Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Two Perkinsus spp. from the Softshell Clam, Mya arenaria Using the Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA Gene

Sequence analysis and riboprinting of the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes were used to characterize two morphologically different Perkinsus species isolates from the gill (G117) and the hemolymph (H49) of the softshell clam, Mya arenaria. Sequence data of the polymerase chain reaction amplified ribosomal RNA loci of G117 and H49 indicated that these genes are 1803 and 1806 base‐pair long, respectively. A sequence similarity of > 98.9% was calculated among ribosomal RNA sequences of the two isolates of this study and the published sequences of Perkinsus marinus from the American eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and Perkinsus sp. from the blood cockle of the Australian mollusc, Anadara trapezia. From a phylogenetic tree obtained from Jukes‐Cantor distances of the aligned ribosomal RNA gene sequences of 13 eukaryotic taxa using the Neighbor‐Joining method, we showed that G117 and H49 clustered within the genus Perkinsus. Guided by the sequence data of Perkinsus marinus (accession # X75762) and Perkinsus sp. (accession # L07375), restriction endonucleases were selected for restriction fragment analysis of polymerase chain reaction products of the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (riboprinting). Riboprinting was used to distinguish the four members of the genus Perkinsus from each other.
Assessment of puberty in relation to L-carnitine and hormonal replacement therapy in beta-thalassemic patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate puberty in a group of thalassemic patients with delayed or arrested pubertal development and to compare the effects of hormonal and L-carnitine therapy on puberty in those patients. PATIENTS Thirty-two -thalassemic patients with arrested or failure of puberty were enrolled for 1 year in this study. METHOD Clinical pubertal assessment and laboratory investigations were done for all patients at the beginning, 6 months later clinical pubertal assessment was done. Patients were divided into two groups (16 each): first group received L-carnitine therapy, while the second group received hormonal therapy. Pubertal and laboratory assessment were done 6 months after hormonal and L-carnitine therapy. RESULTS Failure of puberty was confirmed in 71.4% of boys and 33.3% of girls, while arrested puberty was observed in 28.6% of boys and 66.7% of girls. All girls had amenorrhea, primary amenorrhea in 88.9% and secondary amenorrhea in 11.1%. Menses occurred in 20% of female patients after L-carnitine therapy and in 37.5% of them after hormonal therapy. Improvement of pubertal staging was observed in 50% of males after L-carnitine therapy compared to 75% of them after hormonal therapy. While improvement of pubertal staging was seen in 90% of females after L-carnitine therapy compared to 100% of females after hormonal treatment. However, these results showed no significant difference between both groups. CONCLUSION Delayed puberty in beta-thalassemia major is either due to failure of gonads or failure of the whole hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis. L-carnitine as well as hormonal replacement therapy had a positive effect on puberty in the thalassemic patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of L-carnitine on puberty in these patients.
Experimental determination of the nature of diffusive motions of water molecules at low temperatures.

Extensive and high-quality quasi-elastic incoherent neutron scattering data were obtained for water in the temperature range extending from room temperature down to —20 C in the supercooled state. The analysis generally confirms findings of our previous experiment [S. H. Chen, J. Teixeira, and R. Nicklow, Phys. Rev. A 26, 3477 (1982)], but in particular three new results have been obtained: (a) two relaxation times are clearly identified, which are related to the short-time and intermediate-time diffusion of water molecules, respectively, and their temperature dependence has been determined; (b) one of these relaxation times is associated with jump diffusion of the protons, and the temperature dependence of the jump length has been qualitatively determined; (c) the Q dependence of the scattering intensity integrated over the quasi-elastic region gives a Debye-%'aller factor which is temperature independent.
Detection of knee hyaline cartilage defects using fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo MR imaging: comparison with standard MR imaging and correlation with arthroscopy.

