Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concentrations and Diversity of Microbes from Four Local Bioaerosol Emission Sources in Finland

ABSTRACT Microbial particles can readily be released into the air from different types of man-made sources such as waste operations. Microbiological emissions from different biological sources and their dispersion may be an issue of concern for area planning and for nearby residents. This study was designed to determine the concentrations and diversity of microbiological emissions from four different man-made source environments: waste center with composting windrows, sewage treatment plant, farming environment, and cattle manure spreading. Samples of airborne particles were collected onto polyvinyl chloride filters at three distances along the prevailing downwind direction, from each source environment during a period of approximately 1 week. These samples were analyzed for 13 species or assay groups of fungi, bacterial genus Streptomyces, and Gram-positive and -negative bacteria using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Samples for determining the concentrations of viable fungi and bacteria were collected from all environments using a six-stage impactor. The results show that there were variations in the microbial diversity between the source environments. Specifically, composting was a major source for the fungal genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, particularly for Aspergillus fumigatus, and for the bacterial genus Streptomyces. Although the microbial concentrations in the sewage treatment plant area were significantly higher than those at 50 or 200 m distance from the plant area, in the farming environment or cattle manure spreading area, no significant difference was observed between different distances from the source. In summary, elevated concentrations of microbes that differ from background can only be detected within a few hundred meters from the source. This finding, reported earlier for culturable bacteria and fungi, could thus be confirmed using molecular methods that cover both culturable and nonculturable microbial material. IMPLICATIONS Concentrations and diversity of airborne microbes increase due to particle emissions from different biological waste treatment applications. However, these emissions cannot be separated from the background concentrations after more than a few hundred meters from the source. As part of a risk assessment, it may be necessary to confirm the behavior of microbial emissions from a specific source. Quantitative PCR is a useful tool for estimating total concentrations of different microbial species or groups as it detects both culturable and nonculturable microbial material.
Glutamate receptor subunit 2‐selective antibody shows a differential distribution of calcium‐impermeable AMPA receptors among populations of neurons

α‐Amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors are the major excitatory neurotransmitter receptors of the central nervous system. AMPA receptor complexes that contain the AMPA‐type glutamate receptor subunit 2 (GluR2) are responsible for the low calcium permeability typical of most AMPA receptors, and the absence of GluR2 may be a key factor in neurotoxicity. A polyclonal antibody was produced to a 16 amino acid peptide near the C‐terminus of GluR2 and was affinity‐purified in a three‐step procedure. The antibody did not recognize other AMPA subunits in transfected cells with the use of either Western blots or immunocytochemistry. This highly specific GluR2 antibody was used to provide a specific morphological study of GluR2 protein distribution in neurons and synapses of the rat. GluR2 is prevalent in most principal neurons throughout the telencephalon. Neurons with few or no GluR2 subunits include two major types: 1) some populations of interneurons of the telencephalon and of some other areas and 2) many populations of principal neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord. Immunofluorescence showed that GluR2 immunolabeling was widespread, including in dendrites and puncta, in the hippocampus and neocortex. Where they were present, GluR2 subunits colocalized with other AMPA receptor subunits in individual neurons. Electron microscopy of the hippocampus showed GluR2‐bearing, calcium‐impermeable AMPA receptors postsynaptic to dendrite synapses of forebrain principal neurons. In addition, electron microscopy of the neocortex showed significant staining in postsynaptic profiles. Electron microscopy of the cerebellum revealed the presence of GluR2 subunits in the postsynaptic profiles of many parallel fiber/Purkinje cell spine synapses, whereas electron microscopy of the spinal cord showed substantial staining in the postsynaptic profiles of dorsal horn synapses, but not in ventral horn synapses. Both ultrastructural and immunofluorescence data showed that calcium‐impermeable AMPA receptors are widespread in dendrite arborizations. J. Comp. Neurol. 385:456–476, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self-healing Polyimides

