Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Hepatitis C in Makurdi, North Central Nigeria

Background: This was a study to determine hepatitis C sero-prevalence rate and create awareness on hepatitis C. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey of attendees at the 2012, World Hepatitis Day ceremony at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, Nigeria. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain information from consenting participants. All respondents were screened for hepatitis C using the Hepatitis C antibody (Anti HCV) test. Results: Hepatitis C sero-prevalence rate was 2.8%. Most of the respondents were: aged 40 years or less (85%), males (51.5%), had 6-10 persons in their household (51.7%). Only 6.4% had ever been transfused with blood, 4.3% had a history of jaundice, and 15.2% had a family member with hepatitis. Majority (85.1%) had poor knowledge regarding hepatitis C and only 27.4% had previously screened for it. There was no significant association between hepatitis C sero-positive status with demographic, risk factors for hepatitis C or knowledge about hepatitis C Conclusions: Hepatitis C infection is a health challenge in Nigeria in the setting of poor knowledge and inadequate screening facilities. All stakeholders should work towards improved awareness and testing for hepatitis C.
Antisense transcription-dependent chromatin signature modulates sense transcription and transcript dynamics

Antisense transcription is widespread in genomes. Despite large differences in gene size and architecture, we find that yeast and human genes share a unique, antisense transcription-associated chromatin signature. We asked whether this signature is related to a biological function for antisense transcription. Using quantitative RNA-FISH, we observed changes in sense transcript distributions in nuclei and cytoplasm as antisense transcript levels were altered. To determine the mechanistic differences underlying these distributions, we developed a mathematical framework describing transcription from initiation to transcript degradation. At GAL1, high levels of antisense transcription alters sense transcription dynamics, reducing rates of transcript production and processing, while increasing transcript stability, which is also a genome-wide association. Establishing the antisense transcription-associated chromatin signature through disruption of the Set3C histone deacetylase activity is sufficient to similarly change these rates even in the absence of antisense transcription. Thus, antisense transcription alters sense transcription dynamics in a chromatin-dependent manner. Graphical Abstract In this work, Brown et al. provide a mechanistic understanding of the effect of antisense transcription on the production and fate of sense transcripts. Antisense transcription buffers genes against the action of the Set3 lysine deacetylase, thus altering rates of transcript production, processing and stability. Conserved antisense transcription-dependent chromatin architecture near promoters Antisense transcription alters sense transcription dynamics and transcript stability Antisense transcription functions in a chromatin-dependent manner Increased acetylation by set3Δ mimics high antisense transcriptional dynamics
Synthesis and antiplasmodial activity of EG-artemisinin ethers and artemisinin-quinoline hybrids

The aim of this study was to synthesize a series of ethylene glycol (EG) ethers and quinoline hybrids of the antimalarial drug artemisinin and to evaluate their antimalarial activity in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum strains. The ethers were synthesized in a one-step process by coupling ethylene glycol (EG) moieties of various chain lengths to carbon 10 of dihydroartemisinin, while the artemisinin-quinoline hybrids were obtained by condensation of dihydroartemisinin with different amine-functionalized quinoline moieties. For solubility reasons, part of the hybrids were converted to oxalate salts upon reaction of the free bases with oxalic acid. All the synthesized compounds were tested against chloroquine (CQ) susceptible (CQS) D10 and chloroquine resistant (CQR) Dd2 Plasmodium falciparum strains. The IC50 values revealed that all the ethers were active against both strains but less potent than artemether irrespective of the strain. However, they were more active than CQ against the resistant strain. Ether 8 featuring three EO units was the most active of all ethers. It showed activity similar to that of CQ against D10 and much more potency than CQ against Dd2 strain (IC50, 0.023 vs. 0.473 nM). The hybrids and their salts were also all active against both strains. Hybrid 19 which possessed an isopropyl linker and its oxalate salt 19a were the most active against the Dd2 strain. They were more potent than CQ (IC50, 0.009 and 0.011 vs. 0.255 nM, respectively).
Rapid time course of action potentials in spines and remote dendrites of mouse visual cortex neurons

