Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic variability and divergence analysis in snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) under tarai conditions of Uttarakhand

Thirty five genotypes of snapdragon were evaluated for variability and genetic diversity during the year 2008–09. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences for all the characters studied. Higher values of phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation were recorded for number of secondary branches per plant (73.41 and 73.22), number of leaves per plant (72.98 and 72.89) and number of spike per plant (71.21 and 70.38), respectively. Genetic advance was recorded maximum for number of leaves per plant (1224.21) followed by number of seeds per pod (240.25) and number of secondary branches per plant (164.35). High heritability with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was noticed for number of secondary branches per plant (216.37) followed by number of leaves per plant (149.98). Among the six clusters, maximum inter-cluster distance (D2 values) was observed between cluster III and IV followed by III and VI. Genotypes in cluster III had maximum plant spread, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant and duration of flowering.
Studies on anaerobic bacteria in chronic otitis media

In the 760 cases of chronic otitis media studied from 1970 to 1976, the detection ratio of anaerobic bacteria and the relation between the nature of anaerobic bacteria and the conditions of focus were investigated. In 8.2% of 760 cases 9 kinds and 81 strains of anaerobic bacteria was detected. Most of the anaerobic bacteria were Peptococcus sp. or Bacteroides sp. and in general non‐sporogenic anaerobic bacteria accounted for 97.5%. Anaerobes were frequently detected in cases where the middle ear cavity was filled with cholesteatoma or granulation and in cases of infection recurring after operation.
Cantona: Urbe Prehispanica en el Altiplano Central de Mexico

El Proyecto Cantona 1992-1994, patrocinado por el Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de México, ha recuperado importantes datos nuevos sobre este impresionante sitio prehispánico ubicado en la porción meridional de la Cuenca Oriental de Puebla. Basado en estas recientes investigaciones, este informe presenta las características claves del sitio, incluyendo la planificación urbana, el sistema de calzadas y calles, los grupos mayores de arquitectura y la asimetría patente en la arquitectura. Las fechas de radiocarbono colocan la ocupación mayor de Cantona en el período Clásico.
The Effect of Whole-body Vibration on Muscle Activity in Active and Inactive Subjects

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare lower limb muscle activity between physically active and inactive individuals during whole-body vibration exercises. Additionally, transmissibility of the vertical acceleration to the head was quantified. 30 active and 28 inactive participants volunteered to stand in a relaxed (20°) and a squat (60°) position on a side-alternating WBV platform that induced vibrations at 16 Hz and 4 mm amplitude. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was measured in selected lower limb muscles and was normalized to the corresponding sEMG recorded during a maximal voluntary contraction. The vertical acceleration on the head was evaluated and divided by the vertical platform acceleration to obtain transmissibility values. Control trials without vibration were also assessed. The outcomes of this study showed that (1) WBV significantly increased muscle activity in the active (absolute increase: +7%, P <0.05) and inactive participants (+8%, P <0.05), (2) with no differences in sEMG increases between the groups (P>0.05). However, (3), transmissibility to the head was greater in the active (0.080) than the inactive participants (0.065, P <0.05). In conclusion, inactive individuals show similar responses in sEMG due to WBV as their active counterparts, but are at lower risk for potential side-effects of vibration exposure.
Outcome of subcutaneous islet transplantation improved by a polymer device.

Syngeneic transplantation of rat islets into subcutaneous tissue failed to cure streptozocin diabetes. The reason is unknown, but poor vascularization may play a role. We hypothesize that if a well-vascularized subcutaneous site could be created, islet grafts would do well. Four hundred freshly isolated mouse islets were transplanted syngeneically under the renal capsule or into the intraperitoneal cavity and compared with 800 islets in subcutaneous tissue of streptozocin-diabetic mice. Four weeks after transplantation, 14 of 14 under the renal capsule, 4 of 8 in the intraperitoneal site, and 0 of 7 in the subcutaneous tissue site achieved normoglycemia. To create vascularized organoids, we transplanted 800 mouse islets into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyglycolic acid (PGA) polymers in subcutaneous tissue of streptozocin-diabetic mice either immediately (four in PVA and six in PGA) or 7 days (four in PVA and four in PGA) after implantation. Four weeks after transplantation, the mean blood glucose level and body weight had no change with PVA. However, the mean body weight increased significantly with PGA and 3/10 became normoglycemic. When transplanting 400 islets with PGA polymers intraperitoneally, all animals (n=5) remained hyperglycemic 3 months later. In contrast, four of five recipients transplanted with 800 islets with PGA polymers subcutaneously became normoglycemic. The grafts from successful animals contained numerous revascularized islets containing a substantial amount of insulin. These preliminary results indicate that subcutaneous islet transplantation using PGA polymers can improve the metabolic status and, in some cases, even cure diabetes in streptozocin-diabetic mice.
Clock-powered logic for a 50 MHz low-power RISC datapath

