Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mist Net Effort Required to Inventory a Forest Bat Species Assemblage

Abstract Little quantitative information exists about the survey effort necessary to inventory temperate bat species assemblages. We used a bootstrap resampling algorithm to estimate the number of mist net surveys required to capture individuals from 9 species at both study area and site levels using data collected in a forested watershed in northwestern California, USA, during 1996–2000. The mean number of simulated surveys required to capture individual species varied with species' rarity and ranged from 1.5 to 44.9. We retrospectively evaluated strategies to reduce required survey effort by subsampling data from 1996 to 1998 and tested the strategies in the field during 1999 and 2000. Using data from 1996 to 1998, the mean number of simulated surveys required to capture 8 out of 9 species was 26.3, but a 95% probability of capture required >61 surveys. Inventory efficiency, defined as the cumulative proportion of species detected per survey effort, improved for both the study area and individual sites by conducting surveys later in summer. We realized further improvements in study area inventory efficiency by focusing on productive sites. We found that 3 surveys conducted between 1 July and 10 September at each of 4 productive sites in this 10-km2 study area resulted in the capture of 8 species annually. Quantitative estimation of the survey effort required to assess bat species occurrence improves the ability to plan and execute reliable, efficient inventories. Results from our study should be useful for planning inventories in nearby geographical areas and similar habitat types; further, the analytical methods we used to assess effort are broadly applicable to other survey methods and taxa.
The CTLA-4 and MCP-1 Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Systemic Sclerosis: a Meta-analysis

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore whether cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) polymorphisms confer susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: MEDLINE and manual search were utilized to identify available articles. A meta-analysis was conducted on the associations between the CTLA-4 +49 A/G, -318 C/T, -1661 A/G, and -1722 C/T, and MCP-1 -2518 A/G polymorphisms, using a fixed-effect or random-effect model based on between-study heterogeneity. Results: Eleven comparative studies involving 959 SSc patients and 1739 controls were included in the meta-analysis. No association was found between SSc and the CTLA-4 +49 A/G polymorphism (OR for the +49 G allele = 1.032, 95% CI = 0.830–1.283, p = 0.779). However, an association between SSc and the CTLA-4 -318 TT + TC genotype (OR = 1.642, 95% CI = 1.034–2.609, p = 0.036). Meta-analyses failed to reveal an association between SSc and CTLA-4 -1722 C/T, MCP-1 -2518 A/G polymorphisms. Conclusions: This meta-analysis of published data shows that the CTLA-4 -318 C/T polymorphism confers susceptibility to SSc.
Paid Work and Unpaid Help by Caregivers of the Disabled and Frail Elders

Informal caregiving by women, and to a lesser extent by men, is a major source of assistance for the chronically disabled and most dependent older persons living in the community. However, because women's commitment to career employment may diminish, this source of help at the time when (according to demographic trends) the number of very old Americans will increase, the effect of employment on the time they devote to informal caregiving is an important social and economic issue. This study examines two related research questions: 1) how the time allocated to paid work affects the time devoted to unpaid caregiving and 2) how caregiving responsibilities affect work outside the home. The results differ for full-time and part-time work. Estimating a simultaneous equation model, it was found that 1) full-time employment by caregivers reduces the time they allocate to providing unpaid help by 20 hours a week and 2) female caregivers were much less likely than their male counterparts to have full-time jobs. Results also indicate that 1) part-time employment by caregivers has no statistically significant effect on caregiving and 2) caregiving has no effect on women's part-time employment.
A proposed intestinal mechanism for the effect of riboflavin deficiency on iron loss in the rat

The effect of riboflavin deficiency on gastrointestinal Fe distribution and loss was studied in weanling rats. Riboflavin deficiency was associated with a significant increase in crypt depth in the upper and mid small intestine and a twofold increase in the rate of crypt cell production compared with weight-matched and ad lih. -fed control rats. The rate of loss of endogenous Fe, measured as faecal 59Fe after intraperitoneally administered 59Fe, was twice that from riboflavin-deficient rats compared with weightmatched controls. We suggest that while there may be a contribution from turnover of enterocytes with an enhanced Fe content, enhanced Fe loss associated with riboflavin deficiency is due predominantly to an accelerated rate of small-intestinal epithelial turnover.
Natural Infection of Infants with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Subgroups A and B: A Study of Frequency, Disease Severity, and Viral Load

Heterogeneity in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease severity likely is due to a combination of host and viral factors. Infection with RSV subgroup A is thought to produce more severe disease than RSV-B. Higher RSV loads correlate with greater disease severity in hospitalized infants. Whether subgroup-specific variations in disease severity result from differences in RSV load has not been studied. A total of 102 RSV-hospitalized infants <2 y of age were studied. Nasal washes were collected in a standardized manner and were cultured in <3 h in parallel with an RSV quantitative standard in a HEp-2 plaque assay. RSV-A (72%) was more frequent than RSV-B. Disease severity risk factors were similar between subgroups. RSV loads were similar between A and B subgroups (4.77 versus 4.68 log PFU/mL). Measures of disease severity were also similar between subgroups.
Microcin H47, a chromosome-encoded microcin antibiotic of Escherichia coli

