Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influenza virus infections among patients attending emergency department according to main reason to presenting to ED: A 3-year prospective observational study during seasonal epidemic periods

Objective The role of influenza virus in patients presenting at ED during seasonal-epidemic periods has not previously been specified. Our objective was to determine its frequency according to clinical presentation. Methods This is a prospective observational study conducted during three-consecutive seasonal Influenza epidemics (2013–2015), including patients presenting i) community-acquired pneumonia (CAP); ii) severe acute symptoms (SAS): respiratory failure (RF), hemodynamic failure (HF), cardiac failure (CF), and miscellaneous symptoms (M); iii) symptoms suggesting influenza (PSSI). Patients were tested for influenza using specific PCR on naso-pharyngeal swabs. Results Of 1,239 patients, virological samples were taken from 784 (63.3%), 213 (27.2%) of whom were positive for the influenza virus: CAP 52/177 (29.4%), SAS 115/447 (25.7%) and PSSI 46/160 (28.8%) (p = 0.6). In the SAS group positivity rates were: RF 76/263 (28.9%), HF 5/29 (17.2%), CF 15/68 (22.1%), and M 19/87 (21.8%) (p = 0.3). Among the major diagnostic categories, the influenza virus positivity rates were: asthma 60/231 (26%), acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 18/86 (20.9%), HIV 5/21 (23.8%) and cardiac failure 33/131 (25.2%). The positivity of the samples has not been associated (p>0.1) nor the presence of signs of severity or admission rate in medical ward nor intensive care unit. Conclusions Our results indicate that during seasonal influenza epidemics, Influenza virus-positivity rate is similar in patients attending ED for influenza-compatible clinical features, patients with acute symptoms including pneumonia, respiratory, hemodynamic and cardiac distress, and patients presenting for acute decompensation of chronic respiratory and cardiac diseases.
The effect of frequency of feeding on the utilization of free lysine by growing pigs

1. Pigs from 20 to 47 kg live weight were given a wheat–safflower diet supplemented with either 0, 2 or 4 g L-lysine/kg either once daily or in six equal portions at intervals of 3 h. 2. The addition of lysine at both levels significantly (P < 0.001) increased growth rate, feed conversion and lean content of the ham. 3. Frequency of feeding had no effect on the response of pigs given the control diet. 4. A significant interaction (P < 0.05) between frequency of feeding and lysine supplementation occurred for growth rate. Growth responses to the supplements of 2 and 4 g L-lysine/ kg with once-daily feeding were only 43 and 69% of those achieved under the frequent-feeding regimen.
Incidence of outer retinal tubulation in eyes with choroidal neovascularization under intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in a Japanese population

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of outer retinal tubulation (ORT) among patients with different types of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) over time. Materials and methods In this retrospective chart review, disease type was classified as typical age-related macular degeneration (t-AMD), polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP), or myopic CNV (mCNV). Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images were evaluated for the appearance of ORT and subretinal fibrosis and fluid. Furthermore, the association of the presence of ORT with clinical data and OCT findings was investigated. Results Among the 136 eyes studied, the overall rates of occurrence of ORT were 7.8%, 18.8%, and 31.6% after 12, 24, and 36 months from baseline, respectively. Among patients with t-AMD, RAP, and mCNV, the occurrence of ORT increased soon after the initial visit. In contrast, among patients with PCV, the occurrence of ORT increased slowly over time. Patients with and without ORT – ORT(+) and ORT(−) groups, respectively – differed significantly in terms of sex ratio and presence of intraretinal fluid at the initial visit and presence of subretinal fibrosis at 3 years from baseline. The ORT(+) group exhibited lower visual acuity (VA; 0.67±0.43) than that of the ORT(−) group (0.41±0.36; P<0.001). Conclusion The occurrence of ORT tended to increase more slowly among eyes diagnosed with PCV than among eyes with other types of CNV.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA cleavage and encapsidation require the product of the UL28 gene: isolation and characterization of two UL28 deletion mutants

