Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Profiles and Genetic Diversity of Denitrifying Communities in Activated Sludge after Addition of Methanol or Ethanol

ABSTRACT External carbon sources can enhance denitrification rates and thus improve nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment plants. The effects of adding methanol and ethanol on the genetic and metabolic diversity of denitrifying communities in activated sludge were compared using a pilot-scale plant with two parallel lines. A full-scale plant receiving the same municipal wastewater, but without external carbon source addition, was the reference. Metabolic profiles obtained from potential denitrification rates with 10 electron donors showed that the denitrifying communities altered their preferences for certain compounds after supplementation with methanol or ethanol and that methanol had the greater impact. Clone libraries of nirK and nirS genes, encoding the two different nitrite reductases in denitrifiers, revealed that methanol also increased the diversity of denitrifiers of the nirS type, which indicates that denitrifiers favored by methanol were on the rise in the community. This suggests that there might be a niche differentiation between nirS and nirK genotypes during activated sludge processes. The composition of nirS genotypes also varied greatly among all samples, whereas the nirK communities were more stable. The latter was confirmed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of nirK communities on all sampling occasions. Our results support earlier hypotheses that the compositions of denitrifier communities change during predenitrification processes when external carbon sources are added, although no severe effect could be observed from an operational point of view.
Endoscopic neurosurgery and endoscope-assisted microneurosurgery for the treatment of intracranial cysts.

OBJECTIVE Different endoscopic techniques have been introduced into neurosurgery, but accepted terminology and definitions are still missing. We propose a terminology based on whether the endoscope is used alone or in conjunction with an operating microscope and on whether the route of surgical manipulations is through or outside the endoscope. Accordingly, procedures are categorized into endoscopic neurosurgery (EN), endoscope-assisted microneurosurgery (EAM), and endoscope-controlled microneurosurgery (ECM). METHODS We treated 36 patients with intracranial arachnoid cysts (ACs) and intraventricular cysts endoscopically. The patients ranged in age from 4 months to 69 years (mean age, 31 yr). The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 44 months (mean follow-up duration, 14 mo). The indications were hydrocephalus in 17 patients, focal neurological deficits in 4 patients, progressive nonlocalizing symptomatology in 13 patients, and space occupation in 2 asymptomatic patients. EN was used in 14 cases, EAM in 15 cases, and ECM in 7 cases. RESULTS The overall success rate was 70%. Nine patients (25%) had unchanged symptomatology, and the condition of two patients (5%) deteriorated. The best success rates were achieved in patients with intraventricular cysts (89%) and posterior fossa ACs (78%). Symptomatic improvement was best achieved in patients with hydrocephalus or focal neurological deficits (81%). CONCLUSION Different endoscopic techniques (i.e., EN, EAM, and ECM) provide sufficient treatment of selected intracranial cysts. Our data suggest that intraventricular cysts and suprasellar ACs should be approached using EN whereas posterior fossa and sylvian ACs may be more effectively treated using a combined technique (EAM or ECM).
Relationship of Sr2RuO4 to the superconducting layered cuprates.

The properties of ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ are discussed in relation to the high-critical-temperature cuprate superconductors. The discussion is based on local-density-approximation band structure and phonon calculations. The electronic structure is highly anisotropic. Three hybridized Ru 4d\char21{}plane O p bands cross the Fermi energy, yielding cylindrical sheets of Fermi surface. Two of these are electronlike sheets around \ensuremath{\Gamma}, while the third is an X-centered hole surface. The electronlike sheets change topology as the energy is raised leading to Van Hove singularities in close proximity to the Fermi energy. In general, the electronic properties are related to those of the cuprates, with the exception that Coulomb correlations are expected to be much less significant due to the larger bandwidth and smaller on-site energy. ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ is expected to be a very useful reference material for interpreting experiments on the cuprate superconductors.
Outcomes after treatment of high-energy tibial plafond fractures.