OBJECTIVE A preliminary study was done to prospectively compare fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo (3D SPGR) MR imaging with standard MR imaging for detection of defects in the hyaline cartilage of the knee, using arthroscopy as the reference standard. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We studied 43 consecutive patients referred by two orthopedic surgeons for MR imaging of the knee. Twelve had arthroscopic correlation; they formed the basis of our study. Hyaline cartilage was imaged with a fat-suppressed 3D SPGR sequence with previously determined optimal imaging parameters. Our standard MR imaging study consisted of two-dimensional coronal T1-weighted spin-echo, sagittal dual-echo T2-weighted spin-echo, and axial multiplanar gradient-echo sequences. With arthroscopy as the reference standard, sensitivity and specificity of fat-suppressed 3D SPGR and standard MR images for detecting cartilage tears were determined by articular surface (eight surfaces in each patient: medial and lateral patellar facets, trochlear facets, femoral condyles, and tibial plateaus). Statistically significant differences in sensitivity and specificity were determined. RESULTS Arthroscopy showed 15 cartilage defects in seven patients. The fat-suppressed 3D SPGR images had higher sensitivity (93%) than the standard MR images (53%, p = .03). Specificity was 94% for the fat-suppressed 3D SPGR images compared with 93% for the standard MR images (p > .05). The five false-positive articular surfaces on fat-suppressed 3D SPGR images were from focal signal change within the substance of the cartilage without a contour defect. Smoothly contoured thinning and loss of the trilaminar appearance of the hyaline cartilage at the lateral femoral notch was shown in all subjects and was considered a normal finding. CONCLUSION Fat-suppressed 3D SPGR imaging is more sensitive than standard MR imaging for the detection of abnormalities of the hyaline cartilage in the knee. Routine use of this technique may strengthen the role of MR imaging for noninvasive evaluation of internal derangements of the knee.
The Magnitude of the T Cell Response to a Clinically Significant Dose of Influenza Virus Is Regulated by TRAIL

An immune response of appropriate magnitude should be robust enough to control pathogen spread but not simultaneously lead to immunopathology. Primary infection with influenza A virus (IAV) results in a localized pulmonary infection and inflammation and elicits an IAV-specific CD8 T cell immune response necessary for viral clearance. Clearance of IAV-infected cells, and recovery from infection, is mediated by perforin/granzyme B- and Fas/FasL-mediated mechanisms. We recently reported that TRAIL is another means by which IAV-specific CD8 T cells can kill IAV-infected cells. The current study examined the role of TRAIL in the pulmonary CD8 T cell response to a clinically significant IAV [A/PR/8/34 (PR8; H1N1)] infection (i.e., leads to observable, but limited, morbidity and mortality in wild-type [WT] mice). Compared with WT mice, IAV-infected Trail−/− mice experienced increased morbidity and mortality despite similar rates of viral clearance from the lungs. The increased morbidity and mortality in Trail−/− mice correlated with increased pulmonary pathology and inflammatory chemokine production. Analysis of lung-infiltrating lymphocytes revealed increased numbers of IAV-specific CD8 T cells in infected Trail−/− mice, which correlated with increased pulmonary cytotoxic activity and increased pulmonary expression of MIG and MIP-1α. In addition, there was decreased apoptosis and increased proliferation of IAV-specific CD8 T cells in the lungs of Trail−/− mice compared with WT mice. Together, these data suggest that TRAIL regulates the magnitude of the IAV-specific CD8 T cell response during a clinically significant IAV infection to decrease the chance for infection-induced immunopathology.
MiR-181 b : new perspective to evaluate disease progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Over the past decades numerous markers of the tumor burden have been discovered in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Among these, the microRNAs seem to have a promising role. The development and validation of miRNAs as biomarkers should have significant impact in improving early cancer detection and diagnosis, enhancing therapeutic success, and increasing the life expectancy of patients. We identified miR181b as a biomarker for the progression of this disease from indolent to aggressive. For this study we used sequential samples from patients with either progressive or stable course of the illness. Here, we discuss more extensively this issue by adding novel findings and introducing a novel approach for monitoring CLL patients.
An Ertapenem-Resistant Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Clone Carries a Novel OmpK36 Porin Variant

ABSTRACT Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae caused an outbreak in a hospital in Rome, Italy. The clinical isolates were tested by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, plasmid typing, and β-lactamase identification. The OmpK35 and OmpK36 porins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and their genes were amplified and sequenced. Complementation experiments were performed using a recombinant unrelated ompK36 gene. An ertapenem-resistant and imipenem- and meropenem-susceptible clone was identified and assigned to the sequence type 37 lineage by MLST; it carried SHV-12 and CTX-M-15 ESBLs, did not produce the OmpK35 due to a nonsense mutation, and expressed a novel OmpK36 variant (OmpK36V). This variant showed two additional amino acids located within the L3 internal loop, one of the highly conserved domains of the protein. Two isolates of the same clone also exhibited resistance to imipenem and meropenem, due to the loss of OmpK36 expression by a nonsense mutation occurring in the ompK36V variant gene. These were the first carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates identified within the hospital. Screening for the ompK36V gene of unrelated K. pneumoniae isolates derived from patients from 2006 to 2009 demonstrated the high frequency of this gene variant as well as its association with ertapenem resistance, reduced susceptibility to meropenem, and susceptibility to imipenem.
Low‐Dose Fentanyl Blunts Circulatory Responses to Tracheal Intubation