The herpes simplex virus type 1 UL28 gene contains a 785-amino-acid open reading frame that codes for an essential protein. Studies with temperature-sensitive mutants which map to the UL28 gene indicate that the UL28 gene product (ICP18.5) is required for packaging of viral DNA and for expression of viral glycoproteins on the surface of infected cells (C. Addison, F. J. Rixon, and V. G. Preston, J. Gen. Virol. 71:2377-2384, 1990; B. A. Pancake, D. P. Aschman, and P. A. Schaffer, J. Virol. 47:568-585, 1983). In this study, we describe the isolation of two UL28 deletion mutants that were constructed and propagated in Vero cells transformed with the UL28 gene. The mutants, gCB and gC delta 7B, contained deletions of 1,881 and 537 bp, respectively, in the UL28 gene. Although the mutants synthesize viral DNA, they fail to form plaques or produce infectious virus in cells that do not express the UL28 gene. Transmission electron microscopy and Southern blot analysis demonstrated that both mutants are defective in cleavage and encapsidation of viral DNA. Analysis by cell surface immunofluorescence showed that the UL28 gene is not required for expression of viral glycoproteins on the surface of infected cells. A rabbit polyclonal antiserum was made against an Escherichia coli-expressed Cro-UL28 fusion protein. This antibody reacted with an infected-cell protein having an apparent molecular mass of 87 kDa. The 87-kDa protein was first detected at 6 h postinfection and was expressed as late as 24 h postinfection. No detectable UL28 protein was synthesized in gCB- or gC delta 7B-infected Vero cells.
Assessment of the therapeutic role of Arabic Gum as Antioxidants on Cadmium induced kidney dysfunction in male albino rats

Many industrial emissions and the exhaust of vehicles contain heavy metals . Cadmium, (Cd) is one of these heavy metals and is emitted in the gas and dust remnants of some factories like copper smelters. Cadmium has a half-life of greater than ten years in human and thus accumulates in the body over the time. It is a potentially neurotoxic pollutant and approximately 50% of the body burden of cadmium can be found in the kidney. Cadmium produces proximal tubule dysfunction and tissue injury. This injury may progress to a chronic interstitial nephritis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Arabic gum on renal disorder induced by cadmium on male rats. The results obtained showed that daily intrapreitoneal injection of 2 mg cadmium chloride (CdCl2) / Kg b. wt / day for ten weeks induced renal toxicity in rats. Serum urea, creatinine, sodium (Na), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and total calcium (Ca) were evaluated one and two weeks post- cadmium induction. Significant ameliorations were noted in these parameters after daily treatment with a dose 0.5 g/kg of Arabic gum during the experimental period.
Comparison of Seafood and Agricultural Ecological Premiums1

The report compares ecolabeled seafood premiums observed in the market with consumers’ stated willingness to pay premiums. Also ecolabeled premiums in the agricultural sector were examined. The next issue addressed was the sensitivity of changes in the price and premiums of ecolabeled seafood. Empirical findings showed that all things being equal, consumers stated willingness to pay reflects in their actual market behavior though they may pay less than stated. Premiums observed in the aquaculture (24-38%) appear to be generally higher than the fisheries (10-13%). Stated premiums for environmentally sound seafood production however ranged from 15-50%. In the agricultural sector, revealed premiums mostly seem to lie in range of 10-50% with few extremes and stated premiums in the range of 4-300%. Fresh and perishable organic food products tend to attract higher premiums. Stated premiums were conditioned on a number of factors but most evident was consumer’s level of knowledge about ecolabel programs and the aesthetic quality comparable to conventional products. Though premiums varied by consumer segments, reduction in premiums were associated with increase in the number of consumers eager to switch to organic products. Also ecolabeled agricultural products generally appear to be more elastic than conventional products, an indication that reduction in prices would increase the market demand.
Poverty Traps and the Social Protection Paradox

Progressively targeted cash transfers remain the dominant policy response to chronic poverty in developing countries. But are there alternative social protection policies that might have larger poverty impacts over time for the same public expenditure? To explore this question, this paper develops a dynamic stochastic model of of consumption and asset accumulation by households that confront a non-convex production technology and face missing financial markets. The model demonstrates that a hybrid social protection policy, which devotes resources to funding “state of the world contingent transfers” (SWCTs) to vulnerable, but non-poor households in the wake of negative shocks, can result in lower rates of poverty in the medium term than does a conventional cash transfer policy. We also explore the prospects for using subsidized index insurance as a way to implement SWCTs and find that an insurance-based hybrid policy can result in lower total public expenditures than a conventional cash transfer social protection program.
Substitution of Osteoporotic Alveolar Bone by Biphasic Calcium Phosphate/Poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide Biomaterials

Lost bone tissue due to osteoporosis makes dentistry very difficult. The aim of thisstudy is to reconstruct the bone tissue with composite biomaterials and to estimate the optical density and alveolar ridge height of the mandible. Research is conducted on 30 postmenopausal women aged from 46 to 62 years, with diagnosed osteoporosis and defects in alveolar bones caused by extraction of paradontopathic teeth, enucleation of cysts and periapical changes, extraction of impacted teeth,or by trauma.Biphasic calcium phosphate/poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide (BCP/PLGA) composite is implanted into the defects of alveolar bones. Six weeks after implantation of BCP/PLGA, the alveolar bone density in the region of premolars on the experimental side of the jaw is found to be lower than that on the untreated, control, side of the jaw. On thecontrary, 24 weeks after implantation, it is significantly higher compared with the density of the control side. A significant increase in optical density of alveolar bones in the region of premolars on the experimental side compared with the control one is noticed. These results indicate a high level of osteoregeneration and osteoblast activity. Synthetic BCP/PLGA composite belongs to the group of biomaterials, which facilitate formation of new bones and rehabilitation of alveolar bones weakened by osteoporosis. Because of its osteoconductive characteristics, BCP/PLGA composite is supposed to be the material of choice for replacement of bone tissue in the future.
"Does Perception of Gasoline Taxes Paid Influence Support for a State Gas Tax Increase for Highway Improvements? Evidence from California and Michigan" 1

