Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High pressure single-crystal micro X-ray diffraction analysis with GSE_ADA/RSV software

GSE_ADA/RSV is a free software package for custom analysis of single-crystal micro X-ray diffraction (SCμXRD) data, developed with particular emphasis on data from samples enclosed in diamond anvil cells and subject to high pressure conditions. The package has been in extensive use at the high pressure beamlines of Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory and Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The software is optimized for processing of wide-rotation images and includes a variety of peak intensity corrections and peak filtering features, which are custom-designed to make processing of high pressure SCμXRD easier and more reliable.
Suprathermal electron acceleration during reconnection onset in the magnetotail

Abstract. We study one event of reconnection onset associated to a small substorm on 27 September 2006 by using Cluster observations at inter-spacecraft separation of about 10 000 km. We focus on the acceleration of suprathermal electrons during different stages of reconnection. We show that several distinct stages of acceleration occur: (1) moderate acceleration during reconnection of pre-existing plasma sheet flux tubes, (2) stronger acceleration during reconnection of lobe flux tubes, (3) production of the most energetic electrons within dipolarization fronts (magnetic pile-up regions). The strongest acceleration is reached at the location of B z maxima inside the magnetic pile-up region where the reconnection jet stops. Very strong localized dawn-dusk electric field are observed within the magnetic pile-up regions and are associated to most of the magnetic flux transport.
Occupational exposure to benzene and changes in hematological parameters and urinary trans, trans-muconic acid.

BACKGROUND For its toxicity, benzene exposure is one of the main health concerns for high risk occupations like gasoline station workers. However, there is little knowledge about the effect of benzene metabolites on hematological parameters. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the correlation between the urinary level of trans, trans-muconic acid (t, t-MA), a benzene metabolite, and some hematological parameters in gasoline workers. METHODS We studied 102 gasoline station workers from 11 gasoline stations in Pathumwan district, central area of Bangkok, Thailand. Their blood and urine samples were analyzed for some hematological parameters and urinary t, t-MA analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS We found an inverse correlation between urinary t, t-MA concentration and hemoglobin level (r = 0.281, p<0.05), hematocrit (r = 0.264, p<0.05). Those with higher urinary t, t-MA had a significantly (p<0.05) lower eosinophil counts than those with lower exposure. No significant correlation was found between urinary t, t-MA level and other white blood cell parameters and platelets count. CONCLUSION Exposure to benzene would cause bone marrow depression presenting as drop in hemoglobin, hematocrit and eosinophil counts.
Identifying the causal relationship between social media content of a Bollywood movie and its box-office success - a text mining approach

Movie marketing strategies have undergone a rapid metamorphosis over the years with the progress in technological innovations and advent of social media. Social media gives a two way interacting platform and such interactions generate voluminous textual content which can be a source for deriving new insights into the customer behavioural dynamics and can also act as a handy tool for revenue enhancement. This study is designed to understand whether the polarity of the social media content of Bollywood movies can essentially reveal any insights about the potential box office revenues. The initial steps involved data collection from social media, followed by text mining to identify the sentiments about a movie. Furthermore, the relationship between the sentiments captured from social media and total revenue generated was explored in both pre-release and post-release scenarios and linear regression models were built. The model can be further improved by incorporating additional metrics.
Effect of bismuth on high-Tc cuprate superconductors: Electronic structure of Bi2Sr

The electronic structure of the new Bi-based high-temperature superconductor, with T/sub c/ onsets above 110 K, is shown to be altered considerably from that of the other cuprate superconductors by the presence of Bi. There are Bi-O bands which cross the Fermi level, and the two-dimensional character of the bands is even greater than that of previous cuprates. Like the other cuprates, band critical points occur at the Fermi level
Portuguese cultural identity: from colonialism to post-colonialism: Social memories, images and representations of identity

This reflection aims to analyse the relation between the memory and identity of the colonial Portuguese in Africa, according to how they were represented in Portuguese cinema until the end of the 20th century. We chose five examples, which we considered most illustrative (three feature-length fictional films and two comedies), which demonstrate the diverse ways in which the Portuguese were represented in terms of identity, as ‘civilising agents’ for the African people. Thus, we can consider that the cultural identity of the Portuguese in Africa, as portrayed in Portuguese cinema in the 20th century, had three distinct phases: we designated the first as ‘The invention of an Empire’, the second as ‘a Portuguese colonialism’, and a final stage, which is entitled with the expression ‘Exiled from nowhere’. In the final part of this study, we discuss the possibility of understanding colonial and post-colonial identities and memories, from a wide range of modalities related to Myself and the Other, which require the continuation of a (re)construction of memories and identities, in a framework of exercising individual and collection liberty: a work of Sisifo, infinite by nature.
Deposition heating effect on CdS thin films prepared by thermal evaporation for CdTe solar cells