Axonally initiated action potentials back‐propagate into spiny dendrites of central mammalian neurons and thereby regulate plasticity at excitatory synapses on individual spines as well as linear and supralinear integration of synaptic inputs along dendritic branches. Thus, the electrical behaviour of individual dendritic spines and terminal dendritic branches is critical for the integrative function of nerve cells. The actual dynamics of action potentials in spines and terminal branches, however, are not entirely clear, mostly because electrode recording from such small structures is not feasible. Additionally, the available membrane potential imaging techniques are limited in their sensitivity and require substantial signal averaging for the detection of electrical events at the spatial scale of individual spines. We made a critical improvement in the voltage‐sensitive dye imaging technique to achieve multisite recordings of backpropagating action potentials from individual dendritic spines at a high frame rate. With this approach, we obtained direct evidence that in layer 5 pyramidal neurons from the visual cortex of juvenile mice, the rapid time course of somatic action potentials is preserved throughout all cellular compartments, including dendritic spines and terminal branches of basal and apical dendrites. The rapid time course of the action potential in spines may be a critical determinant for the precise regulation of spike timing‐dependent synaptic plasticity within a narrow time window.
Subependymoma of the Cerebellopontine Angle and Prepontine Cistern in a 15-Year-Old Adolescent Boy

SUMMARY: A case of cerebellopontine angle and prepontine cistern subependymoma in a 15-year-old adolescent boy is presented with a review of the literature. Apparent diffusion coefficient values for subependymoma are reported. Differential considerations for the unusual location of this rare tumor are discussed.
Modeling for simulation of hybrid drivetrain components

Designing a hybrid drivetrain is a complex task, due to the unknown sensitivity of vehicle performance to system components specifications, the interaction between systems components, and the ability to operate the system components at different set points at any time. Therefore, many researchers have made efforts formulating, and developing holistic hybrid drivetrain analysis, design, and optimization models including the top-level vehicle system control. However, an integral design approach is usually characterized by large computation times, complex design problem formulations, multiple subsystem simulations, analyses, and non-smooth, or non-continuous models. In this paper, the influence of the component efficiencies, whereby the engine operation strategy (engine-, or system optimal operation) on the fuel economy, and the energy management strategy (EMS) is investigated. Thereby, a relative simple rule-based (RB) EMS is used, and is compared with the strategy based on dynamic programming (DP). The series-parallel transmission of the Toyota Prius has been used as a case study. The component modeling, and simulation results from the RB EMS, and DP are compared with results from the simulation platform ADVISOR. Finally, it is shown, that modeling the component efficiencies by only a few characteristic parameters, and using the RB EMS, the fuel consumption can be calculated very quickly, and with sufficient accuracy. In future work, the influence of topology choice on the fuel economy, and the EMS will also be investigated
Do the clinical responses and complications following etanercept or infliximab therapy predict similar outcomes with the other tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

OBJECTIVE To study a group of 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have been treated with both tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonists, etanercept and infliximab and to determine the correlation of responses and complications seen in these patients. METHODS Patients' responses to and complications from either treatment were reviewed retrospectively by determining the joint counts, acute phase reactants, as well as occurrences of infection, hypersensitivity, and cytopenia. The correlation of responses and complications was determined using phi coefficients and exact p values. RESULTS There was no correlation between the joint count responses (exact p value for correlation coefficient, 0.70) and acute phase reactant responses (exact p value 0.14) with the use of etanercept and infliximab in the same patient. There was no correlation between the occurrences of drug hypersensitivity reactions (exact p value 0.20) or infectious complications (exact p value 1.00). However, the occurrence of anemia with the use of one TNF-alpha antagonist was correlated with a similar occurrence with the use of the other antagonist (exact p value 0.007). CONCLUSION Our study indicates that patients who fail to respond to one TNF-alpha antagonist can respond to the other antagonist. Furthermore, there appears to be no contraindication to using one TNF-alpha antagonist for patients who have developed hypersensitivity reactions to the other. The infections observed in our study were generally mild and did not necessarily recur with the use of the second antagonist. In contrast, anemia, when present with the use of one agent, was likely to occur with the use of the second agent.
The implication of frontostriatal circuits in young smokers: A resting‐state study