Covalent reversible chemistries give rise to polymers with reasonable mechanical properties yet require external stimuli to heal. Oppositely, supramolecular systems can heal autonomously, but their properties are still far away from most of those set by application requirements. Both downsides need to be addressed before intrinsic healing polymers can emerge out of academic literature and be found in daily life products. The aims of the research described in this thesis are: i) to develop intrinsic self-healing polymers with mechanical properties that significantly exceed those currently reported in the academic literature but can nevertheless repair cracks at room temperature; ii) to contribute to a better understanding of the importance of the polymer chain architecture on the physical processes during the repair of mechanical damage.
Influence of double‐bag storage with air bubbles/foam and single‐bag storage without air bubbles/foam on the quality of double‐dose apheresis platelets

Dear Sir, A double-dose apheresis donation followed by a split into two platelet (PLT) products has been recommended as a cost-effective way of reducing the number of apheresis kits used. In the standard operating procedure of the Japanese Red Cross, collected double-dose apheresis PLT units sometimes need to be stored overnight before preparation, and a double-bag system (e.g. a volume of 460 mL split into two bags containing 230 mL) is used to avoid volume overloading. However, the double-bag system unavoidably adds extra air bubbles/foam (approximately 45 mL per bag) into the storage bags if another isolation bag is not connected. Exposure to air bubbles/foam has been associated with the degradation of PLTs (Sandgren & Saeed, 2011). Single-bag storage yields no air bubbles/foam, but volume overloading of the storage bag may occur because the recommended storage upper limits of volume and PLT content are 400 mL and 5·1× 1011, respectively (Recommendations for the ELP Storage Bag, Terumo BCT, Inc., Tokyo, Japan). The influence of the storage conditions (single-bag storage without air bubbles/foam and double-bag storage with air bubbles/foam) on in vitro PLT quality is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro quality of PLTs stored using the double-bag and single-bag methods. Double-dose apheresis PLTs in 100% plasma were collected from volunteer donors in accordance with Japanese donor selection guidelines using an automated apheresis device (Trima Accel®, Terumo BCT, Inc.), shipped to the blood centre in single-bag storage and then stored by double-bag (control, n= 4) or single-bag (test, n= 4) storage on a flatbed agitator (60 cycles min−1) at 20–24 ∘C. For double-bag storage, approximately half the volume of PLTs and air was transferred to another bag. After 24 h of storage, the control unit split into double-bag was combined into single-bag again. Subsequently, control and test units were split into paired PLT units, with one stored in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bag (Terumo BCT, Inc.) and the other in a polyolefin (PO) bag (KBP-1000FPN; Kawasumi Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan) until day 7. Because the pharmaceutical process control system used by Japanese Red Cross blood centres requires another storage bag, we used another PO bag that
Cerebrospinal Fluid Progranulin, but Not Serum Progranulin, Is Reduced in GRN-Negative Frontotemporal Dementia

Background and Objective: Reduced progranulin levels are a hallmark of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) caused by loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN). However, alterations of central nervous progranulin expression also occur in neurodegenerative disorders unrelated to GRN mutations, such as Alzheimer's disease. We hypothesised that central nervous progranulin levels are also reduced in GRN-negative FTD. Methods: Progranulin levels were determined in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum in 75 subjects (37 FTD patients and 38 controls). All FTD patients were assessed by whole-exome sequencing for GRN mutations, yielding a target cohort of 34 patients without pathogenic mutations in GRN (GRN-negative cohort) and 3 GRN mutation carriers (2 LoF variants and 1 novel missense variant). Results: Not only the GRN mutation carriers but also the GRN-negative patients showed decreased CSF levels of progranulin (serum levels in GRN-negative patients were normal). The decreased CSF progranulin levels were unrelated to patients' increased CSF levels of total tau, possibly indicating different destructive neuronal processes within FTD neurodegeneration. The patient with the novel GRN missense variant (c.1117C>T, p.P373S) showed substantially decreased CSF levels of progranulin, comparable to the 2 patients with GRN LoF mutations, suggesting a pathogenic effect of this missense variant. Conclusions: Our results indicate that central nervous progranulin reduction is not restricted to the relatively rare cases of FTD caused by GRN LoF mutations, but also contributes to the more common GRN-negative forms of FTD. Central nervous progranulin reduction might reflect a partially distinct pathogenic mechanism underlying FTD neurodegeneration and is not directly linked to tau alterations.
An Elementary Calculation of the Dihedral Angle of the Regular n-Simplex