Microcin H47 (MccH47) is a novel microcin antibiotic produced by a natural Escherichia coli isolate. In contrast to all the other colicins and microcins examined to date, which are plasmid encoded, the genes for MccH47 synthesis and immunity are located on the chromosome. These genetic determinants were cloned and shown to extend over a continuous DNA region of ca. 10 kb.
Talmid Chachams and Tsedeykeses : Language, Learnedness, and Masculinity Among Orthodox Jews

YW ^ Then I asked a group of boys in an ultra-OrthodoxJewish elementary school "What's the difference between boys' and girls' education? " one boy answered: "Boys need to learn how to be . the talmid chachams [masters ofJewish texts]; girls should learn how to be tsedeykeses [righteous women]. " This nine-year-old's response expresses an ideology' common in Orthodox communities: men are expected to be advanced scholars ofJewish law, and women are expected to be righteous. Both men and women must know and observe the laws, but men must also spend time each day studying the reasoning behind them. This gender expectation pervades many areas of Orthodox life, from leisure activities to educational policy to language use. In this article, I discuss how Orthodox boys and men construct their masculinity partly through linguistic performances of religious learnedness. Using methods from linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics, I show how young men use two linguistic features about twice as frequently as young women: loanwords from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Yiddish;2 and word-final /t/ release (for example, righT,
Inoculation of Sugar Beet Seed with Bacteria P. fluorescens, B. subtilis and B. megaterium – Chemical Fungicides Alternative

Seed inoculation with the bacteria showing antagonistic activity against pathogenic fungi such as Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium ultimum, P. debarianum, Phoma betae and Aphanomyces cochlioides account for an alternative to chemical fungicides and an option of solving problem of disease control, not only in sugar beet, but in other, mainly vegetable crops.
Evaluation of a Pharmaceutical Care Model on Diabetes Management

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a pharmaceutical care model on the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in urban African-American patients. DESIGN: Eligible patients were randomized to either a pharmacist intervention or control group and followed over a 4-month period. Patients in the intervention group received diabetes education, medication counseling, instructions on dietary regulation, exercise, and home blood glucose monitoring, and evaluation and adjustment of their hypoglycemic regimen. Patients in the control group continued to receive standard medical care provided by their physicians. SETTING: A university-affiliated internal medicine outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: The study population consisted of urban African-American patients with NIDDM currently attending the clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures included fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin concentrations. Secondary outcome endpoints included blood pressure, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, microalbumin to creatinine ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein concentrations. Quality-of-life assessments were performed in both groups at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients (17 intervention, 22 control) completed the study. The intervention group consisted of 12 women and 5 men with a mean ± SD age of 59 ± 12 years, total body weight (TBW) of 93 ± 22 kg, body mass index (BMI) of 34 ± 7 kg/m2, and duration of NIDDM 6.8 ± 6.5 years. The control group consisted of 15 women and 7 men with a mean age of 65 ± 12 years, TBW of 88 ± 19 kg, BMI of 33 ± 7 kg/m2, and a duration of NIDDM of 6.2 ± 4.8 y. Significant improvement in glycated hemoglobin (p = 0.003) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.015) was achieved in the intervention group. No change in glycemia was observed in the control subjects. Statistically significant differences in the final glycated hemoglobin (p = 0.003) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.022) concentrations were noted between groups. No significant changes in blood pressure control, lipid profile, renal function parameters, weight, or quality-of-life measures were noted within or between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate the effectiveness of pharmaceutical care in the reduction of hyperglycemia associated with NIDDM in a group of urban African-American patients.
Autistic features in a total population of 7-9-year-old children assessed by the ASSQ (Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire).

