Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Road Crossings on Fish Movements in Small Etowah Basin Streams

Abstract Increased road construction associated with urbanization may result in fragmentation and loss of fish populations in streams. In this study, we documented frequency of movement of fishes through three separate types of road-crossings (clear-span bridges, box culverts, and tube culverts) in six small streams using mark-recapture sampling. Upstream movement between areas separated by either box or tube culverts was lower than upstream movement between similar areas not separated by a road crossing. Downstream movement between areas separated by box culverts was also lower than downstream movement between areas without obstructions. Upstream and downstream movement between areas separated by clear-span bridges was generally similar to patterns of movement between areas not separated by a road crossing. Our results indicate that culverts may limit, to some degree, movements of fishes in small streams.
Optimization of a simple and rapid single‐strand conformation analysis for detection of mutations in the PROS1 gene: Identification of seven novel mutations and three novel, apparently neutral, variants

Anticoagulant protein S (PS) deficiency is a known risk factor for thrombophilia. The structure and high allelic heterogeneity of the PS gene (PROS1), together with the presence of a 97% homologous pseudogene, complicates PROS1 analysis. We have optimized a simple, fast, and non‐isotopic Single‐Strand Conformation Analysis (SSCA or SSCP) method for PROS1 mutation detection. This is accomplished through the analysis of the single‐stranded and heteroduplex DNA fragments corresponding to 15 PCR segments that include part of the 5′‐upstream region and the 15 PROS1 exons with their intron boundaries. To standardize the method, 13 known PROS1 mutations or allele variants in 10 different fragments were analyzed under different electrophoretic conditions. The results indicated that, using a combination of two different electrophoretic settings, all the allele variants could be detected as a single‐strand band shift and/or by the presence of a heteroduplex. This method was used to analyze the PROS1 gene in 31 propositi with different types of PS deficiency and thrombosis. Ten different cosegregating mutations, seven of which are novel (143C‐>G, L‐27H, G96X, M599T, P626L, 1418delA, and 1877delT), were identified in the five families suffering from type I or quantitative PS deficiency and in four of the nine families with coexistence of type I and type III phenotypes. No clearly co‐segregating PROS1 mutations were identified in any of the 17 type III propositi analyzed, although eight of them were heterozygotes for the uncommon P460 allele of the S/P460 variant. Furthermore, five apparently neutral allelic variants, three of which are novel (‐296C‐>T, 182G‐>C and T57S), were identified in a normal control, two type I/III and two type III PS‐deficient pedigrees. Hum Mutat 15:463–473, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Number of Melanocytes in Human Epidermis

Our experiments indicate that heparin fails to prevent the occurrence of thrombosis in veins damaged by chemical irritation. Even when achieving almost continuous prolongation of clotting-time, with heparin given intramuscularly every four hours, no significant inhibition of thrombosis was obtained. This failure might be explained in part by the fact that we used discontinuous administration, either intravenously or intramuscularly, as suggested by Swedish workers (Crafoord, 1939; Jorpes, 1950), and in no rabbit could we be sure that the clottingtime was always above normal. Our results would seem to support those obtained in the original experiments with heparin, in which good effects were achieved only when the drug was given by continuous transfusion (Murray et al., 1937). On the other hand, ethyl biscoumacetate was found to be highly successful in preventing thrombosis. Similarly successful results were obtained with ethyl biscoumacetate using the arteries of dogs (Reinis, 1950), and also with dicoumarol (Dale and Jaques, 1942; Richards and Cortell, 1942; Thill et al., 1943). The doses of ethyl biscoumacetate used by us were only slightly (two to three times) greater than those used in man, and they produced a compariable prolongation of prothrombin time, which differs from the findings of Wright et al. (1953), who found it necessary to give much larger doses of ethyl biscoumacetate (morc than 20 times the human dose) to achieve comparable effects. While experimental results in rabbits cannot be applied directly to man, we feel that the unexpected differences found between the two drugs makes it desirable that their comparative value in the prevention of thrombosis in man should be critically assessed.
Reliability assessment of a fault tolerant propulsion system for an electrical helicopter

