Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temperature-Dependent Anomalies in the Growth of Microorganisms

Davey, C. B. (North Carolina State University, Raleigh), Raymond J. Miller, and Larry A. Nelson. Temperature-dependent anomalies in the growth of microorganisms. J. Bacteriol. 91:1827–1830. 1966. —Water in the liquid phase (0 to 100 C) has been shown, by others, to undergo subtle changes in its physical structure at approximately 15, 30, 45, and 60 C. It has been suggested that these temperature-dependent anomalies in the structure of water may have biological implications. After incubation in a polythermostat, direct cell counts were made to determine temperature-growth interactions for the four bacteria which were used to cover the temperature range from 5 to 70 C: Pseudomonas fragi, 5 to 25 C; Streptococcus faecalis, 20 to 40 C; Bacillus coagulans, 35 to 55 C; and B. stearothermophilus 1518 smooth, 50 to 70 C. In all cases, growth was suppressed at the predicted temperatures, suggesting a strong interaction between the structure of water and biological activity.
Identification of Males with Cryptic Fragile X Alleles by Methylation-Specific Quantitative Melt Analysis.

BACKGROUND FMR1 full mutations (FMs) (CGG expansion >200) in males mosaic for a normal (<45 CGG) or gray-zone (GZ) (45-54 CGG) allele can be missed with the standard 2-step fragile X syndrome (FXS) testing protocols, largely because the first-line PCR tests showing a normal or GZ allele are not reflexed to the second-line test that can detect FM. METHODS We used methylation-specific quantitative melt analysis (MS-QMA) to determine the prevalence of cryptic FM alleles in 2 independent cohorts of male patients (994 from Chile and 2392 from Australia) referred for FXS testing from 2006 to 2013. All MS-QMA-positive cases were retested with commercial triplet primed PCR, methylation-sensitive Southern blot, and a methylation-specific EpiTYPER-based test. RESULTS All 38 FMs detected with the standard 2-step protocol were detected with MS-QMA. However, MS-QMA identified methylation mosaicism in an additional 15% and 11% of patients in the Chilean and Australian cohorts, respectively, suggesting the presence of a cryptic FM. Of these additional patients, 57% were confirmed to carry cryptic expanded alleles in blood, buccal mucosa, or saliva samples. Further confirmation was provided by identifying premutation (CGG 55-199) alleles in mothers of probands with methylation-sensitive Southern blot. Neurocognitive assessments showed that low-level mosaicism for cryptic FM alleles was associated with cognitive impairment or autism. CONCLUSIONS A substantial number of mosaic FM males who have cognitive impairment or autism are not diagnosed with the currently recommended 2-step testing protocol and can be identified with MS-QMA as a first-line test.
Effects of nanoparticles on trap depth in epoxy resin under different temperature

Under high DC voltage, the space charge accumulation can largely alters the local field distribution in epoxy resin. And it has been revealed that nanoparticles have great influences on space charge distribution in epoxy resin. To reveal the mechanism of nanoparticles, the effects of nanoparticles on trap depth are investigated under different temperature. In this work, epoxy resin and its nano composite are cured with a thickness of 0.3mm. The space charge distribution and the decay after the removal of voltage were tested based on Pulsed Electro-Acoustic (PEA) method under different temperature (20 °C, 40 °C and 60°C). The average charge density and trap depth are achieved by PEA. To eliminate the effects of temperature on decay rate, the trap depths under different temperature are calibrated to that of 20°C. The results indicated that the incorporation of nano silica particles could suppress the space charge accumulation in epoxy resin, and the nano composites show shallower trap depth than pure epoxy. Moreover, the trap depths of nano composites changes less obviously with the variation of temperature, while the trap depths of pure epoxy become deeper with the increase of temperature. This different trap behavior is explained in terms of the thermal movement of polymer molecules in epoxy resin.
Adaptação da escala de homofobia implítica e explícita ao contexto brasileiro

