from various methodological flaws in study design and data analysis, and are often reported poorly. Flawed methodology and poor reporting leads to distorted results and incorrect conclusions. Many journals have adopted guidelines for reporting genetic association studies. In this review, some major methodological determinants of genetic association studies will be discussed. Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:S115–8.
Differential expression of interleukin‐2 by anti‐CD3‐stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with psoriatic arthritis and patients with cutaneous psoriasis

The differences in systemic T‐cell responses between patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and patients with cutaneous psoriasis (Ps) are still largely unknown. To determine differential features that could be used to distinguish PsA from Ps, we compared the cytokine secretion profile of circulating T cells in patients with PsA, patients with cutaneous Ps and control subjects. We determined Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokine secretion of anti‐CD3‐stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using a cytokine bead array. Normality of data distribution was assessed by the Shapiro–Wilk test, and statistical significance was calculated by the Mann–Whitney test. Phenotypic characterization of circulating T cells was performed by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis. We found that the major systemic differences distinguishing PsA from cutaneous Ps were the increased secretion of interleukin (IL)‐2 by α‐CD3‐stimulated PBMCs and a higher percentage of circulating CD3+ T cells expressing the proliferation marker CD71 in PsA. These results indicate IL‐2 as a possible biomarker of PsA, and suggest a role of circulating T cells with high proliferative capacity in the pathogenesis of PsA.
Mercury Resistance in Bacillus cereusRC607: Transcriptional Organization and Two New Open Reading Frames

ABSTRACT The chromosomal mercury resistance determinant of Bacillus cereus RC607 confers resistance to inorganic mercury and to organomercurials. The order of genes in the completed mercury resistance determinant is operator-promoter 1 (O/P1) merR1 merT open reading frame 3 (ORF3) ORF4 merA O/P2merR2 merB2 merB1. The previously undetermined 1-kb DNA sequence between the merA and merB1 genes includes two significant ORFs, whose predicted protein products are homologous with MerR (the transcriptional regulator) and MerB (the organomercurial lyase enzyme). Two transcriptional start sites (promoters), O/P1 at the beginning of the determinant and O/P2 immediately upstream of the sixth ORF, the newly identifiedmerR2, were mapped by reverse transcriptase (RT) primer extension. A long 6.3-kb mRNA traversing all eight ORFs was shown by RT-PCR. Growth sensitivity measurements in liquid media and cellular mercury volatization assays characterized inducibility and differences in functional activity in B. cereus RC607 and after cloning of the mer determinant into plasmids in Escherichia coli.
Exercise-induced homeostatic perturbations provoked by singles tennis match play with reference to development of fatigue

This review addresses metabolic, neural, mechanical and thermal alterations during tennis match play with special focus on associations with fatigue. Several studies have provided a link between fatigue and the impairment of tennis skills proficiency. A tennis player’s ability to maintain skilled on-court performance and/or optimal muscle function during a demanding match can be compromised as a result of several homeostatic perturbations, for example hypoglycaemia, muscle damage and hyperthermia. Accordingly, an important physiological requirement to succeed at competitive level might be the player’s ability to resist fatigue. However, research evidence on this topic is limited and it is unclear to what extent players experience fatigue during high-level tennis match play and what the physiological mechanisms are that are likely to contribute to the deterioration in performance.
Strain Elastography - How To Do It?

Abstract Tissue stiffness assessed by palpation for diagnosing pathology has been used for thousands of years. Ultrasound elastography has been developed more recently to display similar information on tissue stiffness as an image. There are two main types of ultrasound elastography, strain and shear wave. Strain elastography is a qualitative technique and provides information on the relative stiffness between one tissue and another. Shear wave elastography is a quantitative method and provides an estimated value of the tissue stiffness that can be expressed in either the shear wave speed through the tissues in meters/second, or converted to the Young’s modulus making some assumptions and expressed in kPa. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages and they are often complimentary to each other in clinical practice. This article reviews the principles, technique, and interpretation of strain elastography in various organs. It describes how to optimize technique, while pitfalls and artifacts are also discussed.
Chronic Enterovirus D68 Bronchiolitis Causing Severe Respiratory Insufficiency

Human enteroviruses are less well-known causes of acute bronchiolitis. In recent years, Enterovirus D68 [EV D68] has emerged as significant cause of epidemic viral bronchiolitis and pneumonia in the United States and other countries. Chronic bronchiolitis has not been previously attributed to EV D68. We documented EV D68 in open lung biopsies of a young adult patient who was frequently admitted to the hospital for severe exacerbation of respiratory infections and subsequently developed progressive respiratory insufficiency. The difficulty of diagnosis and potential economic impact of this illness is discussed.
Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Migraineurs as Measured by Transcranial Doppler

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound is a relatively new diagnostic modality which allows the non-invasive assessment of intracranial circulation. A total of 10 migraine patients were studied and compared to healthy controls without headaches. Migraineurs during the headache-free interval demonstrated excessive cerebrovascular reactivity to CO2, evidenced by an increase in middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity of 47% ± 15% compared to 28% ± 14% in controls (p = 0.026). Differences between the two study groups revealed no significant decrease in middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity with hypocapnia. However, the differences between middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity during hyperventilation and CO2 inhalation were significantly different (p = 0.004) comparing migraineurs and controls. Instability of the baseline blood flow velocities was also noted in migraineurs during the interictal period. Characteristics which may allow differentiation of migraineurs from other headache populations could possibly be obtained from transcranial Doppler ultrasound flow studies.
Crowdsourcing and CCTV: the Effect of Interface, Financial Bonus and Video Type

Volunteer computing systems provide an easy mechanism for users who wish to perform large amounts of High Throughput Computing work. However, if the Volunteer Computing system is deployed over a shared set of computers where interactive users can seize back control of the computers this can lead to wasted computational effort and hence wasted energy. Determining on which resource to deploy a particular piece of work, or even to choose not to deploy the work at the current time, is a difficult problem to solve, depending both on the expected free time available on the computers within the Volunteer computing system and the expected runtime of the work - both of which are difficult to determine a-priori. We develop here a Reinforcement Learning approach to solving this problem and demonstrate that it can provide a reduction in energy consumption between 30% and 53% depending on whether we can tolerate an increase in the overheads incurred.