The paper describes an approach and a methodology of quantitative reliability assessment of fault tolerant propulsion systems for an electrical helicopter. As a comprehensive parameter for the assessment of fault tolerance of the components with a number of degradation states, it is proposed to use the criterion “degree of fault tolerance”. On the basis of such a parameter the transition probabilities have been defined for the Multi-State System reliability Markov Models. The simulation and assessment results allow concluding, which power train topology complies best with the design requirements on the reliability and the future operational conditions of electrical helicopters.
High doses of recombinant human erythropoietin fail to accelerate platelet reconstitution in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Results of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The effectiveness of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) in accelerating erythroid engraftment in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been demonstrated in previous studies. On the other hand, there are experimental data suggesting that high doses of rhEpo might also exert a stimulatory effect on thrombopoiesis. METHODS We carried out a pilot study on the use of high doses of rhEpo (500 U/kg/day for 30 days after transplant) in ten patients (HD-Epo group) receiving BMT to evaluate the effects on both erythroid and platelet (Plt) engrafment. This group was compared to ten BMT patients who had not received the hormone (Placebo group). RESULTS The HD-Epo group patients showed signs of accelerated erythropoietic recovery; in fact, the time required to reach a reticulocyte count higher than 30 x 10(9)/L was significantly shorter than in the Placebo group, while the number of high RNA content reticulocytes (HFR) was about three times greater. Circulating transferrin receptor (TfR) levels 30 days after BMT were also significantly higher in the HD-Epo group than in the other. Finally, the number of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the first 30 days following BMT was about twofold lower in the HD-Epo group; moreover, 4/10 patients who were treated with HD-Epo did not require any RBC units. No significant effects on the engraftment of platelets or on the number of Plt transfusions were observed in the HD-Epo as compared to the Placebo group. No adverse effect was noted on granulocytopoiesis, nor were any adverse clinical experiences found in patients who had been treated with erythropoietin at high dosages. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that rhEpo may stimulate erythroid reconstitution after BMT, while its effects on Plt engraftment and on Plt transfusion requirements are minimal.
Use of xylitol chewing gum in daycare centers: a follow‐up study in Savonlinna, Finland

The use of toothbrushes in daycare centers has been questioned because of the possibility of infections spreading through unsupervised brushing. Several field studies have demonstrated a caries‐preventive effect of xylitol chewing gum—a measure that could be a practical way of taking care of oral hygiene during daycare hours without brushing. A community trial was conducted in Savonlinna, Finland to test the caries‐preventive effect of xylitol chewing gum at these centers. A total of 921 children were recruited. The daycare centers were randomly distributed to xylitol chewing gum or brushing groups. An additional 270 children who had not been in daycare centers were later organized into an external reference group in order to check whether the children in the daycare centers were representative of all children in Savonlinna. The results revealed a statistically significant but clinically small difference between the xylitol and brushing groups in favor of the xylitol group. Many families used the daycare services irregularly. Changes in workplace, periods of unemployment, the birth of other children in the family, etc., affect the likelihood of families keeping their children in a daycare center for many years. Despite the fact that conditions were not optimal, oral health status in the xylitol group was a little bit better than in the control group. The use of xylitol can therefore be recommended, especially if the personnel do not have the possibility to supervise the brushing.
EVALUATION OF RAPID PLASMA REAGIN (CIRCLE) CARD TEST.

A RECENTLY reported modification of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test (1) suggests its use in large-scale testing operations and provides for quantitative as well as qualitative testing. This method differs from the original RPR card test (2) in that the test areas are circular rather than in the shape of a "teardrop"; the antigen and serum are mixed by rotation on a mechanical rotator; and quantitative test results may be obtained by preparing and testing dilutions on the card. This test is referred to as the RPR (circle) card test. This report presents the results of a study conducted to evaluate the performance of the RPR (circle) card test in parallel with VDRL slide tests, both qualitatively and quantitatively, on serum samples from clinically defined donor groups. The reproducibility of results obtained within and between laboratories performing this test experimentally on serum specimens distributed during the first 5 months of the current Syphilis Serology Evaluation Study is also reviewed.
Prognostic factors associated with decreased survival in patients with acinic cell carcinoma.

IMPORTANCE Acinic cell carcinoma is a rare salivary neoplasm that is generally associated with a good prognosis, although a subset of patients develops local and distant recurrences. Given the rarity of the disease, factors to identify patients at risk for recurrences or decreased survival are not clearly defined. OBJECTIVES To identify clinicopathologic factors associated with adverse survival in patients with acinic cell carcinoma and to assess the effect of local, regional, and distant recurrences on survival. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective medical record review in a tertiary care cancer center of 155 patients treated for acinic cell carcinoma from January 1990 through February 2013. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcomes evaluated were overall and disease-free survival. The end points assessed were age at diagnosis, sex, size of primary tumor, presence of positive surgical margins, postoperative radiation therapy, and development of local, regional, or distant recurrences. RESULTS The median survival was 28.5 years, with 13 patients (8.4%) dying of their disease. Women (n = 104) were affected twice as often as men (n = 51) but had an improved survival (P < .001). Patients diagnosed as having acinic cell carcinoma before or at the age of 45 years had an improved survival (P = .02) compared with their elder counterparts, a finding that was independent of sex. Neoplasms larger than 3 cm at presentation were associated with a decreased overall survival compared with smaller lesions (P = .02). The development of distant metastases was most associated with death from the disease (odds ratio, 49.90; 95% CI, 6.49-2246.30; P < .001) compared with local and regional recurrences. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although patients with acinic cell carcinoma generally have a favorable prognosis, we have identified several factors associated with decreased survival, including male sex, age older than 45 years, neoplasms larger than 3 cm, and the development of a distant recurrence. These results suggest that maximizing local and regional control for this disease can offer substantial benefit when no distant disease is detectable.
A comparative analysis of parasite species richness of Iberian rodents