O grande numero de atitudes agressivas e comportamentos discriminatorios reportados com relacao aos homossexuais tem sido amplamente discutido. Estudos recentes tem mostrado que o preconceito se modificou, tornando-se mais sutil. No entanto, sao escassos os estudos que procuram enfatizar essa modificacao no que diz respeito ao preconceito frente a estes grupos minoritarios. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi adaptar a Escala de Homofobia Implicita e Explicita para o contexto brasileiro. Participaram desta pesquisa 231 estudantes universitarios, com idade variando de 17 a 55 anos (M = 24,0; DP = 5,38), sendo a maioria (51,5%) do sexo masculino. Estes responderam a escala mencionada e questoes socio-demograficas. Os resultados da analise fatorial confirmatoria corroboraram a estrutura bi-fatorial da medida. Conjuntamente, o instrumento apresentou consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach = 0,87), mostrando-se uma medida fidedigna para utilizacao neste contexto.
Older and younger adult cochlear implant users: speech recognition in quiet and noise, quality of life, and music perception.

PURPOSE To determine whether older cochlear implant (CI) listeners differ from younger CI listeners on measures of speech understanding, music perception, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In the study, the authors hypothesized that speech recognition would be more difficult for older adults, especially in noisy conditions. Performance on music perception was expected to be lower for older implanted listeners. No differences between age groups were expected on HRQoL. METHOD Twenty older (>60 years) and 20 younger (<60 years) implanted adults participated. Speech understanding was assessed using words and sentences presented in quiet, and sentences presented at +15, +10, and +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio conditions. Music perception was tested using the University of Washington Clinical Assessment of Music, and HRQoL was measured using the Njimegen CI survey. RESULTS Speech understanding was significantly lower for the older compared with the younger group in all conditions. Older implanted adults showed lower performance on music perception compared with younger implanted adults on 1 of 3 subtests. Older adults reported lower HRQoL benefit than younger adults on 3 of 6 subdomains. CONCLUSION Data indicate that older CI listeners performed more poorly than younger CI listeners, although group differences appear to be task specific.
Effect of consumer cooking on furan in convenience foods

The effect of domestic preparation regimes on the level of the heat-formed toxicant furan was studied to provide useful information for exposure assessment and advice for manufacturers and consumers. Foods were cooked in a saucepan on a gas hob or microwaved and furan was determined by headspace sampling with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In general, furan levels did not decrease as much when foods were cooked in a microwave oven when compared with the same foods cooked in a saucepan. Furan levels decreased in most canned and jarred foods after heating in a saucepan. Low levels of furan in soups in cartons were not changed by any procedure. Furan decreased slightly in foods on standing before consumption, but did so more rapidly on stirring. The levels also decreased slightly when foods were left to stand on plates; this observation is attributed to the volatility of furan.
Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from poultry farms in Senegal

The group that includes the lactic acid bacteria is one of the most diverse groups of bacteria known and these organisms have been characterized extensively by using different techniques. In this study, thirty lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated from soils chicken faeces and feathers. A total of nineteen isolates were obtained and by sequential screening for catalase activity and Gram-staining, eight were determined to be LAB out of which six were established to be homofermentative by the gel plug test. Five isolates were identified by use of the API 50CHL kit and four Lactobacilli strains and one Lactococci strain were selected to study their growth and lactic acid production profiles in a time course experiment. The Lactobacilli strains, both isolated from faeces, produced higher amounts of cells and lactic acid from soils as compared to the lactococci strain isolated from feathers. L (+)-lactic acid is the only optical isomer for use in pharmaceutical and food industries because is only adapted to assimilate this form. The optical isomers of lactic acid were examined by L (+) and D (-) lactate dehydrogenase kit. Lactobacilli strains produced combination of both optical isomers of lactic acid. Among them, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei produced the low amount of D (-)-lactic (2%). The optimum rates of glucose for lactic acid production by Lactobacillus strains were 180 and 120 g/l for Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paraplantarum, respectively.
Topiramate and temporal lobe epilepsy: an open-label study

PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate (TPM) as monotherapy for patients with temporal lobe epileptic seizures based on an observational study.MethodsWe evaluated 41 patients (20 female, mean age 54+18 years) with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) referred to the Epilepsy Unit, University of Catanzaro, Italy. Patients received TPM as monotherapy directly or after having taken other antiepileptic drugs. Seizure frequency changes and adverse events were recorded. Follow-up was conducted for a period of at least two years after treatment.ResultsPatients received TPM, 50–600 mg/day, de novo (n=29) or initially as add-on therapy before the switch (n=12). In total, 28 of 41 patients achieved seizure freedom, whereas 10 showed a ≥50% reduction of seizure frequency. Two patients did not respond well and one patient discontinued TPM due to adverse effects.ConclusionsOur results confirm that TPM as either monotherapy or add-on therapy at doses of 50–600 mg/day effectively reduces seizure frequency in TLE. TPM is particular effective and very well tolerated in patients with mild TLE.
CDK4/6 dual inhibitor abemaciclib demonstrates compelling preclinical activity against esophageal adenocarcinoma: a novel therapeutic option for a deadly disease

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a deadly disease with limited therapeutic options. In the present study, we determined the preclinical efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib for treatment of EAC. In vitro, apoptosis, proliferation, and pathway regulation were evaluated in OE19, OE33, and FLO1 EAC cell lines. In vivo, esophagojejunostomy was performed on rats to induce EAC. At 36 weeks post-surgery, MRI and endoscopic biopsy established baseline tumor volume and molecular correlates, respectively. Next, the study animals were randomized to 26mg/kg intraperitoneal abemaciclib treatment or vehicle control for 28 days. Pre and post treatment MRIs, histopathology, and qRT-PCR were utilized to determine response. Our results demonstrated treatment with abemaciclib lead to increased apoptosis, and decreased proliferation in OE19 (p=0.185), OE33 (p=0.048), and FLO1 (p=0.043) with anticipated downstream molecular inhibition. In vivo, 78.9% of treatment animals demonstrated >20% tumor volume decrease (placebo 0%). Mean tumor volume changed in the treatment arm by -65.5% (placebo +133.5%) (p<0.01), and prevalence changed by -37.5% (placebo +16.7%) (p<0.01). Pre vs post treatment qRT-PCR demonstrated significant inhibition of all downstream molecular correlates. Overall our findings suggest potent antitumor efficacy of abemaciclib against EAC with evident molecular pathway inhibition and reasonable safety, establishing the rationale for future clinical development.
Comparing sequential and parallel code review techniques for formative feedback

The practice of Peer Review is widespread across a range of academic disciplines. We report on a study that compared two different approaches of peer reviewing program code --- reviewing a sequence of solutions to the same problem (sequential code review), and reviewing a set of multiple solutions side-by-side (parallel code review). We found that the parallel approach was preferred by the majority of participants in the study and there were some indications that it might be more helpful for reviewers, but the sequential approach elicited more written comments in general, and more specific critical comments compared with the parallel approach. Although parallel reviews may be preferred by reviewers, using sequential reviews appears to result in increased levels of formative feedback for the recipient.
Caspofungin Affects Growth of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in Both Morphological Phases

ABSTRACT Five Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates were grown in the presence of caspofungin (0 to 1 μg/ml). Inhibition of the yeast phase ranged from 20 to 65%, while in the mycelial form it ranged from 75% to 82%. Such variability was loosely related to the amount of cell wall β-1,3-glucan. No association with point mutations in the β-1,3-glucan synthase was detected. Caspofungin induced physical changes and cytoplasmic deterioration in both fungal phases.
The Linear Relationship Between Attenuation and Average Rainfall Rate for Terrestrial Links