BACKGROUND Although a number of investigators have documented clinical outcomes and complications associated with tibial plafond, or pilon, fractures, very few have examined functional and general health outcomes associated with these fractures. Our purpose was to assess midterm health, function, and impairment after pilon fractures and to examine patient, injury, and treatment characteristics that influence outcome. METHODS A retrospective cohort analysis of pilon fractures treated at two centers between 1994 and 1995 was conducted. Patient, injury, and treatment characteristics were recorded from patient interviews and medical record abstraction. Study participants returned to the initial treatment centers for a comprehensive evaluation of their health status. The primary outcomes that were measured included general health, walking ability, limitation of range of motion, pain, and stair-climbing ability. A secondary outcome measure was employment status. RESULTS Eighty (78%) of 103 eligible patients were evaluated at a mean of 3.2 years after injury. General health, as measured with the Short Form-36 (SF-36), was significantly poorer than age and gender-matched norms. Thirty-five percent of the patients reported substantial ankle stiffness; 29%, persistent swelling; and 33%, ongoing pain. Of sixty-five participants who had been employed before the injury, twenty-eight (43%) were not employed at the time of follow-up; nineteen (68%) of the twenty-eight reported that the pilon fracture prevented them from working. Multivariate analyses revealed that presence of two or more comorbidities, being married, having an annual personal income of less than 25,000 US dollars, not having attained a high-school diploma, and having been treated with external fixation with or without limited internal fixation were significantly related to poorer results as reflected by at least two of the five primary outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS At more than three years after the injury, pilon fractures can have persistent and devastating consequences on patients' health and well-being. Certain social, demographic, and treatment variables seem to contribute to these poor outcomes.
The Kostënki 18 child burial and the cultural and funerary landscape of Mid Upper Palaeolithic European Russia

Abstract Palaeolithic burials are few and far between, and establishing their chronology is crucial to gaining a broader understanding of the period. A new programme of radiocarbon dating has provided a revised age estimate for the Palaeolithic burial at Kostënki 18 in European Russia (west of the Urals). This study reviews the need for redating the remains, and contextualises the age of the burial in relation to other Upper Palaeolithic funerary sites in Europe and Russia. The new date, obtained using a method that avoided the problems associated with previous samples conditioned with glue or other preservatives, is older than previous estimates, confirming Kostënki 18 as the only plausibly Gravettian burial known in Russia.
Competition in Agricultural Markets: An Experimental Approach

This paper presents an experimental approach to measure competition in agricultural markets, based on the random allocation of subsidies to competing traders. We compare prices of subsidized and unsubsidized crop traders to recover the key market structure parameter in a standard model of imperfect competition. By combining the experimental results with quasi-experimental estimates of the pass-through rate, we also estimate market size, or the effective number of traders competing for farmers' supply. In the context of the Sierra Leone cocoa industry, our results point to a competitive agricultural trading sector and suggest that the market size is substantially larger than the village. The methodology developed in this paper uses purely individual-level treatment to shed light on market structure. This approach may be useful for the many cases in which market-level randomization is not feasible.
Care seeking and attitudes to treatment compliance by tuberculosis patients prior to enrollment in the district treatment programme in rural western Kenya : a qualitative study

Background: The two issues mostly affecting the success of tuberculosis control programs are delay in presentation for treatment and non-completion of treatment. There is need to further understand the factors that contribute to these issues, particularly in resource limited settings where rates of tuberculosis are high. Objective: To assess health-seeking behaviours and health care experiences among persons with pulmonary tuberculosis, and explore potential for treatment non-adherence. Design: Qualitative one-on-one in-depth interviews with pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Setting: Nine health facilities providing diagnostic and treatment services (3 public hospitals, 5 public and one mission health centers) in Asembo and Gem areas of Nyanza, rural western Kenya. Participants: Thirty one (31) patients [18 women aged between 20 and 45, mean 28.3 (SD 7.1) years and 13 men aged between 22 and 52, mean 37.3 (SD 9.9) years], residing in an area of western Kenya with a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) and attending treatment for ≤4 weeks on scheduled TB clinic days in Asembo (Rarieda district) and Gem (Siaya district), Nyanza Province, in September and October 2005.
Aberrant Subcellular Localization of BRCA1 in Breast Cancer

The BRCA1 gene product was identified as a 220-kilodalton nuclear phosphoprotein in normal cells, including breast ductal epithelial cells, and in 18 of 20 tumor cell lines derived from tissues other than breast and ovary. In 16 of 17 breast and ovarian cancer lines and 17 of 17 samples of cells obtained from malignant effusions, however, BRCA1 localized mainly in cytoplasm. Absence of BRCA1 or aberrant subcellular location was also observed to a variable extent in histological sections of many breast cancer biopsies. These findings suggest that BRCA1 abnormalities may be involved in the pathogenesis of many breast cancers, sporadic as well as familial.
Behavioral flexibility and species invasions: the adaptive flexibility hypothesis