This low-power microprocessor datapath is based on energy recovery by which dissipation is reduced for power-critical lines while high performance is sustained. With the energy-recovery approach, the clocks directly drive the capacitive loads. The initial benefit is that the VLSI chips dissipate less heat. Employing an energy efficient resonant or stepwise (charge-recycling) clock driver results in a low-power system because circuit energy is recovered and reused rather than dissipated as heat. A 16b datapath based on this approach contains a 16-word, 3-port register file (RF), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a compare unit (CU), bypass logic, PLA-based control logic, a clock generator (CG) that produces resonant or conventional clock pulses, and 16 pad drivers.
Bovine Herpesvirus-4, A Potential Cause of Mastitis in Canadian Dairy Cows

Bovine herpesvirus-4 (BHV-4), genus Rhadinovirus, is a member of the family Herpesviridae, subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae with a worldwide distribution. This study was conducted to investigate the role of the virus in mastitis and/or subclinical mastitis in the Canadian dairy herds.Milk samples from 176 dairy cows were divided into 2 main groups; "A" contained samples with no bacterial isolates, and "B" containing samples either with Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus uberisisolates. Approximatelyninety-eight percentages of milk samples had antibodies against BHV-4. Among cows with negative bacterial milk cultures, significantly higher titres of BHV-4 antibodies were associated with samples which had high Somatic Cell Counts (SCC), compared to low SCC samples. Viral DNA was detected in 2% of milks samples by the PCR amplification of BHV-4 glycoprotein-B gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of BHV-4 in milk of Canadian dairy herds. Further investigation is needed to determine whether BHV-4 is one of primary causative agents in bovine mastitis, or whether the observed correlation of high titres of specific milk BHV-4 antibody with high SCC was due to reactivation of latent BHV-4 infections by primary bacterial insults.
Clinical Features of Miller-Fisher Syndrome in Pregnancy

Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is recognized as a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). MFS is a rare disorder that is characterized by the acute onset of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia/hyporeflexia. MFS has a higher incidence in Asia, where the incidence is estimated to be 18%–26% of GBS compared with 3%–5% in the West. The differential diagnosis of MFS includes Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) which is characterized by a clinical triad (nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia, mental status changes, and ataxia), myasthenia gravis, and brainstem stroke. The association between MFS and pregnancy has not been reported previously. Here, we describe the clinical features of a pregnant woman in early pregnancy with MFS. This case highlights the fact that it is necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis based on the details from the patient's history on appropriate complementary testing in a pregnant patient with MFS.
Glucose Management in Critically Ill Medical and Surgical Patients

Currently, many providers treat hyperglycemia in the critically ill based on guidelines suggesting target glucose ranges between 140 and 180 mg/dL. However, recent literature has attempted to challenge this by comparing the effect of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) to conventional insulin therapy. Four studies examining the impact of IIT and conventional insulin therapy on mortality in critically ill patients were examined and analyzed. The outcomes from these studies are mixed with neither therapy showing marked improvement in morbidity and mortality rates; in fact, these studies showed a trend toward increased mortality related to an increased incidence of hypoglycemia with IIT. Factors such as days of mechanical ventilation, infection rates, length of stay in the ICU, and incidence of organ failure were included as secondary end points. The data suggest IIT may improve patient outcomes in some areas, but the data are not statistically significant, and adoption of an IIT protocol is not recommended at this time.
Bispectral Index in Evaluating Effects of Sedation Depth on Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of sedation depth on drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). METHODS Ninety patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and 18 snorers underwent polysomnography and DISE under bispectral index (BIS)-guided propofol infusion at two different sedation levels: BIS 65-75 (light sedation) and 50-60 (deep sedation). RESULTS For the patients with OSA, the percentages of velopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx obstructions under light sedation were 77.8%, 63.3%, 30%, and 33.3%, respectively. Sedation depth was associated with the severity of velopharynx and oropharynx obstruction, oropharynx obstruction pattern, tongue base obstruction, epiglottis anteroposterior prolapse and folding, and arytenoid prolapse. In comparison, OSA severity was associated with the severity of velopharynx obstruction, severity of oropharynx obstruction, and arytenoid prolapse (odds ratio (95% confidence interval); 14.3 (4.7-43.4), 11.7 (4.2-32.9), and 13.2 (2.8-62.3), respectively). A good agreement was noted between similar DISE findings at different times and different observers (kappa value 0.6 to 1, respectively). A high percentage of arytenoid prolapse (46.7% among the patients with OSA under light sedation) was noted. CONCLUSIONS Greater sedative depth increased upper airway collapsibility under DISE assessment. DISE under BIS-guided propofol infusion, and especially a level of 65-75, offers an objective and reproducible method to evaluate upper airway collapsibility. Some findings were induced by drug sedation and need careful interpretation. Specific arytenoid prolapse patterns were noted for which further investigations are warranted. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION http://www.clinicaltrials. gov, identifier: NCT01100554. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 965.
Molecular identification and in-vitro antifungal susceptibility testing of Candida species isolated from patients with onychomycosis

