Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of Babesia bigemina-infected carriers by polymerase chain reaction amplification

A SpeI-AvaI fragment (0.3 kbp) from pBbi16 (a pBR322 derivative containing a 6.3-kbp Babesia bigemina DNA insert) was subcloned into the pBluescript phagemid vector and was sequenced by the dideoxy-mediated chain termination method. Two sets of primers were designed for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Primer set IA-IB was used to amplify a 278-bp DNA fragment, and primer set IAN-IBN was used to prepare a probe directed to a site within the PCR-amplified target DNA. Digoxigenin-dUTP was incorporated into the probe during the amplification reaction. PCR amplification of target DNA obtained from in vitro-cultured B. bigemina and nucleic acid hybridization of amplified product with the nonradioactive DNA probe showed that a 278-bp fragment could be detected when as little as 100 fg of parasite genomic DNA was used in the assay. A fragment of similar size was amplified from genomic DNAs from several B. bigemina isolates but not from DNAs from Babesia bovis, Anaplasma marginale, or six species of bacteria or bovine leukocytes. Similarly, the PCR product could be detected in DNA samples purified from 200 microliters of blood with a parasitemia of as low as 1 in 10(8) cells and which contained an estimated 30 B. bigemina-infected erythrocytes. By a direct PCR method, B. bigemina DNA was amplified from 20 microliters of packed erythrocytes with a calculated parasitemia of 1 in 10(9) cells. With the analytical sensitivity level of the PCR-DNA probe assay, six cattle with inapparent, 11-month chronic B. bigemina infection were found to be positive. No PCR product was observed in bovine blood samples collected from a splenectomized, A. marginale-infected bovine, a 4-year chronic B. bovis-infected animal, or 20 uninfected cattle from Missouri which were subjected to amplification. The PCR-DNA probe assay was shown to be sensitive in detecting latently infected cattle. The specificity and high analytical sensitivity of the test provide valuable tools for performing large-scale epidemiological studies.
Survey of the U.S. Gulf Coast for the presence of Clostridium botulinum.

In sediments and animals collected during warm weather months between Key West, Fla. , and Brownsville, Tex. , Clostridium botulinum, predominantly type E, was demonstrable. Incidence was somewhat higher in the eastern Gulf animals, but the organism was present to the southernmost limits of both Texas and Florida. Types A and F were never detected in warm weather. No bottom type or any single species seemed exclusively vulnerable. In samples collected during colder weather, the east-west incidence differential was minimized in animals but not in sediments, overall incidence was lowered, all known types were present, and type E no longer predominated. Detection by fluorescent-antibody techniques was found to be inadequate.
Does Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Young Type 1 Diabetic Patients?

Background: Immunological and hormonal disorders have undoubted influence on the development of atherosclerotic process. Autoimmune diseases accompanying type 1 diabetes (T1D) may additionally accelerate atherosclerosis progression and increase the risk of cardiovascular events in the future. The influence of subclinical hypothyroidism on the cardiovascular system, in particular, has recently aroused great interest. The aim of our study was to assess intima-media thickness (cIMT) of common carotid arteries and the occurrence of classical atherosclerosis risk factors together with selected new biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases in young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus coexisting with Hashimoto's disease (HD). Patients and Methods: The study included 50 adolescents and young adults with T1D with mean age 17.1 ± 3 years, with mean diabetes duration of 10.5 ± 3.3 years, including 20 patients with diagnosed HD: T1D and HD(+), and 30 patients with no additional diseases: T1D and HD(–). Twenty-two healthy, age-matched volunteers formed control group (C). We analyzed mean HbA1c value from all years of disease, BMI, blood pressure, lipids, new biomarkers of atherosclerosis (hsCRP, adiponectin, myeloperoxidase, NT-proBNP peptide, vitamin D), and cIMT of common carotid arteries. Results: In the group of patients with T1D and HD(+), significantly higher BMI was found: 23.3 ± 4.4 vs. 21.28 ± 2.9 in group HD(–) and 19.65 ± 2.4 kg/m2 in group C (p = 0.003), and higher waist circumference: 79 ± 10.9 vs. 75.10 ± 7.6 in group HD(–) vs. 69.0 ± 7.4 cm in group C (p < 0.001). The mean value of HbA1c was higher in group T1D and HD(+): 8.8% than in group HD(–): 8.1% (p = 0.04). Significantly higher concentration of hsCRP and lower vitamin D were observed in T1D and HD(+) in comparison to T1D and HD(–) and the control group. The IMT index in the HD(+) group was 0.46 ± 0.05 mm and was comparable to the HD(–) group but significantly higher than in healthy controls: 0.41 ± 0.03 mm (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and with coexisting Hashimoto's thyroiditis have a higher BMI, a higher waist circumference, and a higher HbA1c value, which altogether may cause faster development of macroangiopathy in the near future. Additional risk for cardiovascular disease may result from low vitamin D and increased hsCRP concentration in this group of patients. Coexistence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis did not significantly affect the cIMT value in the studied population.
Dysfunction of the Blood-Brain Barrier—A Key Step in Neurodegeneration and Dementia

