Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serological pattern "anti-HBc alone": characterization of 552 individuals and clinical significance.

AIM To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of "anti-HBc alone" in an unselected population of patients and employees of a university hospital in southern Germany. METHODS All individuals with the pattern "anti-HBc alone" were registered over a time span of 82 mo. HBV-DNA was measured in serum and liver samples, and clinical charts were reviewed. RESULTS Five hundred and fifty two individuals were "anti-HBc alone" (of 3004 anti-HBc positive individuals; 18.4%), and this pattern affected males (20.5%) more often than females (15.3%; P<0.001). HBV-DNA was detected in serum of 44 of 545 "anti-HBc alone" individuals (8.1%), and in paraffin embedded liver tissue in 16 of 39 patients tested (41.0%). There was no association between the detection of HBV genomes and the presence of biochemical, ultrasonic or histological signs of liver damage. Thirty-eight "anti-HBc alone" patients with cirrhosis or primary liver carcinoma had at least one additional risk factor. HCV-coinfection was present in 20.4% of all individuals with "anti-HBc alone" and was the only factor associated with a worse clinical outcome. CONCLUSION In an HBV low prevalence area, no evidence is found that HBV alone causes severe liver damage in individuals with "anti-HBc alone". Recommendations for the management of these individuals are given.
Colonization and growth promotion of non-legumes by Rhizobium bacteria

Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain R39, isolated from red clover nodules, in field experiments on loamy sand, stimulated not only the growth of red clover but also the growth of maize, spring wheat, spring barley and oil radish. After seed inoculation, this strain colonized the rhizosphere of these plants and migrated to nearby non-inoculated spontaneous weed plants. Following crop harvest the Rhizobium strain was able to reestablish in the rhizosphere of plants subsequently grown in the same plots. Microbiological and electron microscopical investigations on maize and wheat showed, that R39 had colonized the rhizoplane of the active growing roots [zone of emerging laterals and root tip mucigel]. The production of phytoeffective metabolites by strain 39 may be important for the stimulation of root growth and nutrient uptake by plants.
Smooth lipopolysaccharide is the major protective antigen for mice in the surface extract from IATS serotype 6 contributing to the polyvalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine PEV

The nature of the protective antigen in one of the sixteen monovalent extracts (viz., extract-6) contributing to the pseudomonas polyvalent extract vaccine (PEV) was studied in a mouse challenge assay. Selective removal, by filtration through Sep-Pak C18 cartridges, of two major protein antigens with molecular weights of 16,200 and 21,000 had no effect on the protection afforded by extract-6. When analyzed on the basis of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) purified by hot phenol extraction (LPS-A) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (International Antigenic Typing System serotype 6) could account in full for the protective capacity of extract-6. Comparative analysis of LPS heterogeneity by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining indicated that both extract-6 and LPS-A possessed similar spectra of smooth LPS molecules, containing between 10 and approximately equal to 50 O-antigen repeating units. Differences in the profiles of heterogeneity displayed by LPS in LPS-A and extract-6 were restricted to molecular species with short O-antigen chains. Subfractionation of LPS molecules on the basis of number of O-antigen repeating units was achieved by gel filtration in the presence of deoxycholate. Protection experiments performed on the subfractionated species of LPS-A revealed a relationship between O-antigen chain length and protective capacity; molecules with over 18 O-antigen repeating units being 50 to 100 times more protective than those with zero-two repeating units. The results indicate that most of the protection afforded by LPS-A and extract-6 can be accounted for by LPS molecules possessing extended (10 or more) O-antigen repeating units.
Toward a unified approach to lexicon optimization and perplexity minimization for Chinese language modeling

This paper presents a unified approach to lexicon optimization and perplexity minimization for Chinese language modeling (LM). Instead of using a non-iterative segmentation-detection method, the proposed approach iteratively extracts candidate words, selects new words based on a perplexity minimization criterion and adds the new words into the lexicon. The augmented lexicon, which contains the new words, is used in the next iteration to re-segment the input corpus until the perplexity of the LM is converged. The experiments show that both the precision and recall rates are improved and the perplexity of the LM has reduced 6.3%.
Sharing Dreams: Sex and other Sociodemographic Variables

