Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primary lymphedema with coarctation of the aorta: Possible new syndrome or variant of Irons–Bianchi syndrome?

We present a boy with congenital lymphedema, a congenital heart defect (coarctation of the aorta), and mild dysmorphic features. Clinical impression and targeted investigations ruled out Noonan syndrome and Milroy syndrome, but it was not clear whether or not he had Irons–Bianchi syndrome. We discuss the genomic and lymphoscintigraphy evaluation of this case, and review whether the small number of current case reports represent the original Irons–Bianchi syndrome or variants. We anticipate that ongoing molecular investigations such as Next Generation Sequencing will delineate a currently clinically defined phenotypic spectrum. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
[Bone mineral and body composition analysis of whole body in 292 normal subjects assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry].

OBJECTIVE To understand whole body bone mineral and body composition changes in normal subjects, and study the relationship between body composition and bone mineral. METHODS 292 normal subjects aged 10-79 years old, including 140 males and 152 females, were selected to be measured bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD) lean and fat of whole body by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Individuals were divided into age-groups by every ten years and were analyzed by statistical methods. RESULTS In males, peak values of BMC, BMD, lean and fat were in the 30-39, 20-39, 30-39, 70-79 age-groups. In females, they were in the 30-39, 30-39, 30-49, 50-69 age-groups respectively. Peak values of BMC, BMD and lean were higher in males than that in females, but peak value of BMD was not significantly higher in males than that in females. Peak value of fat was higher in females than that in males. Loss of BMC and BMD for females were more pronounced than that for males. Loss of lean for males was more pronounced than that for females. There are significant positive correlation between lean, weight and bone mineral in males and females. Fat has significant effect on BMC in females only. CONCLUSIONS The normal bone mineral and body composition data of whole body for males and females, and the characteristic of changes with aging are provided for analyzing the relationship between bone mineral and body composition with ease.
Effect of strain and serotype of vesicular stomatitis virus on viral shedding, vesicular lesion development, and contact transmission in pigs.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether pigs can be infected with strains of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey (VSV-NJ) and vesicular stomatitis virus Indiana (VSV-I) isolated during recent vesicular stomatitis outbreaks that primarily involved horses in the western United States and determine the potential for these viruses to be transmitted by contact. ANIMALS 128 pigs. PROCEDURE Pigs were challenged with VSV-NJ or VSV-I from the 1995 and 1997 outbreaks of vesicular stomatitis in the western United States, respectively, or with VSV-NJ (OS) associated with vesicular stomatitis in feral pigs on Ossabaw Island, Ga. Pigs (3/group) were inoculated with each virus via 3 routes and evaluated for viral shedding, seroconversion, and the development of vesicular lesions. In another experiment, the potential for contact transmission of each virus from experimentally infected to naïve pigs was evaluated. RESULTS Infection of pigs was achieved for all 3 viruses as determined by virus isolation and detection of seroconversion. In inoculated pigs, all 3 viruses were isolated from multiple swab samples at concentrations sufficient to infect other pigs. However, compared with results obtained with the 2 VSV-NJ strains, viral titers associated with VSV-I were low and the duration of virus shedding was reduced. Results from the contact transmission trials were consistent with these results; virus transmission was detected most frequently with the VSV-NJ strains. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Pigs can be infected with VSV-NJ and VSV-I. Differences in the extent of viral shedding and potential for contact transmission were apparent between serotypes but not between the VSV-NJ strains investigated.
VIRAL HEPATITIS PREVENTION BOARD MEETING PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS IN ISRAEL: LESSONS LEARNT AND THE WAY FORWARD

Background and health system in the state of Israel Israel has a heterogeneous, relatively young population of 8.08 million, of whom about 80% are Jewish and 20% non-Jewish, mainly Arab (2012). It has experienced massive waves of immigration including in the late 1940s and 1950s migrants from North Africa, Arab countries, Romania and Poland followed by immigration from former USSR countries in the 1990s and from Ethiopia from the 1980s and onwards. Beside legal immigrants, many people from Africa have entered the country illegally, often as refugees or migrant workers.
Nuclear Quantum Effects and Enzyme Dynamics in Dihydrofolate Reductase Catalysis

Mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics simulations of the hydride transfer reaction catalyzed by dihydrofolate reductase are presented. The nuclear quantum effects such as zero point energy and hydrogen tunneling, as well as the motion of the entire solvated enzyme, are included during the generation of the free energy profiles and the real-time dynamical trajectories. The calculated deuterium kinetic isotope effect agrees with the experimental value. The simulations elucidate the fundamental nature of the nuclear quantum effects and provide evidence of hydrogen tunneling in the direction along the donor−acceptor axis. The transmission coefficient was found to be 0.80 for hydrogen and 0.85 for deuterium, indicating the significance of dynamical barrier recrossings. Nonadiabatic transitions among the vibrational states were observed but did not strongly affect the transmission coefficient. A study of motions involving residues conserved over 36 diverse species from Escherichia coli to human implies tha.
Development of a Repetitive Wave Erection Marx Generator