The dihedral angle of a regular n-dimensional simplex is the angle formed by a pair of intersecting faces. In the case n = 2 we are describing the angle at the vertex of an equilateral triangle, while in the case n = 3 we are describing the angle formed by the faces of the regular tetrahedron. (This angle is cos-'(1/3), or approximately 70.5? ) In the general n-dimensional case, the dihedral angle is known to equal cos-'(l/n) (see Coxeter [1]). This fact has been proved elegantly by R. Krasnodebski in [3]. Krasnodebski bases his work on a construction used by Coxeter in proving Gosset's theorem (see Coxeter [2]), so Krasnodebski's proof is neither self-contained nor elementary. As far as we know, there is no simple, elementary proof in print. om the sual generati g function fo the Stirling numbers of the second kind,
Late Quaternary climate change explains soil fungal community composition rather than fungal richness in forest ecosystems

Abstract The dramatic climate fluctuations of the late Quaternary have influenced the diversity and composition of macroorganism communities, but how they structure belowground microbial communities is less well known. Fungi constitute an important component of soil microorganism communities. They play an important role in biodiversity maintenance, community assembly, and ecosystem functioning, and differ from many macroorganisms in many traits. Here, we examined soil fungal communities in Chinese temperate, subtropical, and tropic forests using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the fungal ITS1 region. The relative effect of late Quaternary climate change and contemporary environment (plant, soil, current climate, and geographic distance) on the soil fungal community was analyzed. The richness of the total fungal community, along with saprotrophic, ectomycorrhizal (EM), and pathogenic fungal communities, was influenced primarily by the contemporary environment (plant and/or soil) but not by late Quaternary climate change. Late Quaternary climate change acted in concert with the contemporary environment to shape total, saprotrophic, EM, and pathogenic fungal community compositions and with a stronger effect in temperate forest than in tropic–subtropical forest ecosystems. Some contemporary environmental factors influencing total, saprotrophic, EM, and pathogenic fungal communities in temperate and tropic–subtropical forests were different. We demonstrate that late Quaternary climate change can help to explain current soil fungal community composition and argue that climatic legacies can help to predict soil fungal responses to climate change.
A Stratigraphic Framework for the Preservation and Shredding of Environmental Signals

The stratigraphic record contains unique information about past landscapes and environmental change. Whether landscapes faithfully transmit signals of environmental change to stratigraphy is unknown because autogenic processes, such as river avulsion, can obscure signals prior to long‐term stratigraphic storage. We develop a theoretical framework that predicts when a sediment flux signal will be transferred from the landscape to stratigraphy. This threshold magnitude is a function of signal duration. The magnitude is set by the maximum rate of autogenic volume change of the landscape, which decreases with increasing time window. Physical delta experiments, specifically designed to test our theory, demonstrate that only sediment supply signals with a magnitude greater than the threshold are stored in stratigraphy, supporting our theory. This framework allows us to assess the fidelity of the stratigraphic record to archive past signals of environmental change and predict the short‐ and long‐term impact of current anthropogenic forcing on landscapes.
Helicobacter pylori relation to acute myocardial infarction in an Iranian sample

