Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An update on childhood snoring

Habitual snoring or daily snoring is a symptom of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) in children and it is reported in about 10% of children. SDB includes primary snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), obstructive hypoventilation syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Classification of SDB in a particular snoring child requires an overnight polysomnography (PSG). Manual scoring of PSG is mandatory in children. Risk factors for SDB include allergic rhinitis, passive smoking, obesity, dysmorphic syndromes and neuromuscular disorders. Conclusion: Treatment includes general measures like treatment of allergic rhinitis, weight reduction in obese children, and avoidance of sleep deprivation. Specific measures include removal of adenoid and tonsils. Complications of SDB include neurocognitive impairment, hypertension and failure to thrive.
Elevated E/E' predicts cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients with preserved systolic function.

OBJECTIVE We conducted a cohort study to investigate whether diastolic function could predict cardiovascular (CV) events in 161 HD patients with preserved systolic function. MATERIALS AND METHODS The ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to early mitral annular velocity (E/E') was measured by tissue Doppler imaging. Patients were stratified into two groups based on whether they experienced a CV event. RESULTS During a 4-year follow-up period, 64 patients experienced a CV event. The E/E' values (15.18 ± 5.78) in the CV-event group were significantly higher than in the group who had not experienced a CV event (12.32 ± 4.23). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the incidence of CV events was significantly higher in the group of patients whose E/E' was >15 than in the group whose E/E' was ≤ 15 (log-rank p=0.0016). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed the E/E' ratio to be a significant predictor of CV events in HD patients with preserved LV systolic function. CONCLUSION The results of this study showed that elevated E/E' ratio in chronic HD patients predicts CV events better than other echocardiographic parameters.
Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering STABILIZATION OF PENICILLIN G ACYLASE BY IMMOBILIZATION ON GLUTARALDEHYDE-ACTIVATED CHITOSAN

The objective of this work was to study enzyme immobilization on chitosan activated with glutaraldehyde, aiming to produce a cheap biocatalyst. Two different immobilization strategies were studied: one-point and multipoint covalent attachment to the solid matrix. The multipoint covalent attachment derivative had an 82% immobilization yield. It was 4.9-fold more stable than the free enzyme at 50°C and 4.5-fold more stable than soluble enzyme at pH 10.0. The one-point derivative had an 85% immobilization yield. It was 2.7-fold more stable than the free enzyme at 50°C and 3.8-fold more stable than soluble PGA at pH 10.0. Results indicated that chitosan can be loaded with PGA above 330 IU/g. Intraparticle diffusive effects, however, limited hydrolysis of penicillin G catalyzed by those derivatives at 37°C and 25°C. Operational stability assays were performed and the multipoint derivative exhibited a half-life of 40 hours.
Financial Flexibility and Corporate Cash Policy

Using variations in local real estate prices as exogenous shocks to corporate financing capacity, we investigate the causal effects of financial flexibility on cash policies of US firms. Building on this natural experiment, we find strong evidence that increases in real estate values lead to smaller corporate cash reserves, declines in the marginal value of cash holdings, and lower cash flow sensitivities of cash. The representative US firm holds $0.037 less of cash for each $1 of collateral, quantifying the sensitivity of cash holdings to collateral value. We further find that the decrease in cash holdings is more pronounced in firms with greater investment opportunities, financial constraints, better corporate governance, and lower local real estate price volatility.
Clonidine Prevents the Sympathetic Initiation and Aggravation of Poststenotic Myocardial Ischemia

Summary: We studied the effects of clonidine (10 μg/kg i.v.) on the positive feedback between poststenotic myocardial ischemia and cardiac sympathetic nerve activation and on the initiation of poststenotic myocardial ischemia during bilateral carotid occlusion in 12 anesthetized, open-chest dogs. During 20 min of acute severe coronary stenosis, cardiac sympathetic nerve activity increased by 24 ± 6%, poststenotic coronary resistance increased from 0.45 ± 0.05 to 0.61 ± 0.08 mm Hg⋅min⋅100 g/ml, and the poststenotic myocardial lactate consumption of 25 ± 6 μmol/min⋅100 g at 1 min of stenosis was reversed to a net lactate production of 8 ± 3 μmol/min⋅100 g after 20 min of stenosis. An additional 60-s bilateral carotid occlusion increased cardiac sympathetic nerve activity furthermore to 157 ± 7% of control, increased poststenotic coronary resistance to 0.84 ± 0.14 mm Hg⋅min⋅100 g/ml, and increased the net lactate production to 22 ± 6 μmol/min⋅100 g. With heart rate and left ventricular pressure kept constant, clonidine decreased cardiac sympathetic nerve activity to 21 ± 6% of control and prevented any further sympathetic activation during 20 min of coronary stenosis and bilateral carotid occlusion. Conversely, poststenotic coronary resistance and myocardial lactate consumption remained unchanged. Intracoronary clonidine (100 μg) in five of the 12 dogs increased poststenotic coronary resistance from 0.47 ± 0.04 to 0.61 ± 0.05 mm Hg⋅min⋅100 g/ml and reversed the myocardial lactate consumption of 36 ± 4 μmol/min⋅100 g to a net lactate production of 7 ± 5 μmol/min⋅100 g. Our results suggest that clonidine can, by a central nervous action, prevent the sympathetic initiation and aggravation of poststenotic myocardial ischemia and may thus be effective in the treatment of exertional angina.
Creating Point Sources for Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) with Low-Volume Sprays of a Microencapsulated Sex Pheromone Formulation

Studies were conducted to examine the deposition of microcapsules and the attractiveness of treated apple leaves, Malus domestica Borkhausen, for codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. , after low-volume concentrated sprays [24.7 g (AI) in 12 liters of water/ha] of a microencapsulated (MEC) sex pheromone formulation (CheckMate CM-F). Nearly 30% of leaves collected from sprayed zones within tree canopies had no microcapsules, whereas 20% had >20 microcapsules. Microcapsule density was correlated with leaf area, and significant differences in the density of microcapsules per leaf were found because of both height and depth in the canopy relative to the sprayed zone and leaf surface. In general, the highest concentration of microcapsules was deposited on the underside of leaves in the sprayed zone. However, deposition was greater on the upper than the bottom surface of leaves in the canopy below the spray zone and in the tops of trees on the opposite side of the canopy. Field-aged MEC-treated apple leaves elicited upwind flight and moth contact in flight tunnel tests for at least 5 wk. Precipitation reduced the attractiveness of leaves, particularly for leaves treated only on their upper versus bottom surface. Traps in unsprayed orchards baited with MEC-treated artificial leaves were attractive for 5 wk. Moth catches in similar traps placed in MEC-sprayed plots were low but increased significantly over 3–4 wk. These data suggest that, after a brief initial period of sensory disruption, low-volume MEC sprays create point sources of sex pheromone (leaves) within the orchard that may enhance mating disruption through competitive attraction.
ALVEOLAR RIDGE AUGMENTATION UTILIZING PLATELET RICH FIBRIN IN COMBINATION WITH DEMINERALIZED FREEZE-DRIED BONE ALLOGRAFT – A CASE REPORT

Platelet-rich fibrin, developed in France by Choukroun et al., is a second generation platelet concentrate widely used to accelerate soft and hard tissue healing. It is a strictly autologous fibrin matrix containing a large quantity of platelet and leukocyte cytokines. It has also been shown to stimulate the growth of osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cells, both of which are significant for the regeneration of periodontal defects. Its advantages over the better known platelet-rich plasma include ease of preparation/application, minimal expense, and lack of biochemical modification (no bovine thrombin or anticoagulant is required). This article serves as use of platelet-rich fibrin in combination with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft for alveolar ridge augmentation.
Mexican Americans’ Explanatory Model of Type 2 Diabetes

The purpose of this study was to develop a culturally specific explanatory model (EM) of diabetes mellitus from the perspective of Mexican Americans living along the United States-Mexican border. Kleinman’s concept of EMs of illness was used as the theoretical orientation, and the grounded theory method was used to sample, collect, and analyze data. The Mexican Americans in this study described their perceptions of type 2 diabetes using the following constructs: causes, symptoms, treatment, and social significance. Each of the components of Mexican Americans’ EM contained elements of both the folk and the biomedical perspective. Susto (a fright or scare) was perceived to be the primary cause of diabetes, although participants also incorporated biomedical causes. Treatment included the use of both herbal and biomedical modalities. The use of herbal remedies was not well understood by the participants despite the fact that some used herbal therapies to control their diabetes.
Fundamentos e manejo da fertirrigação do mamoeiro.