The effect of fentanyl, 8 μg/kg. used as an adjunct to thiopental for induction of anesthesia, on the circulatory response to tracheal intubation was investigated in 36 patients undergoing major vascular surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either thiopental, 6 mg/kg, alone (N = 181, or thiopental, 3 mg/kg, along with fentanyl, 8 μg/kg (N = 181, for induction of anesthesia. The electrocardiogram, arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, and central venous pressure were measured during induction of anesthesia, laryngoscopy, and intubation. Mean arterial blood pressure increased more following intubation in patients given thiopental than in patients given fentanyl-thiopental, reaching a peak value of 144 ± 4 torr in patients receiving thiopental only, compared with 108 ± 6 torr in those receiving fentanyl and thiopental (p < 0.0001). Increases in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure with intubation were also significantly greater following administration of thiopental than following fentanyl-thiopental. Doses of fentanyl that are low enough to cause little postoperative respiratory depression significantly blunt postintubation hypertension when used as an adjunct to thiopental.
Normal Proinsulin Responses to Glucose in Mild Type II Subjects With Subnormal Insulin Response

IPI, 32–33 SPI, and insulin were measured by specific assays and related to plasma glucose and BMI in diet-treated type II diabetic subjects (FPG 7.3 ± 1.8 mM) and nondiabetic control subjects, both fasting and during a 12-mM hyperglycemic clamp. In both groups, BMI correlated with fasting plasma insulin (rs = 0.76, P < 0.001 and 0.50, P < 0.01, respectively) and IPI (rs = 0.49, P = 0.03 and rs = 0.69, P < 0.001, respectively). Accounting for obesity, fasting plasma insulin was subnormal in diabetic subjects (58% of control group, 1 SD range, 49–68%), but did not correlate with FPG. In contrast, fasting plasma IPI correlated with FPG in the diabetic patients (rs = 0.47, P < 0.05). In all subjects, 64% of the variance in plasma IPI was explained by BMI and FPG. Fasting 32–33 SPI was similar in the two groups. In response to a hyperglycemic clamp, the diabetic subjects had subnormal insulin concentrations (geometric means 71 and 214 pM, P < 0.001), but normal IPI concentrations (11.6 and 14.2 pM, respectively). Reduction of 32–33 SPI concentrations in diabetic subjects was intermediate (7.3 and 13.2 pM, P < 0.05). In diabetic subjects both fasting and clamp responses were subnormal for insulin but apparently normal for IPI. The major defect in pancreatic function is an impaired insulin response to glucose, and this, rather than an increase in proinsulin secretion, gives rise to the relative increase in proinsulin.
New Onset Diabetes Mellitus after Living Donor Renal Transplantation: A Unique Pattern in the Egyptian Population

Objectives: Our aim was to identify the diabetic risk profile of new onset diabetes after live donor renal transplantation (NODAT) and its impact on patient and graft survival in Egyptian population. Patient and methods: A retrospective review of 2019 renal allograft recipients has been performed. Risk factors, medical complications, patient and graft survival were analyzed. Results: After a mean follow up period of 8.8 ± 5.8 years, 450 (22.2%) recipients developed NODAT. A 455 post transplantation time matched control recipients without DM was selected. Time table revealed that 50% of NODAT cases discovered during the first 6 months post transplantation. The NODAT recipients were significantly older and obese with higher body mass index. Family history of DM was significantly positive among the NODAT group. Cox’s multivariate regression analysis revealed that the older age, positive family history of DM, high BMI, HCV infection and hypercholesterolemia were of significant risk factor. Medical complications were significant in the NODAT group. Patient survival was significantly lower in the NODAT group on the other hand the graft survival was comparable. Conclusion: NODAT does not statistically affect the graft survival. But, NODAT is a major problem endangers the patient life and must be minded to consider such patient as especially at higher risk for diabetic complications.
Stratum-specific likelihood ratios of the General Health Questionnaire in the community: help-seeking and physical co-morbidity affect the test characteristics

Background. In evidence-based medicine, stratum-specific likelihood ratios (SSLRs) are now being increasingly recognized as a more convenient and generalizable method to interpret diagnostic information than an optimal cut-off and its associated sensitivity and specificity. We previously examined the SSLRs of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in primary care settings. The present paper aims to examine if these SSLRs are generalizable to the community settings. Methods. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the GHQ were administered on a representative sample of the Australian population in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. We first compared the SSLRs of GHQ in urban Australia with the estimates that we had previously obtained from the developed urban centres in the WHO Psychological Problems in General Health Care study. If the SSLRs in the community were found to differ significantly from those in the primary care, we sought for explanatory variables. Results. The SSLRs in urban Australia and in the urban centres in the WHO study were significantly different for three out of the six strata. When we limited the sample to those with physical problems who visited a health professional, however, the SSLRs in the Australian study were strikingly close to those observed for primary care settings. Conclusions. Different sets of SSLRs apply to primary care and general population samples. For general population surveys in developed countries, the results of the Australian National Survey represent the currently available best estimates. For developing countries or rural areas, the results are less definitive and an investigator may wish to conduct a pilot study.
What's in a Grade? School Report Cards and House Prices