Dream sharing is a common experience for most people. Factors which might be related to dream sharing in a representative German sample were investigated in the present study. As expected, the frequency of positively toned and neutral dreams and the frequency of negatively toned dreams were related to dream sharing. In addition, an effect of sex was found: women shared their dreams more often than men. Dream sharing differing by social class and education might point to class-specific attitudes toward dreams which have not yet been studied in detail.
Relationships of obesity indices to serum insulin and lipoproteins in relatives of black patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).

We have examined the relationships between obesity indices and various metabolic parameters in seven obese (body mass index (BMI) mean +/- s.e. m. 42 +/- 2.5 kg/m2), ten nonobese (BMI 25.3 +/- 1.2 kg/m2) nondiabetic female relatives of black patients with NIDDM and eight healthy controls (BMI 24.5 +/- 1.1 kg/m2). Despite the greater BMI in the obese relatives, percent body fat was not different from that of the nonobese relatives (38 +/- 2 vs 34 +/- 3 percent). Both values were, however, significantly (P less than 0.05) greater than that of the healthy controls (25 +/- 3 percent). Mean waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WHR) was greatest in obese relatives (0.89 +/- 0.01), intermediate in nonobese relatives (0.83 +/- 0.01) and least in the healthy controls (0.77 +/- 0.04). Mean sum of skinfold thickness from biceps, triceps and subscapular (SS) region was also greatest in obese relatives, intermediate in nonobese relatives and least in controls. Centrality index was not, however, different among the groups. Mean fasting serum glucose levels were slightly higher but not significantly different in the relatives compared to controls (obese 82 +/- 3; nonobese 81 +/- 4; controls 75 +/- 3 mg/dl). Following oral glucose ingestion, serum glucose rose to significantly (P less than 0.05) greater levels at 30, 60 and 90 min in the relative subgroups vs controls. Mean fasting and post-prandial peak serum insulin concentrations were significantly (P less than 0.05-0.01) greater in both relative subgroups vs controls. While mean serum glucose profiles and glucose disappearance decay (KG) following intravenous glucose load were identical in the relatives and controls, serum insulin responses were significantly greater in the relatives. The mean basal and post-stimulation serum C-peptide concentrations were similar in all the three groups, irrespective of the stimulus; thus suggesting a reduced hepatic insulin extraction in the relatives. Fasting serum cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as well as FFA levels were not different between the relatives and controls despite the hyperinsulinemia in the former group. WHR correlated with basal insulin in the relatives (r = 0.416, P less than 0.05) and controls (r = 0.68, P less than 0.01) but not with stimulated insulin, lipids and lipoproteins in any of the groups. In contrast, both percent BFM and SS thickness correlated significantly (P less than 0.001) with post-glucose insulin concentrations in the relatives only. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Co-morbidity in Mild-to-Moderate COPD: Comparison to Normal and Restrictive Lung Function

Background: A relationship between local and systemic inflammation and different co-morbidities, such as cardiovascular, has been discussed in relation to disease process and prognosis in COPD. Aim: To evaluate if conditions as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux are overrepresented in COPD. Methods: All subjects with COPD according to GOLD, FEV1/FVC<0.70, were identified (n = 993) from the clinical follow-up in 2002–04 of the OLIN (Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden) studies’ cohorts together with 993 gender- and age-matched reference subjects without COPD (non-COPD, further divided into normal and restrictive lung function). Interview data on co-morbidity and symptoms were used. Results: Cardiovascular co-morbidity, taken together heart disease, hypertension, stroke and intermittent claudication, was the most common and higher in COPD compared to in normal lung function (Nlf) 50.1% vs 41.0% (p<0.001). The prevalence of chronic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) was higher in COPD compared to in Nlf (43.1% vs 32.3%, p<0.001 and 16.7% vs 12.0%, p = 0.011). In restrictive lung function the prevalence of chronic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipemia and diabetes was higher compared to in Nlf (41.0% vs 32.3%, p = 0.017, 59.0% vs 41.0%, p<0.001, 29.2% vs.12.9%, p = 0.033, 20.9% vs 8.6%, p <0.001). In COPD and heart disease, 62.5% had chronic rhinitis and/or GERD, while in Nlf the corresponding proportion was 42.5%. Conclusion: Co-morbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, chronic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux were common in COPD. The overlap between heart disease, chronic rhinitis and GERD was large in COPD. Restrictive lung function did also identify a population with increased disease burden.
Is Autofluorescence Imaging Endoscopy Useful for Determining the Depth of Invasion in Gastric Cancer