Abstract Known risk factors for coronary heart diseases do not explain all of clinical and epidemiological features of the disease and additional environmental factors probably contribute to clinical atherothrombotic events. This study examined the association of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection with acute and chronic coronary syndromes assessed by coronary angiography as well as the influence of H. pylori on fibrinogen level. Paired sera from 52 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) according to WHO criteria, 51 patients with positive coronary angiography and 55 patients with negative coronary angiography reports were investigated for antibodies to H. pylori and fibrinogen levels. H. pylori antibodies were determined by ELISA method. Plasma fibrinogen was measured by the Clauss assay. Coronary angiograms were reviewed by two cardiologists independently (weighted κ=0.64) and significant lesion was defined as ≥50% stenosis of at least one coronary vessel. There was significant relationship between H. pylori infection and acute myocardial infarction (Odds ratio=13.2, 95% CI=5.1–34.3, P=0.00), however, no significant difference between patients with positive or negative coronary angiography (Odds ratio=2.0, 95% CI=0.76–5.35, P=0.24) was seen. The crude prevalence of H. Pylori was not related significantly to the childhood socioeconomic class (P>0.05) while showing significant inverse relationship with current socioeconomic class (P 0.05). These results may support the hypothesis that H. pylori may influence acute myocardial infarction through enhancing thrombosis possibly mediated by raised fibrinogen level.
Visual fiber anatomy in the infrageniculate pathway of the primate.

The classical approach to the topographical representation of the retina in the anterior visual system has been to produce specific retinal lesions in experimental animals, followed by histoanatomic demonstration of nerve-fiber degeneration (by the Marchi technique) in sections of the optic nerves, chiasm, and optic tracts. Despite the competent investigations of the past, many details of the organization of the infrageniculate visual fibers are lacking. During the past decade a silver-staining technique has been developed for demonstration of degenerating axons (rather than the staining of degenerating myelin by the Marchi technique). This technique and the Zeiss retinal photocoagulator provide a new approach for observations of the nerve-fiber organization in the optic nerves, chiasm, and optic tracts. We wish to report anatomic studies which employ these techniques. Previous Experimental Studies For more than a century it has been believed that the nerve fibers originating from specific retinal areas have a definite,
The prevalence of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the West Midlands fulfilling the BSR criteria for anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy: an out-patient study.

OBJECTIVES There are currently two anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies licensed for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) working party defined criteria for patients that would be suitable for such treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these patients attending rheumatology out-patient departments across the West Midlands. METHODS Data were collected over a 2-week period in adult out-patient departments of 12 centres. A questionnaire was completed at each patient review. Disease activity scores (DAS-28) were recorded for those who had failed methotrexate treatment and at least one other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) in the absence of contraindications to anti-TNF therapy. Information was also collected on the number of DMARDs failed and the use of steroid therapy. RESULTS A total of 1441 patients with RA were assessed; 177 (12.3%) patients had failed methotrexate and at least one other DMARD. Of these, 19 had contraindications to the use of anti-TNF therapy. In the remaining 158 patients (11%), 80 (5.6%) had a DAS-28 score of >5.1, thus fulfilling BSR criteria for use of anti-TNF therapy. Those with a DAS-28 score of < or = 5.1 were significantly more likely to have been taking steroids compared with those with a DAS-28 score >5.1 (68.2 and 49.3%, respectively, P=0.024). CONCLUSIONS Of patients with RA attending adult rheumatology out-patient clinics in the West Midlands, 5.6% would meet BSR criteria for use of anti-TNF therapy. Eligibility may be affected by steroid use.
Treatment of midgestational placental haemorrhage with recombinant factor VIIa

Correspondence to:Alexander Krafft, MDClinic of Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and GynaecologyUniversity Hospital Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 10CH 8091 Zurich, SwitzerlandTe l. : +41442555148, Fax: +41 44 2554430E-mail: alexander.krafft@usz.chReceived January23, 2008Accepted after minor revision May7,2008Prepublished onlineJune 11, 2008doi:10.1160/TH08-01-0048
Breastfeeding and childhood obesity in the Azores

