Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Escherichia coli, an economically important avian pathogen, its disease manifestations, diagnosis and control, and public health significance: a review.

Avian colibacillosis, caused by Escherichia coli, is one of the major bacterial diseases in the poultry industry worldwide, and along with salmonellosis, it is the most common avian disease communicable to humans. The organism is a normal inhabitant of the intestinal tract of birds and can survive in a wide range of temperature. Certain strains viz., avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), however, could spread to various internal organs and cause colibacillosis characterized by fatal systemic disease. Faeco-oral route is the main mode of infection, though vertical transmission is also possible. The disease occurs in various forms in poultry: colisepticemia and acute septicemia, air sac disease, pericarditis, perihepatitis, Mushy chick disease (yolk sac infection), peritonitis, panopthalmitis, synovitis, salpingitis, bumble foot, cellulitis, swollen head syndrome, infectious asthenia, and Hjarre’s disease. Increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) due to E. coli infection affect the absorption of sodium as well as chloride and water balance ultimately producing watery diarrhea and death. APEC isolates also are of potential concern for public health professionals. Infected persons usually manifest diarrhea which may be complicated by other syndromes depending on the serotype. Diagnosis is based on isolation and growth characteristics of the organism in wide variety of bacteriological media, biochemical tests, serological assays, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), molecular tools of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its various versions, phylogenetic analysis and other techniques. The disease must be differentiated from a wide variety of other bacterial diseases. Antibiotic sensitivity test is useful to select proper antibiotic but plasmid mediated resistance do occur for which vitamin as well as probiotic and bacteriophage therapy are gaining much attention nowadays. Live and inactivated mutant vaccines are available. Proper hygiene and sanitation along with good hatchery management are the prerequisites to prevent the occurrence of disease. Different disease manifestations caused by APEC, insights into this economically important avian pathogen, epidemiology, trends and advances in diagnosis, prevention and control, novel and emerging therapeutic regimens, and the associated public health concerns envisage the topic of discussion in the present review.
Time course of losartan blockade of angiotensin II hypertension versus blockade of angiotensin II fast pressor effects.

This study investigated the ability of the selective angiotensin II (AII)-type (AT)1 receptor antagonist losartan to reverse the fast (< 30 sec) pressor effect of AII, and the hypertension produced by chronic (2 weeks) i.v. infusion of AII (AII hypertension). We hypothesized the following: if AII hypertension is caused solely by stimulation of AT1 receptors mediating the fast pressor effect, then the time course of the antihypertensive effect of losartan in AII hypertension should parallel the time course of losartan inhibition of pressor responses to acute, bolus injection of AII. Thus, in one group of rats, pressor responses to bolus injections of AII (10 ng, n = 10) were measured before and subsequently at numerous time points after losartan administration (3 mg.kg-1 i.v.). Other groups of rats received continuous infusions of AII i.v. for 15 days at 2 ng.min-1 (n = 8), 4 ng.min-1 (n = 8) or 10 ng.min-1 (n = 6). On days 2, 7 and 12 of the AII infusion, rats received a bolus injection of losartan (3 mg.kg-1, i.a.). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was then measured at numerous time points after losartan administration. Within 5 min of administration, losartan caused almost complete inhibition of fast pressor responses to acute injections of AII, and the magnitude of this inhibition did not change for over 24 hr. On the other hand, in AII hypertension, losartan lowered MAP significantly within 5 min only in rats receiving 10 ng.min-1 AII, but in all three groups caused a slower decline in MAP that peaked around 2 hr after losartan injection. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Early Detection of Potential Induced Degradation by Measurement of the Forward DC Resistance in Crystalline PV Cells

Potential induced degradation (PID) is still a serious threat for the photovoltaic (PV) industry and it is expected to aggravate due to the tendency to increase the operating voltage of PV systems. Therefore, a method which can detect PID at an infant stage is necessary in order to increase the reliability of PV systems and preserve their lifetime. This paper provides a pathway (proof of concept) for the early and reliable detection of PID, by using the forward dc resistance (FDCR) of a PV cell since it is a parameter, which is affected by the cell's shunt resistance (Rsh), which in turn is heavily affected by PID before any significant power loss occurs, and could act as a PID detection mechanism. The paper presents simulation results, which examine at which forward bias conditions the FDCR has to be measured for the purpose of using it as a PID detection means at an early stage (<1% power loss). The simulation examined the FDCR variation with shunt resistance, reverse dark saturation current (I0), and ideality factor (n). Furthermore, an experiment was performed to verify the simulation results, demonstrating detection before 2% power loss occurs.
HUMAN GENOME EPIDEMIOLOGY (HuGE) REVIEWS Genetic Causes of Monogenic Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A HuGE Prevalence Review

