Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The First Stars: clues from quasar absorption systems

Astronomers now have at their disposal telescopes and instruments that allow them to look back in time over most of the history of the Universe, from the present epoch to less than a billion years after the Big Bang, when the Universe was still in its infancy. Using quasars (the bright nuclei of distant galaxies) as background sources of light, we can follow the evolution of galaxies and of the matter between them from the First Stars to the rich diversity of the Universe today. In this article, I focus on recent developments in the study of the most metal-poor gas seen in the spectra of quasars, whose properties can be used to infer the nature of the First Stars and, in some cases, even determine the universal fraction of baryons.
Cross-platform comparison of independent datasets identifies an immune signature associated with improved survival in metastatic melanoma

Platform and study differences in prognostic signatures from metastatic melanoma (MM) gene expression reports often hinder consensus arrival. We performed survival/outcome-based pairwise comparisons of three independent MM gene expression profiles using the threshold-free algorithm rank-rank hypergeometric overlap analysis (RRHO). We found statistically significant overlap for genes overexpressed in favorable outcome (FO) groups, but no overlap for poor outcome (PO) groups. This “favorable outcome signature” (FOS) of 228 genes coinciding on all three overlapping gene lists showed immune function predominated in FO MM. Surprisingly, specific cell signature-enrichment analysis showed B cell-associated genes enriched in FO MM, along with T cell-associated genes. Higher levels of B and T cells (p<0.05) and their relative proximity (p<0.05) were detected in FO-to-PO tumor comparisons from an independent MM patients cohort. Finally, expression of FOS in two independent Stage III MM tumor datasets correctly predicted clinical outcome in 12/14 and 44/70 patients using a weighted gene voting classifier (area under the curve values 0.96 and 0.75, respectively). This RRHO-based, cross-study analysis emphasizes the RRHO approach power, confirms T cells relevance for prolonged MM survival, supports a favorable role for B cells in anti-melanoma immunity, and suggests B cells potential as means of intervention in melanoma treatment.
Effects of adenohypophysectomy on testicular function in the lizard Anolis carolinensis.

About 300 adult male lizards, Anolis carolinensis, measuring over 59 mm in snout-vent length were used in studying the role of the pars distalis in controlling testicular function. Both maintenance and development of the germ cells and androgen production depend on the adenohypophysis. Rapid regression in testicular size and spermatogenic activity follow removal of the pars distalis in animals kept at 31 C. Germ cells begin degenerating within 2 days, and all except a few Spermatogonia are lost within 10 days. Regression is complete within 14 days; enlarged testes decrease from 35 to 2 mg. Autoradiographic studies demonstrate that in intact animals spermatogonia develop to the stage of transforming spermatids within 14 days; thymidine uptake by germ cells ceases within 4 days after hypophysectomy. The rate of regression is highly temperature dependent, and only slight changes occur in the testes within 21 days after hypophysectomy at 20 C. Short daylengths effect a “physiological” hypophysectomy at 31 C during October. Studies of testis function after removal of different parts of the pars distalis fail to support claims of two separate gonadotropes with restricted distributions in the pars distalis of reptiles. Testes develop normally at 31 C as long as any 50% of the gland remains intact. Testes weights remain stationary or decline when larger amounts of the gland are removed, but all stages of spermatogenesis and hypertrophy of the epididymis occur as long as at least 20% remains. The production of some spermatocytes continues as long as 10% of the gland remains, and these effects are independent of the region of the gland removed.
INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC REGIMENS AGAINST ACUTE LEUKEMIA TRANSIENTLY SUPPRESS ASTHMA SYMPTOMS BUT DO NOT LEAD TO LONG-TERM RELIEF

In some very rare cases children suffer from a combination of asthma and a malignant disease. This study investigated whether intensive chemotherapy might have a positive effect on asthma in these special cases and whether asthma generally relapses after completion of chemotherapy. The authors monitored clinical outcome and lung function of 43 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma who received chemotherapy at the University Children's Hospital of Greifswald between 1993 and 1998. Cytostatic chemotherapy was administered according to the German treatment protocols. Two of the 43 patients had asthma before leukemia was diagnosed. During the course of chemotherapy, asthma symptoms diminished promptly after beginning of chemotherapy but asthma was rediagnosed after completion of chemotherapy in both cases. The third patient developed asthmatic symptoms shortly after completion of chemotherapy for the first time. It can be stated that chemotherapy does not essentially cure asthma. Therefore, it seems mandatory to perform follow-up lung testings after chemotherapy, especially in patients with asthma.
Reflections: an inquiry into medical students’ professional identity formation

Professional identity formation plays a crucial role in the transition from medical student to doctor. At McMaster University, medical students maintain a portfolio of narrative reflections of their experiences, which provides for a rich source of data into their professional development. The purpose of this study was to understand the major influences on medical students’ professional identity formation.
Prevalence of reported peyote use 1985-2010 effects of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994.

