Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Umbilical artery velocity waveforms before and after chorionic villus sampling

Because a vascular aetiology has been suggested for the limb and oromandibular defects described after chorionic villus sampling (CVS), to determine whether transabdominal (TA) CVS causes noticeable changes in umbilical artery velocity waveforms in first‐trimester pregnancies, the pulsatility index (PI) of the umbilical artery was evaluated before and after TA‐CVS in 175 pregnancies sampled between 10·0 and 13·0 weeks' gestation. In 139 uncomplicated pregnancies, the mean PI values (with 95 per cent confidence interval) were before TA‐CVS 2·751 (2·692–2·809), after 10 min 2·723 (2·697–2·809), and after 1 h 2·781 (2·722–2·840). There were no significant changes in PI relative to the CVS procedure either in pregnancies with an abnormal result or in those ending in spontaneous abortion. Our data do not support any statistically significant change in umbilical artery PI relative to TA‐CVS in first‐trimester pregnancies. This procedure, despite its invasive character, does not appear to affect the feto‐placental circulation.
Hepatitis C virus genotype 3a infection and hepatocellular carcinoma: Pakistan experience.

AIM To assess the association between chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Pakistan, and the genotype distribution among these HCC patients. METHODS One hundred and sixty-one subjects with HCC were included in this study. Liver biopsy was performed on 145 of the patients; sixteen were excluded because they failed to fulfill the inclusion criteria. Qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for hepatitis B virus and HCV. Samples positive for HCV RNA were genotyped using genotype-specific PCR and confirmed by HCV 5' noncoding region sequencing analysis. RESULTS Chronic HCV infection was identified a major risk factor (63.44% of tested HCC patients) for the development of HCC. The time from HCV infection to appearance of cancer was 10-50 years. In the HCC patient population, broader distributions of genotypes were present with genotype 3a as the predominant genotype. Using the type-specific genotyping method, we found HCV genotype 3a in 40.96%, 3b in 15.66%, 1a in 9.63%, and 1b in 2.40% of HCC tissue samples. About 28% of cases were found with mixed genotypes. Two cases were unable to be genotyped because of low viral load. Sixty-six percent of treated patients with cirrhosis had an end of treatment response, but unfortunately they relapsed quickly when the treatment was discontinued, and HCC developed during a median 3.8 years. CONCLUSION There was a strong association between chronic HCV infection and HCC in Pakistan, and between HCV genotype 3a and HCC.
The Media Effect on Stock Market Overreaction

The recent literature of behavioral finance has introduced that the overreaction or underreaction of share price movements can be explained by investors' irrational investment decisions. Besides re-examining the overreaction hypothesis, this study further investigates whether media effect can cause or enhance market overreaction. We observe that the pace and magnitude of stock price mean reversion are positively associated with the average number of press releases and the magnitude of press exposure. Both the pace and magnitude of share price mean reversion are higher in the declining market (i.e., bad news) than in the advancing market (i.e., good news). We also find that the pace of share price mean reversion is slower for small firms than for large firms. However, the magnitude of share price mean reversion for small firms, exceeds that for large firms as holding period extends. Past studies apply overreaction phenomenon to develop contrarian investment strategies. We contribute to the literature by incorporating the media effect as an explanation for contrarian investment strategies.
Usability of thenar eminence orthoses: report of a comparative study

Objective: To determine the difference in the usability of three types of thenar eminence (TE) orthoses. Design: Prospective comparative pre-experimental study with randomized cross-over design. Setting: Rehabilitation centre. Subjects: Ten patients with osteoarthritis of the carpometacarpal I joint confirmed by X-ray. Intervention: Three types of TE orthoses, made of either supple elastic material, elastic material with a semi-rigid thumb busk or a semi-rigid (polyethylene) material. Main outcome measurements: Pain at the thenar eminence, pinch force, hand function, cosmesis, comfort and function of the TE orthosis. Results: The supple elastic TE orthosis scores significantly better than the more rigid types on the subjects ‘comfort’, ‘function’ and the Green Test, while the semi-rigid orthosis scores best on ‘cosmesis’. The score on the subject ‘pain reduction’ shows no significant difference between the three types of TE orthoses. The scores obtained correspond with the outcome of structured interviews about the usability of the TE orthoses. Conclusion: Eight out of 10 patients prefer the permanent use of a TE orthosis. Six patients chose the supple elastic orthosis and two chose the semi-rigid orthosis.
Time course of occlusive effects on skin evaluated by measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) Including patch tests with sodium lauryl sulphate and water