This research compares the actual magnitude of fuel taxes to the perceptions of these amounts. The issue is whether misperceptions about fuel taxes are contributing to voter perspectives about transportation finance and investment issues. A survey of likely California and Michigan voters shows that taxpayers often overestimate the amount they pay in fuel taxes. Considering a worst- case scenario of miles traveled in a year by a typical driver, about half of the California poll respondents overestimate the magnitude of monthly state gas taxes paid by a typical driver in the state; while about three-quarters of Michigan poll respondents overestimate the same magnitude for their state. Logistic regression analysis shows that voter (mis)perceptions regarding the magnitude of state fuel taxes do affect their views regarding highway revenue and investment proposals. Therefore, a reasonable policy implication from this research it that proposals to generate additional revenue for highway investment are likely to have more success if accompanied by a public education campaign concerning the gasoline taxes actually paid in a state and the reality of the magnitude paid by the state's typical driver.
Exploring the impact of emotional intelligence on portfolio performance: An international exploratory study

Purpose The main purpose of this research is to empirically test the impacts of emotional intelligence score and emotional intelligence processing on the performance of investor’s portfolio. Design/methodology/approach A mail questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 983 international investors. The total number of usable responses received was 197 giving a response rate of 20.4 per cent. From 197 investors, 46 accepted to complete the experiment study during two trading hours for each investor from January first until February 19, 2015. Findings The results reveal a positive impact of emotional intelligence on portfolio performance. Additional analysis shows that the emotional intelligence process has a significant impact on the portfolio performance. The higher impact is revealed when the investors understand the markets tendency, manage their own emotions, take their financial decisions and finally control their personnel emotions during market fluctuations. The lower impact is detected when investors take reactive decisions after perceiving the markets tendency. This research also reveals that the investors have high capacity to manage and control their emotions during market fluctuations especially who are characterized by high emotional intelligence level. Research limitations/implications The first limit of this research is the exploration of limited number of investors and financial operations during limited period. Therefore, the results could not be generalized, and further studies should include larger samples during larger period. The second limitation concerns the used variables to measure the portfolio performance and the emotional intelligence level. For future studies, it will be preferred to use other quantitative and qualitative variables lead to measure the different analytical dimensions of portfolio performance and emotional intelligence. Practical implications The results hold implications for investors that seek to enhance efficiently and effectively the portfolio performance. It also prompts investors to focus on effort that can improve the management and the control of personnel emotions. Originality/value This paper presents one of the first empirical studies that attempt to explore how emotional intelligence and, particularly, emotional process serve to sustain the performance of portfolio during market fluctuations.
The Graph Structure in the Web - Analyzed on Different Aggregation Levels

Knowledge about the general graph structure of theWorldWideWeb is important for understanding the social mechanisms that govern its growth, for designing ranking methods, for devising better crawling algorithms, and for creating accurate models of its structure. In this paper, we analyze a large web graph. The graph was extracted from a large publicly accessible web crawl that was gathered by the Common Crawl Foundation in 2012. The graph covers over 3:5 billion web pages and 128:7 billion hyperlinks. We analyze and compare, among other features, degree distributions, connectivity, average distances, and the structure of weakly/strongly connected components. We conduct our analysis on three different levels of aggregation: page, host, and pay-level domain (PLD) (one “dot level” above public suffixes). Our analysis shows that, as evidenced by previous research (Serrano et al., 2007), some of the features previously observed by Broder et al., 2000 are very dependent on artifacts of the crawling process, whereas other appear to be more structural. We confirm the existence of a giant strongly connected component; we however find, as observed by other researchers (Donato et al., 2005; Boldi et al., 2002; Baeza-Yates and Poblete, 2003), very different proportions of nodes that can reach or that can be reached from the giant component, suggesting that the “bow-tie structure” as described by Broder et al. is strongly dependent on the crawling process, and to the best of our current knowledge is not a structural property of the Web. More importantly, statistical testing and visual inspection of size-rank plots show that the distributions of indegree, outdegree and sizes of strongly connected components of the page and host graph are not power laws, contrarily to what was previously reported for much smaller crawls, although they might be heavy tailed. If we aggregate at pay-level domain, however, a power law emerges. We also provide for the first time accurate measurement of distance-based features, using recently introduced algorithms that scale to the size of our crawl (Boldi and Vigna, 2013).
Elastic Band Prediction Equations for Combined Free-Weight and Elastic Band Bench Presses and Squats