The vascular endothelium in the brain is an essential part of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) because of its very tight structure to secure a functional and molecular separation of the brain from the rest of the body and to protect neurons from pathogens and toxins. Impaired transport of metabolites across the BBB due to its increasing dysfunction affects brain health and cognitive functioning, thus providing a starting point of neurodegenerative diseases. The term “cerebral metabolic syndrome” is proposed to highlight the importance of lifestyle factors in neurodegeneration and to describe the impact of increasing BBB dysfunction on neurodegeneration and dementia, especially in elderly patients. If untreated, the cerebral metabolic syndrome may evolve into dementia. Due to the high energy demand of the brain, impaired glucose transport across the BBB via glucose transporters as GLUT1 renders the brain increasingly susceptible to neurodegeneration. Apoptotic processes are further supported by the lack of essential metabolites of the phosphocholine synthesis. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), inflammatory and infectious processes at the BBB increase the dysfunction and might be pace-making events. At this point, the potentially highly relevant role of the thrombocytic amyloid precursor protein (APP) in endothelial inflammation of the BBB is discussed. Chronic inflammatory processes of the BBB transmitted to an increasing number of brain areas might cause a lasting build-up of spreading, pore-forming β-amyloid fragments explaining the dramatic progression of the disease. In the view of the essential requirement of an early diagnosis to investigate and implement causal therapeutic strategies against dementia, brain imaging methods are of great importance. Therefore, status and opportunities in the field of diagnostic imaging of the living human brain will be portrayed, comprising diverse techniques such as positron emissions tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to uncover the patterns of atrophy, protein deposits, hypometabolism, and molecular as well as functional alterations in AD.
Interleukin-10 Anti-Inflammatory Response to Borrelia burgdorferi, the Agent of Lyme Disease: a Possible Role for Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling 1 and 3

ABSTRACT It has been established that interleukin-10 (IL-10) inhibits inflammatory cytokines produced by macrophages in response to Borrelia burgdorferi or its lipoproteins. The mechanism by which IL-10 exerts this anti-inflammatory effect is still unknown. Recent findings indicate that suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are induced by cytokines and Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated stimuli, and in turn they can down-regulate cytokine and TLR signaling in macrophages. Because it is known that SOCS are induced by IL-10 and that B. burgdorferi and its lipoproteins most likely interact via TLR2 or the heterodimers TLR2/1 and/or TLR2/6, we hypothesized that SOCS are induced by IL-10 and B. burgdorferi and its lipoproteins in macrophages and that SOCS may mediate the inhibition by IL-10 of concomitantly elicited cytokines. We report here that mouse J774 macrophages incubated with IL-10 and added B. burgdorferi spirochetes (freeze-thawed, live, or sonicated) or lipidated outer surface protein A (L-OspA) augmented their SOCS1/SOCS3 mRNA and protein expression, with SOCS3 being more abundant. Pam3Cys, a synthetic lipopeptide, also induced SOCS1/SOCS3 expression under these conditions, but unlipidated OspA was ineffective. Neither endogenous IL-10 nor the translation inhibitor cycloheximide blocked SOCS1/SOCS3 induction by B. burgdorferi and its lipoproteins, indicating that the expression of other genes is not required. This temporally correlated with the IL-10-mediated inhibition of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12p40, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor α. Our data are evidence to suggest that expression of SOCS is part of the mechanism of IL-10-mediated inhibition of inflammatory cytokines elicited by B. burgdorferi and its lipoproteins.
Review of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and a Proposed Scanning Protocol

