Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A systematic, morphological and ecological overview of the Clavariaceae (Agaricales)

The Clavariaceae is a diverse family of mushroom-forming fungi composed of species that produce simple clubs, coralloid, lamellate-stipitate, hydnoid and resupinate sporocarps. Here we present a systematic and ecological overview of the Clavariaceae based on phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (nLSU), including nine from type collections. Forty-seven sequences from sporocarps of diverse taxa across the Clavariaceae were merged with 243 environmental sequences from GenBank and analyzed phylogenetically to determine major clades within the family. Four major clades or lineages were recovered: (i) Mucronella, (ii) Ramariopsis-Clavulinopsis, (iii) Hyphodontiella and (iv) Clavaria-Camarophyllopsis-Clavicorona. Clavaria is paraphyletic, within which the lamellate and pileate-stipitate genus Camarophyllopsis is derived and composed of two independent lineages. The monotypic genus Clavicorona also appears nested within Clavaria. The monophyly of Clavaria and Camarophyllopsis, however, cannot be statistically rejected. We compared differing classification schemes for the genera Ramariopsis and Clavulinopsis, most of which are inconsistent with the molecular phylogeny and are statistically rejected. Scytinopogon, a genus classified in the Clavariaceae by several authors, shares phylogenetic affinities with the Trechisporales. Overall 126 molecular operational taxonomic units can be recognized in the Clavariaceae, roughly half of which are known only from environmental sequences, an estimate that exceeds the known number of species in the family. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were measured from specimens representing most major phylogenetic lineages to predict trophic strategies. These results suggest that most non-lignicolous species feature a biotrophic mode of nutrition. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis highlights the taxonomic significance of at least nine morphological traits at various depths in the family tree.
Exercise Therapy and Hypocaloric Diet in the Treatment of Obese Children and Adolescents

ABSTRACT. Fourteen obese children and adolescents were treated with a combined therapy of low calorie diet and exercise and their progress compared to that of 11 obese children treated with diet only. Children treated with combination therapy were encouraged to perform aerobic exercises daily, for a period of time which was calculated to consume approximately 250 kcal per exercise session. After 4 months of therapy, a significantly (P<0.05) larger decrease of % overweight was observed in the group of children treated with diet and exercise (‐25±13.5%) than in those treated with diet only (‐15.8±10.5%). Treatment compliance was better in the group treated with diet and exercise than in the group which followed a low calorie diet only. We think that unsupervised exercise therapy can be successfully combined with a low calorie diet in the treatment of childhood obesity.
Bethe-ansatz for the Bloch electron in magnetic field.

We present a new approach to the problem of Bloch electrons in magnetic field, by making explicit a natural relation between magnetic translations and the quantum group ${\mathit{U}}_{\mathit{q}}$(${\mathit{sl}}_{2}$). The approach allows us to express the spectrum and the Bloch function as solutions of the Bethe-ansatz equations typical for completely integrable quantum systems.
Enhancing antibodies in HIV infection

The author has summarized the history of discovery, the mechanism and the clinical significance of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of HIV infection. ADE has two major forms: (a) complement-mediated antibody-dependent enhancement (C-ADE) and (b) complement-independent Fc receptor-dependent ADE (FcR-ADE). The most important epitope responsible for the development of C-ADE-mediating antibodies is present in the immunodominant region of gp41 while antibodies mediating FcR-ADE react mainly with V3 loop of gp120. There are at least three fundamentally different hypotheses for the explanation of ADE in vitro: (a) increased adhesion of HIV-antibody-(complement) complexes to FcR or complement receptor carrying cells; (b) facilitation of HIV-target cell fusion by complement fragment deposited on the HIV-virions and (c) complement activation products may have a non-specific stimulatory effect on target cells resulting in enhanced virus production. FcR-ADE and C-ADE have been measured in vitro mostly by using FcR-carrying and complement receptor-carrying cell lines, respectively; no efforts have been made to standardize these methods. Several data support the possible clinical significance of FcR-ADE and C-ADE: (a) Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies indicate a correlation between the amounts of FcR-ADE and C-ADE-mediating antibodies and clinical, immunological and virological progression of the HIV-disease; (b) ADE may facilitate maternal–infant HIV-1 transmission; (c) According to experiments in animal models, ADE are present and may modify the course of SIV (simian immunodeficiency) infection as well. The author raises a new hypothesis on the mechanism of the in vivo effect of C-ADE. According to the hypothesis, C-ADE-mediating antibodies exert their effect through enhancement of HIV propagation and consequent facilitation of the progression of HIV disease. Finally, according to observations from animal experiments and human clinical trials it cannot be excluded that ADE-mediating antibodies may develop, diminish the beneficial effect or may be harmful in volunteers vaccinated with HIV-1 candidate vaccines.
Improving Classical OCRs for Brahmic Scripts Using Script Grammar Learning