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation at different substrate temperature in order to compare their influence on properties of the films for CdS/CdTe solar cells. The investigated substrate temperature during CdS deposition was ranged from 30°C(room temperature) to 200°C. An increase in the substrate temperature yielded to highly transparent CdS thin films. However, the resistivity increased significantly with decrease of carrier concentration and mobility as substrate temperature increased. Photovoltaic properties of devices using the CdS thin films were investigated by fabricating CdS/CdTe solar cells at different CdS deposition temperature. CdS preparation temperature influenced significantly on open-circuit voltage which decreased with increasing deposition temperature. It is found that the CdTe solar cell using the CdS thin film deposited at room temperature had higher efficiency because substrate heating at 330°C during CdTe deposition also improved the optical and electrical properties of the CdS thin films simultaneously.
Gene Trap Mice Reveal an Essential Function of Dual Specificity Phosphatase Dusp16/MKP-7 in Perinatal Survival and Regulation of Toll-like Receptor (TLR)-induced Cytokine Production*

Background: Dual specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) have emerged as important regulators of MAPK signaling and responses, including immune responses. Results: Dusp16-deficient gene trap mice were generated and show a phenotype of perinatal lethality and altered cytokine responses to TLR stimulation. Conclusion: Dusp16 has non-redundant functions in the innate immune system. Significance: This is the first description of a mouse model of Dusp16 deficiency. MAPK activity is negatively regulated by members of the dual specificity phosphatase (Dusp) family, which differ in expression, substrate specificity, and subcellular localization. Here, we investigated the function of Dusp16/MKP-7 in the innate immune system. The Dusp16 isoforms A1 and B1 were inducibly expressed in macrophages and dendritic cells following Toll-like receptor stimulation. A gene trap approach was used to generate Dusp16-deficient mice. Homozygous Dusp16tp/tp mice developed without gross abnormalities but died perinatally. Fetal liver cells from Dusp16tp/tp embryos efficiently reconstituted the lymphoid and myeloid compartments with Dusp16-deficient hematopoietic cells. However, GM-CSF-induced proliferation of bone marrow progenitors in vitro was impaired in the absence of Dusp16. In vivo challenge with Escherichia coli LPS triggered higher production of IL-12p40 in mice with a Dusp16-deficient immune system. In vitro, Dusp16-deficient macrophages, but not dendritic cells, selectively overexpressed a subset of TLR-induced genes, including the cytokine IL-12. Dusp16-deficient fibroblasts showed enhanced activation of p38 and JNK MAPKs. In macrophages, pharmacological inhibition and siRNA knockdown of JNK1/2 normalized IL-12p40 secretion. Production of IL-10 and its inhibitory effect on IL-12 production were unaltered in Dusp16tp/tp macrophages. Altogether, the Dusp16 gene trap mouse model identifies an essential role in perinatal survival and reveals selective control of differentiation and cytokine production of myeloid cells by the MAPK phosphatase Dusp16.
Universal leukocyte reduction of transfused red cells does not provide benefit to patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE A policy of universal leukocyte reduction of the blood supply in Finland was implemented at the beginning of 2003. The aim of the present evaluation was to determine the potential role of leukocyte-reduced red blood cells in decreasing postoperative infections. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. SETTING A major university clinic. PARTICIPANTS Consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery during the years 2002 and 2003. INTERVENTIONS Transfused patients received either buffy-coat-depleted red blood cells before leukocyte reduction (n = 782) or leukocyte-reduced red blood cells after leukocyte reduction (n = 632). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The evaluated outcome parameters were culture-proven postoperative infections, 90-day mortality, and length of stay in the intensive care unit. The percentage of patients transfused with red blood cells (56% v 53%, p = 0.16) and amounts of transfused red blood cells (4.3 +/- 6.7 [3.0] units v 4.3 +/- 6.6 [2.0] units, means +/- standard deviation [median], p = 0.48) were comparable between the study groups (buffy-coat-depleted group and leukocyte-reduced group, respectively). The 90-day mortality (6.6% v 6.3%, p = 0.28), the length of intensive care stay (3.6 +/- 4.7 [2.0] days v 4.3 +/- 7.1 [2.0] days, p = 0.34), and the number of patients with culture-proven infections (8.8% v 10.9%, p = 0.19) were unchanged after universal leukocyte reduction. In multivariate comparisons, the leukocyte reduction was not associated with culture-proven postoperative infections and 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION No beneficial effect of the universal leukocyte reduction in cardiac surgery was found for culture-positive infection rates, 90-day mortality, or length of intensive care stay.
Methods of determining the relationship of the mandibular canal and third molars: a survey of Australian oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