Data on parasites of rodents, collected over an 18-year period on the Iberian peninsula, were used to find the determinants of parasite species richness. A total of 77 species of helminth parasites (nematodes, cestodes and digeneans) was identified among 16 species of rodents. Parasites were classified into groups according to their specificity towards their host and their life-cycle. A working phylogeny of the rodents was proposed on the basis of molecular and paleontological data and for each host the following parameters were recorded: sample size, weight, geographical range, longevity, and life-style. Two comparative methods were used, the independent comparisons method of Pagel (1992) and the distance matrix method of Legendre, Lapointe & Casgrain (1995). The second method has the advantage of measuring the relative contribution of phylogeny. Both methods gave similar results. Overall parasite species richness correlated only with host sample size. Host body size does not correlate with any subset of parasite species richness. However, host phylogeny is a good predicator of specific parasites and the species richness of digeneans correlates with host geographical range. A phylogenetic reconstruction of host relations was performed using the parasites belonging to subgroups in which richness is correlated with host phylogeny. These parasite species were treated as Dollo characters, i.e. we made the assumption that the loss of a parasite species is irreversible. The consensus tree obtained reflects the major phylogenetic divisions of the host group. Finally, this study illustrates the relative importance of processes acting at different temporal and spatial scales (evolutionary time and actual geographical range of hosts) in determining the structure of helminth parasite fauna.
A novel two-color flow cytometric assay for the detection of Cryptosporidium in environmental water samples.

BACKGROUND Cryptosporidium is an important waterborne pathogen. Detection of Cryptosporidium in concentrated water samples depends on oocyst isolation using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and/or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), followed by confirmation using immunofluorescence staining (IFA) and fluorescence microscopy. These methods require highly trained microscopists for oocyst identification and confirmation. Analysis is hampered due to the presence of autofluorescent particles coupled with particles binding nonspecifically with the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) used for detection. Flow cytometry (FCM) has the potential to be a more specific method for oocyst detection, but such a system would require more than one selection parameter. METHODS Various mAbs from commercial suppliers were paired with CRY104-PE and evaluated. The mAb combination that best discriminated stained oocyst from detritus was optimized and compared to Cryptosporidium detection utilizing one-color IFA/FACS. RESULTS A highly specific two-color assay employing the IgG(1) mAb CRY104 was developed. The assay resulted in reductions, up to 20-fold, in the number of non-Cryptosporidium particles detected. The addition of a second selection parameter improved microscopic analysis times and simplified oocyst confirmation by microscopists. CONCLUSIONS A two-color assay employing competing surface mAbs reduces the number of fluorescent particles sorted, thus improving FCM detection methods for Cryptosporidium.
Assignment1 of Nmp4 to mouse chromosome 6 band F1 flanked by D6Mit134 and D6Mit255 using radiation hybrid mapping and fluorescence in situ hybridization

The Nmp4 gene (MGD approved nomenclature) encodes a novel family of Cys2His2 zinc finger proteins, some of which contribute to extracellular matrix gene expression in connective tissue (Alvarez et al., 1998; Thunyakitpisal et al., 1999, Nakamoto et al., 2000; Thunyakitpisal et al., 2001). A human brain partial cDNA clone TNRC1 (alias CAGH1) encodes a protein that likely is the human ortholog of Nmp4 and has been mapped to human chromosome 12p12 (Margolis et al., 1997). Here, we report the isolation of a murine genomic BAC clone containing the Nmp4 gene and the localization of mouse Nmp4 to chromosome 6 band F1, using radiation hybrid mapping and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses.
Outback Catheter for Femoropopliteal Occlusions: Immediate and Long-term Results