BACKGROUND The prevalence of autism is reported to be on the rise worldwide. Change of diagnostic criteria and a broadening of the concept of autism have been mentioned as contributing factors. Further studies of general populations are needed. The present study assessed the distribution of autistic features in a total population of children 7-9 years of age, and explored the impact of age, gender, informant, and participation bias on symptom report. METHODS Teacher and parent forms of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) were used in the "Bergen Child Study", a total population study of 9430 children aged 7-9 years. Completed teacher forms were returned for 97% and parent forms for 71% of the children. High-scorers were defined according to the ASSQ validation study by Ehlers, Gillberg, and Wing (1999). RESULTS The distribution of ASSQ scores was found to be almost continuous. Of the children with both a teacher and a parent form, 2.1% were defined as high-scorers. Children without parent informed consent (i.e., anonymous children) obtained significantly higher teacher scores than those who had questionnaires completed by both parent and teacher. Adjusting prevalence for the anonymous children, the prevalence of high-scorers was 2.7% of the total population. Age did not affect symptom scores. Boys scored higher and parents reported more symptoms, particularly in girls. Agreement between informants was low to moderate. CONCLUSIONS Autism symptoms are not uncommon in the general population of children. Our findings are consistent with the concept of autism as a spectrum. Non-responders had a higher load of autism symptoms than identified children, indicating that reports on the prevalence of autism in a responder group underestimate true prevalence. Large differences across informants suggested the need to gather information both from families and from schools when screening for autism spectrum disorders.
Review of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Renal Tubular Acidosis.

BACKGROUND The term renal tubular acidosis (RTA) describes a group of uncommon kidney disorders characterized by defective acid-base regulation. Reaching the diagnosis of RTA is complex and often delayed, resulting in suboptimal treatment. METHODS This article provides an overview of the clinical features of RTA and diagnostic approaches in a format accessible to physicians for everyday use. RESULTS The 3 major forms of disease are classified by their respective tubular transport defects, each of which produces persistent hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. Distal RTA is characterized by limited urinary acid secretion, proximal RTA by restricted urinary bicarbonate reabsorption, and hyperkalemic RTA by absolute or relative hypoaldosteronism. RTA is often detected incidentally as a biochemical diagnosis in asymptomatic individuals. When present, clinical features may range from mild nonspecific complaints to life-threatening physiologic disturbances. CONCLUSION RTA is a complex condition that requires thoughtful investigation. Physicians should be aware of the presentation of RTA and the investigative options available to confirm the diagnosis.
Renal Insufficiency, Vitamin B12 Status, and Population Attributable Risk for Mild Hyperhomocysteinemia Among Coronary Artery Disease Patients in the Era of Folic Acid-Fortified Cereal Grain Flour

Abstract—Fortification of enriched cereal grain flour products with folic acid has drastically reduced the prevalence of deficient plasma folate status, a major determinant of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels. We hypothesized that even more liberally defined “suboptimal” plasma folate status might no longer contribute importantly to the population attributable risk (PAR) for mild hyperhomocysteinemia, a putative atherothrombotic risk factor. We determined fasting plasma tHcy, folate, vitamin B12, and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate levels, along with serum creatinine and albumin levels, in 267 consecutive patients (aged 61±9 [mean±SD] years, 76.4% men and 26.6% women) with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who were nonusers of vitamin supplements or had abstained from supplement use for at least 6 weeks before examination. Subjects were evaluated a minimum of 3 months after the implementation of flour fortification was largely completed. Relative risk estimates for the calculation of PAR were derived from a multivariable-adjusted logistic regression model with ≥12 &mgr;mol/L tHcy as the dependent variable and with age, sex, pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (continuous), albumin (continuous), <5 ng/mL folate, <250 pg/mL vitamin B12, and ≥1.3 mg/dL creatinine as the independent variables. The prevalence of ≥12 &mgr;mol/L plasma tHcy was 11.2% (30 of 267 patients). PAR estimates (percentage) for ≥12 &mgr;mol/L tHcy were as follows: <5 ng/mL folate (<1%), <250 pg/mL vitamin B12 (24.5%), and ≥1.3 mg/dL creatinine (37.5%). In the era of folic acid–fortified cereal grain flour, renal insufficiency and suboptimal vitamin B12 status (but not folate status) contribute importantly to the PAR for mild hyperhomocysteinemia among patients with stable CAD.
Selective vulnerability of neocortical association areas in Alzheimer's disease

This article reviews the possible relationships between the localization of cellular pathologic changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the distribution of neuronal components of the neocortical circuitry that are affected by these alterations. In particular, evidence from the study of large autopsy series supporting the role of the inferior temporal cortex as a key area in the progression of the dementing process is presented. The notion of selective vulnerability in AD at the level of affected neocortical association areas, layers, and specific cell populations is discussed to provide insight into the molecular background of the development of neurofibrillary tangles within the cerebral cortex. Moreover, recent data on pathological correlates of apraxia in AD are examined in the light of the hypothesis of global corticocortical disconnection in this disorder. Microsc. Res. Tech. 43:16–23, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Austronesian culture history: Some linguistic inferences and their relations to the archaeological record