Background/Aims: Newly developed autofluorescence (AF) imaging (AFI) endoscopy can detect AF emitted by the gastrointestinal wall and may reliably detect tumors or inflammation that block AF. However, the efficacy of AFI endoscopy has not been evaluated for diagnosing the depth of tumor invasion in gastric cancer. Methods: AF endoscopic images were split into three bands (R, G and B) and expressed as grayscale values. AF indices, defined as the ratio of the G band image grayscale value to that of the R band, were calculated preoperatively. Correlations of AF indices with invasion depth and tumor thickness were assessed. AF indices were calculated preoperatively for 72 gastric cancer lesions without ulceration in 67 patients. The invasion grade of the lesions was classified histologically into 5 groups: M, SM, MP, SS and SE. Results: The mean tumor AF indices for each depth stage were 0.99, 0.77, 0.75, 0.74 and 0.61, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between group M and the other groups. Conclusion: AFI endoscopy may reliably determine the depth of gastric cancer tumor invasion, although an expanded study comprised of larger numbers of subjects and different types of cancers may be required to clearly demonstrate its validity.
Branching Scenarios in Eco-evolutionary Prey-Predator Models

We show in this paper how simulations of ODEs and continuations of systems of algebraic equations can be combined to study the evolution of biodiversity in multispecies systems where phenotypic traits are genetically transmitted. We follow the adaptive dynamics (AD) approach, which provides a deterministic approximation of the evolutionary dynamics of stationary coexisting populations in terms of an ODE system, the so-called AD canonical equation. AD also provides explicit conditions to test whether a stable evolutionary equilibrium of the canonical equation is a branching point -- resident and mutant morphs coexist and further differentiate, thus increasing biodiversity -- or not. We analyze a standard parameterized family of prey-predator communities, described by the most standard ecological model, and propose an iterative procedure to obtain the branching portrait, explaining the dependence of branching scenarios on two (demographic, environmental, or control) parameters. Among a number of interesting results, in line with field studies and known ecological principles, we find that prey branching is induced by the predation pressure, and is favored when prey intraspecific competition is highly sensitive to the resident-mutant phenotypic mismatch, while predator branching is not possible when prey and predators are present in an equal number of morphs. This results in alternate prey-predator branching sequences with possible phases of prey unilateral branching. The guidelines for deriving a general method for analyzing the evolution of biodiversity are also discussed. The indications that can be obtained typically have a qualitative nature, but can be of help for the long-term conservation and management of biodiversity.
Statistical modelling of resolved debris discs