Purpose: To report a retrospective, single-center study that evaluates technical and clinical outcomes from subintimal recanalization of femoropopliteal chronic total occlusions (CTO) facilitated by the Outback re-entry catheter. Methods: The Outback catheter was required to complete recanalization of femoropopliteal CTOs (mean lesion length 195±91 mm) in 118 limbs of 113 patients (77 men; mean age 70±10 years). In 80/118 (67.8%) limbs, treatment was performed for claudication and in the remaining 38 (32.2%) for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Technical and procedural success, clinical outcome, and cumulative patency rates in follow-up were evaluated. Results: Re-entry was accomplished in 108/118 limbs (91.5%) with recanalization completed in 107/118 (90.7%). Of these, only 61/107 (57%) arteries were left with a residual stenosis <30%. Complications included minor bleeding of the target vessel (5/118, 4.2%) and minor hematoma/pseudoaneurysm at the access site (6/118, 5.1%). Acute reocclusion developed in 2/118 cases (1.7%) without major complication. After 12 months, primary patency was 56.7%, assisted primary patency 83.1%, and secondary patency 89.1%. Primary patency was significantly reduced in limbs with residual stenosis. Over a median 15-month follow-up (range 2–32), 4 major and 2 minor amputations were performed in patients with CLI. Conclusion: The Outback catheter is a reliable tool to recanalize challenging chronic femoropopliteal occlusions after failed guidewire re-entry. Restenosis rates are high, which may be due to the severity and extent of disease in these patients, who are particularly challenging.
Prognostic role of peripheral blood lymphocyte/monocyte ratio at diagnosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a meta-analysis

To evaluate the prognostic value of the absolute lymphocyte count/absolute monocyte count ratio (ALC/AMC ratio) at diagnosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), we performed a meta-analysis of published studies that provided survival information with reference to the ALC/AMC ratio at diagnosis. Nine studies covering a total of 4198 subjects were included in this analysis. The summary hazard ratios of low ALC/AMC ratio for overall survival were 2.00 (p = 0.000) in the population that received R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) and 1.12 (p = 0.479) in the population that received CHOP. The corresponding ratios for event-free survival and progression-free survival were 1.93 (p = 0.000) and 2.31 (p = 0.000) in the population that received R-CHOP. These results may justify risk-adapted therapeutic strategies for patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP to account for the ALC/AMC ratio at diagnosis.
On the Quality of Feature Models

Variability has become an important aspect of modern software-intensive products and systems. In order to reach new markets and utilize existing resources through reuse, it is necessary to have effective management of variants, configurations, and reusable functionality. The topic of this thesis is the construction of feature models that document and describe variability and commonality. The work aims to contribute to methods for creating feature models that are of high quality, suitable for their intended purpose, correct, and usable. The thesis suggests an approach, complementing existing feature modeling methodologies, that contributes to arriving at a satisfactory modeling result. The approach is based on existing practices to raise quality from other research areas, and targets shortcomings in existing feature modeling methods. The requirements for such an approach were derived from an industrial survey and a case study in the automotive domain. The approach was refined and tested in a second case study in the mobile applications domain. The main contributions of the thesis are a quality model for feature models, procedures for prioritizing and evaluating quality in feature models, and an initial set of empirically grounded development principles for reaching certain qualities in feature models. The principal findings of the thesis are that feature models exhibit different qualities, depending on certain characteristics and properties of the model. Such properties can be identified, formalized, and influenced in order to guide development of feature models, and thereby promote certain quality factors of feature models.
What Each Clinical Anatomist Has to Know about Left Renal Vein Entrapment Syndrome (Nutcracker Syndrome): A Review of the Most Important Findings

Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is the most common term for compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta. The development of NCS is associated with the formation of the left renal vein (LRV) from the aortic collar during the sixth to eighth week of gestation and abnormal angulation of the superior mesenteric artery from the aorta. Collateralization of venous circulation is the most significant effect of NCS. It includes mainly the left gonadal vein and the communicating lumbar vein. Undiagnosed NCS may affect retroperitoneal surgery and other radiological and vascular procedures. The clinical symptoms of NCS may generally be described as renal presentation when symptoms like haematuria, left flank pain, and proteinuria occur, but urologic presentation is also possible. Radiological methods of confirming NCS include Doppler ultrasonography as a primary test, retrograde venography, which can measure the renocaval pressure gradient, computed tomography angiography, which is faster and less traumatic, intravascular ultrasound, and magnetic resonance angiography. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, depending on the severity of symptoms and degree of LRV occlusion. Nutcracker syndrome is worth considering especially in differential diagnosis of haematuria of unknown origin.
FOOD ALLERGY IN FINNISH CHILDREN AGED 1 TO 6 YEARS

ABSTRACT. Food allergy was studied in a total of 866 Finnish children aged 1, 2, 3 and 6 years in the Helsinki region. The diagnosis was based on history as well as on elimination and challenge performed at home concerning fish, citrus fruit and eggs. The prevalence of food allergy was 19% at one year of age, increased to a peak of 27% at three years, and thereafter decreased to 8% at six years of age. The most common allergenic foods were citrus fruit, tomato, eggs, strawberry and fish. A positive history of food allergy could be confirmed by challenge in about half of the cases in the younger age groups and in 100% at six years of age. The data indicate that food allergy is common in Finnish children.