Abstract Although subject to limitations of its own, historical linguistics can illuminate fragments of the human cultural past that are often irrecoverable from the archaeological record. Where both lines of evidence bear on a common referent they may be mutually corroboratory or contradictory. A number of inferences of all three types are considered, and certain conclusions reached which differ markedly from recent word‐based reconstructions of Austronesian culture history, but lend support to the early ideas of Kern (1889). In particular, it is argued that the original Austronesian speakers (circa 4,000 B.C.CP were sedentary villagers who possessed (in addition to a universally acknowledged sophisticated maritime technology) root and grain crops, the pig, dog and fowl, pottery, apparently some knowledge of iron, probably the loom and possibly an indigenous syllabary. To account for a variety of observations it is simplest to assume that this community was located west of the Wallace Line, and that Aust.
Avaliação da satisfação dos usuários com a qualidade do atendimento nas grandes emergências do Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

OBJETIVOS: avaliar a satisfacao dos usuarios em relacao a qualidade do atendimento nas grandes emergencias do Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. METODOS: trata-se de um estudo descritivo de corte transversal, realizado nas tres maiores emergencias do municipio: Hospital da Restauracao, Hospital Getulio Vargas e Hospital Otavio de Freitas. Foram entrevistados 420 usuarios (5% dos atendimentos semanais), atraves da aplicacao de questionarios fechados, buscando-se uma relacao entre variaveis independentes e o grau de satisfacao do usuario. RESULTADOS: o perfil predominante dos usuarios foi de uma populacao adulta jovem (46,7%), do sexo feminino (59,8%), com baixa escolaridade (61,6%), dona de casa ou desempregada (62,3%) e moradora da regiao metropolitana (83%). A insatisfacao com as condicoes oferecidas esteve presente em 55,2% dos usuarios, sendo ainda maior entre aqueles de causa externas da emergencia da Restauracao (77,1%). As dimensoes da qualidade pior avaliadas foram o conforto oferecido, 56% de insatisfacao, e a priorizacao na assistencia ao usuario atraves dos tempos de espera, com 48,1%. CONCLUSAO: os resultados demonstraram uma avaliacao critica dos usuarios. Percebe-se uma nitida variacao de resultados entre as tres unidades. A avaliacao positiva em relacao ao trabalho dos profissionais traz um alento sobre as possibilidades, porem os demais resultados evidenciam que muito ha por fazer para qualificacao do atendimento de emergencia.
Does intake of sugarless carbonated water at physical activity cause type 2 diabetes?

Besides being middle-aged or older several other factors have been shown to be associated with the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), two of them include being overweight (Ohlson et al. 1988, Chan et al. 1994) and having hypertension (Wei et al. 2011). Additionally, the consumption of diet soda (Nettleton et al. 2009), sugar-sweetened beverages (Malik et al. 2010), low magnesium intake (Dong et al. 2011) and exposure to environmental pollution (Andersen et al. 2012) are external factors that have been found to more or less relate to the incidence of T2D. In the last decades, certain molecular genetic characteristics have been discovered to have a role, and various opinions on their significance for the risk of T2D have been put forward (Lyssenko et al. 2008, McCarthy 2010, Ahlqvist et al. 2011). In accordance with results of some groups of researchers, one more idea is proposed and considered here to try to indicate a causal origin of cases of T2D.
Impact of polychlorinated biphenyl and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon sequestration in sediment on bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs

It is not clear whether sequestration or aging of organic chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) limits accumulation in higher levels of aquatic food chains. Therefore, the effect of aging on accumulation was studied in 1‐m3 model ecosystems that mimicked fish‐dominated, macrophyte‐dominated, and fish‐ and macrophyte‐dominated shallow lakes. Also treatments without fish and macrophytes were included. General characteristics, biomasses, total (Soxhlet‐extractable), and labile (6‐h Tenax‐extractable) PCB and PAH concentrations in sediment and biota were monitored over time. Accumulation data for PCB 28, PCB 149, and fluoranthene (native to the sediment taken from the field) were compared to those for spiked analogues PCB 29, PCB 155, and fluoranthene‐d10. Labile fractions for spiked compounds were higher than for their native analogues and decreased over time, suggesting sequestration in the sediment. In the majority of cases, 6‐h Tenaxextractable concentrations correlated better with concentrations in biota than Soxhlet‐extractable concentrations. Ecosystem structure affected food web accumulation, but replicate variability was too high to detect clear treatment effects. Differences in accumulation between spiked compounds and their native analogues indicated an effect of aging for invertebrates, macrophytes, and benthivorous fish. Thus, aging may translate directly into reduced uptake at higher trophic levels.
THROMBOEMBOLIC COMPLICATIONS IN CUSHING'S SYNDROME

Thromboembolic events are thought to occur with increased frequency in Cushing's syndrome due to the predisposing factors, obesity, hypertension, a raised haematocrit and major surgery plus a ‘hypercoagulable state’. To examine this postulate further we have studied 43 patients with Cushing's syndrome retrospectively and 10 patients prospectively to determine the incidence of arterial and venous thrombosis, both spontaneous and post‐operative.