Background and Purpose: Candida species are the most opportunistic fungi affecting the nails and resulting in onychomycosis. In this study, we identified and evaluated in-vitro susceptibility of the recovered isolates against fluconazole (FLC), voriconazole (VRC), and clotrimazole (CLT) using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M27-A3 document. Materials and Methods: From patients with either clinically or mycologically proven onychomycosis, 97 isolates comprising of seven Candida species were isolated, which were identified by both conventional and molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. In addition, Candida dubliniensis was confirmed by restriction endonuclease analysis. Antifungal susceptibility of each isolate against the three azoles applied in this study was determined using the CLSI microdilution reference method M27-A3. Results: Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis) was the most frequently isolated species (n=44), followed by C. albicans (n=23), C. tropicalis (n=13), C. glabrata (n=7), C. krusei (n=6), C. guilliermondii (n=3), and C. dubliniensis (n=1). All the isolates were susceptible to CLT. VRC had lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for the isolates compared to FLC. Geometric mean MIC values of VRC, FLC, and CLT for C. parapsilosis isolates were 0.07 μg/ml, 0.8 μg/ml, and 0.35 μg/ml, respectively. Collectively, all species exhibited greater susceptibility to VRC in comparison to C. albicans (P≤0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that non-albicans Candida species were the most common etiologic agents of non-dermatophyte onychomycosis. The major antifungal agents used in clinics to empirically treat yeast onychomycosis are FLC and CLT. Our data suggested that CLT is a better choice for the treatment of Candida onychomycosis, especially in drug resistant cases.
Increase of sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics by polyamine-induced protein (oligopeptide-binding protein) in Escherichia coli

The sensitivity of Escherichia coli to several aminoglycoside antibiotics was examined with E. coli DR112 transformed by the gene for polyamine-induced protein (oligopeptide-binding [OppA] protein) or polyamine transport proteins. The results clearly showed that sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamicin, isepamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, paromomycin, and streptomycin) increased due to the highly expressed OppA protein. When the gene for OppA protein was deleted, sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics was greatly decreased. It was also shown that isepamicin could bind to OppA protein with a binding affinity constant of 8.5 x 10(3) M-1 under the ionic conditions of 50 mM K+ and 1 mM Mg2+ at pH 7.5, and isepamicin uptake into cells was greatly stimulated by the OppA protein. These results, taken together, show that the OppA protein increases the uptake of aminoglycoside antibiotics. In addition, the OppA protein increased the transport of spermidine and an oligopeptide (Gly-Leu-Tyr). The uptake of isepamicin into cells was partially inhibited by spermidine, suggesting that the binding site for isepamicin overlaps that for spermidine on the OppA protein. Spermidine uptake activity by the OppA protein was less than 1% of that of the ordinary spermidine uptake system. Aminoglycoside antibiotics neither stimulated the synthesis of OppA protein nor increased spermidine uptake.
Improved Support Recovery Guarantees for the Group Lasso With Applications to Structural Health Monitoring

This paper considers the problem of estimating an unknown high dimensional signal from noisy linear measurements, {when} the signal is assumed to possess a \emph{group-sparse} structure in a {known,} fixed dictionary. We consider signals generated according to a natural probabilistic model, and establish new conditions under which the set of indices of the non-zero groups of the signal (called the group-level support) may be accurately estimated via the group Lasso. Our results strengthen existing coherence-based analyses that exhibit the well-known "square root" bottleneck, allowing for the number of recoverable nonzero groups to be nearly as large as the total number of groups. We also establish a sufficient recovery condition relating the number of nonzero groups and the signal to noise ratio (quantified in terms of the ratio of the squared Euclidean norms of nonzero groups and the variance of the random additive {measurement} noise), and validate this trend empirically. Finally, we examine the implications of our results in the context of a structural health monitoring application, where the group Lasso approach facilitates demixing of a propagating acoustic wavefield, acquired on the material surface by a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer, into antithetical components, one of which indicates the locations of internal material defects.
Absence of Bordetella pertussis Among Infants Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis in Finland, 2008–2010