The critical roles of frontostriatal circuits had been revealed in addiction. With regard to young smokers, the implication of frontostriatal circuits resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) in smoking behaviors and cognitive control deficits remains unclear. In this study, the volume of striatum subsets, i.e., caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens, and corresponding RSFC differences were investigated between young smokers (n1 = 60) and nonsmokers (n2 = 60), which were then correlated with cigarette smoking measures, such as pack_years‐cumulative effect of smoking, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)‐severity of nicotine addiction, Questionnaire on Smoking Urges (QSU)‐craving state, and Stroop task performances. Additionally, mediation analysis was carried out to test whether the frontostriatal RSFC mediates the relationship between striatum morphometry and cognitive control behaviors in young smokers when applicable. We revealed increased volume of right caudate and reduced RSFC between caudate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex in young smokers. Significant positive correlation between right caudate volume and QSU as well as negative correlation between anterior cingulate cortex‐right caudate RSFC and FTND were detected in young smokers. More importantly, DLPFC‐caudate RSFC strength mediated the relationship between caudate volume and incongruent errors during Stroop task in young smokers. Our results demonstrated that young smokers showed abnormal interactions within frontostriatal circuits, which were associated with smoking behaviors and cognitive control impairments. It is hoped that our study focusing on frontostriatal circuits could provide new insights into the neural correlates and potential novel therapeutic targets for treatment of young smokers. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2013–2026, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prebiotic concept for infant nutrition

In the neonatal period, the intestine is colonised in a stepwise process that depends on mode of delivery, environmental factors, bacterial interactions, and the host itself resulting in a colonisation with a complex heterogeneous bacterial flora. Oligosaccharides have been identified as an important prebiotic factor of human milk As long as analogues of human milk oligosaccharides are not available now and in the near future it is aimed to resemble the prebiotic effect of human milk by oligosaccharides from available sources. In the present study in preterm infants, a mixture of 90% galacto‐oligosaccharides and 10% fructo‐oligosaccharides has been tested. The mixture of GOS/FOS was composed to mimic the molecule size distribution of human milk oligosaccharides. Microbiological analysis of the faces was performed before and 7, 14, and 28 days after start of supplementation and stool characteristics have been recorded. Maltodextrin was used as placebo and infants fed human milk have been used as reference. After a 28 days feeding period, the number of bifidobacteria of the group fed the oligosaccharide supplemented formula was in the upper range of the reference group whereas the numbers of the group fed the formula supplemented with the placebo were in the lower range of the reference group (placebo: 7.9 ± 0.83 and GOS/FOS mixture: 10,0 ± 2.05 log 10 CFU/g wet stool; reference (M ± SD): 7.14‐10.7 log 10 CFU/g wet stool). Stool characteristics in the group fed the supplemented formula were close to those found in the human milk fed infants. In summary, supplementation of a preterm formula with a mixture of galacto‐ and fructo‐oligosaccharides has a stimulating effect on the growth of bifidobacteria in the intestine and results in more frequent produced and softer stools. Thus, prebiotic mixtures such like the studied oligosaccharide mixture might help in improving intestinal tolerance to enteral feeding in preterm infants.
Hybrid Characterization of Nanolitre Dielectric Fluids in a Single Microfluidic Channel Up to 110 GHz