The clinical phenotype of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by increased plasma levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, tendinous xanthomata, and premature symptoms of coronary heart disease. It is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder with homozygotes having a more severe phenotype than do heterozygotes. FH can result from mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor gene (LDLR), the apolipoprotein B-100 gene (APOB), and the recently identified proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 gene (PCSK9). To date, over 700 variants have been identified in the LDLR gene. With the exception of a small number of founder populations where one or two mutations predominate, most geographically based surveys of FH subjects show a large number of mutations segregating in a given population. Studies of the prevalence of FH would be improved by the use of a consistent and uniformly applied clinical definition. Because FH responds well to drug treatment, early diagnosis to reduce atherosclerosis risk is beneficial. Cascade testing of FH family members is cost effective and merits further research. For screening to be successful, public health and general practitioners need to be aware of the signs and diagnosis of FH and the benefits of early treatment.
European Public Finances and the Great Recession: France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom Compared

We compare economic trends over the financial crisis, and the tax and benefit reforms implemented in response, across six EU countries. Countries where the crisis led to a relatively greater increase in public spending than a decline in tax revenues – in particular, France and Italy – are found to have implemented consolidations that are more reliant on tax increases than spending cuts. While in France and Italy households with children have lost less from tax and benefit reforms than pensioner households, the reverse is true in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The pattern of cuts to public services also varies: France, Ireland and the UK chose to protect spending on health and schools from cuts, while Italy and Spain chose to cut spending on these services relatively deeply. One clear improvement has been the introduction of greater independence and transparency in the production of economic and fiscal forecasts. Unfortunately, in many cases, the fiscal response to the crisis missed opportunities to improve the overall efficiency of the tax system.
Relative humidity, temperature, substrate type, and height of terrestrial lichens in a tropical paramo

Lichens are traditionally divided into types such as "crustose", "foliose" and "fruticose", with different shapes and heights. Substrate, temperature and water are thought to affect lichen height, but there are few studies regarding tropical paramo lichens. Along 2015 I measured those variables in the terricolous lichens of the Cerro Buena Vista, paramo (Costa Rica, 9°33' N & 83°45' W). The measurements were taken inside the lichens and in the substrate under them, in 61 randomly located quadrats (50 x 50 cm). Lichens grew taller on (1) warmer ground, (2) wetter ground, (3) the moister Caribbean slope, and (4) the season with heavier rainfall, as expected. Apparently, atmospheric factors are more important than substrate in the determination of temperature, relative humidity and growth of lichens. Physiologically available water seems to be the main determinant of lichen vertical growth in the Buena Vista paramo.
Complete regression of human neuroblastoma xenografts in athymic mice after local Newcastle disease virus therapy.

BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric extra-cranial solid cancer. Using conventional therapies, children older than 1 year of age with advanced neuroblastoma have a poor prognosis. The development of new approaches for treating such children with neuroblastoma continues to be one of the most important goals today in pediatric oncology. Despite numerous anecdotal reports of human tumor regression during viral infections, the use of viruses to directly lyse neuroblastoma cells has never been reported as a potential therapy. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has been shown to replicate in and kill cultured human and rat neuroblastoma cells but not normal human fibroblasts. PURPOSE Our purpose was to determine if this selective killing of human neuroblastoma (IMR-32) cells is maintained during the in vivo treatment of established tumors. METHODS Two experiments were performed using NDV strain 73-T. Athymic mice with subcutaneous IMR-32 human neuroblastoma xenografts (6-12 mm) were treated intralesionally with live NDV, UV-inactivated NDV, or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). To study virus replication in situ, mice were given intratumoral or intramuscular injections of NDV. These mice were then killed at various times, and the amount of infectious virus present in tumor or muscle was determined. RESULTS After one injection of live NDV, 17 of 18 tumors regressed completely, whereas rapid tumor growth occurred in all 18 mice treated with PBS and in all nine mice treated with UV-inactivated NDV (P < .0001). The one tumor that showed only a partial response to a single injection regressed completely after a second NDV treatment. Six months following virus-induced regression, only one tumor had recurred. No significant acute or chronic side effects of live NDV were noted in athymic mice given doses up to 500 times that used in this study. Virus levels increased more than 80-fold between 5 and 24 hours in virus-injected tumors (P < .04), while no infectious virus was produced in NDV-injected muscle tissue. CONCLUSIONS NDV 73-T appears to replicate selectively in human IMR-32 neuroblastoma xenografts, leading directly to a potent antitumor effect as demonstrated by long-lasting, complete tumor regression occurring after a single local injection of virus. IMPLICATION These experiments may provide an important step in the development of new therapeutic approaches to challenging cancers such as neuroblastoma.
A new dataset for evaluating pedometer performance