The time course for transepidermal water loss (TEWL) for a period of 3 h after removal of occlusive patch tests with sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), water and empty chambers was studied in healthy volunteers. Patches were applied to the upper arm for 24 h, TEWL was measured immediately after removal of the patches, and every 30 min up to 3 h. For SLS and water patches, TEWL remained significantly increased for 3 h. as compared to normal adjacent skin, while for empty chamber patches. TEWL was only significantly increased for 30 min. A significant decrease from 0 to 30 min and from 30 to 60 min was observed for all patches, and for water patches, a significant decrease in TEWL was found from 60 to 180 min, while SLS patches remained constant. The prolonged increase in TEWL observed after SLS exposure is a well‐known occurrence. The prolonged increase in TEWL after exposure to water is interpreted as transient damage to the water harrier of the skin.
Simulation study comparing high-purity germanium and cadmium zinc telluride detectors for breast imaging

We conducted simulations to compare the potential imaging performance for breast cancer detection with High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) and Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) systems with 1% and 3.8% energy resolution at 140 keV, respectively. Using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP5) simulation package, we modelled both 5 mm-thick CZT and 10 mm-thick HPGe detectors with the same parallel-hole collimator for the imaging of a breast/torso phantom. Simulated energy spectra were generated, and planar images were created for various energy windows around the 140 keV photopeak. Relative sensitivity and scatter and the torso fractions were calculated along with tumour contrast and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Simulations showed that utilizing a ±1.25% energy window with an HPGe system better suppressed torso background and small-angle scattered photons than a comparable CZT system using a −5%/+10% energy window. Both systems provided statistically similar contrast and SNR, with HPGe providing higher relative sensitivity. Lowering the counts of HPGe images to match CZT count density still yielded equivalent contrast between HPGe and CZT. Thus, an HPGe system may provide equivalent breast imaging capability at lower injected radioactivity levels when acquiring for equal imaging time.
Fatal Toxoplasmosis in a Vinaceous Amazon Parrot (Amazona vinacea)

SUMMARY. Toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in a vinaceous Amazon parrot based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The bird was prostrate on the bottom of the cage and died. Necropsy revealed edema and congestion of the lungs, cloudy air sacs, and mild hepatomegaly. Histopathology revealed severe pulmonary congestion and edema and interstitial mononuclear cell inflammation associated with many cysts containing bradyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii scattered throughout. The heart had mild multifocal lymphocytic myocarditis and free tachyzoites in the muscle fibers, and the kidneys had mild interstitial nephritis and a few cysts containing bradyzoites of T. gondii. Immunohistochemistry was negative for Sarcocystis falcatula and Neospora caninum and confirmed the protozoa as T. gondii. This is the first description of T. gondii in an endangered species of a Brazilian psittacine.
Escherichia coli Hemoglobin Protease Autotransporter Contributes to Synergistic Abscess Formation and Heme-Dependent Growth of Bacteroides fragilis