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral compressive neuropathy. Ultrasonography (US) is an emerging technology that can be used in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Although the cross‐sectional area is the most studied and validated measurement for carpal tunnel syndrome, there is no standardized neuromuscular US scanning protocol. We review the most studied neuromuscular US characteristics and protocols in the evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome and propose a standardized protocol for evaluating carpal tunnel syndrome with neuromuscular US based on current literature.
State Aggregation for Reinforcement Learning using Neuroevolution

In this paper, we present a new machine learning algorithm, RL-SANE, which uses a combination of neuroevolution (NE) and traditional reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to improve learning performace. RL-SANE is an innovative combination of the neuroevolutionary algorithm NEAT(Stanley, 2004) and the RL algorithm Sarsa(λ)(Sutton and Barto, 1998). It uses the special ability of NEAT to generate and train customized neural networks that provide a means for reducing the size of the state space through state aggregation. Reducing the size of the state space through aggregation enables Sarsa(λ) to be applied to much more difficult problems than standard tabular based approaches. Previous similar work in this area, such as in Whiteson and Stone (Whiteson and Stone, 2006) and Stanley and Miikkulainen (Stanley and Miikkulainen, 2001), have shown positive and promising results. This paper gives a brief overview of neuroevolutionary methods, introduces the RL-SANE algorithm, presents a comparative analysis of RL-SANE to other neuroevolutionary algorithms, and concludes with a discussion of enhancements that need to be made to RL-SANE.
Effect of curing conditions on the interconnect properties of isotropic conductive adhesives composed of an epoxy-based binder

This paper investigates variations in the electrical properties of a typical isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA) with an epoxy-based binder that are caused by differences in the curing conditions. In-situ monitoring of the various processes that were used to cure the ICA revealed that electrical conduction in ICA specimens depends on both the high-temperature curing conditions and the cooling conditions to temperatures below the glass transition temperature (Tg). The internal stress induced by shrinkage of the binder is considered to influence the electrical resistance of the ICA. The electrical resistivity of the cured ICA specimens after cooling to ambient temperature decreased with increasing degree of conversion, tending towards a convergence value that decreased with increasing curing temperature. The electrical resistivity of the specimens was also varied significantly by the subsequent annealing process. However, the electrical resistivity achieved after annealing at temperatures above the curing temperatures clearly depended on the particular curing temperature that was used. The characteristics of the polymer structure in the adhesive binder are considered to be different, depending on the curing temperature, and this affects the electrical properties of the ICA; i.e., the characteristics of the polymer structure obtained during the curing process affect the electrical resistance of the ICA, even after subsequent annealing processes
Selected blood serum biochemical indicators in twelve inbred strains of laboratory mice.