This work describes a new dataset to improve pedometer evaluation. Prior evaluation techniques focus on regular gaits using laboratory assessment to simplify the manual counting of actual steps. Our goal is to analyze pedometer algorithms under more natural conditions that occur during daily living where gaits are frequently changing or remain regular for only brief periods of time. We video recorded 30 participants performing 3 activities: walking around a track, walking through a building, and moving around a room. Walking around a track uses a regular, consistent gait, and represents the traditional approach to pedometer evaluation. Walking through a building and around a room are activities that include varying amounts of pauses and gait changes, and represent a wider variety of normal daily activities. The ground truth time of each step was manually marked in the accelerometer signals by observing the videos. Collectively 60,853 steps were recorded and annotated. A subclass of steps called shifts were identified as those occurring at the beginning and end of regular strides, during gait changes, and during pivots changing the direction of motion. While shifts comprised only . 03% of steps in the regular stride activity, they comprised 10–25% of steps in the semi-regular and unstructured activities. We believe these motions should be identified separately, as they provide different accelerometer signals, and likely result in different amounts of energy expenditure. The proposed dataset will be the first to specifically allow for pedometer algorithms to be evaluated on unstructured gaits that more closely model natural activities.
Analyzing the Perceived Benefits of LEED-Certified and Energy Star–Certified Buildings in the Realm of Local Economic Development

Data collected from a national survey of economic development professionals are used in this study to examine the perceived role of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design–certified and Energy Star–certified buildings in the business recruitment process. A series of ordinal logistic regression models are estimated to examine economic developers’ attitudes toward these buildings after controlling for their personal characteristics and the characteristics of the communities where they work. The results suggest less favorable perceptions about this form of sustainable real estate development in smaller communities and those with weaker economic fundamentals. Furthermore, women employed in economic development are found to have more favorable attitudes toward these buildings than their male counterparts. Increasing support for sustainable real estate development among economic developers working in local government may therefore require a combination of thoughtful policy making, executive education, and greater gender diversity in the profession.
Relationship Between Isokinetic Strength and Tibiofemoral Joint Space Width Changes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background: It has been hypothesized that quadriceps muscle weakness is directly associated with the onset and progression of posttraumatic osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstruction (ACLR). This relationship, however, has not been studied with a prospective approach that includes the use of tibiofemoral joint space width difference (JSW-D) measurements to characterize the onset of posttraumatic osteoarthritis before the clinical manifestation of the disease. Purpose: To assess the relationship between thigh muscle strength and JSW-D at presurgery baseline and at 1- and 4-year follow-up after ACLR compared with healthy, noninjured participants of similar sex, age, body mass index, and activity level. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 39 unilateral ACL-injured patients and 32 healthy controls were followed prospectively. During each follow-up, JSW, isokinetic knee strength, single-legged hop, and clinical- and patient-oriented outcomes were assessed. At final follow-up, ACL-injured participants who had JSW-D values (considered as the injured minus normal knee) that were less than the 95% confidence interval of controls were considered to be in the ACLR-narrow group, while those with JSW-D values that fell within the confidence intervals were in the ACLR-normal group. Relationships were evaluated between ACLR groups and controls via multilevel regression, as well as Kruskal-Wallis tests for between-group comparisons at 4-year follow-up. Results: At 4-year follow-up, 30 participants (79%) were in the ACLR-normal group and 8 (21%) were in the ACLR-narrow group. At baseline, the extension, flexion, and extension/flexion ratio strength values for both ACLR groups were significantly lower than those of controls (P ≤ .05), while the ACLR-narrow group had significantly lower extension strength at 60 and 180 deg/s (P = .04 and .03, respectively), as well as extension/flexion ratio at 60 deg/s (P = .04) in comparison with the ACL-normal group. At 4-year follow-up, 60 deg/s extension strength deficits persisted in the ACLR-narrow group compared with controls and ACLR-normal participants (P = .01 and .04, respectively). Flexion strength at 180 and 300 deg/s was also significantly lower in the ACLR-narrow group compared with ACLR-normal (P = .02 and .04, respectively), as was single-legged hop distance (P = .04). Conclusion: Strength deficits present within months after ACL injury and persist through 4 years after ACLR in participants with significantly narrowed JSW-D, compared with ACLR participants with normal JSW-D and controls. This study revealed a significant relationship between quadriceps strength loss that occurred soon after injury and JSW narrowing.
Effective Coordination of Medical and Supportive Services