Throughout the last decade, many states around the country have begun making public student test scores or other evaluative measures of school quality available to the general public. The most recent trends in state policies under consideration, already enacted in Florida and a n major component of George W. Bush's education platform, involve the assignment of letter grades to rate school quality. Because school quality is one of a group of local public goods purchased along with a house, one would anticipate that additional information about school quality would capitalize into real estate values. This paper takes the first look at the role that this type of added information plays in the capitalization of school quality measures. We use rich student test score and housing value data from a medium-sized Florida school district, one of the nation's 200 largest, to directly investigate this link. Using data on repeat sales of properties before and after the assignment of school letter grades, we find significant evidence that arbitrary distinctions embedded in school report cards lead to major housing price effects.
Student Engagement with Online Resources and Its Impact on Learning Outcomes

There is an increasing demand and expectation for universities to incorporate greater levels of technology into the design and delivery of their curriculum. From an academic perspective, it is of significant interest to determine whether the increased use and availability of online teaching resources have made a positive impact on students’ academic performance and whether this is reflected in improved learning outcomes. This paper reports on the findings from a survey of first-year accounting students to assess the level of student engagement with online learning resources. The results indicate that, despite having three new online options readily available via WebCT, students expressed strong support for the traditional face-to-face approaches delivery as the more effective learning options. To determine whether the access to additional online resources had any impact in assisting the students’ learning in this subject and potentially affecting their assessment outcomes, a review was conducted to compare the overall pass rates attained. It was found that the period in which the improvement was most significant coincided with the availability of online recordings lectures and tutorials. An investigation of WebCT Course Management Statistical Tools revealed a positive relationship between the level of student engagement with online resources and their overall academic result. Across the key online activities measured, the time spent on each activity was considerably longer for the High Distinction students in comparison to failed students. The analysis of the results has been beneficial in identifying the online learning resources that are most useful in supporting student learning and provide guidance for further enhancement to the design and delivery of e-learning content in this subject.
Optimal Power Allocation for Spectrum Sensing and Data Transmission in Cognitive Relay Networks

In this letter, the problem of joint spectrum sensing and data transmission in a cognitive relay network is studied. An optimal power allocation (OPA) strategy is proposed to maximize the secondary throughput under both sensing performance and total power constraints. The OPA problem is transformed into seeking an optimal cognitive relay amplifying gain. Analytical and simulation results show that there indeed exists an optimal amplifying gain to achieve maximum secondary throughput under certain conditions. Furthermore, compared with equal power allocation (EPA), the throughput gain by OPA increases with the total power budget.
Hegel's Critique of Kantian Practical Reason

While many philosophers have found Hegel's critique of Kantian ethics to be interesting in certain respects, overall most tend to find it rather shallow and to think that Hegel either misunderstands Kant's thought or has a rather crude understanding of it. For example, in examining the last two sections of Chapter V of the Phenomenology— ‘Reason as Lawgiver’ and ‘Reason as Testing Laws’ (where we get an extended critique of the categorical imperative)- Lauer finds Hegel's treatment to be truncated and inadequate. The only trouble, though, is that like most other readers of the Phenomenology, Lauer does not recognize that Hegel had been examining and criticizing Kantian ethics throughout a much greater part of—indeed, more than half of—Chapter V. Once we do understand this, I think we must concede that Hegel's treatment is hardly truncated and that it cannot be described as shallow or inadequate. I will try to show that Hegel demonstrates a rather sophisticated understanding of, and gives a serious and thorough critique of, Kantian practical reason.
Rate Adaptation for HTTP Video Streaming to Improve the QoE in Multi-client Environments

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) adaptive streaming has become a new trend in video delivery. An HTTP adaptive streaming client needs to effectively estimate resource availability and demand. However, due to the bitrate of the video encoded in variable bitrate (VBR) mode, a bitrate mismatch problem occurs. With the rising demand for mobile devices, the likelihood of cases where two or more HTTP adaptive streaming clients share the same network bottleneck and competing for available bandwidth will increase. These mismatch and competition issues lead to network congestion, which adversely affects the Quality of Experience (QoE). To solve these problem, we propose a video rate adaptation scheme for the HTTP video streaming to guarantee and optimize the QoE. The proposed scheme estimates the available bandwidth according to the bitrate of each segment and also schedules the segment request time to expedite the response to the bandwidth variation. We used a multi-client simulation to prove that our scheme can effectively cope with drastic changes in the connection throughput and video bitrate.