BACKGROUND Peyote was classified as a hallucinogen in the Drug Abuse Control Act of 1965, leaving American Indian (AI) religious use in legal ambiguity. In 1994, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was amended to unambiguously protect the right of religious use of peyote for AIs. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this article is to report the prevalence rates of peyote use by AIs compared to the rest of the US population and to determine what effect the act's passage had on peyote use rates. METHODS This investigation utilized an analysis of existing archived large nationally representative surveys of the American population. Data on peyote use rates was determined for most years 1985 through 2010. A total of 886,088 completed surveys were analyzed, of which 12,749 were from AIs. Use rates were triangulated using peyote harvest data. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Peyote use for AIs and the rest of the US population has remained stable between 1% and 2%. American Indian use rose dramatically in the 4 years following the AIRFA and leveled to just under 10%. The rapidity of the rise was excessive in light of the growth in the NAC and compared to the amounts of peyote stocks available. It is hypothesized that social desirability biases suppressed the Pre-AIRFA use rates due to peyote illegal status. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Beyond describing peyote use rates and the effects of the AIRFA, this research adds to the body of evidence regarding the levels of under-reporting of illicit drugs.
Right ventricular free-wall scar: an exceptional source of post-infarction ventricular tachycardia. A case report

Abstract Background In patients with coronary artery disease, ventricular tachycardia (VT) is usually related to left ventricular (LV) post-infarction scars. Case summary A case of a 78-year-old man with post-infarction VT originating from the right ventricular (RV) free wall is described. Following recurrent episodes of VT with left bundle branch block morphology and left superior axis deviation, a patient with prior myocardial infarction was submitted to catheter ablation. Two areas of abnormal bipolar electrograms were observed at 3D electroanatomical mapping: one located at the basal aspect of the posterior and postero-septal LV, and the other one extending from the antero-lateral to the posterior mid-basal RV free wall. Ventricular late potentials (LPs) were recorded within both scars, but only pacing from those located in the RV resulted in long stimulus-to-QRS latency and optimal pace-mapping. Accordingly, this substrate was deemed the culprit of the clinical VT. Radiofrequency catheter ablation aimed at eliminating all LPs recorded from both scars was effective in preventing VT recurrences at follow-up. Discussion A post-infarction RV free-wall scar may exceptionally be responsible of VT occurrence. Right ventricular mapping should be considered in selected cases based on 12-lead electrocardiogram VT morphology and prior RV infarct.
Effect of the Vacuum Energy Density on Graviton Propagation

It is known that the value L of the vacuum energy density affects the propagation equation for gravitons: A mass term appears in the propagation equation, such that m^2=-L. As a consequence, the polarization states of gravitons also change. This effect of the L-term has been confirmed by recent calculations in a curved background, which is the only proper setting, since solutions of the classical Einstein equations in the presence of a L-term represent a space with constant curvature. A real value for the mass (when L 0) are still unclear; on general grounds, one can expect the onset of instabilities in this case. This is also confirmed by numerical simulations of quantum gravity which became recently available. These properties gain a special interest in consideration of the following. (1) The most recent cosmological data indicate that L is positive and of the order of 0.1 J/m^3. Is this value compatible with a stable propagation of gravitons? (2) The answer to the previous question lies perhaps in the scale dependence of the effective value of L. L may be negative at the small distance/large energy scale at which the quantum behavior of gravitational fields and waves becomes relevant. Furthermore, local contributions to the vacuum energy density (in superconductors in certain states, and in very strong static electromagnetic fields) can change locally the sign of L, and so affect locally the propagation and the properties of gravitons. The graviton wavefunction, for different values of the parameters, may be characterized by superluminal phase velocity or by unitarity only in imaginary valued time.
FDG PET of primary benign and malignant bone tumors: standardized uptake value in 52 lesions.

PURPOSE To evaluate the standardized uptake value (SUV) of 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) at positron emission tomography (PET) in the differentiation of benign from malignant bone lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-two (19 malignant, 33 benign) primary bone lesions were examined with FDG PET prior to tissue diagnosis. The SUVs were calculated and compared between benign and malignant lesions and among histologic subgroups that included more than four cases. RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference in SUV between benign (2.18 +/- 1.52 [SD]) and malignant (4.34 +/- 3.19) lesions in total (P =.002). However, giant cell tumors (n = 5; SUV, 4.64 +/- 1.05) showed significantly higher SUV than chondrosarcomas (n = 7; SUV, 2.23 +/- 0.74) (P =.036, adjusted for multiple comparisons) and had no statistically significant difference in SUV compared with osteosarcomas (n = 6; SUV, 3.07 +/- 0.96) (P =.171). There was no statistically significant difference in SUV between fibrous dysplasias (n = 6; SUV, 2.05 +/- 0.98) and osteosarcoma (P =.127) or chondrosarcomas (P =.667). Although the number of cases was small, three chondroblastomas, one sarcoidosis, and one Langerhans cell histiocytosis showed levels of FDG accumulation as high as that of osteosarcomas. CONCLUSION Radiologists should be aware of the high accumulation of FDG in some benign bone lesions, especially histiocytic or giant cell-containing lesions. Consideration of histologic subtypes should be included in analysis of SUV at FDG PET of primary bone tumors.
Flowering Intensity and Sex Ratio of Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.)