In this paper, we present a new “hybrid” method for on-wafer dielectric measurements of nanolitre fluid samples. The first part of the hybrid method uses a technique that extracts the complex relative permittivity of the material used to make microfluidic channels. The extraction is performed with an empty channel measurement, and thus requires no extra deembedding structures. The second part of the hybrid method involves an accurate extraction of the complex relative permittivity of dielectric fluids. The hybrid method uses three different extraction algorithms and calculates their Type B uncertainties within the NIST Microwave Uncertainty Framework. By choosing the calculation algorithm with the smallest uncertainty at each frequency, the hybrid method can achieve accurate measurements of the fluids’ permittivity over a broad bandwidth. One of the three algorithms is a new algorithm based on closed-form equations. A trace-based algorithm is also applied to fluids measurements, for the first time to our knowledge. Through the uncertainty analysis, we found out that these two algorithms should be favored over a traditional least-squares optimization-based algorithm at millimeter wave frequencies, due to their lower sensitivities to probe-placement errors.
Pulmonary function and roentgenographic changes in granite dust exposure.

Chest roentgenograms of 784 granite shed workers were classified according to the UlCC/Cincinnati classification, and their relationships to lifetime dust exposure, ventilatory function, and smoking habits of the workers were studied. Increase in dust exposure correlated with increase in size of rounded opacities and profusion. Irregular opacities were related more to smoking than to dust. Forced vital capacity (FVC) was lower for people with abnormal roentgenograms and decreased with greater profusion. Residual volume (RV) increased with smoking but not with dust exposure. No trend was shown for total lung capacity (TLC). A dose-response curve of dust on ventilatory function and on roentgenograms showed that the effects on ventilatory capacity took place 13.5 years before opacities on roentgenograms.
Female orgasm(s): one, two, several.

INTRODUCTION There is general agreement that it is possible to have an orgasm thru the direct simulation of the external clitoris. In contrast, the possibility of achieving climax during penetration has been controversial. METHODS Six scientists with different experimental evidence debate the existence of the vaginally activated orgasm (VAO). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE To give reader of The Journal of Sexual Medicine sufficient data to form her/his own opinion on an important topic of female sexuality. RESULTS Expert #1, the Controversy's section Editor, together with Expert #2, reviewed data from the literature demonstrating the anatomical possibility for the VAO. Expert #3 presents validating women's reports of pleasurable sexual responses and adaptive significance of the VAO. Echographic dynamic evidence induced Expert # 4 to describe one single orgasm, obtained from stimulation of either the external or internal clitoris, during penetration. Expert #5 reviewed his elegant experiments showing the uniquely different sensory responses to clitoral, vaginal, and cervical stimulation. Finally, the last Expert presented findings on the psychological scenario behind VAO. CONCLUSION The assumption that women may experience only the clitoral, external orgasm is not based on the best available scientific evidence.
Characterization of Seizure Suppression in Drosophila

Author(s): Howlett, Iris Christine | Advisor(s): Tanouye, Mark A | Abstract: Epilepsy and seizure disorders affect a large portion of the population. These disorders are complex in both cause and in phenotypic manifestation. Genetic factors have been shown to play a role in seizure sensitivity. Much research has been focused on the genetics underlying the mechanisms of seizure sensitivity and the development oftreatments for seizure disorders. Despite this, many questions remain unanswered. Using Drosophila as a genetic model for epilepsy and seizure disorders has given us some insight into the mechanisms of seizure susceptibility, particularly in suppression ofseizures. The following dissertation, details a forward genetics screen for suppressors of seizures in parabss1 and identification of gilgamesh (gish) as a voltage-gated sodium channel specific seizure suppressor mutant. Additionally, the utility of dorsal vessel injection of antiepileptic drugs is discussed in detail. Following discussion of these findings, future plans for the use of Drosophila as a genetic model for intractable epilepsies and discovery of additional seizure suppressor mutants are laid out. While many questions regarding the mechanisms of seizure suppression remain, this work and any future work from this point will help to unravel the complexities of epilepsy and seizure disorders.
Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) in Human Skeletal Muscle