Es wurde eine Probe von 39 raumlich aufgelosten Trummerschreiben mit der Absicht untersucht, Korrelationen zwischen den Zentralsternparametern und den Scheibenparametern zu finden. Eine Hurde war dabei die Entartung zwischen den Staubteilchengrosen und dem Ort des Staubs. Kleine Partikel in groser Entfernung lieferten gleiche Ergebnisse wie grose Teilchen naher am Stern. Durch die Scheibenauflosung konnten die Radien mittels einer neuen Methode bestimmt und so die Entartung gebrochen werden. Die Modellierung der spektralen Energieverteilung war die Grundlage der Analyse, wobei 2 verschiedene Modelle genutzt wurden. Der Vergleich beider verdeutlichte, dass sie zu gleichen Korrelationen der Parameter fuhren, aber auch Unterschiede bei individuellen Scheiben sichtbar sind. Es wurde eine grose Streuung der Scheibenradien uber den gesamten Bereich der stellaren Leuchtkraft festgestellt. Daher scheint die entgultige Form der Scheibe nicht von temperaturabhangigen Prozessen abhangig zu sein. Der wahre Scheibenradius im Verhaltnis zum Schwarzkorperradius zeigte einen Abfall mit zunehmender Leuchtkraft, was eine Schatzung des Radius von unaufgelosten Schreiben erlaubt. Die dominante Teilchengrose steigt leicht mit zunehmender Leuchtkraft an, jedoch ist der Anstieg auch mit einer konstanten Teilchengrose vereinbar. Erwartet wird aber ein steilerer Anstieg, bedingt durch wachsenden Strahlungsdruck. Daher ist ein Abfall der dominanten Teilchengrose in Ausstosgrosen erkennbar, der hier auch die starkste Korrelation darstellt. Es wurden mehrere Erklarungen fur diesen Abfall untersucht, u.a. ein endliches Reservoir an Oberflachenenergie der kleinsten Staubteilchen und die Rolle der dynamischen Scheibenanregung. Erstere scheint nur von geringer Bedeutung zu sein. Letztere deutet darauf hin, dass die dynamische Anregung mit der Leuchtkraft zunimmt. Scheiben um leuchtkraftigere Sterne konnten daher massereichere Planeten/Planetesimale besitzen.
Everyone's Business: Developing an Integrated Model of Care to Respond to Child Abuse in a Pediatric Hospital Setting

In pediatric hospitals, social work plays a central role in the prevention, identification, and management of child abuse. Children who are suspected of having been abused or neglected require an evaluation of their psychosocial situation. As an integral member of the health care team, the social worker is well placed to undertake comprehensive psychosocial assessments including information on the child's development, parental capacity, family, and community supports. Current practice approaches have seen a shift away from a narrow, “expert” approach to child protection. This article describes the development of an integrated model of social work service delivery to better respond to vulnerable and at-risk children in a pediatric hospital setting. Developing a new model of service required strategic planning, consultation, and endorsement from senior hospital management. The new model aimed to ensure a high quality, responsive social work service to children at risk of physical abuse, neglect, or cumulative harm. The change necessitated understanding of current research evidence, development of best practice guidelines, and effective communication with staff and external stakeholders. Policy development, implementation of practice guidelines, staff training, data collection, and service evaluation are described. The role of social work management and leadership were central in creating change. Visionary leadership is widely regarded as key to successful organizational change. The management approach included consultation with staff, building commitment to the need for change, addressing staff concerns, and providing a vision of enhanced client outcomes as a result of the change process. This article provides a candid overview of challenges and barriers to change. Change strategies described are easily transferable to other social work settings.
Author ' s personal copy Effects of dietary biotin supplementation on performance and hoof quality of Chinese Holstein dairy cows

The objective of study was to determine the effects of supplemental biotin on lactation performance and hoof quality in dairy cows. Forty-five multiparous Chinese Holstein dairy cows (4076 d in milk) were randomly divided in three groups according to parity, previous lactation milk yield and days in milk. The experimental diets were identical for three treatments except for the level of biotin: 0, 20 and 40 mg/d, respectively. The experiment lasted for 70 d including the first 10 d for adaptation. Milk was sampled weekly and blood samples were taken from coccygeal vein biweekly. Hoof quality was assessed by hardness test, moisture content and light-microscopic examination of hoof structure. Dry matter intake was not different significantly across treatment groups. Milk yield was increased by supplementation of 20 or 40 g biotin per day to 35.3 kg/d from 32.7 kg/d in non-supplementation group. There were no significant differences in milk fat percentage and yield, lactose, total solid in milk, and concentrations of glucose, triglyceride, nonesterified fatty acid in plasma among three groups. Concentrations of milk protein and milk urea nitrogen in 40 mg/d group were higher than those in control, with no significant difference between 20 and 40 mg/d or control groups. However, protein yield was increased linearly by supplementation of biotin with the highest value at 40 mg/d group, mainly attributed to the increased milk protein content. Biotin concentration in plasma was higher in biotin-added groups than in the control. Biotin supplementation did not have effect on moisture content and hardness of hoof, but made hoof more compact than control group. In summary, supplemental biotin increased milk and milk protein yields, with no significant difference in milk performance and hoof quality between supplemental levels of 20 and 40 mg biotin per day. & 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Network coding schemes for the multiple-access relay channel