In 169 Finnish infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis at age <6 months in 2008–2010, nasopharyngeal aspirates were tested by polymerase chain reaction for Bordetella pertussis and 16 viruses. Respiratory viruses were detected in 89% (71% with respiratory syncytial virus), but no infant had B. pertussis. The latter finding may reflect a positive effect from the broadening of the Finnish pertussis vaccination program in 2005.
Does shore length influence population size and density distribution of hippopotamus

Population surveys of common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in Zambia were carried out between 2005 and 2008 to estimate population size and density distribution patterns against shore length. River bank foot counts were used in the Luangwa River system while boat/canoe counts were used to collect population data from lakes, dams and rivers. Population estimate was 40,060 hippopotami distributed over shore length of 11, 892 km. Luangwa, Zambezi and Kafue Rivers had shore length of 4,150 km which was only 35% of total shore length. The three rivers with only 35% of shore length had 35,000 individuals which was 87.36% of total population estimate, distributed as follows; Luangwa 25,000 (62% of total), Zambezi 6,500 (16% of total) and Kafue 4,000 (10% of total). Chi-square test showed a significant difference in population estimates in Luangwa, Zambezi and Kafue (c2, P < 0.05) being highest in the Luangwa (62%), Zambezi (16%) and Kafue (10%) respectively. It was found that shore length did not determine population density distribution. The Luangwa River which was not the longest had the largest number of hippopotamus supporting 62% of the national population estimate. More research is required to investigate other physical and anthropogenic factors determining hippopotamus population density distribution along shore length of water bodies. Key words: Population status, Luangwa, Zambezi, Kafue, shore length, estimate.
A comparison of system performance using two different chip pulses in multiple-chip-rate DS/CDMA systems

This paper describes a comparison of system performance using two different chip waveforms of spreading sequences in multiple-chip-rate (MCR) direct-sequence (DS)/code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems. The chip pulses used in this study are closely related to the characteristics of output filter employed at transmitter. In general, the chip waveform is an important factor to determine the link performance. The raised cosine chip pulse with a roll-off factor of /spl alpha/ will be adopted for IMT-2000 systems in order to reduce both the intersymbol effect and the spectral width of the modulated signal. However, due to the complexity of obtaining quantitative results on the performance of MCR-DS/CDMA systems, rectangular chip pulses are mainly utilized in performance analysis. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effect of the chip pulses used, i.e., a rectangular and a raised cosine chip pulses on system performance in order to evaluate MCR-DS/CDMA systems accurately. Thus, the effect of the chip pulses used on the performance in MCR-DS/CDMA systems is investigated in terms of the system capacity and blocking probability. It is shown that the system using a raised cosine chip pulse (i.e., RC system) supports at least 80% more capacity and 57% more traffic than that using a rectangular chip pulse (i.e., R system).
Cut-off of body mass index and waist circumference to predict hypertension in Indian adults.

AIM To determine the cut-off values of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference to predict hypertension in adults in north India. METHODS A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in 801 subjects in Kanpur, aged 20 years and above, using multistage stratified random sampling technique. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to elicit the required information from the study participants and the diagnostic criteria for hypertension were taken according to the Seventh Joint National Committee Report on Hypertension (JNC-7). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the cut-off values of BMI and waist circumference to predict hypertension. RESULTS The ROC analysis revealed that BMI is a good predictor of hypertension for both men (area under the ROC curve 0.714) and women (area under the ROC curve 0.821). The cut-off values of BMI for predicting hypertension were identified as ≥ 24.5 kg/m(2) in men and ≥ 24.9 kg/m(2) in women. Similarly, the ROC analysis for waist circumference showed that it is a good predictor of hypertension both for men (area under the ROC curve 0.784) and women (area under the ROC curve 0.815). The cut-offs for waist circumference for predicting hypertension were estimated as ≥ 83 cm for men and ≥ 78 cm for women. Adults with high BMI or high waist circumference had a higher prevalence of hypertension, respectively. CONCLUSION Simple anthropometric measurements such as BMI and waist circumference can be used for screening people at increased risk of hypertension in order to refer them for more careful and early diagnostic evaluation. Policies and programs are required for primary and secondary prevention of hypertension.
Drug Use in an Alternative High School

The drug involvement of students in an alternative high school is reported. Students include those transferred for behavior problems or dropouts returning to complete school. Drug use rates are exceptionally high, with significantly higher lifetime prevalence for nearly every drug. Current use of drugs is also very high, and 70 percent are in the two most serious adolescent drug use types; about a third are polydrug users, currently using at least two drugs with different psychoactive effects, and another third are stimulant users, taking marijuana, uppers, and/or cocaine. Only alcohol and marijuana were started earlier than other students–these students started both in early junior high. These extreme levels of involvement suggest further assessment of alternative schools and, if generalizability is confirmed, focusing of prevention and treatment programs on these high risk environments.