For at least the past quarter century, tension between “medical/allied health” and “social” models of care have characterized much of the home-care policy debate. There has also emerged a growing body of research and boundary-bending care models based on a holistic view of care recipients and caregiving. Such models coordinate between medical care and expanded supportive community services (SCS) that range from assistance with lifestyle modification, self-care, and informal care to adult-day services and home-health care. This article presents a new rationale for these models based on disablement theory and recent accounts of fairness in health policy. This approach is contrasted with the efficiency and efficacy policy perspectives that have received the most attention. The implications of an equal-opportunity approach to home-care policy for performance indicators are explored. Six basic models of coordination and current evidence on their impacts are described from this new perspective. Using qualitative data from two recent projects, five dimensions of care recipient and caregiver experiences that may be relevant to performance measurement are described. Suggestions for further service innovations and research are offered.
Can Serologic Markers Help Determine Prognosis and Guide Therapy?

The search for biologic markers that can assess the natural history and perhaps predict the course of an individual’s disease – including response to treatments over time – has become an important focus of inflammatory bowel disease research. The knowledge of an individual’s prognosis can help physicians and patients make important management decisions and aid communication on risks and benefits of disease and treatment.
The Association of Readiness to Change and Motivational Interviewing with Treatment Outcomes in Males involved in Domestic Violence Group Therapy

The present study investigated the impact of motivational interviewing (MI) and stage of change on a self-report measure of global functioning (Outcome Questionnaire [OQ 45.2]). Participants were men mandated to attend the Responsible Choices for Men (RCM) group therapy program following an incident of domestic violence. The study design utilized a quasi-experimental between-groups comparison utilizing data collected at three time points (pregroup, first group session, and final group session). One group of mandated program attendees received two sessions of MI (n = 106), whereas the comparison group did not (n = 106). Stage of change was assessed using the URICA-G and the URICA-DV (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment—Domestic Violence). Multilevel growth modeling indicated that stage of change has a significant relationship to global functioning. Discussion focuses on the potential benefits of MI as a pregroup treatment and the importance of accounting for individual readiness to change.
Amylase normal, lipase elevated: is it pancreatitis?

Objective:This study was undertaken to identify clinical scenarios in which the lipase is significantly elevated (three times above the upper limit of normal) but the amylase is normal, and to examine whether or not pancreatitis is the likely cause for this seemingly unusual constellation of laboratory results.Methods:Twenty-five patients were retrospectively identified over a 2-yr period, which fulfilled the above criteria. A thorough review of their charts was conducted. In addition, a critical review of the literature was performed.Results:It appears that isolated elevation of lipase in this case series was either related to renal insufficiency (two patients), to nonpancreatic sources of lipolytic enzymes due to malignant tumors (two), to acute cholecystitis (two) or esophagitis (one), to delayed blood withdrawal (at least five patients), to hypertriglyceridemia (two), or to subclinical pancreatitis in patients without abdominal pain (three). Conclusions:1. An elevated lipase should not be equated with evidence for pancreatitis if the amylase is normal. 2. A simultaneous determination of both amylase and lipase is recommended for the evaluation of patients with abdominal pain.
γH2A-Binding Protein Brc1 Affects Centromere Function in Fission Yeast

ABSTRACT The coordinated replication and transcription of pericentromeric repeats enable RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated transmission of pericentromeric heterochromatin in fission yeast, which is essential for the proper function of centromeres. Rad3/ATR kinase phosphorylates histone H2A on serine-128/-129 to create γH2A in pericentromeric heterochromatin during S phase, which recruits Brc1 through its breast cancer gene 1 protein (BRCA1) C-terminal (BRCT) domains. Brc1 prevents the collapse of stalled replication forks; however, it is unknown whether this activity influences centromere function. Here, we show that Brc1 localizes in pericentromeric heterochromatin during S phase, where it enhances Clr4/Suv39-mediated H3 lysine-9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) and gene silencing. Loss of Brc1 increases sensitivity to the microtubule-destabilizing drug thiabendazole (TBZ) and increases chromosome missegregation in the presence of TBZ. Brc1 retains significant function even when it cannot bind γH2A. However, elimination of the serine-121 site on histone H2A, a target of Bub1 spindle assembly checkpoint kinase, sensitizes γH2A-deficient and brc1Δ cells to replication stress and microtubule destabilization. Collective results suggest that Brc1-mediated stabilization of stalled replication forks is necessary for fully efficient transmission of pericentromeric heterochromatin, which is required for accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis.