Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Nox-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism for the Differentiation of Brachyspira Intestinal Spirochetes Isolated from Pigs and Poultry in Australia

Sixty-nine intestinal spirochetes isolated from pigs and poultry in eastern Australia were selected to evaluate the effectiveness of a species-specific PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the Brachyspira nox gene. For comparative purposes, all isolates were subjected to species-specific PCRs for the pathogenic species Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli, and selected isolates were examined further by sequence analysis of the nox and 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Modifications to the original nox-RFLP method included direct inoculation of bacterial cells into the amplification mixture and purification of the PCR product, which further optimized the nox-RFLP for use in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, producing sufficient product for both species identification and future comparisons. Although some novel profiles that prevented definitive identification were observed, the nox-RFLP method successfully classified 45 of 51 (88%) porcine and 15 of 18 (83%) avian isolates into 5 of the 6 recognized species of Brachyspira. This protocol represents a significant improvement over conventional methods currently used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories for rapid specific identification of Brachyspira spp. isolated from both pigs and poultry.
Endogenous IL‐12 synthesis is not required to prevent hyperexpression of type 2 cytokine and antibody responses

Endogenous IL‐12 production is hypothesized to play an essential role preventing spontaneous expression of type 2 responses, acting as a natural inhibitor limiting development of immediate hypersensitivity. Here, IL‐12‐deficient p35– / – and p40– / – mice were used to examine the role of endogenous IL‐12 and p40 homodimer during in vivo development of exogenous antigen‐driven responses. In the absence of deliberate immunization, IL‐12‐deficient mice exhibited greatly reduced serum IgG2a but IgG1 / IgE levels no higher than controls. Immunization to elicit polarized ovalbumin‐specific type 1 or type 2 dominant responses, or using Trichinella spiralis extract in the absence of adjuvants, led to IFN‐γ production of approximately 10 % of C57BL / 6 controls yet the kinetics and intensity of primary and secondary type 2 cytokine (IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐13) and antibody (IgG1, IgE) responses, as well as functional IL‐12 receptor expression, were consistently unaltered. Thus, while IL‐12 provides an important positive signal for Th1 development, antigen exposure in its absence does not lead to generalized enhancement of type 2 cytokine or antibody responses. The data argue that endogenous IL‐12 production is not required as a constitutive negative regulator limiting induction or expression of type 2 effector responses.
Therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children with primary immunodeficiency: analysis of 19 patients from the BFM trials.

BACKGROUND Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) represent an important complication of primary immunodeficiency (ID), posing new therapeutic challenges in this patient population. This study analyzes clinical data and therapy results of pediatric patients with primary ID and NHL in three consecutive NHL-BFM trials. PROCEDURE Retrospective analysis of children with primary ID and NHL, treated according to protocol NHL-BFM, was performed regarding clinical presentation, diagnostic features, therapy, and outcome. RESULTS From October, 1986, to April, 1997, 19 of 1,413 newly diagnosed patients with NHL were registered as suffering from primary ID. Age at diagnosis of NHL was lower in patients with ID. Six patients suffered from humoral ID, 13 patients from combined ID (ataxia teleangiectasia n = 3; Nijmegen breakage syndrome n = 4; PNP deficiency n = 1; IL2 receptor defect n = 1, other combined ID n = 4). Thirteen lymphomas were of B-cell and six of T-cell-lineage. Four of thirteen patients with combined ID were diagnosed with T-NHL, nine with B-NHL. Two of six patients with humoral ID presented with T-NHL and four with B-NHL. NHL entities differed significantly between ID and non-ID patients (P < or = 0.01): centroblastic and immunoblastic lymphomas (31.6% vs. 8.1%), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (26.3% vs. 10.7%), Burkitt lymphoma and B-ALL (21% vs. 47. 8%). Seventeen patients received polychemotherapy. Therapy-related toxicity was increased in ID- compared to non-ID-patients. Three patients died of sepsis; three died of tumor progression; one patient relapsed; one died of BMT-related toxicity; one died of second malignancy. Ten patients are in first continuous remission after a median follow-up of 4 years. CONCLUSIONS Curative treatment of NHL in the presence of primary ID is possible and should be attempted.
A framework for real-time power management of a grid-tied microgrid to extend battery lifetime and reduce cost of energy

Because of different technical and economical concerns, battery is happened to be an inevitable part of a microgrid as well as the most expensive component. This fact brings up the necessity of a real-time power management to guarantee the maximum possible battery lifetime based on the final cost of energy. In this way, this study attempts to present a real-time management framework for a grid-tied microgrid based on battery life and cost estimation. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework, a grid-tied commercial microgrid, which is equipped with wind turbine, PV solar panels and Li-Ion battery package, is optimally sized by HOMER® and dynamic models of different components have been developed in MATLAB/Simulink®. Then, simulation study has been carried out for a year on the system. All data such as load demand, wind, temperature, solar radiation, and time-based electricity tariff are grasped from different places for a year. Results show that the proposed framework effectively extends the battery lifetime while slightly decreases the cost of energy for customer.
Immunohistochemical Evidence for the Localization of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, a Single-stranded RNA Virus, in Ovarian Oocytes in the Cow

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a single-stranded RNA virus responsible for enteric disease and reproductive failure in cattle. The virus can pass vertically from cow to fetus, causing abortion, birth of malformed calves, and calves born with persistent and life-long infections. In this study, we investigated the tropism of BVDV in ovarian tissue from persistently infected animals. Three heifers persistently infected with BVDV were euthanatized and their ovaries were recovered. A specimen of each ovary was taken (n = 6) for virus isolation, and the remaining ovarian tissue was stored at −70 C. Cryosections (6 μm) cut from each ovary were analyzed for the presence of BVDV antigens by indirect immunofluorescence. The immunofluorescent analysis employed two monoclonal antibodies, WB103 and WB162, previously raised against the nonstructural protein NS3 and the envelop glycoprotein E2, respectively. High titers (6.97 ± 0.17 log10 tissue culture infective dose50/ml) of BVDV were recovered from 6/6 ovarian samples; NS3 and E2 were widely distributed within the ovarian stroma, the cumulus cell population, and the oocytes maturing in primordial, primary, and secondary follicles. Overall, 362/1,939 (18.7%) of the oocytes contained BVDV antigens, and there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the proportion of BVDV-infected oocytes recorded within the primordial (227/1,247, 18.2%), primary (122/630, 19.4%), and secondary (13/62, 21.0%) follicle populations. Although the developmental potential of the infected oocytes could not be established in the present study, we conclude that bovine oocyte and the cumulus cells are susceptible to BVDV infection.
Patterns of muscle involvement in inclusion body myositis: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging study

The differential patterns of muscle involvement in the upper and lower limbs in sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) were examined in 18 patients using both quantitative and manual muscle testing as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 9 patients. Weakness of the quadriceps femoris and the forearm flexors was present in most patients, but there was considerable variability in the patterns and severity of muscle involvement. MRI disclosed preferential patterns of muscle involvement within functional groups such as the quadriceps femoris, in which there was severe involvement of the vasti with relative sparing of the rectus femoris, and the triceps surae, in which selective involvement of the medial gastrocnemius was common. Involvement of flexor digitorum profundus on MRI was found in only one third of patients. The results emphasize the variability in the clinical phenotype and differential susceptibility of muscles to the disease process in sIBM. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 1526–1534, 2001
A repetitive forward rolling technique for inventory policy with non-linear increasing demand pattern considering shortage

Demand of any particular products might not be stable, e.g., in the growth stage of the product life cycle where demand of most products might possess increasing functional form. The famous EOQ model is, then, not appropriate in this situation, since it was developed under the assumption of constant demand pattern. The research in this paper is focused on inventory decision problem with non-linear increasing demand pattern and considering shortage, by proposing a heuristic method based on repetitive forward rolling technique for determining the inventory policy for this case, i.e., the replenishment times and shortage points. The proposed technique is developed in such a way that demands during a predefined planning horizon are exactly met. Numerical experiments that are conducted to illustrate the applicability of the proposed technique show that it can provide competitive results when it is compared with other proposed techniques in the past researches.
Cell adhesion molecule cadherin‐6 function in zebrafish cranial and lateral line ganglia development

Cadherins regulate the vertebrate nervous system development. We previously showed that cadherin‐6 message (cdh6) was strongly expressed in the majority of the embryonic zebrafish cranial and lateral line ganglia during their development. Here, we present evidence that cdh6 has specific functions during cranial and lateral line ganglia and nerve development. We analyzed the consequences of cdh6 loss‐of‐function on cranial ganglion and nerve differentiation in zebrafish embryos. Embryos injected with zebrafish cdh6 specific antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs, which suppress gene expression during development; cdh6 morphant embryos) displayed a specific phenotype, including (i) altered shape and reduced development of a subset of the cranial and lateral line ganglia (e.g., the statoacoustic ganglion and vagal ganglion) and (ii) cranial nerves were abnormally formed. These data illustrate an important role for cdh6 in the formation of cranial ganglia and their nerves. Developmental Dynamics 240:1716–1726, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nuclear Import and Export of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Nonstructural Protein 2

ABSTRACT Many RNA viruses, which replicate predominantly in the cytoplasm, have nuclear components that contribute to their life cycle or pathogenesis. We investigated the intracellular localization of the multifunctional nonstructural protein 2 (nsP2) in mammalian cells infected with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE), an important, naturally emerging zoonotic alphavirus. VEE nsP2 localizes to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus of mammalian cells in the context of infection and also when expressed alone. Through the analysis of a series of enhanced green fluorescent protein fusions, a segment of nsP2 that completely localizes to the nucleus of mammalian cells was identified. Within this region, mutation of the putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) PGKMV diminished, but did not obliterate, the ability of the protein to localize to the nucleus, suggesting that this sequence contributes to the nuclear localization of VEE nsP2. Furthermore, VEE nsP2 specifically interacted with the nuclear import protein karyopherin-α1 but not with karyopherin-α2, -3, or -4, suggesting that karyopherin-α1 transports nsP2 to the nucleus during infection. Additionally, a novel nuclear export signal (NES) was identified, which included residues L526 and L528 of VEE nsP2. Leptomycin B treatment resulted in nuclear accumulation of nsP2, demonstrating that nuclear export of nsP2 is mediated via the CRM1 nuclear export pathway. Disruption of either the NLS or the NES in nsP2 compromised essential viral functions. Taken together, these results establish the bidirectional transport of nsP2 across the nuclear membrane, suggesting that a critical function of nsP2 during infection involves its shuttling between the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
The use of otic powder in the treatment of acute external otitis.

BACKGROUND Acute external otitis (AEO) is a painful condition that results as a secondary infection of macerated skin and subcutaneous tissues of the external auditory canal. The most commonly causative microorganisms are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Classic management strategies include moisture prevention, cleansing of the canal and administration of topical antimicrobial agents in drop form, such as aminoglycosides and quinolones, at times in combination with steroid solutions. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of topical otic powder, tobramycin drops and ciprofloxacin drops in patients suffering from AEO. MATERIALS AND MEASURES: A randomized prospective trial was performed to determine the efficacy of Auricularum powder (dexamethasone 10 mg, oxytetracycline HCl 90,000 U, polymyxin B Sulfate 100,000 U, nystatin 1,000,000 U; Trima, Serolam Laboratories, Germany) compared with ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan, Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX) and tobramycin (Tobrex, Alcon Laboratories) drops for the treatment of AEO. One hundred twenty patients who presented with signs and symptoms of AEO were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were: AEO diagnosed by an otolaryngologist, patient age 18 years, no prior treatment with other drops or systemic antibiotics, no sensitivity to any of the drugs used or their contents, and no perforation of the tympanic membrane. All patients were instructed to avoid moisture and wetness of the ear during the course of their treatment. After we received informed consent, a swab culture was taken, and the patient was randomly assigned topical treatment for 14 days. RESULTS Eighty-six percent of those treated with Auricularum powder were cured at day 3-4 after initial treatment. Seventy-seven percent of those treated with ciprofloxacin drops, and fifty-six percent of those treated with tobramycin were cured at that time. All 120 patients were cured by day 14. CONCLUSION The results show that topical treatment with Auricularum powder is an effective and rapid method for the treatment of AEO. Ciloxan also was effective in the treatment of AEO and relieved symptoms quickly and efficiently in a short period of time. Tobrex was effective in treating AEO, but our results show that relief of symptoms was slower than with the other drugs.
Use of pre-hospitalization services in two population groups of injured children and adolescents in Israel.

BACKGROUND Trauma management includes the care provided both in hospital and by emergency medical systems in the community. In many cases it is the parents who decide where to take an injured child for care, depending on the circumstances and severity of the injury, the personal characteristics of the injured or the carer and the availability and accessibility of services. OBJECTIVES To examine the use of pre-hospitalization services and reasons for their use by children and adolescents according to the injury and personal characteristics. METHODS The study group comprised 924 Israeli citizens aged 0-17 years hospitalized for injuries in six hospitals across Israel. Carers were interviewed in the hospital regarding the circumstances of the injury event, the use of pre-hospitalization services, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data on the cause and nature of the injury were obtained from the hospital records. RESULTS The proportion of severe injuries (Injury Severity Score 16+) was higher in Arab children than Jewish children (15% and 9% respectively). Sixty-three percent of the Arab children and 39% of the Jewish children used community services prior to hospitalization. The odds ratio of proceeding directly to the hospital was 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.29-0.69, for the Arab compared to the Jewish children, controlling for severity, cause and nature of the injury, sociodemographic characteristics, and the reported availability of ambulance services. CONCLUSIONS More Arab than Jewish carers tended to seek care in the community for an injured child, but the effect of personal characteristics on seeking care was similar in both population groups. Issues of availability and accessibility of services may explain the differences.
Randomised comparison of complications from three different permanent central venous access systems.

PRINCIPLES We present a prospective randomised trial comparing complications from three different permanent central venous access systems (PCVAS). METHODS The PCVAS trial groups were I, polyurethane ChemoSite (AutoSuture); II, polyurethane Port-a-Cath (Pharmacia-Upjohn); and III, silicone Port-a-Cath. The PCVAS were inserted under local anaesthesia by direct puncture of the subclavian vein, using the Seldinger technique. Every complication and ist evolution was recorded and analysed. The follow-up period was closed five years after the last PCVAS was implanted, and interrupted when for any reason the device was removed. RESULTS Over a period of 45 months, we included 228 patients (96 men, 132 women, average age 58 yr). Patients were followed from six days to 103 mo (median 14.7 mo). We observed 10 pneumothorax (4.3%), seven of them requiring drainage. Out of 10 infected ports (4.3%), eight were removed. We observed 46 complications (20.1%) related to the device (rupture, displacement, disconnection, and occlusion of the catheter). Most of the thirteen ruptures (5.7%) occurred in the space between the clavicle and the first rib. Catheters of group I ruptured more often than those of groups II and III (p <0.05). Polyurethane catheters ruptured more often than silicone catheters (p <0.01). CONCLUSION The polyurethane catheters that ruptured more often had a larger diameter and a thicker wall than the other polyurethane catheters, and were probably subjected to greater shearing between the clavicle and the first rib. Silicone catheters, although thicker and of larger diameter than the two other catheters, seemed more resistant to shearing.
A Second Case of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease Linked to the G131V Mutation in the Prion Protein Gene in a Dutch Patient

A rare case of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease in a 36-year-old Dutch man is reported. The clinical phenotype was characterized by slowly progressive cognitive decline, later followed byataxia and parkinsonism. Neuropathologic findings consisted of numerous amyloid plaques in the cerebellum, which showed positive staining for the abnormal prion protein (PrPSc). In addition, there were tau accumulations around numerous amyloid deposits in the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampal formation, and midbrain. There was nospongiform degeneration. Western blot analysis showed the co-occurrence of 2 distinct abnormal prion protein species comprising anunglycosylated, protease-resistant fragment of approximately 8 kd, which was found to be truncated at both N- and C-terminal ends by epitope mapping, and a detergent-insoluble but protease-sensitive formof full-length PrPSc. Sequence analysis disclosed a mutation at codon 131 of the prion protein gene (PRNP), resulting in a valine-for-glycine substitution (G131V). The patient was heterozygous at the polymorphic codon 129 and carried the mutation on the methionine allele. To our knowledge, this is the second family worldwide in which this mutation has been identified. Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease should be considered in patients with a clinical diagnosis of familial frontotemporal dementia.
Botulinum toxin management of essential infantile esotropia in children.

BACKGROUND Infantile esotropia has an onset during early infancy when visual cortical connections are established for binocular fusion and stereopsis. The goal of early treatment is to achieve normal binocular alignment and a favorable sensory outcome. OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term effects of the use of botulinum toxin for the management of infantile esotropia in children. PATIENTS Seventy-six neurologically normal children ranging from 4 to 48 months of age were entered consecutively into the study after being given the initial diagnosis of infantile esotropia with a mean strabismic angle of 33 prism diopters. INTERVENTIONS Simultaneous bilateral injections of 2.5 U of botulinum toxin type A were made into the medial rectus muscles under nitrous oxide and ethrane anesthesia. Patients were followed up for 12 to 95 months after the last injection. Forty patients required 1 bilateral injection and 36 patients required multiple bilateral injections to achieve a favorable motor outcome. RESULTS Bilateral medial rectus muscle injections of botulinum toxin were effective in reducing the mean preinjection deviation of 33 PD to an average esotropic angle of 2 PD. Binocular alignment (+/- 10 PD) was achieved in 68 patients (89%). Boys required significantly fewer injections than did girls. The secondary incidence of overacting inferior oblique muscles was significantly greater in boys, while girls had a significantly greater incidence of late-onset refractive errors. CONCLUSION Botulinum toxin is an effective treatment modality for the management of infantile esotropia in infants and children, producing binocular alignment of the visual axes.
Mathematical Finance: A Very Short Introduction

In recent years, the finance industry has mushroomed to become an important part of modern economies with many science and engineering graduates joining the industry as quantitative analysts, using mathematical and computational skills to solve complex problems of asset valuation and risk management. Mathematical Finance: A Very Short Introduction provides an overview of mathematical finance today. It introduces arbitrage theory, explaining why it works the way it does, and how it is key to pricing financial contracts, to credit trading, fund management, and the setting of interest rates. It also discusses developments to mathematical finance in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, and surveys the most pressing issues in mathematical finance today.