We examine and compare four different joint-network-channel-codes (JNCC) and three reference systems for the multiple-access relay channel (MARC) with block Rayleigh fading channels for symmetric and asymmetric setups. Two of the JNCC's were presented previously in the literature and the other two are novel approaches. The JNCC's outperform the reference systems and achieve a diversity gain for symmetric and asymmetric channels, where the performance differences are greater for increasing asymmetries. An optimization of the symbol allocation using statistical channel knowledge is used, which generates a small gain in the theoretical bounds and for some of the practical JNCC's for asymmetric setups.
Asymptomatic giardiasis does not affect iron absorption in children with iron deficiency anemia.

OBJECTIVE Malabsorption of iron has been reported in children with symptomatic giardiasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate intestinal absorption of iron in children with asymptomatic giardiasis and iron deficiency anemia. SUBJECTS Based upon results of blood hemoglobin and stool examination, two groups were established: asymptomatic giardiasis and anemia, and anemia without intestinal parasitosis (control group). Patients were aged 1-6 years. There was no difference in age, weight, height, or iron nutritional status between the asymptomatic giardiasis and control groups on admission to the study. MEASURES Intestinal absorption of iron was evaluated using the iron tolerance test and the hemoglobin response to iron therapy. The serum iron tolerance test was based on the increment of iron level 2 hours after administering an iron load of 1 mg/kg of elemental iron in the form of ferrous sulfate, in comparison to the fasting iron level. Hemoglobin response to oral iron therapy was determined by the increment of hemoglobin on day 30 of therapy with ferrous sulfate (5 mg/kg/day of elemental iron). RESULTS There was no statistical difference between the asymptomatic giardiasis and control groups with reference to the iron tolerance test (159.1 +/- 73.1 micrograms/dl and 154.5 +/- 76.5 micrograms/dl, respectively) and to the hemoglobin response to iron therapy (1.5 +/- 0.7 g/dl and 1.8 +/- 1.1 g/dl, respectively). The presence or absence of trophozoites of Giardia lamblia on duodenal aspirate did not affect intestinal absorption of iron. CONCLUSION Asymptomatic giardiasis did not affect the intestinal absorption of iron and the hemoglobin response to oral iron therapy in iron-deficient anemic children.
Relation of plasma glycine, serine, and homocysteine levels to schizophrenia symptoms and medication type.

OBJECTIVE Altered glycine and homocysteine levels may contribute to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor dysfunction in schizophrenia. The authors measured plasma levels of these amino acids in a group of patients with chronic schizophrenia and related them to the patients' symptom profiles and types of antipsychotic medication. METHOD Plasma levels of amino acids in 94 patients with schizophrenia were compared with those in 34 age- and sex-matched normal subjects. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was used to evaluate the patients' psychopathology. RESULTS Plasma glycine levels and glycine-serine ratios were lower and homocysteine levels were higher in patients than in comparison subjects. Low glycine levels correlated with a greater number of negative symptoms. The glycine-serine ratios of normal subjects and patients being treated with clozapine did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypothesis that altered levels of glycine and homocysteine may coexist in patients with schizophrenia and contribute to pathophysiological aspects of this illness.