ABSTRACT Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) continue to be a serious clinical problem. Bacterial synergism is an important factor that influences the shift from contamination to IAI, leading to the development of lesions and abscess formation. Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis are particularly abundant in IAI. The underlying molecular mechanisms of this pathogenic synergy are still unclear. The role of the hemoglobin protease (Hbp) autotransporter protein from E. coli in the synergy of IAI was investigated. Hbp is identical to Tsh, a temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin associated with avian pathogenic E. coli. Clinical isolates from miscellaneous extraintestinal infections were phenotypically and genotypically screened for Hbp. The presence of Hbp was significantly associated with E. coli isolated from IAI and other extraintestinal infections. In a murine infection model, Hbp was shown to contribute to the pathogenic synergy of abscess development. Mice immunized with Hbp were protected against mixed infections and did not develop abscess lesions. Furthermore, an E. coli wild-type strain that did not induce abscess formation in the synergy model was transformed with a plasmid encoding the hbp gene, and mixed infections with this strain lead to increased growth of B. fragilis and induction of abscess lesions. Growth-promoting studies showed that purified Hbp is able to deliver heme to B. fragilis strain BE1. In conclusion, results suggest the synergy of abscess formation by E. coli and B. fragilis can be partly explained by the capacity of B. fragilis to intercept Hbp and iron from heme to overcome the iron restrictions imposed by the host.
Topographic specificity in the retinocollicular projection of the developing ferret: An anterograde tracing study

To assess the degree of order exhibited during development by crossed and uncrossed retinocollicular pathways, focal deposits of 1,1′‐dioctodecyl‐3,3,3′3′‐tetramethylinodocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) were made into the temporal or nasal retina of prenatal and postnatal ferrets. This procedure revealed that the first retinal fibers (from the ipsilateral temporal retina) grow into the superior colliculus at embryonic (E) day 30. Both crossed and uncrossed fibers innervate the colliculus by E34. At this age, terminal arbors were lacking, and there was no evidence of extensive axonal branching. Retinocollicular arbors first appeared at E38, with both the crossed and uncrossed projections forming well‐defined terminal zones that appeared to be localized to topographically appropriate regions. At E38, the ipsilateral terminal zone was significantly larger but notably less dense than the contralateral zone. At this and later ages (postnatal day [P] 0 and P7), a few crossed and uncrossed fibers extended beyond the terminal zone. Four days later, at P0, the terminal zone of the uncrossed projection was reduced in size in comparison with that of earlier ages, whereas the crossed projection became substantially larger. By P7, the few misprojecting fibers seen in younger ferrets had been virtually eliminated. When focal retinal deposits of tracer were made into the nasal retina of E36 and E40 ferrets, crossed fibers were found to innervate the caudal segment of the superior colliculus. These crossed nasal cells appear to project to the topographically appropriate region of the superior colliculus (caudal segment) but on the wrong side of the brain. Collectively, the present findings indicate that throughout development the ferret retinocollicular pathway is characterized by a remarkable degree of topographic precision as evident by the paucity of axonal branches and the low number of grossly misprojecting axons. J. Comp. Neurol. 392:35–47, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Female sex as a risk factor for stroke in atrial fibrillation: a nationwide cohort study

Summary. Background: Female sex has been suggested as a risk factor for stroke/thromboembolism in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and has therefore been included within risk scores, e.g. the CHA2DS2‐VASc score, and guidelines.
Combining Knowledge with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Short Text Classification

Text classiﬁcation is a fundamental task in NLP applications. Most existing work relied on either explicit or implicit text representation to address this problem. While these techniques work well for sentences, they can not easily be applied to short text because of its shortness and sparsity. In this paper, we propose a framework based on convolutional neural networks that combines explicit and implicit representations of short text for classiﬁcation. We ﬁrst conceptualize a short text as a set of relevant concepts using a large taxonomy knowledge base. We then obtain the embedding of short text by coalescing the words and relevant concepts on top of pre-trained word vectors. We further incorporate character level features into our model to capture ﬁne-grained subword information. Experimental results on ﬁve commonly used datasets show that our proposed method signiﬁcantly out-performs state-of-the-art methods.
A novel L-serine deaminase activity in Escherichia coli K-12