Background. The hypothesis that breastfeeding has a protective effect in childhood obesity is not new; however, contro versial results have been published. Since the Azores reported the lowest rate of breastfeeding in Portugal and a high prevalence of childhood obesity, it becomes important to understand whether these facts are related or not. Objectives. To investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and childhood obesity in a population of Azorean children. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 183 Azorean children between 5–10 years of age between Septem ber and December 2016. The weight and height of the children were measured at the consultation and other variables were investigat ed through a questionnaire. The association between breastfeeding and childhood obesity was tested using logistic regression models. Results. 18.6% of the children were obese and 74.3% were breastfed. The exclusive breastfeeding rate at 6 months was 3.3%. Comple mentary breastfeeding was present in 39.3% at 6 months and 7.1% at 2 years. Obese children were breastfed less time than non-obese children, suggesting a dose-effect relationship ( p = 0.025). We found a significant and independent relationship between infant obesity and total time of breastfeeding (RR = 0.906; 95% CI [0.842, 0.974]; p = 0.008), physical activity (RR = 0.883; 95% CI [0.801, 0.972]; p = 0.012) and maternal nutritional status (RR = 3.452; 95% CI [1.361, 8.755]; p = 0.009). Conclusions. Breastfeeding and physical activity behaved as protective factors for childhood obesity, while the nutritional status of the mother acted as a risk factor. Childhood obesity is a current problem in the Azores, and breastfeeding can be an effective, simple and affordable tool to reduce this.
Towards integrating statistical model checking into property-based testing

In recent years statistical model checking (SMC) became increasingly popular, mainly because it does not suffer from one of the major problems that limits traditional model checking, the so called state-space-explosion problem. SMC solves this problem by simulating a stochastic model for finitely many executions. There exist a number of SMC tools, but they require the user to learn a specific modelling language and a particular (temporal) logic to express properties. In this paper we propose a more flexible application of SMC, where both the model and the properties can be defined in a programming language. The technique builds upon the well-known property-based testing approach. We use the programming language C# and its associated tool FsCheck to demonstrate our approach. A stochastic counter serves as illustrating example.
Induction of IL-13 Triggers TGF-β1-Dependent Tissue Fibrosis in Chronic 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid Colitis

To investigate the immunopathogenesis of inflammation-associated fibrosis, we analyzed the chronic colitis and late-developing fibrosis occurring in BALB/c mice administered weekly doses of intrarectal 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. We showed first in this model that an initial Th1 response involving IL-12p70 and IFN-γ subsides after 3 wk to be supplanted by an IL-23/IL-25 response beginning after 4–5 wk. This evolution is followed by gradually increasing production of IL-17 and cytokines ordinarily seen in a Th2 response, particularly IL-13, which reaches a plateau at 8–9 wk. In vitro stimulation studies suggest that this IL-13 production is dependent on IL-23 and IL-25, but not on IL-12p70. We then show that IL-13 production results in the induction of an IL-13R formerly thought to function only as a decoy receptor, IL-13Rα2, and this receptor is critical to the production of TGF-β1 and the onset of fibrosis. Thus, if IL-13 signaling through this receptor is blocked by administration of soluble IL-13Rα2-Fc, or by administration of IL-13Rα2-specific small interfering RNA, TGF-β1 is not produced and fibrosis does not occur. These studies show that in chronic 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid colitis, fibrosis is dependent on the development of an IL-13 response that acts through a novel cell surface-expressed IL-13R to induce TGF-β1. A similar mechanism may obtain in certain forms of human inflammatory bowel disease.
unCaptcha: A Low-Resource Defeat of reCaptcha's Audio Challenge

CAPTCHAs are the Internet's first line of defense against automated account creation and service abuse. Google's reCaptcha, one of the most popular captcha systems, is currently used by hundreds of thousands of websites to protect against automated attackers by testing whether a user is truly human. This paper presents unCaptcha, an automated system that can solve re-Captcha's most difficult auditory challenges with high success rate. We evaluate unCaptcha using over 450 re-Captcha challenges from live websites, and show that it can solve them with 85.15% accuracy in 5.42 seconds, on average. unCaptcha combines free, public, online speech-to-text engines with a novel phonetic mapping technique, demonstrating that it requires minimal resources to mount a large-scale successful attack on the reCaptcha system.