Os metodos de irrigacao mais recomendados para a cultura do mamoeiro tem sido os metodos pressurizados, isto e, a irrigacao por aspersao e localizada. Dentre os sistemas de irrigacao por aspersao, os sistemas autopropelidos (Figura 1) e os pivos centrais tem sido os mais utilizados. Os sistemas de irrigacao localizada, como gotejamento e a microaspersao vem sendo muito utilizados. A fertirrigacao e praticada com todos os sistemas, entretanto, deve-se ater ao fato de que, na aspersao, a agua e aplicada para uma area molhada de solo e de 100%, o que implica em aplicacao de fertilizantes para as plantas e para as ervas daninhas. Outro ponto a ponderar e o fato de que a uniformidade de distribuicao de agua e a eficiencia de aplicacao que basicamente compoem a eficiencia de irrigacao ocupa niveis mais baixos para a irrigacao por aspersao comparado a irrigacao localizada. A eficiencia de irrigacao por aspersao situa-se proximo ou abaixo de 75%, indicando uma deficiente uniformidade de distribuicao de fertilizantes na area alem de maior possibilidade de lixiviacao para aqueles de maior mobilidade. Existem, entretanto sistemas de aspersao por pivo central e de movimento linear (LEPA, MESA), cuja eficiencia pode chegar a 95%, onde o fertilizante e aplicado na zona diretamente nas plantas.
Harnessing collective knowledge inherent in tag clouds

Tagging systems represent the conceptual knowledge of a community. We experimentally tested whether people harness this collective knowledge when navigating through the Web. As a within-factor we manipulated people's prior knowledge (no knowledge vs. prior knowledge that was congruent/incongruent to the collective knowledge inherent in the tags). As between-factor we manipulated whether people had tag clouds available or not. In line with the Information Foraging Theory and with the Co-Evolution Model of individual learning and collective knowledge building, we found that people's prior knowledge and tag clouds influenced their navigation. Tags which were congruent with people's prior knowledge had a higher probability of being selected. A knowledge test showed that participants adapted their individual conceptual knowledge to the collective knowledge. This incidental learning shows that people harness collective knowledge just by navigation with tag clouds.
Properties of purified sporlets produced by spoII mutants of Bacillus subtilis

A number of abortively disporic spoII mutants of Bacillus subtilis released their forespore compartments (termed stage II sporlets) after mother cell lysis during sporulation in nutrient exhaustion or resuspension media. Stage II sporlets were viable and contained levels of ATP and a number of enzymes similar to those in cells 2 to 3 h after sporulation. However, stage II sporlets carried out essentially no macromolecular synthesis, a result suggesting that they were in a quiescent state. The nucleoid of these quiescent stage II sporlets was significantly condensed relative to that in the original vegetative cells, as was previously found to take place 1 to 2 h after initiation of sporulation (B. Setlow, N. Magill, P. Febbroriello, L. Nakhimousky, D. E. Koppel, and P. Setlow, J. Bacteriol. 173:6270-6278, 1991). Stage II sporlets may be a useful model system for analysis of forespore properties early in stage II of sporulation.
Beyond and between academia and business: How Austrian biotechnology researchers describe high-tech startup companies as spaces of knowledge production

Research and innovation policy has invested considerable effort in creating new institutional spaces at the interface of academia and business. High-tech startups founded by academic entrepreneurs have been central to these policy imaginaries. These companies offer researchers new possibilities beyond and between academia and larger industry. However, the field of science and technology studies has thus far shown only limited interest in understanding these companies as spaces of knowledge production. This article analyses how researchers working in small and medium-sized biotechnology companies in Vienna, Austria, describe the cultural characteristics of knowledge production in this particular institutional space. It traces how they relate these characteristics to other institutional spaces they have experienced in their research biographies, such as in academia or larger corporations. It shows that the reasons why researchers decide to work in biotechnology companies and how they organize their work are deeply influenced by their perception of deficiencies in the conditions for epistemic work in contemporary academia and, to a lesser degree, in industry.
Dietary factors and incident atrial fibrillation : the Framingham Heart Study 1 – 3