1 Department of Genetics and Laboratory Animal Breeding, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Roentgena 5, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland 2 Department of Clinical Chemistry, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Roentgena 5, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland 3 Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Warsaw Agricultural University, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
The makeshift city

This paper introduces a set of analytical frames that explore the possibilities of conceiving, researching and writing a global geography of squatting. The paper argues that it is possible to detect, in the most tenuous of urban settings, ways of thinking about and living urban life that have the potential to reanimate the city as a key site of geographical inquiry. The paper develops a modest theory of ‘urban combats’ to account for the complexity and provisionality of squatting as an informal set of practices, as a makeshift approach to housing and as a precarious form of inhabiting the city.
Residential Street Parking and Car Ownership

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Local governments’ minimum street-width standards may force developers to oversupply, and residents to pay excessively for, on-street parking in residential neighborhoods. Such oversupply is often presumed to both encourage car ownership and reduce housing affordability, although little useful evidence exists either way. This article examines the impact of street-parking supply on the car ownership of households with off-street parking in the New York City area. The off- and on-street parking supply for each household was measured through Google Street View and Bing Maps. The impact of on-street parking on car ownership levels was then estimated in an innovative multivariate model. The unique set-up of the case study ensures 1) the weak endogeneity between parking supply and car ownership and 2) the low correlation between off-street and on-street parking supply, two major methodological challenges of the study. Results show that free residential street parking increases private car ownership by nearly 9%; that is, the availability of free street parking explains 1 out of 11 cars owned by households with off-street parking. Takeaway for practice: These results offer support for community street standards that make on-street parking supply optional. They also suggest the merits of leaving the decisions of whether, and how many, on-street parking spaces to provide in new residential developments to private markets rather than regulations. Research support: This project was supported by grants from the University Transportation Research Center (Region 2) and the Wagner School Faculty Research Fund.
A spatially continuous mean field theory of electrocortical activity

A set of nonlinear continuum field equations is presented which describes the dynamics of neural activity in cortex. These take into account the most pertinent anatomical and physiological features found in cortex with all parameter values obtainable from independent experiment. Derivation of a white noise fluctuation spectrum from a linearized set of equations shows the presence of strong resonances that correspond to electroencephalographically observed 0.3-4 Hz (mammalian delta), 4-8 Hz (mammalian theta), 8-13 Hz (mammalian alpha) and >13 Hz (mammalian beta) activity. Numerical solutions of a full set of one-dimensional nonlinear equations include properties analogous to cortical evoked potentials, travelling waves at experimentally observed velocities, threshold type spike activity and limit cycle, chaotic and noise driven oscillations at the frequency of the mammalian alpha rhythm. All these types of behaviour are generated with parameters that are within ranges reported experimentally. The strong dependence of the phenomena observed on inhibitory-inhibitory interactions is demonstrated. These results suggest that the classically described alpha may be instantiated in a number of qualitatively distinct dynamical regimes, all of which depend on the integrity of inhibitory-inhibitory population interactions.
Apricot sulfurization: an occupation that induces an asthma-like syndrome in agricultural environments.

BACKGROUND Several cases of bronchial asthma have been presenting with acute attacks during the seasons of apricot sulfurization. The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) exposure on the airways of the workers involved in this process. METHODS SO(2) levels in air were measured on 15 apricot farms, while the symptom scores of 69 workers were recorded before, during, and after SO(2) exposure. Physical examination and pulmonary function tests (PFT) of the workers were also done prior to and after exposure periods. RESULTS The measured SO(2) concentrations ranged between 106.6 and 721.0 ppm. Dyspnea (80%), cough (78%), and eye and nose irritation (83-70%) were the most commonly observed symptoms. The workers had significant decreases in pulmonary functions after SO(2) exposure. Decrements in FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC%, and FEF(25-75%) showed that the acute effect of SO(2) on pulmonary functions of the workers was mostly of obstructive pattern. CONCLUSIONS Acute exposure to SO(2) induces "asthma-like syndrome" (ALS) in apricot sulfurization workers. SO(2) which has not been previously reported in agricultural environments as a cause of ALS may be considered as a new agent.
Prevalence of malaria parasites in turkeys of the Nsukka area in the Anambra State, Nigeria.