Classical OCRs based on isolated character (symbol) recognition have been the fundamental way of generating textual representations, particularly for Indian scripts, until the time transcription-based approaches gained momentum. Though the former approaches have been criticized as prone to failures, their accuracy has nevertheless been fairly decent in comparison with the newer transcription-based approaches. Analysis of isolated character recognition OCRs for Hindi and Bangla revealed most errors were generated in converting the output of the classifier to valid Unicode sequences, i.e., script grammar generation. Linguistic rules to generate scripts are inadequately integrated, thus resulting in a rigid Unicode generation scheme which is cumbersome to understand and error prone in adapting to new Indian scripts. In this paper we propose a machine learning-based classifier symbols to Unicode generation scheme which outperforms the existing generation scheme and improves accuracy for Devanagari and Bangla scripts.
C-reactive Protein as a Predictor of Adverse outcome in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background and Objectives: The acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to reflect systemic and vascular inflammation and to predict future cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CRP in predicting cardiovascular outcome in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes. Patients and Methods: This prospective, single-centered study was carried out by the Department of Pathology in collaboration with the Department of Cardiology, Bolan Medical College Complex Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan from January 2009 to December 2009. We studied 963 consecutive patients presenting with chest pain to Accident and Emergency Department. Patients were divided into four groups. Group-1 comprised patients with unstable angina; group-2 included patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); group-3 comprised patients with Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (Non-STEMI) and group-4 was the control group. All four groups were followed-up for 90 days for occurrence of cardiovascular events. Results: The CRP was elevated (>3 mg/L) among 27.6% patients in Group-1; 70.9% in group- 2; 77.9% in group-3 and 5.3% in the control group. Among cases with elevated CRP, 92.1% had a cardiac event compared to 34.3% among patients with CRP £3 mg/L (P < 0.0001). The mortality was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in group-2 (8.9%) and group-3 (11.9%) as compared to group-1 (2.1%). There was no cardiac event or mortality in Group-4. Conclusions: Elevated CRP is a predictor of adverse outcome in patients with acute coronary syndromes and helps in identifying patients who may be at risk of cardiovascular complications.
Composition Profiles and Upper Critical Field Measurement of Internal-Sn and Tube-Type Conductors

Two standard internal-Sn type rod-in-tube (RIT) and two newly developed tube type conductors were investigated. Both types of strand were doped with Ta. A series of heat-treatments with varying temperature and duration time were performed to study their influence on the microstructure and properties. In this work, the fully reacted strands were analysed. Non-Cu Jc was measured and Bc2 values were estimated via Kramer plot extrapolation. Bc2 values were also measured by resistive transitions at high magnetic fields, and compared with the values from Kramer plot extrapolations. High resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the cross-section and the composition across the strands' cross-section was measured by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was used to measure the composition variation in the individual filaments in the RIT strands. Superconducting properties were correlated to strand composition.
The Role Of Investment In Entry-Deterrence

The theory of large-scale entry into an industry is made complicated by its game-theoretic aspects. Even in the simplest case of one established firm facing one prospective entrant, there are some subtle strategic interactions. The established firm's pre-entry decisions can influence the prospective entrant's view of what will happen if he enters, and the established firm will try to exploit this possibility to its own advantage.
Endurance training-induced changes in insulin sensitivity and gene expression.