Attenuation measured on terrestrial links can be used to estimate surface rainfall rates along a link path. There is current interest in the use of inverse methods to estimate rainfall over areas inferred from terrestrial links. A power-law relationship can be used to estimate rainfall rate from attenuation measured by a terrestrial link. However, the inverse method is simplified with a linear relationship between attenuation and rainfall rate when determining path averaged rainfall rates. This paper investigates power-law and linear relationships between rainfall rate and attenuation. It examines their goodness of fit for a range of frequencies and rainfall rates. Six years of disdrometer data from Chilbolton in the U.K. has been used to study both linear and power-law fits to attenuation and quantify the associated errors.
Genomic binding of PAX8-PPARG fusion protein regulates cancer-related pathways and alters the immune landscape of thyroid cancer

PAX8-PPARG fusion protein (PPFP) results from a t(2;3)(q13;p25) chromosomal translocation, is found in 30% of follicular thyroid carcinomas, and demonstrates oncogenic capacity in transgenic mice. A PPARG ligand, pioglitazone, is highly therapeutic in mice with PPFP thyroid cancer. However, only limited data exist to characterize the binding sites and oncogenic function of PPFP, or to explain the observed therapeutic effect of pioglitazone. Here we used our previously characterized transgenic mouse model of PPFP follicular thyroid carcinoma to identify PPFP binding sites in vivo using ChIP-seq, and to distinguish genes and pathways regulated directly or indirectly by PPFP with and without pioglitazone treatment via integration with RNA-seq data. PPFP bound to DNA regions containing the PAX8 and/or the PPARG motif, near genes involved in lipid metabolism, the cell cycle, apoptosis, and cell motility; the binding site distribution was highly concordant with our previous study in a rat PCCL3 cell line. Most strikingly, pioglitazone induced an immune cell infiltration including macrophages and T cells only in the presence of PPFP, which may be central to its therapeutic effect.
Genetic algorithm optimization of multidimensional grayscale soft morphological filters with applications in film archive restoration

Automatic restoration of old film archives has become of increasing interest in the last few years with the rise of consumer digital video applications and the need to supply more programming material of an acceptable quality in a multimedia context. A technique is described for the optimization of multidimensional grayscale soft morphological filters for applications in automatic film archive restoration, specific to the problem of film dirt removal. The optimization is undertaken with respect to a criterion based on mean absolute error and is performed using a genetic algorithm. Experiments have shown that the filter found using this technique has excellent performance in attenuating/removing film dirt from image sequences and has little, if any, effect on the image detail. The results of applying such a filter to a real image sequence were analyzed and compared to those obtained by restoring the same image sequence using a global filtering approach (LUM filter) and a spatio-temporal local filtering approach (ML3Dex filter with noise detection). From a film dirt removal point of view, the optimized soft morphological filter showed improved results compared to the LUM filter and comparable results with respect to the ML3Dex filter with noise detection. Also, the optimized filter accurately restored all fast-moving objects present in the sequence, without the need for motion compensation, whereas the other two methods failed to do this. The proposed method proved to be a simple, fast, and cheap approach for the automatic restoration of old film archives.
Isolation of satratoxins from the bedding straw of a sheep flock with fatal stachybotryotoxicosis

During a period of several weeks, more than 100 sheep died at a Hungarian farm. The animals exhibited fleece loosing, and hemorrhaging was the most important autopsy finding. Pasteurella haemolytica was cultured from various organs. The bedding straw was abundantly covered with Stachybotrys atra, and removal of the straw stopped the disease. Methanol extraction of the bedding straw followed by solvent partitioning, column chromatography, preparative thin-layer chromatography, and high-pressure liquid chromatography led to the isolation of satratoxins G and H, which were characterized by thin-layer chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and mass spectroscopy. This is the first isolation and characterization of toxins from a field sample of material responsible for an outbreak of stachybotryotoxicosis.
Development of neural networks module for fault identification in asynchronous machine using various types of reference signals