Background: There have been conflicting reported associations between dietary factors and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective: We evaluated associations between consumption of alcohol, caffeine, fiber, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and incident AF in the Framingham Heart Study. Design: Participants without AF (n = 4526; 9640 examinations; mean age: 62 y; 56% women) from the original and offspring cohorts completed food-frequency questionnaires and were followed prospectively for 4 y. We examined the associations between dietary exposures and AF with Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 296 individuals developed AF (177 men, 119 women). In multivariable analyses, there were no significant associations between examined dietary exposures and AF risk. Hazard ratios (HRs) for increasing quartiles of dietary factors were as follows: for alcohol, 0.73 (95% CI: 0.5, 1.05), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.61, 1.18), and 1.12 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.51) (P for trend = 0.48); for caffeine, 0.84 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.15), 0.87 (95% CI: 0.64, 1.2), and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.7, 1.39) (P for trend = 0.84); for total fiber, 0.86 (95% CI: 0.61, 1.2), 0.64 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.92), and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.54, 1.2) (P for trend = 0.16); and for n23 (omega-3) PUFAs, 1.11 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.54), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.65, 1.29), and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.64) (P for trend = 0.57; quartile 1 was the reference group). In exploratory analyses, consumption of . 4 servings of dark fish/ wk (5 cases and 21 individuals at risk) was significantly associated with AF risk compared with the consumption of ,1 serving of dark fish/wk (HR: 6.53; 95% CI: 2.65, 16.06; P , 0.0001). Conclusions: Consumption of alcohol, caffeine, fiber, and fishderived PUFAs was not significantly associated with AF risk. The observed adverse association between the consumption of dark fish and AF merits further investigation. Our findings suggest that the dietary exposures examined convey limited attributable risk of AF in the general population. Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93:261–6.
Effects of pH and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) on PCSK9-dependent LDL Receptor Regulation*

Mutations within PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) are associated with dominant forms of familial hyper- and hypocholesterolemia. Although PCSK9 controls low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) levels post-transcriptionally, several questions concerning its mode of action remain unanswered. We show that purified PCSK9 protein added to the medium of human endothelial kidney 293, HepG2, and Chinese hamster ovary cell lines decreases cellular LDL uptake in a dose-dependent manner. Using this cell-based assay of PCSK9 activity, we found that the relative potencies of several PCSK9 missense mutants (S127R and D374Y, associated with hypercholesterolemia, and R46L, associated with hypocholesterolemia) correlate with LDL cholesterol levels in humans carrying such mutations. Notably, we found that in vitro wild-type PCSK9 binds LDLR with an ∼150-fold higher affinity at an acidic endosomal pH (KD = 4.19 nm) compared with a neutral pH (KD = 628 nm). We also demonstrate that wild-type PCSK9 and mutants S127R and R46L are internalized by cells to similar levels, whereas D374Y is more efficiently internalized, consistent with their affinities for LDLR at neutral pH. Finally, we show that LDL diminishes PCSK9 binding to LDLR in vitro and partially inhibits the effects of secreted PCSK9 on LDLR degradation in cell culture. Together, the results of our biochemical and cell-based experiments suggest a model in which secreted PCSK9 binds to LDLR and directs the trafficking of LDLR to the lysosomes for degradation.
The Role of Typological Variation in the Processing of Interfixed Compounds

This study investigates the processing of interfixed compounds within a primed lexical decision paradigm. Results from an experiment on German are compared with those from a previous study on Greek and Polish, demonstrating that patterns of morphological priming in German differ from those obtained in the other two languages. In all experiments compounds were primed by initial morphemes with and without the interfix. In Greek and Polish priming was significantly facilitated in cases where the mophological prime was homophonous with a real word. In German, however, the effect of wordness was found for un-interfixed but not for interfixed primes. Our data suggest that patterns of morphological priming for a given structure may not be generalizable to analogous structures in other languages without a consideration of language-specific morphological properties.
Interest Rate Pass-through in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC) Area: Evidence from an ADRL Analysis