Behavioral flexibility is an important adaptive response to changing environments for many animal species. Such plasticity may also promote the invasion of novel habitats by introduced species by providing them with the ability to expand or change their ecological niche, a longstanding idea with recent empirical support. At the individual level, flexibility may arise through innovation, in which an individual invents a new behavior, or through social learning, in which an individual adopts a behavior used by others. There is increasing evidence that the adaptive value of these two modes of learning, and the overall expression of behavioral flexibility, may vary with social and environmental context. In this paper, we propose that invasive species may change the degree to which they express behavioral flexibility in an adaptive manner during the different stages of invasion. Specifically, the “adaptive flexibility hypothesis” predicts that the expression of behavioral flexibility, and thus the diversity of behaviors observed in a population, will be high during the initial stage of introduction into a novel environment due to innovation, followed by a decline in behavioral diversity during the establishment and growth of a founding population due to social learning of successful behavioral variants. We discuss several alternatives to this hypothesis and suggest empirical and theoretical tests of these hypotheses. This “adaptive flexibility hypothesis” suggests that a more nuanced approach to the study of the behaviors employed by individuals in populations at different invasion stages could generate new insight into the importance of such flexibility during species invasions, and the evolution of behavioral plasticity in general
TBX5 mutations in Non‐Holt‐Oram Syndrome (HOS) malformed hearts

The T‐box transcription factor Tbx5 is important in mammalian cardiac development. Mutations in the human TBX5 gene cause Holt‐Oram syndrome (HOS), a disorder characterized by heart and upper limb deformities. To determine the role of TBX5 in non‐HOS patients with complex cardiac malformations, we analyzed 68 explanted hearts from unrelated patients with various cardiac abnormalities including atrial (ASD), ventricular (VSD) and atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD). Direct sequencing detected nine mutations in diseased cardiac tissues of patients, eight of which are novel. Six mutations would affect amino acids in the T‐domain, and one (c.236C>T, p.Ala79Val) is within the recently identified nuclear localization signal (NLS1) region. Further, mutations were found in patients with ASD and AVSD, but not with VSD; and mutations were absent in normal heart tissue of same patients, thus indicating somatic origin. Our results suggest a possible role of somatically occurring TBX5 mutations in congenital heart disease. We show for the first time TBX5 mutations in non‐HOS associated cardiac malformations and we identified a novel missense mutation that would impact nuclear localization of TBX5. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analgesic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex in neuropathic pain: Influence of theta burst stimulation priming

‘Conventional’ protocols of high‐frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered to M1 can produce analgesia. Theta burst stimulation (TBS), a novel rTMS paradigm, is thought to produce greater changes in M1 excitability than ‘conventional’ protocols. After a preliminary experiment showing no analgesic effect of continuous or intermittent TBS trains (cTBS or iTBS) delivered to M1 as single procedures, we used TBS to prime a subsequent session of ‘conventional’ 10 Hz‐rTMS.
Association of Mean Platelet Volume and Intra Ventricular Hemorrhage with Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Infants

Background Interventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and Broncho pulmonary dysplasia (BPD) commonly occur in premature infants and associate with platelet dysfunction. Mean platelet volume (MPV) measure platelet function. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MPV and occurrence of IVH and BPD. Material and Method In this cross sectional study, 3 groups with equal sample sizes ( 30 patients) including IVH, BPD and non BPDnon IVH (control) were compared.All participants were preterm neonates with <35 weeks of gestation. MPV was recorded during the first 48 hours of life for all cases. Data were reported by descriptive statistics and analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient, spearman correlation coefficient, paired T test and multinomial regression analysis test in SPSS version 17. Results The levels of MPV were significantly higher in BPD and IVH groups versus control group (9.79±0.73 fl and 10±1.04 fl versus 8.33±0,91 fl p<0.0001). Also, MPV >9 fl was significantly more in BPD (93.3%) and IVH (73.3%) groups compared to controls (16.7%) (p< 0.0001). Regression analysis showed that only MPV related to the occurrence of IVH (OR=2.200 95%CI p=0.013) and elevated MPV significantly increased duration of O2 therapy (p<0.0001) and mechanical ventilation (p=0.0010).
Identification of tissue‐preferential expression patterns of rice miRNAs