In this article, the device of automatic diagnostic of asynchronous motor is discussed. This diagnostic system is based on artificial neural network (ANN), in order to find the different defects by classification. The machine health identification process is mainly based on recognition and comparison of real-time captured standard signature as stator current, rotation speed of machine. The features extraction of the instantaneous signals will then input to an artificial neural networks (ANN) for recognition and identification. The output of the neural network was trained to generate a healthy index that indicates the machine health condition. In this work, the entries used in the neural network were the various types of signals: the instantaneous values and the effective values (root mean square) of the machine parameters.
Randomized trial of loop ileostomy in restorative proctocolectomy

A randomized controlled trial was performed to assess the role of loop ileostomy in totally stapled restorative proctocolectomy. Entry criteria included all patients who were not on corticosteroids in whom on‐table testing revealed a watertight pouch with intact ileoanal anastomosis. Of 59 patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy over 36 months, 45 were eligible and were randomized to loop ileostomy (n = 23) or no ileostomy (n = 22). The age and diagnosis of the groups were similar. There were no deaths; two ileoanal anastomotic leaks occurred, one in each group. Ileoanal stenosis occurred in five patients with and one without an ileostomy. The incidences of wound and pelvic sepsis, bowel obstruction and pouchitis were similar. Twelve patients (52 per cent) developed ileostomy‐related complications. The median total hospital stay was 23 (range 13–75) days with ileostomy and 13 (range 7–119) days without (P < 0.001). This study indicates that there is a low risk of pelvic sepsis which is not increased by avoiding a protective ileostomy. Loop ileostomy was associated with a high incidence of complications.
Biosorption of Heavy Metals by Low Cost Adsorbents

This paper describes the use of by-products as adsorbents for removing heavy metals from aqueous effluent solutions. Products of almond skin, walnut shell, saw dust, rice bran and egg shell were evaluated as metal ion adsorbents in aqueous solutions. A comparative study was done with commercial adsorbents like ion exchange resins and activated carbon too. Batch experiments were investigated to determine the affinity of all of biomasses for, Cd(ΙΙ), Cr(ΙΙΙ), Ni(ΙΙ), and Pb(ΙΙ) metal ions at pH 5. The rate of metal ion removal in the synthetic wastewater by the biomass was evaluated by measuring final concentration of synthetic wastewater. At a concentration of metal ion (50 mg/L), egg shell adsorbed high levels (98.6 – 99.7%) of Pb(ΙΙ) and Cr(ΙΙΙ) and walnut shell adsorbed high levels (35.3 – 65.4%) of Ni(ΙΙ) and Cd(ΙΙ). In this study, it has been shown that by-products were excellent adsorbents for removal of toxic ions from wastewater with efficiency comparable to commercially available adsorbents, but at a reduced cost. Also statistical studies using Independent Sample t Test and ANOVA Oneway for statistical comparison between various elements adsorption showed that there isn’t a significant difference in some elements adsorption percentage by by-products and commercial adsorbents. Keywords—Adsorbents, heavy metals, commercial adsorbents, wastewater, by-products.
Police Perspectives on Road Safety and Transport Politics in Germany

Road safety is a key concern of transport governance. In the European Union, a Road Safety Programme was adopted in 2011, with the objective to reduce road deaths in Europe by 50% in the period from 2011 to 2020. Evidence suggests, however, that this goal will not be met. Against this background, this paper investigates police perspectives on traffic laws, traffic behaviour, and transport policy. Police officers working with road safety are in a unique position to evaluate and judge the efficiency of road safety policies, as they record traffic offences, fine, investigate, and witness in court. Geographically, focus is on transport policy in Germany, a country with a dense road network, high levels of car ownership, and a large number of car manufacturers. A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were carried out with police officers in a wide variety of positions within the traffic police in Freiburg. Thematic analysis is used to analyse content and to identify aspects that represent major areas of concern. Officers affirm that traffic laws question traffic safety, for instance with regard to speed and speed limits, or elderly drivers. Specific recommendations for changes in transport policies are made, and results are discussed in the context of their implications for road safety and the European Union’s Road Safety Programme.