Z. mauritiana is an important fruit crop of economic importance which can be cultivated on marginal lands on a commercial scale, especially in India, where it is indiginious (Arndt et al., 2001). Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae) comprises about 170 species of spiny shrubs and small trees distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the World (Islam and Simmons, 2006). Ber is a deciduous tree and flowering starts from August to October, its fruit mature from January to March in India (Shukla et al., 2004). Flowering period lasted for about one month long (Mishra et al., 2004). Flowers of Ziziphus are hypanthium (a cup or tube bearing the floral parts above the base of the ovary of the flower) type and inflorescences are cyme or small panicle (Tel-Zur, 2009). The flowers are small and inconspicuous; their most noticeable part is a pale yellow
National High School Athlete Concussion Rates From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012

Background: High school athletes are at risk for concussions. Although a previously published study showed an increase in concussion rates for a single school district, it remains unknown if the rate of concussions among high school athletes is increasing nationally. Purpose: To investigate national high school athlete concussion rates over time. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study. Methods: The rate of concussions per 1000 athlete-exposures was calculated for academic years 2005-2006 through 2011-2012 using the High School Reporting Information Online sports injury surveillance system. Results: During the 7-year period of this study, High School Reporting Information Online captured 4024 concussions with overall concussion diagnosis rates increasing significantly from 0.23 to 0.51 (P = .004). Concussion diagnosis rates increased for each of the 9 sports studied, with 5 sports having statistically significant increases over this 7-year period. Conclusion: The study analysis indicates that national concussion diagnosis rates for high school sports have increased significantly over time.
The evidence for clonal spreading of quinolone resistance with a particular clonal complex of Campylobacter jejuni

SUMMARY Campylobacter is the most prevalent cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and it represents a significant public health risk of increasing severity due to its escalating resistance to clinically important quinolone and macrolide antibiotics. As a zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter is transmitted along the food chain and naturally cycles from environmental waters, feedstuff, animals and food to humans. We determined antibiotic resistance profiles, as well as multilocus sequence types and flaA-SVR types for 52 C. jejuni isolated in Slovenia from human, animal, raw and cured chicken meat and water samples. Twenty-eight different sequence types, arranged in ten clonal complexes, three new allele types and five new sequence types were identified, indicating the relatively high diversity in a small group of strains. The assignment of strains from different sources to the same clonal complexes indicates their transmission along the food supply chain. The most prevalent clonal complex was CC21, which was also the genetic group with 95% of quinolone-resistant strains. Based on the genetic relatedness of these quinolone-resistant strains identified by polymerase chain reaction with a mismatch amplification mutation assay and sequencing of the quinolone resistance-determining region of the gyrA gene, we conclude that the high resistance prevalence observed indicates the local clonal spread of quinolone resistance with CC21.
Rural Social Networks along Amazonian Rivers: Seeds, Labor and Soccer among Communities on the Napo River, Peru

Abstract Research on Amazonian communities has focussed more often on rural‐urban linkages than on links among rural communities. This is unsurprising, given the low density of population, limited intercommunity commerce, and importance of direct city‐market relations. Social relations among rural communities are also important in shaping rural livelihoods and lifeways. We report on the findings of a large‐scale census of communities in the Napo River basin in northeastern Peru (n=174). Data were gathered on intervillage crop seed acquisition and cooperative labor sharing as two key inputs in agriculture, and on intervillage soccer matches, which are integral to rural social life. We analyze the socio‐spatial networks of each practice, paying attention to settlement patterns, community ethnicity, and differential access to the uplands. We find that seeds and labor flow along soccer network lines. Rural social networks appear to be structured strongly by ethnicity (homophily) and reflect important complementarities between upland and lowland communities (weak ties).
Association between XRCC 1 Arg 399 Gln , Arg 280 His , Arg 194 Trp polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk : a pooled analysis based on Chinese individuals

Although various individual studies have evaluated the correlation between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms and cervical cancer, the current results remain inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a pooled analysis based on Chinese individuals to provide comprehensive data on the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, Arg280His polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk. Studies were identified using PubMed and Chinese databases through July 2016. A total of ten studies with 2049 cervical cancer cases and 2922 controls were included in this meta-analysis. It revealed that XRCC1 Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp polymorphisms were significantly associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer in our study. No significant association was observed between XRCC1 Arg280His and cervical cancer in all the models. In conclusion, this metaanalysis suggests that XRCC1 Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp polymorphisms may be associated with cervical cancer risk in Chinese individuals, while Arg280His polymorphism might not be a risk factor for cervical cancer.
An ethnographic study of main events during hospitalisation: perceptions of nurses and patients.