It is imperative to understand the mechanisms of growth and development in higher plants for improving plant adaptation during different developmental stages. Plant microRNAs (miRs) play crucial regulatory roles in various developmental processes. As many as 15 miR families having multiple members are known to regulate plant development, yet the spatio‐temporal expression patterns of individual members are not fully characterized. It is likely that different members of miR families can make specific contributions to the spatio‐temporal control of targets. To understand the functional complexity of miRs and the amount of degeneracy existing in miR‐mediated regulation of differentiated but developing tissues, we have identified the Osa‐miR‐sequences that are expressed in specific tissues. We adopted the approach of comparative miR profiling using next‐generation sequencing technology followed by experimental validation. It was observed that 59 Osa‐miR‐sequences show tissue‐preferential expression in local basmati rice variety; while 126 miRs belonging to 81 families are differentially regulated in these tissues. The 21 nt miRs were predominant in all tissues, but the 24 nt miRs were the most abundantly expressed. This indicates that target cleavage and chromatin state regulation are involved in organ development. This study also identified the expression patterns of individual members of Osa‐miR families that were common and divergent between the indica and japonica rice varieties. The expression patterns of the predicted targets were also analyzed. The possible implications of the miR distribution patterns with respect to the regulation of their respective targets are discussed. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 2071–2081, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Conduction and switching loss comparison between an IGBT/Si-PiN diode pair and an IGBT/SiC-Schottky diode pair

Two insulated-gate bipolar-transistors (IGBTs) inverter leg modules of identical power rating have been manufactured and tested. One module has silicon-carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes as anti-parallel diodes and the other silicon PiN diodes. The power modules have been tested in an inductive switching circuit and curve tracer at a range of temperatures. Static and dynamic characteristics of both IGBTs and diodes have been used in loss comparisons between the two power modules. The results demonstrate the superior electrothermal performance of the SiC Schottky diode over the Si PiN diode leading to a reduction in the power module switching and conduction losses.
The Effects of a Universal Child Care Reform on Child Health – Evidence from Sweden

This paper studies the effect of a Swedish universal, public child care reform on child health outcomes. We draw on a unique set of merged population register data from the province of Skane, following over the period 1999-2008. It contains merged information at the individual level from the population register, the income tax register, the medical birth register and the inpatient and outpatient registers. The outpatient register contains all ambulatory care contacts including all contacts with physicians and therapists. Visits are recorded by day, and diagnoses are recorded for each visit. Our identification strategy relies on a sibling sample design that allows to compare the impact of the reform across siblings within households. Despite exploiting a rather general measure of the reform impact, we additionally make use of detailed information on household-specific monthly child care fee. Our results suggest that children being fully affected by the reform have better physical health at ages 4-5 and 6-7, are significantly better off in development and psychological conditions at age 6-7. These effects are particularly distinct for children from low income families, being in line with the literature on early child interventions. Changes in child care prices also predict better physical health for younger children. The results are mainly driven by two mechanisms, a crowding out effect of informal care and an income effect, and are strongly supported by the so called hygiene hypothesis. The findings suggest that the availability of affordable high quality and universal, public child care plays a crucial role for health development throughout childhood. An analysis of children's health costs moreover provides important implications for public health expenditures.
Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Airway Diseases

Pulmonary magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been put forward as a new research and diagnostic tool mainly to overcome the limitations of computed tomography and nuclear medicine studies. However, pulmonary MR imaging has been difficult to use because of inherently low proton density, a multitude of air-tissue interfaces, which create significant magnetic field distortions and are commonly referred to as susceptibility artifacts; diminishing signal in the lung; and respiratory and/or cardiac motion artifacts. To overcome these drawbacks of pulmonary MR imaging, technical advances made during the last decade in sequencing, scanner and coil, adaptation of parallel imaging techniques, and utilization of contrast media have been reported as being useful for functional and morphologic assessment of various pulmonary diseases including airway diseases. This review article covers (1) pulmonary MR techniques for morphologic and functional assessment of airway diseases, and (2) pulmonary MR imaging for cystic fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pulmonary MR imaging provides not only morphology-related but also pulmonary function-related information. It has the potential to replace nuclear medicine studies for the identification of regional pulmonary function and may perform a complementary role in airway disease assessment instead of nuclear medicine study. We believe that the findings of further basic studies as well as clinical applications of this new technique will validate the real significance of pulmonary MR imaging for the future of airway disease assessment and its usefulness for diagnostic radiology and pulmonary medicine.
Post-processing accuracy enhancement of the improved Wheeler cap for wideband antenna efficiency measurements

Accurate efficiency characterization by way of the Wheeler cap, especially in a wide band, relies heavily on the post-processing method (PPM) used to extract efficiency values from raw measured data. One of the best established PPMs is the Improved Wheeler Cap (IWC), which treats the antenna-under-test (AUT) as a two-port network and requires circle-fitting of measured data. Its accuracy is affected by the way the data are positioned on the Smith chart. This paper revisits the IWC and enhances its accuracy, while maintaining a wideband measurement capacity. The modified IWC is demonstrated by broadband measurements on a small antenna, and the results are compared against the current state of IWC and three other Wheeler-cap- related PPMs: McKinzie's rotation, the complementary Q-factor method and the equivalent-circuit Wheeler cap.