Shoepe, TC, Ramirez, DA, and Almstedt, HC. Elastic band prediction equations for combined free-weight and elastic band bench presses and squats. J Strength Cond Res 24(1): 195-200, 2010-Elastic bands added to traditional free-weight techniques have become a part of suggested training routines in recent years. Because of the variable loading patterns of elastic bands (i.e., greater stretch produces greater resistance), it is necessary to quantify the exact loading patterns of bands to identify the volume and intensity of training. The purpose of this study was to determine the length vs. tension properties of multiple sizes of a set of commonly used elastic bands to quantify the resistance that would be applied to free-weight plus elastic bench presses (BP) and squats (SQ). Five elastic bands of varying thickness were affixed to an overhead support beam. Dumbbells of varying weights were progressively added to the free end while the linear deformation was recorded with each subsequent weight increment. The resistance was plotted as a factor of linear deformation, and best-fit nonlinear logarithmic regression equations were then matched to the data. For both the BP and SQ loading conditions and all band thicknesses tested, R2 values were greater than 0.9623. These data suggest that differences in load exist as a result of the thickness of the elastic band, attachment technique, and type of exercise being performed. Facilities should adopt their own form of loading quantification to match their unique set of circumstances when acquiring, researching, and implementing elastic band and free-weight exercises into the training programs.
PCR ribotype prevalence and molecular basis of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) and fluoroquinolone resistance in Irish clinical Clostridium difficile isolates.

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial use is recognized as a risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and outbreaks. We studied the relationship between PCR ribotype, antimicrobial susceptibility and the genetic basis of resistance in response to exposure to antimicrobial agents. METHODS C. difficile isolates were cultured from 133 CDI patients for whom recent antimicrobial drug exposure had been recorded. Isolates were ribotyped by PCR and assessed for their susceptibility to the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS(B)) group of compounds (erythromycin and clindamycin) and fluoroquinolone antimicrobials (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin). Where relevant, the genetic basis of resistance was determined. RESULTS Prevalent ribotypes (including 027, 001 and 106) exhibited significantly greater antimicrobial resistance compared with ribotypes 078 and 014, among others. Clindamycin-resistant ribotype 078 was detected for the first time. Ribotypes 027 and 001 were more likely to exhibit MLS(B) resistance, a feature that was associated with the erm(B) gene. Exposure to MLS(B) or fluoroquinolone antimicrobial compounds in the 8 weeks prior to the onset of infection was not associated with specific genetic markers of resistance. Single amino acid substitutions in the A and B subunits of DNA gyrase were noted and were ribotype specific and linked to resistance to moxifloxacin. CONCLUSIONS Resistance to MLS(B) and fluoroquinolone antimicrobial compounds is common among prevalent ribotypes of C. difficile. The genetic basis for antimicrobial resistance appears to be ribotype specific and conserved in the absence of recent antimicrobial selection pressure.
Catalase therapy corrects oxidative stress-induced pathophysiology in incipient diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE Preclinical studies have highlighted retinal oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. We evaluated whether a treatment designed to enhance cellular catalase reduces oxidative stress in retinal cells cultured in high glucose and in diabetic mice corrects an imaging biomarker responsive to antioxidant therapy (manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging [MEMRI]). METHODS Human retinal Müller and pigment epithelial cells were chronically exposed to normal or high glucose levels and treated with a cell-penetrating derivative of the peroxisomal enzyme catalase (called CAT-SKL). Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were measured using a quantitative fluorescence-based assay. For in vivo studies, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic C57Bl/6 mice were treated subcutaneously once a week for 3 to 4 months with CAT-SKL; untreated age-matched nondiabetic controls and untreated diabetic mice also were studied. MEMRI was used to analytically assess the efficacy of CAT-SKL treatment on diabetes-evoked oxidative stress-related pathophysiology in vivo. Similar analyses were performed with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase. RESULTS After catalase transduction, high glucose-induced peroxide production was significantly lowered in both human retinal cell lines. In diabetic mice in vivo, subnormal intraretinal uptake of manganese was significantly improved by catalase supplementation. In addition, in the peroxisome-rich liver of treated mice catalase enzyme activity increased and oxidative damage (as measured by lipid peroxidation) declined. On the other hand, DFMO was largely without effect in these in vitro or in vivo assays. CONCLUSIONS This proof-of-concept study raises the possibility that augmentation of catalase is a therapy for treating the retinal oxidative stress associated with diabetic retinopathy.