A repetitive ten-stage wave erection Marx generator is developed to investigate the electrical characteristics of such compact devices and potentially provide an economical approach to realize the miniaturization of intense electron beam accelerators. Compact design has been made for the generator in order to achieve a proper stray capacitance of the spark gap electrode with respect to the ground in each stage because these proper grounded stray capacitances are critical for obtaining a good wave erection process. This generator is initially resistively isolated for single-shot tests and then changed to inductively isolated for repetitive operation. In single-shot experiments, the generator is tested to be able to deliver a high-voltage pulse of 210 kV and a rise time of about 5 ns on a 90-Omega dummy load at a charging voltage of 40 kV. This result agrees basically with that of the PSpice circuit simulation, which adopts a self-breakdown spark gap model. The preliminary experimental results of repetitive operation show that at a charging voltage of 30 kV, the generator can operate at 8.5 Hz without gas blow-off from the internal spark gaps, producing an output pulse of 150 kV and a rise time of less than 20 ns. Differences in the output pulse waveforms between resistively and inductively isolated configurations are analyzed.
Contrasting evolutionary forces driving population structure at expressed sequence tag polymorphisms, allozymes and quantitative traits in white spruce

Patterns of variation in quantitative characters and genetic markers were compared among six regional populations of white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss]. Although some phenotypic characters were correlated with latitude (r = 0.791), longitude (r = −0.796) and precipitation during the growing season (r = 0.789), variability at genetic markers was not correlated with geographical or bioclimatic variables, and followed neutral expectations. Estimates of genetic diversity and population differentiation for 14 allozymes (translated regions of coding genes) were essentially indistinguishable from those observed for 11 expressed sequence tag polymorphisms (ESTPs) from untranslated regions of coding genes. Variation among populations for quantitative traits such as eighth year height (QST = 0.082), thirteenth year height (QST = 0.069), total wood density (QST = 0.102) and date of budset (QST = 0.246), was greater than for allozymes (GST = 0.014) and ESTPs (GST = 0.019). These trends suggest a strong adaptive response in quantitative traits, contrasting to allozymes and ESTPs where no selective response could be detected and where populations appeared to be essentially in a migration–drift equilibrium.
Time-domain simulation and spectrum measurement of low-noise oscillators

This paper deals with the modeling of noise spectra in high Q-factor oscillators so as to better understand the noise mechanism and to improve the low noise oscillator design. The dipolar method used is first demonstrated on a simple behavioral oscillator. Noise analysis consists in calculating the and the transient response in the vicinity of the steady state with asymptotic methods. Then, the oscillator noise is calculated by introducing a small sinusoidal perturbation to the steady state. This allows to analyze both additive and parametric noise. The model provides time-domain waveforms, AM and PM noise spectra, and analytically explains the Leeson model.
Modelización de la inflación a nivel europeo con fines de predicción y diagnostico a corto plazo

Los agentes economicos requieren actualizaciones de una senda de predicciones de inflacion, probabilidades de ocurrencia de diferentes intervalos de valores en cada punto de la senda y una explicacion de los factores determinantes de las predicciones. Esta tesis estudia como abordar este reto y acaba desarrollando una metodologia para el analisis de la inflacion en la UME, medida a traves del Indice de Precios al Consumo Armonizado, con el objetivo de predecir con la mayor fiabilidad y obtener una explicacion de los factores determinantes. El desarrollo de la metodologia consiste en detectar en que direccion conviene ampliar la informacion relevante para la prediccion, para lo cual el fundamento teorico es determinante. Las propiedades del conjunto informativo contemplado impondra la complejidad del tratamiento econometrico requerido. La evaluacion del comportamiento predictivo de los modelos econometricos alternativos dentro de los distintos niveles informativos es esencial. Se demuestra que, si se combinan las predicciones derivadas de un modelo mensual desagregado vectorial diagonal por bloques con las procedentes de un modelo agregado trimestral congruente vectorial se obtiene el mejor ajuste para la prediccion. Habra que ajustar las contribuciones de las variables economicas a la inflacion para dar una explicacion de los factores que determinan las predicciones finales y las predicciones de los diferentes subindices de precios por paises y sectores para ofrecer un mapa desglosado sectorial y geograficamente de los valores futuros estimados para la inflacion.
Inhibition of autophagy potentiates the antitumor effect of the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma

Multikinase inhibitor sorafenib inhibits proliferation and angiogenesis of tumors by suppressing the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase. It significantly prolongs median survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the response is disease‐stabilizing and cytostatic rather than one of tumor regression. To examine the mechanisms underlying the relative resistance in HCC, we investigated the role of autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved self‐digestion pathway, in hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Sorafenib treatment led to accumulation of autophagosomes as evidenced by conversion from LC3‐I to LC3‐II observed by immunoblot in Huh7, HLF and PLC/PRF/5 cells. This induction was due to activation of autophagic flux, as there was further increase in LC3‐II expression upon treatment with lysosomal inhibitors, clear decline of the autophagy substrate p62, and an mRFP‐GFP‐LC3 fluorescence change in sorafenib‐treated hepatoma cells. Sorafenib inhibited the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 and its inhibition led to accumulation of LC3‐II. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagic flux by chloroquine increased apoptosis and decreased cell viability in hepatoma cells. siRNA‐mediated knockdown of the ATG7 gene also sensitized hepatoma cells to sorafenib. Finally, sorafenib induced autophagy in Huh7 xenograft tumors in nude mice and coadministration with chloroquine significantly suppressed tumor growth compared with sorafenib alone. In conclusion, sorafenib administration induced autophagosome formation and enhanced autophagic activity, which conferred a survival advantage to hepatoma cells. Concomitant inhibition of autophagy may be an attractive strategy for unlocking the antitumor potential of sorafenib in HCC.
The elliptical polarization of light scattered by a volume of atmospheric air.

The scattering of linearly polarized light by aerosol particles produces partly polarized light whose ellipticity is theoretically and experimentally investigated for the specific case of a continental atmospheric aerosol in a volume of air. With the Mie theory and under the assumption of various aerosol size-distribution models, the ellipticity has been computed as a function of the scattering angle for various wavelengths. The computations have been based upon complex indices of refraction: M = 1.5-0.0i, M = 1.5-0.0li, M = 1.5-0.li, M = 1.44-0.0i, M = 1.4-0.0i, M = 1.33-0.0i. The comparison between computed and measured values for the wavelengths of lambda = 0.45 micro to lambda = 0.65 micro discloses for dry aerosol a real part of the refractive index m = 1.50 and an imaginary part 0.01 <or=5 k > 0.1. With moist aerosol, the real part of the refractive index as well as the imaginary part decreases.
On the derivatives of Narrow Bipolar Pulses

Electric field derivatives associated with Narrow Bipolar Pulses (NBPs) were analyzed and presented in this paper. The electric field derivatives (dE / dt) of NBPs are characterized by bursts of high frequency (HF) oscillations which is distinctly different from the derivatives of the first return strokes. The wideband dE / dt of NBPs recorded with sampling rate of 100 MS/s in Sri Lanka showed that, the mean interval between each oscillating pulses was the order of 40 ns. The duration of the dE /dt bursts varied between 6 µs to 15 µs with the mean duration of 10.3 µs. Hence it was suggested that the mechanism of NBPs was a result of many micro scale breakdowns which occur within every few tens of nanoseconds inside the thundercloud. Therefore they were mostly responsible for the strong HF and VHF emissions from NBPs.
Effects of housing practices on the development of foot lesions in dairy heifers in early lactation

Measurements were made of sole haemorrhages and white line lesions in two groups of heifers which were either introduced to a cubicle house four weeks before they calved (group 1) or housed in a straw yard for eight weeks after calving and then moved into the cubicle house (group 2). The overall severity of the lesions was described by a cumulative score which defined the product of the severity and the area of the overall lesions in each animal. The lesions were scored on six occasions, from four weeks before to 24 weeks after parturition. Before parturition, sole lesions were absent or very small. By four weeks after calving, most of the animals had both types of lesion, but the differences between the two groups were small and statistically insignificant. There were no significant differences in the white line lesions between the two groups at any of the observations. There were, however, progressive, highly significant differences between the two groups in the severity of sole haemorrhages. By 12 weeks after calving, the median score for group 1 was 69 and that for group 2 was 11. In group 2, the sole haemorrhage score peaked at eight weeks but declined thereafter, even though these animals were moved into cubicles eight weeks after calving. By 12 weeks after calving, six of the 17 heifers in group 1 had sole ulcers but none of the 16 in group 2 had ulcers.
Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities? Findings from a 2011 Survey of Academic Publishers

An increasing number of higher education institutions worldwide are requiring submission of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) by graduate students and are subsequently providing open access to these works in online repositories. Faculty advisors and graduate students are concerned that such unfettered access to their work could diminish future publishing opportunities. This study investigated social sciences, arts, and humanities journal editors’ and university press directors’ attitudes toward ETDs. The findings indicate that manuscripts that are revisions of openly accessible ETDs are always welcome for submission or considered on a case-by-case basis by 82.8 percent of journal editors and 53.7 percent of university press directors polled.
Effect of Desferrioxamine in Acute Haemolytic Anaemia of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency

The effectiveness of desferrioxamine (DFO) in ameliorating the severity of the acute haemolysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency was studied in 167 children with G6PD deficiency during an acute haemolytic crisis. All patients received packed cell transfusion on admission if their Hb levels were <8 g/dl, which was repeated as needed. Eighty patients also received a single dose of DFO 30–40 mg/kg by slow intravenous infusion (DFO group). The remaining 87 children did not receive DFO (control group). The need for more than one transfusion was less frequent in the DFO group as compared to the control group (p = 0.01). The need for late transfusion (transfusion after 36 h of admission) was also less in the DFO group (7%) compared to 21% in the control group (p = 0.02). On average, children in the DFO group needed less packed red blood cells (16.5 ml/kg body weight) than the control group (22.8 ml/kg body weight) and the difference was highly significant (p = 0.0001). We conclude from this study that DFO in a small dose is effective in the treatment of acute haemolytic crises of G6PD deficiency. It shortens the duration of the crisis and decreases the amount of blood transfusion needed.
The Tuning of Materials: A Designer's Journey

A growing number of scholars have started to look at materials as part of the unfolding of social and cultural practices. Yet, to date, relatively little is known about how to purposefully design for a particular practice in which materials, with their unique qualities, act as co-performers. This paper presents the journey of a designer who includes the explorations on the performative qualities of materials in design ideation. This journey aimed to explore how the material and the performance can "lead the way" in the potential unfolding of a social practice such as "tuning a radio".
Learning styles of medical students at Taibah University: Trends and implications

Background: Understanding the learning styles of medical students can drive the institutions to adapt instructional materials to enhance students’ learning of knowledge and skills. This study explored the learning styles of undergraduate medical students, comparing gender variations in terms of their significant preferences. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed in 2012-2013, incorporating 1st-5th year undergraduate medical students of Taibah University. The instrument used was a Learning Style Questionnaire, with four learning styles (activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist) and 40 items. Results: Of 450 students, 384 responded (response rate; 85%). No single learning style predominated; 96 (25%) reflectors, 78 (20%) theorists, 68 (17%) pragmatists, and 37 (9%) activists. Combined reflector and theorist was the predominant dual learning style in 27 (7%) students. Among genders, theorist style had a significant result (P = 0.071) indicating that theorists varied among genders due to their different opinions. Learning style preferences of theorists and pragmatists also showed a significant result (P = 0.000 each), depicting that both genders had unique preferences. Males had fewer variations of preferences, when compared with females who showed a significant difference of opinions (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The students in the study preferred diverse learning styles, which were unevenly distributed, reflectors being the most common and activists as the least common. The results reflect the need to promote self-directed learning and modifications of instructional strategies, with expectant tilt in the students’ learning styles towards activists and pragmatists.
Analysis of Cell Type-Specific Responses Mediated by the Type IV Secretion System of Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori persistently infects the human stomach and can cause gastritis, gastric ulceration, and gastric cancer. The type IV secretion system (TFSS) of virulent H. pylori strains translocates the CagA protein, inducing the dephosphorylation of host cell proteins and leading to changes in the morphology or shape of AGS gastric epithelial cells. Furthermore, the TFSS is involved in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines. While the H. pylori genes required for TFSS function have been investigated systematically, little is known about possible host cell factors involved. We infected 19 different mammalian cell lines individually with H. pylori and analyzed CagA translocation, dephosphorylation of host cell proteins, chemokine secretion (interleukin-8 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2), and changes in cellular phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that not only bacterial but also host cell factors determine the cellular response to infection. The identification of such unknown host cell factors will add to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and might help in the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Pulmonary Microcirculation During Pulsatile and Non Pulsatile Perfusion

During development of a rotary blood pump as an assist device, the efficacy of non pulsatile perfusion to the end organ has to be verified. However, there are few evaluations of two different perfusion mechanisms through the tissue microcirculation. In this study, the pulmonary microcirculation was analyzed by vital microscopic observation. Wistar rats weighing 400–500 g were anesthetized and ventilated by a respirator. After establishing right heart bypass from the right atrium to the pulmonary artery using a roller pump, the pulmonary microcirculation was observed during intravenous infusion of bovine albumin tagged with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The images were recorded on a videotape through an ultra-sensitive SIT TV camera. Initially, the pulmonary circulation was pulsatile, produced by the native heart, and the pulmonary capillary network was evenly perfused by the blood. After starting the pump, the flow became non pulsatile and the distribution of capillary perfusion was displaced to the short circuit connecting the pulmonary arterioles and venules. Flow distribution during non pulsatile perfusion was heterogeneous compared with pulsatile perfusion. This result suggests that non pulsatile flow may lead to the deterioration of function. Further investigation is necessary to evaluate the relationship between the microcirculation and organ function.