The beneficial effects of regular physical activity on insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose tolerance are well documented, with considerable heterogeneity in responsiveness to exercise training (ET). To find novel candidate genes for ET-induced improvement in SI, we used microarray technology. Total RNA was isolated from vastus lateralis muscle before and after 20 wk of exercise from individuals participating in the HERITAGE Family Study. SI index was derived from a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test using MINMOD Millennium software. Sixteen subjects were selected: eight showing no changes in SI (low responders, LSIR) and eight displaying marked improvement in SI (high responders, HSIR) with ET. The SI increase was about four times greater in HSIR compared with LSIR (+3.6 +/- 0.5 vs. -1.2 +/- 0.5 microU.ml(-1). min(-1), mean +/- SE), whereas age, body mass index, percent body fat, and baseline SI were similar between the groups. Triplicate microarrays were performed, comparing pooled RNA with HSIR and LSIR individuals for differences in gene expression before and after ET using in situ-generated microarrays (18, 861 genes). Array data were validated by quantitative RT-PCR. Almost twice as many genes showed at least twofold differences between HSIR and LSIR after training compared with pretraining. We identified differentially expressed genes involved in energy metabolism and signaling, novel structural genes, and transcripts of unknown function. Genes of interest upregulated in HSIR include V-Ski oncogene, four-and-a-half LIM domain 1, and titin. Further study of these novel candidate genes should provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in the improvement in insulin sensitivity in response to regular exercise.
Cytokine Production from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Mite Allergen-Sensitized Atopic Adults Stimulated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Mite Allergen

Background: The interaction between viral respiratory tract infection and allergen sensitization in allergic asthma is unclear. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has attracted attention as an important lower respiratory pathogen during childhood, while recent evidence indicates that RSV is also an important lower respiratory pathogen for adults. Immunity against RSV differs between children and adults. Several reports suggest that RSV infection in children results in a Th2-skewed immune response. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of RSV infection in adults who had previously been sensitized with a common aeroallergen. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from 9 mite-sensitized atopic subjects and 11 healthy nonatopic subjects were exposed to live or UV-inactivated RSV concomitant to incubation with or without mite allergen, and the subsequent production of cytokines – interleukin (IL)-5, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-10 and IL-12p70 – was measured. Results: Mite allergen significantly increased IL-5 production in atopic PBMCs. RSV infection significantly increased IFN-γ production from healthy and atopic PBMCs; the levels of IFN-γ were significantly higher for atopic PBMCs. Live RSV infection significantly attenuated IL-5 production from mite allergen-stimulated atopic PBMCs. UV-inactivated RSV, but not live RSV, significantly enhanced allergen-specific IL-10 production in atopic PBMCs. IL-12 could not be detected in the present study. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that RSV infection did not simply enhance allergen-specific Th2-like response in atopic adults. Live RSV-induced IFN-γ and RSV protein-induced IL-10 appear to play important roles in the regulation of allergic airway inflammation in atopic adults.
8.3 A power-scalable 7-tap FIR equalizer with tunable active delay line for 10-to-25Gb/s multi-mode fiber EDC in 28nm LP-CMOS