We demonstrate here that Escherichia coli K-12 synthesizes two different L-serine deaminases (L-SD) catalyzing the nonoxidative deamination of L-serine to pyruvate, one coded for by the previously described sdaA gene and a second, hitherto undescribed enzyme which we call L-SD2. A strain carrying a null mutation in sdaA made no detectable L-SD in minimal medium, but had activity in Luria broth. We describe a mutation, sdaX, which affects the regulation of L-SD2 and permits its expression in minimal medium, and an insertion mutation, sdaB, which abolishes L-SD2 activity completely. Both mutations lie near 60.5 min on the E. coli genetic map. The two L-SD enzymes have similar enzyme parameters, and both require posttranslational activation.
Effect of alkali and oxidative treatments on the physicochemical, pasting, thermal and morphological properties of corn starch.

BACKGROUND Few studies on starch modifications using different chemical agents are available in the literature, and no reports were found on the combined effect of oxidation and alkaline treatment of corn starch. Thus this work evaluated the physicochemical, pasting, morphological, cystallinity and thermal properties of chemically modified corn starch, after either the isolated or combined action of alkaline (sodium hydroxide) and oxidative (sodium hypochlorite) treatments. RESULTS The highest values for the sum of carbonyl and carboxyl and enzymatic hydrolysis occurred in starches submitted to oxidative treatment at high active chlorine concentrations. The alkali treatment in isolation modified the pasting properties, reduced the paste temperature and increased the peak viscosity, breakdown, final viscosity and setback of starches. Starch modified by the action of sodium hypochlorite and hydroxide in combination presented more severe damage on granule surfaces. CONCLUSION The results show that corn starch modified by the combined action of oxidative and alkaline treatments should be studied more, especially at the concentration limit of sodium hydroxide where gelatinization occurs. Under these conditions the effect of oxidation can be more intense and thus allow the production of starches with different properties and an increase in their industrial applications.
China's Capital Returns and Investment Revisited

We revisit China’s overinvestment problem by examining capital return from two perspectives. First, we re-estimate capital returns. The two existing estimation methods generate different results. After adjusting for statistical coverage and assumptions, the two methods achieve largely consistent results. The reconciled estimation shows China’s capital returns increase quickly from 1998 to 2010, which helps explain the investment mania. Second, we explore what causes the capital return increases. We find both long-term growth (TFP increases) and short-term cycles (real interest rate and deviations from growth trend) help explain variations in capital returns.
Effect of the Type of Base and Number of Reaction Steps on the Degree of Quaternization and Molecular Weight of N-Trimethyl Chitosan Chloride

N-Trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMC), a chemically modified derivative of chitosan, is the first chitosan derivative shown to be an effective absorption enhancer for peptide and protein drugs across mucosal epithelia. TMC is synthesized by reductive methylation with methyl iodide in the presence of a strong base such as sodium hydroxide. In this reaction, the primary amino group on the C-2 position of chitosan is changed to a quaternary amino group. The charge density, as determined by the degree of quaternization, and probably also the molecular weight of TMC are important factors that influence the absorption enhancement effect and toxicity of this polymer. The molecular weight of the starting polymer decreases during the synthesis procedure due to factors such as the strong alkaline environment and elevated experimental temperatures. This study investigated the effects of two different bases, sodium hydroxide and dimethyl amino pyridine, together with a varying number and duration of reaction steps, on the degradation and the degree of quaternization of TMC polymers. 1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra showed a major increase in the degree of quaternization (21%–59%) of TMC with an increase in the number of reaction steps when sodium hydroxide was used as the base. Intrinsic viscosity values indicated that the use of dimethyl amino pyridine did not cause polymer degradation to the same extent as sodium hydroxide, but that the degree of quaternization of TMC stayed low (7.3%–9.6%) even when the number of reaction steps was increased. A combination of the two bases did not reduce polymer degradation, while the degree of quaternization was limited to relatively low values (12.5%–34.4%).
A New Pantheon: Artificial Intelligence and 'Her'