BACKGROUND Surgical extraction of third molars is one of the most common oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures performed and may have a number of associated complications. One of these complications is inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) dysaesthesia or impairment of sensory perception (including paraesthesia and/or anaesthesia). Previous studies assume that most clinicians use various combinations of nine radiologic criteria on panoramic radiographs as indicators of the relationship and, therefore, predictors of the risk of postoperative dysaesthesia. Our study assessed both the current radiologic modalities and assessment criteria used by Australian oral and maxillofacial surgeons when determining the proximity of mandibular canal to third molars. METHODS A survey of all surgeon members of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ANZOMS) practising in Australia was undertaken. RESULTS Of the 105 questionnaires sent to surgeons, 72 responses (68 per cent) were returned. All surgeons reported using the panoramic radiograph but only 25 per cent considered it sufficiently accurate in determining the relationship between the mandibular canal (MC) and the third molar root, while 61 per cent of surgeons use CT for this purpose but the average frequency of use was very low (five per cent). This study also revealed that the nine radiologic criteria on a panoramic radiograph are used to varying extents by Australian surgeons. Nearly all surgeons use 'change in MC direction' and 'MC narrowing' to determine and close relationship. Thirty-one per cent used superimposition of the MC and the root of the third molar alone and 24 per cent used appearance of contact of the root with the MC alone in the absence of any other radiologic criteria to indicate close or intimate relationship. CONCLUSION Further research is required to determine the accuracy and observer agreement or reliability of using the nine panoramic characteristics, to determine this relationship and whether the presurgical determination of proximity and position (buccal or lingual) of the canal utilizing CT has any usefulness in determining the surgical protocol or affect on postoperative morbidity.
Fibroblast-Like Synovial Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis--the Impact of Infliximab on Hexosaminidase Activity.

BACKGROUND The effect of multiple infusions of infliximab (INF), a chimeric anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibody, on the concentration of hexosaminidase (HEX) activity in a synovial cell culture derived from human synovial inflamed fluid obtained from patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been evaluated. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to prove INF efficacy in RA. MATERIAL AND METHODS Inflamed synovial fluid was taken from RA patients (a study group) and patients who had undergone knee trauma within 7 days (a control group). The following solutions of infliximab were used: 40, 60 and 140 µg/mL. Determination of the concentration of HEX activity in cell cultures was performed after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of infliximab administration. To identify synoviocytes in cell culture immunohistochemical staining with vimentin and pancytokeratin was performed. RESULTS A predominance of fibroblast-like synovial cells has been observed in the study group. In the control group the concentration of HEX activity without adding infliximab to the cell culture was 283.00 nkat/mL. After 96 h of incubation with infliximab, the concentrations of HEX activity in cultured synoviocytes according to infliximab doses of 40, 60 and 140 µg/mL were respectively: 280.00, 271.50 and 293.50 nkat/mL. In the study group, the concentration of HEX activity without adding infliximab to the cell culture was 542.27 nkat/mL. The final concentrations of HEX activity of cultured fibroblast-like synovial cells measured after 96 h of incubation with infliximab were: 471.72, 498.27 and 556.72 nkat/mL, according to infliximab doses of 40, 60 and 140 µg/mL. In all groups (besides the infliximab concentration of 140 µg/mL after 96 h of incubation), the level of concentration of HEX activity was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group, irrespective of infliximab concentration and time of infliximab incubation. CONCLUSIONS Infliximab changes the concentration of HEX activity depending on the drug dose and time of administration.
CAR T-Cell Therapies in Glioblastoma: A First Look

Glioblastoma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. The current standard of care for newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients includes surgery to the extent, temozolomide combined with radiotherapy, and alternating electric fields therapy. After recurrence, there is no standard therapy and survival is less than 9 months. Recurrent glioblastoma offers a unique opportunity to investigate new treatment approaches in a malignancy known for remarkable genetic heterogeneity, an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and a partially permissive anatomic blood–brain barrier. Results from three first-in-man chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell trials targeting IL13Rα2, Her2/CMV, and EGFRvIII have recently been reported. Each one of these trials addresses important questions, such as T-cell trafficking to CNS, engraftment and persistence, tumor microenvironment remodeling, and monitoring of glioma response to CAR T cells. Objective radiologic responses have been reported. Here, we discuss and summarize the results of these trials and suggest opportunities for the field. Clin Cancer Res; 24(3); 535–40. ©2017 AACR.
Ten puffs too many

An 11 year old boy with chronic asthma was discovered to have multiple burn marks to the dorsum of his left hand. Initial presentation to the GP surgery was for another reason and these findings were noted on examination (fig). [Graphic][1] On questioning the boy about the marks he boastfully replied that they were … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Clinical Impact of Blood Cultures Contaminated with Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci at an Academic Medical Center

Of all blood cultures positive for coagulase-negative staphylococci collected in 1 year at an academic hospital, 100 were selected randomly for review and designated true positives or contaminated. For the 85 patients whose cultures were determined to be contaminated, chart abstractions revealed substantial unnecessary antibiotic administration, additional laboratory tests and procedures, and hospital readmissions.
Characterization of an immunoreactive 93-kDa core protein of Borrelia burgdorferi with a human IgG monoclonal antibody.