Blood smears of 202 turkeys (94 males and 108 females) in the Nsukka area (Nigeria) were examined for malaria parasites. Among the turkeys examined 44.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.441 +/- 0.069) were infected with Plasmodium spp. , 46.8% males and 41.7% females. A total of 175 adults and 27 growing turkeys (aged 6-16 weeks) were examined and 45.7 and 33.3%, respectively were infected. Twenty out of 60 reared turkeys under intensive management systems and 65 of 142 turkeys managed semi-intensively were infected. The mean PCV value for the infected turkeys was 29.95 +/- 3.36% and significantly different (P less than 0.01) from the mean PCV value of 37.3 +/- 3.7 obtained from the uninfected turkeys. Eleven out of the 89 positive cases were clinical cases. Four critically sick turkeys died one day after treatment. Chloroquine phosphate at 5 mg/kg body weight administered i.m daily for 3 days or 250 mg tablets given orally for 5 days as well as a parenteral administration of pyrimethamine (0.3 mg/kg body weight) for 2 days were effective in the treatment of the infection.
Factors affecting survival after prehospital asystolic cardiac arrest in a Basic Life Support-Defibrillation system.

OBJECTIVES Previous studies have shown a low but meaningful survival rate in cases of prehospital cardiac arrest with an initial rhythm of asystole. There may be, however, an identifiable subgroup in which resuscitation efforts are futile. This study identified potential field criteria for predicting 100% nonsurvival when the presenting rhythm is asystole in a Basic Life Support-Defibrillation (BLS-D) system. METHODS This prospective cohort study, a component of Phases I and II of the Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) Study, was conducted in 21 Ontario communities with BLS-D level of care, and included all adult arrests of presumed cardiac etiology according to the Utstein Style Guidelines. Analyses included descriptive and appropriate univariate tests, as well as multivariate stepwise logistic regression to determine predictors of survival. RESULTS From 1991 to 1997, 9899 consecutive cardiac arrest cases with the following characteristics: male (67.2%), bystander-witnessed (44.7%), bystander CPR (14.2%), call response interval (CRI) </= 8 minutes (82%) and overall survival (4.3%) were enrolled. Of 9529 cases with available rhythm strip recordings, initial arrest rhythms were asystole in 40.8%, pulseless electrical activity in 21.2% and ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia in 38%. Of 3888 asystolic patients, 9 (0.2%) survived to discharge; 3 of these cases were unwitnessed arrests with no bystander CPR. There were no survivors if the CRI exceeded 8 minutes. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that independent predictors of survival to admission were "CRI in minutes" (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.98) and "bystander-witnessed" (OR = 2.6; 95% CI, 1.5-4.4). CONCLUSIONS In a BLS-D system, there is a very low but measurable survival rate for prehospital asystolic cardiac arrest. CRIs of over 8 minutes were associated with 100% nonsurvival, whereas unwitnessed arrests with no bystander CPR were not. These data add to the growing literature that will help guide ethical decision-making for protocol development in emergency medical services systems.
mTHPC mediated, systemic photodynamic therapy (PDT) for nonmelanoma skin cancers: Case and literature review

Patients with multiple nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), like immunosuppressed or nevoid basal cell carcinomas, offer a therapeutic challenge. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using the systemic photosensitizer meta‐tetrahydroxyphenylchlorin (mTHPC) has the ability to treat multiple NMSCs up to a depth of 10 mm in a single session. These unique properties offer an attractive alternative to regular therapies (e.g., surgery or radiation) to these patients.
Flocculation/deflocculation of cellulosic materials and mineral particles by polyelectrolyte complexes and nanocelluloses

Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto www.aalto. fi Author Markus Korhonen Name of the doctoral dissertation Flocculation/deflocculation of cellulosic materials and mineral particles by polyelectrolyte complexes and nanocelluloses Publisher School of Chemical Technology Unit Forest Products Technology Series Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS 83/2015 Field of research Biobased Colloids and Materials Manuscript submitted 5 March 2015 Date of the defence 2 July 2015 Permission to publish granted (date) 20 May 2015 Language English Monograph Article dissertation (summary + original articles)