In this essay I will argue that artificial intelligence has significant religious ramifications. The vision of A.I. most often portrayed by both thinkers and film is one which has a majority of characteristics of a monotheistic god, and most often one who is wrathful, punishing, and anti-human. This perspective is inspired by the themes of Christian apocalypticism. I will contrast this with an analysis of the movie Her. I will suggest that Her presents a different vision of the possible future of A.I., one which still involves the creation of divinity, but no longer a singular divinity bent on apocalyptic wrath, instead Her envisions a new divine pantheon leading to significantly different religious results.
Strategic alliances on performance of retail firms in Nairobi County, Kenya

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of strategic alliances on firm performance and the moderating effect of firm size in retail firms in Nairobi County in Kenya. Design/methodology/approach – Resource Dependency Theory was used to guide the study. The study adopted explanatory research design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from sample of 216 respondents through stratified and simple random sampling technique. The study used inferential statistics to test hypotheses. Findings – Study findings indicated that joint marketing alliances, procurement-supplier alliances, joint manufacturing alliances and technology development alliances have significant and positive effect on firm performance. Based on the findings, creating a joint marketing, procurement-supplier, joint manufacturing and technology development alliances mostly enhance firm performance. Research limitations/implications – The study considered only one county out of 47, although this county hosts the capital .
Signaling across Myoendothelial Gap Junctions—Fact or fiction?

Gap junctions interconnect vascular cells homocellularly, thereby allowing the spread of signals along the vessel wall, which serve to coordinate vessel behavior. In addition, gap junctions provide heterocellular coupling between endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells, creating so-called myoendothelial gap junctions (MEGJs). Endothelial cells control vascular tone by the release of factors that relax vascular smooth muscle. Endothelial factors include nitric oxide, prostaglandins, and an additional dilator principle, which acts by smooth muscle hyperpolarization and is therefore named endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). Whether this principle indeed relies on a factor or on intact MEGJs, which allow direct current transfer from endothelial to smooth muscle cells, has recently been questioned. Careful studies revealed the presence of vascular cell projections that make contact through the internal elastic lamina, exhibit the typical GJ morphology, and express connexins in many vessels. The functional study of the physiological role of MEGJs is confined by the difficulty of selectively blocking these channels. However, in different vessels studied in vitro, the dilation related to EDHF was sensitive to experimental interventions that block MEGJs more or less specifically. Additionally, bidirectional electrical coupling between endothelial and smooth muscle cells was demonstrated in isolated small vessels. In marked contrast, similar approaches used in conjunction with intravital microscopy, which allows examination of vascular behavior in the intact animal, did not verify electrical or dye-coupling in different models investigated. The discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo investigations may be due to size and origin of the vessels studied using these distinct experimental approaches. Additionally, MEGJ coupling is possibly tightly controlled in vivo by yet unknown mechanisms that prevent unrestricted direct signaling between endothelial and smooth muscle cells.
Analysis of rural and urban households' food consumption differential in the North-Central, Nigeria: A micro-econometric approach

This paper examines whether there are differences in food consumption patterns between the rural and urban households in the North-central Nigeria using food consumption data obtained from households’ seven days memory recall. While analytical tools like the descriptive statistics were used, the nature of data on fruits and vegetable with a lot of zero consumption led to the employment of the double-hurdle model. The results of the descriptive statistics revealed heterogeneity in consumption and expenditure patterns across households in rural and urban areas. While the urban residents purchase 37.9% of the food they consume, families in rural areas purchase only 26.6%. The most commonly consumed foods among urban populations included rice, fat and oil, bread, soft drink, sugar and milk, while those in rural areas was substantially different and included yam and cassava flour. Urban households in both states consumed more rice, fat and oil, bread, soft drink, sugar and milk with less yam and cassava flour compared to the rural households. Households’ decision to participate in fruits and vegetable food group from double-hurdle model was based on their income, location, membership of cooperative group and access to refrigerator. The actual consumption was based on income and their membership of social group. There is the need to increase households’ income and access to fruits and vegetable preservation facilities to facilitate the consumption of the food items.