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC)/osteonectin is expressed in different tissues during remodeling and repair, suggesting a function in regeneration. Several gene expression studies indicated that SPARC was expressed in response to muscle damage. Studies on myoblasts further indicated a function of SPARC in skeletal muscle. We therefore found it of interest to study SPARC expression in human skeletal muscle during development and in biopsies from Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy and congenital muscular dystrophy, congenital myopathy, inclusion body myositis, and polymyositis patients to analyze SPARC expression in a selected range of inherited and idiopathic muscle wasting diseases. SPARC-positive cells were observed both in fetal and neonatal muscle, and in addition, fetal myofibers were observed to express SPARC at the age of 15–16 weeks. SPARC protein was detected in the majority of analyzed muscle biopsies (23 of 24), mainly in mono-nuclear cells of which few were pax7 positive. Myotubes and regenerating myofibers also expressed SPARC. The expression-degree seemed to reflect the severity of the lesion. In accordance with these in vivo findings, primary human-derived satellite cells were found to express SPARC both during proliferation and differentiation in vitro. In conclusion, this study shows SPARC expression both during muscle development and in regenerating muscle. The expression is detected both in satellite cells/myoblasts and in myotubes and muscle fibers, indicating a role for SPARC in the skeletal muscle compartment.
Creating value from a commodity process: a case study of a call center

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the unique value that can be created by performing a commodity process, in this case call handling at a call center, as a means of challenging the prevalent assumption that an organization should differentiate between the management of a core competence and a commodity process.Design/methodology/approach – An inductive case study is conducted to examine the strategic planning and management of a call center in one of the largest retailers headquartered in the UK. Semi‐structured interviews, informal dialogue, on‐site observation and documentation were the four data collection methods that we used.Findings – Based on the findings derived from the study, this study proposes the notion of a “differentiated commodity” to illustrate that a commodity process, such as handling customers' complaints and enquiries using standard call center technologies, can be significantly beneficial to the business, if differentiation was embedded into the architecture and.
BONDHOLDER REACTION TO INCREASES IN LEVERAGE

fiC Bureau of Ecooomks working papers are preliminary materials circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment All data cootained in them are in the public domain. This includes information obtained by the Commi~on which has become part of pubUc record. The analyses and condusions set forth are those of the authors and do uot neceswily reflect the views of other members of the Bureau of Economics, other Commissioo staff, or the Commission itsdf. Upon request, single copies of the paper will be provided. References in pubUcations to FiC Bureau of Economics working papers by FiC economists (other than acknowledgement by a writer that he has access to such unpublished materials) should be cleared with the author to protect the tentative character of these papers.
High-performance phase locking of wide linewidth semiconductor lasers by combined use of optical injection locking and optical phase-lock loop

The requirement for narrow linewidth lasers or short-loop propagation delay makes the realization of optical phase-lock loops using semiconductor lasers difficult. Although optical injection locking can provide low phase error variance for wide linewidth lasers, the locking range is restricted by stability considerations. Theoretical and experimental results for a system which combines both techniques so as to overcome these limitations, the optical injection phase-lock loop (OIPLL), are reported. Phase error variance values as low as 0.006 rad/sup 2/ (500 MHz bandwidth) and locking ranges exceeding 26 GHz were achieved in homodyne OIPLL systems using DFB lasers of summed linewidth 36 MHz, loop propagation delay of 15 ns and injection ratio less than -30 dB. Phase error variance values as low as 0.003 rad/sup 2/ in a bandwidth of 100 MHz, a mean time to cycle slip of 3/spl times/10/sup 10/ s and SSB noise density of -94 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset were obtained for the same lasers in an heterodyne OIPLL configuration with loop propagation delay of 20 ns and injection ratio of -30 dB.