Multi-mode fiber (MMF) is the most cost-effective fiber for high-speed LANs. Modal dispersion leads to optical-energy spreading over several symbol periods, drastically limiting distance and data-rate. Compared with copper channels, equalization is challenging because the channel response varies enormously from fiber to fiber and also over time [1]. These aspects, paired with the practical difficulty of implementing TX pulse shaping, increase the equalization burden at the receiver. To date, electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) consisting of an FIR filter cascaded with a nonlinear equalizer, such as DFE, enables 10Gb/s up to 300m according to the 10GBASE-LRM standard. To satisfy the demand for greater network capacity, solutions to reach 25Gb/s on a single fiber, and up to 400Gb/s aggregated throughput with space-division multiplexing on 16 fibers are being investigated [2]. At this data-rate, robust DSP-based EDCs still need high power, indicating an analog approach to signal processing to reduce power. To have market impact and economic feasibility, the interface must be flexible, accommodating a variable data-rates for compatibility with legacy channels and different standards [2]. In addition, achieving high energy efficiency at each standard (i.e., data rate) is fundamental.
The short-term benefits of brief and long naps following nocturnal sleep restriction.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The purpose was to remedy the lack of experimental studies directly comparing the effects of brief and long daytime naps following nocturnal sleep restriction. DESIGN Twelve young adult healthy sleepers participated in a repeated measures design comparing the effects of no nap, a 10-minute nap, and a 30-minute afternoon nap in each case following a night of 4.7 hours of total sleep time. Objective and subjective alertness measures and cognitive performance measures were taken before, then 5, 35, and 60 minutes after the termination of the nap. SETTING N/A. PARTICIPANTS N/A. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS In the no nap condition measures showed either no change or a decreases of alertness and performance across the testing period. Following the 10-minute nap there was an immediate improvement in subjective alertness and cognitive performance which was sustained for the hour of post nap testing. Immediately following the 30 minute nap most measures of alertness and performance declined but showed some recovery by the end of testing. CONCLUSIONS Because the delayed benefits following the 30-minute nap may be due to sleep inertia, longer post-nap testing periods should be investigated. However, we conclude that the detrimental effects of sleep restriction were more rapidly and significantly ameliorated, at least within the hour following the nap, by a 10-minute afternoon nap.
Supplemention With Tetrahydrobiopterin Suppresses the Development of Hypertension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

It has been suggested that tetrahydrobiopterin (H4B), a cofactor of NO synthase, can reverse endothelial dysfunction caused by cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Moreover, an impairment of H4B biosynthesis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was observed. Thus, we hypothesized that the defect of the H4B synthesis system may play an important role in the development of hypertension in SHR. In the present study H4B (10 mg/kg per day IP) was used to treat SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) from the age of 5 through 16 weeks. Results demonstrated that chronic treatment with H4B significantly improved the impaired vascular responses to acetylcholine and suppressed the development of hypertension in SHR but did not affect WKY. The increase of inducible NO synthase expression, nitrotyrosine immunostaining, NO production, and superoxide anion formation in adult SHR were also significantly suppressed by chronic treatment with H4B. In contrast, H4B had no effect on WKY. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that H4B significantly attenuated the development of hypertension in SHR. The antihypertensive effect of H4B might be mediated through its direct antioxidant activity and/or decreasing oxygen free radical production from NO synthase, thereby reducing inducible NO synthase expression and peroxynitrite formation. Thus, the present study proposed that supplementation with H4B might be beneficial in preventing pathological conditions such as essential hypertension.
A Group of Vessels from the Syrian Coast Found in the Coastal Plain of Israel

Abstract In excavations recently conducted along the coastal plain of Israel, a number of red polished and decorated pottery vessels were found. The vessels resemble Cypriot Base Ring I, Black Lustrous and Red Lustrous Wheel Made Wares. These Cypriot wares were imported into the south Levant in large quantities during the fifteenth and fourteenth centuries BCE. Most of the vessels discussed were petrographically analyzed. The results indicate that they were made on the Syrian–Lebanese coast between Akko in the south and Ugarit in the north and as a local imitations of Cypriot wares were exported to the south.
Adenoid cystic carcinomas of the breast and salivary glands (or ‘The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ of exocrine gland carcinomas)