This paper examines the monetary transmission mechanism in the countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CAEMC). Specifically, we focus on the very first step of this mechanism namely the interest rate pass-through from short-term interest rates towards long-term rates. Using an autoregressive distributed lag (ADRL) model, we show that there is evidence of a very low and incomplete long-run pass-through from the policy rate to the deposit rate. It appears also that the lending rate exhibits a huge overshooting effect in reaction to the changes in the policy rate. When splitting our time span in two interest rate cycles, we show that there is evidence of an interest rate cycle asymmetry.
A Method for Mapping the Distribution Pattern of Cariogenic Streptococci within Dental Plaque in vivo

This study was carried out to develop a method for mapping the distribution of cariogenic oral streptococci, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, from the outermost to the innermost plaque. Ten consenting subjects were asked to form plaque by abstaining from tooth brushing over 3 days within in situ plaque-generating devices, which were placed on the upper molars. The plaque formed in the devices was separated into 8–10 layered fractions (100 µm thick). Genomic DNA was extracted from each plaque fraction by a commercial DNA purification kit and used for the amplification of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with universal primers. The products were then amplified by PCR with S. mutans- or S. sobrinus-specific nested primers. The final products were separated on agarose gels, stained and photographed to confirm the existence of S. mutans and S. sobrinus. The results showed that S. mutans was detected in the plaque obtained from all of the 10 subjects and S. sobrinus in the plaque of 7 subjects. However, the distribution patterns of fractions positive for S. mutans and S. sobrinus varied among the subjects, with a tendency for frequent detection of both species in the outer to middle layers of dental plaque. There were no plaque fractions in which only S. sobrinus was found. This method could be useful to map the distribution of cariogenic microorganisms and to estimate the bacterial ecology for oral biofilm.
An X-band lightweight 3-D printed slotted circular waveguide dual-mode bandpass filter

This paper presents an X-band eighth-order quasi-elliptic circular waveguide dual-mode bandpass filter (BPF) that is manufactured using a fast and low-cost stereolithography-based 3-D printing technique. The 3-D printed filter has advantages of a more convenient integration free of either assembly or post fabrication tuning and furthermore a lightweight of 111 g. A ceramic-filled resin with an enhanced thermal handling capability is used as the filter's building material, which makes the filter capable of operating under much higher temperatures than the one made from ordinary photosensitive resins. Surface metallization of the filter is realized by a layer of electroless plated copper. In the measured passband 8.01–8.44 GHz, the filter exhibits a return loss over 10 dB and a corresponding insertion loss of 0.32–0.68 dB.
Green synthesis of lead sulfide nanoparticles by the lead resistant marine yeast, Rhodosporidium diobovatum

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles using microorganisms has attracted a lot of attention in recent years as this route has the potential to lead to synthesis of monodisperse nanoparticles. Here, we report the intracellular synthesis of stable lead sulfide nanoparticles by a marine yeast, Rhodosporidium diobovatum. The PbS nanoparticles were characterized by UV‐visible absorption spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive atomic spectroscopy (EDAX). UV‐visible absorption scan revealed a peak at 320 nm, a characteristic of the nanosize range. XRD confirmed the presence of PbS nanoparticles of cubic structure. Crystallite size as determined from transmission electron microscopy was found to be in the range of 2–5 nm. Elemental analysis by EDAX revealed the presence of particles composed of lead and sulfur in a 1:2 ratio indicating that PbS nanoparticles were capped by a sulfur‐rich peptide. A quantitative study of lead uptake through atomic absorption spectrometry revealed that 55% of lead in the medium was accumulated in the exponential phase, whereas a further 35% was accumulated in the stationary phase; thus, the overall recovery of PbS nanoparticles was 90%. The lead‐exposed yeast displayed a marked increase (280% over the control) in nonprotein thiols in the stationary phase. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2011