Lyme borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which carries the potential for chronic infection. Ag on the etiologic Borrelia are currently being defined structurally and their ability to elicit immune responses delineated. EBV can be used to immortalize human B. burgdorferi-specific B cells from infected donors and generate antibodies against antigenic epitopes encountered in natural infection. A human mAb secreting EBV-transformed B cell line, D7, has been developed that is specific for a 93-kDa B. burgdorferi protein and has been used to characterize this potentially important Ag. D7 produces an IgG3 antibody that detects the 93-kDa Ag as well as smaller fragments at 46 kDa and lower molecular mass. The antibody detects similar epitopes on all B. burgdorferi isolates tested and on a Borrelia hermsii protein with molecular mass greater than 100 kDa but binds poorly to Treponema species. In contrast, polyclonal sera from Lyme disease patients show little binding to the homologous Ag in B. hermsii. Structurally, the 93-kDa protein is associated with the flagellum and may be firmly anchored in the protoplasmic cylinder. It is not solubilized by nonionic detergent treatment of the whole Borrelia. Antibodies against a comparable m.w. protein are present in sera from patients with both early and late infection. Thus, antibodies against this Ag are a sensitive and specific marker of Borrelia infection. This Ag is likely of structural importance and may represent a target of host defenses.
Racial differences in the diagnosis of dementia and in its effects on the use and costs of health care services.

OBJECTIVE This study examined differences in the prevalence of dementia among Medicare beneficiaries by race and gender as well as racial differences in the effects of dementia on the use and costs of health care services. METHODS Data from a 5 percent random sample of Medicare beneficiaries in the state of Tennessee who filed claims between 1991 and 1993 (N=33,680) were analyzed. Dementia was assessed on the basis of ICD-9 codes in the billing records of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), along with information on gender, race, comorbid psychiatric conditions, use of health services, and the actual amounts paid by HCFA. Patients with dementia related to Alzheimer's disease were excluded. RESULTS Diagnoses of dementia were significantly more prevalent among African-American beneficiaries than among white beneficiaries (5 percent compared with 3.9 percent). Persons with dementia had higher rates of health service use, particularly for inpatient care, and African-American persons with dementia had the highest levels of service use. Health care costs were also significantly higher for African Americans with a diagnosis of dementia. Among patients of either race, costs were substantially higher among those with comorbid psychiatric conditions. CONCLUSIONS Racial differences in the prevalence of dementia are clearly evident. Race also plays a role in the effects of dementia on the use and costs of health services, with higher rates of expensive inpatient care among African Americans. Racial differences in both the prevalence and costs of dementia produce a considerable burden on the health care system. Addressing racial disparities in the prevalence of dementia would result in substantial cost savings.
Laser‐induced shock waves enhance sterilization of infected vascular prosthetic grafts

Bacteria that cause infection of vascular prosthetic grafts produce an exopolysaccharide matrix known as biofilm. Growth in biofilms protects the bacteria from leukocytes, antibodies and antimicrobial drugs. Laser‐generated shock waves (SW) can disrupt biofilms and increase drug penetration. This study investigates the possibility of increasing antibiotic delivery and sterilization of vascular prosthetic graft.
Prevalence of the archetypal regulatory region and sequence polymorphisms in nonpassaged BK virus variants

Since the first isolation and characterization of BK virus (BKV), a number of BKV variants which differ in genomic structure or antigenic determinants have been described. The regulatory region, in particular, the enhancer elements, show the most divergent sequences among different isolates. The structural organization of a putative ancestral prototype or archetype, from which all of the variants are probably derived, has been proposed. By sequencing the regulatory regions of 13 different isolates from the urine of bone marrow transplant recipients, we determined the structures and sequences of BKV variants diffused in the human population. The enhancer region was amplified by polymerase chain reaction to avoid passage in culture, and the product was directly sequenced. The structure most frequently observed is in agreement with the postulated archetype, containing a single enhancer element with no repeats. By sequence analysis we identified four hot spots of nucleotide variation. These variations are consistent with the existence of two consensus sequences. One sequence motif, observed in about 85% of the isolates, is referred to as the archetypal BKV, while a second motif, observed in the remaining 15% of the variants, is highly reminiscent of the AS strain.