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) is a tumour with myoepithelial differentiation and characterised by the presence of a dual population of basaloid and luminal cells arranged in specific growth patterns. These tumours, regardless of the anatomical site, are characterised by expression of the proto-oncogene and therapeutic target c-KIT, and seem to harbour a specific chromosomal translocation t(6;9) leading to the fusion gene MYB-NFIB and overexpression of the oncogene MYB. However, the clinical behaviour of salivary gland and breast AdCC differs; while salivary gland lesions have a relatively high proclivity to metastasise, patients with breast AdCCs have an excellent outcome. Here the clinical, morphological and molecular features, and potential therapeutic targets of salivary gland and breast AdCCs are reviewed.
Spinal intramedullary cavernoma: clinical presentation and surgical outcome.

OBJECT Improved neuroimaging techniques have led to an increase in the reported cases of intramedullary cavernomas. The purpose of this study was to define the spectrum of presenting signs and symptoms in patients with spinal intramedullary cavernomas and to analyze the role of surgery as a treatment for these lesions. METHODS The authors reviewed the charts of 16 patients who underwent surgery for spinal intramedullary cavernomas. All patients underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies. Cavernomas represented 14 (5.0%) of 280 intramedullary lesions found in adults and two (1.1%) of 181 intramedullary lesions found in pediatric cases. A posterior laminectomy and surgical resection of the malformation were performed in all 16 patients. CONCLUSIONS Magnetic resonance imaging is virtually diagnostic for spinal cavernoma lesions. Patients with spinal intramedullary cavernomas presented with either an acute onset of neurological compromise or a slowly progressive neurological decline. Acute neurological decline occurs secondary to hemorrhage within the spinal cord. Chronic progressive myelopathy occurs due to microhemorrhages and the resulting gliotic reaction to hemorrhagic products. There is no evidence that cavernomas increase in size. The rate of rebleeding is unknown, but spinal cavernomas appear to be clinically more aggressive than cranial cavernomas, probably because the spinal cord is less tolerant of mass lesions. Complete surgical removal of the cavernoma was possible in 15 of 16 of the authors' cases.
Migraine with aura with onset in childhood and adolescence: Long-term natural history and prognostic factors

The long-term course of migraine with aura (MA) has been poorly explored. The present 11-year follow-up study assessed the long-term natural history and possible prognostic factors of MA with onset in childhood or adolescence. Patients were recruited from the original case records of our department, which are specifically designed to report all headache characteristics, aura symptoms and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings. A total of 77 patients (47 females; 30 males) whose records contained detailed descriptions of both headache and aura symptoms apparently meeting the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-II criteria for MA (i.e., 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.6) underwent structured face-to-face follow-up headache interviews, all of which were conducted by the same neurologist, who has particular expertise in this field. A multivariate model (logistic regression analysis) was used to investigate the association between possible prognostic factors and the remission of both aura and headache at follow-up. The results of our study showed that 23.4% of the MA patients were headache-free at follow-up, 44.1% still had MA and 32.5% had a transformed headache diagnosis (i.e., fulfilling the criteria for ICHD-II 1.1. or 2). Patients with basilar-type migraine (1.2.6) showed the highest headache remission rate (38.5%). Our study seems to show that migraine with typical aura (1.2.1–1.2.2) is associated with a favourable evolution of aura symptoms over time (remission of aura in 54.1% of patients). Subjects experiencing only visual aura had a lower remission rate compared with those with visual ± sensory ± aphasic aura symptoms (36.8% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.054). A short headache duration (<12 hrs) and the presence of EEG abnormalities at baseline were the only significant predictors of aura remission at follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 9.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79 ± 46.51, and OR = 4.76, 95% CI: 1.18 ± 19.15, respectively). No significant predictors of headache remission were found. In conclusion, our results suggest that MA shows a favourable course. Further prospective studies with detailed EEG analysis both at baseline and at follow-up are needed in order to confirm the possible prognostic role of EEG abnormalities in MA. That said, it would, in our opinion, be highly premature at present to submit children with MA to EEG examinations for prognostication purposes.