AIM To explore nurses' and patients' perceptions of care during main events of hospitalisation. BACKGROUND Main events during hospitalisation such as admission, transfer to the operation room and preparation for discharge have been identified as times when there is significant patient-caregiver interaction. It is during these interactions that there is an opportunity for the nurse to have a positive influence on the patient's satisfaction with care. The patient's perception of care has been studied but not qualitatively. Perceptions of care from the nurses' perspectives have not been well studied. This study explored the patient's perception of care as well as the nurse's perception of the care he provided. DESIGN This study used an ethnographic methodology that included participant observation and unstructured interviews. METHOD The research was conducted in two phases. First, participant observation was chosen to observe and understand nurse-patient and nurse-family behaviour. The second phase was an unstructured interview to elicit both the patient's and the nurse's views about the care experience. RESULTS Two major findings were the patient and the nurse had different perceptions of the care experience and the presence of family or a support person influenced the patient's perception of care. CONCLUSION The use of ethnography proved to be a valuable methodology for studying the interactions of patients, families and nurses. Qualitative methods such as ethnography can yield significant findings on perceptions that are unable to be gleaned by traditional quantitative methods but can serve to provide hypotheses for further study. Relevance to clinical practice. This study suggests that to maintain quality and patient satisfaction scores, hospitals will need to focus on the difference between the perceived care given and the perceived care received particularly during main events. The role of families and visitors supports positive perceptions of care.
X-ray evaluation of symmetry development of human metatarsal bones in different periods of fetal life.

BACKGROUND Symmetry and asymmetry have intrigued people for centuries. Most studies are based on adult specimens, and there are few asymmetry studies carried out on children and fetuses. The aim of this study was an x-ray evaluation of the asymmetry of human metatarsal bones in different periods of fetal life. MATERIAL/METHODS The material consisted of 36 fetuses (18 male, 18 female). The fetuses were preserved in 10% formalin and the metatarsal bones were subsequently x-rayed in the A-P projection. Total area and length of the metatarsal bones were measured. The fetuses were divided into three groups according to fetal age calculated by measurement of the crown-rump length (CRL) and total length using the Scammon and Calkins methods. The results were put into tables which show which side of a sample bone pair is larger. RESULTS Structural asymmetry in fetal metatarsal bones on the right and left side was found. In the younger group, the character of the asymmetry fluctuated. A clear one-sided domination in all metatarsal bones appeared only in the oldest group (over 26 gestational weeks). CONCLUSIONS These result demonstrate that such asymmetry forms and matures during ontogenesis, similarly to other systems and organs.
A very short hydrogen bond provides only moderate stabilization of an enzyme-inhibitor complex of citrate synthase.

Two extremely potent inhibitors of citrate synthase, carboxyl and primary amide analogues of acetyl coenzyme A, have been synthesized. The ternary complexes of these inhibitors with oxaloacetate and citrate synthase have been crystallized and their structures analyzed at 1.70- and 1.65-A resolution, respectively. The inhibitors have dissociation constants in the nanomolar range, with the carboxyl analogue binding more tightly (Ki = 1.6 nM at pH 6.0) than the amide analogue (28 nM), despite the unfavorable requirement for proton uptake by the former. The carboxyl group forms a shorter hydrogen bond with the catalytic Asp 375 (distance < 2.4 A) than does the amide group (distance approximately 2.5 A). Particularly with the carboxylate inhibitor, the very short hydrogen bond distances measured suggest a low barrier or short strong hydrogen bond. However, the binding constants differ by only a factor of 20 at pH 6.0, corresponding to an increase in binding energy for the carboxyl analogue on the enzyme of about 2 kcal/mol more than the amide analogue, much less than has been proposed for short strong hydrogen bonds based on gas phase measurements [> 20 kcal/mol (Gerlt & Gassman, 1993a,b)]. The inhibitor complexes support proposals that Asp 375 and His 274 work in concert to form an enolized form of acetyl-coenzyme A as the first step in the reaction.
HIV-1 Env-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses in exposed, uninfected Kenyan sex workers: a prospective analysis

The prospective significance of HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in highly exposed, persistently seronegative populations is unknown. In 1996-1997 we screened for CTL responses against HIV clade B Env in 39 recently enrolled Kenyan female sex workers, and followed these women prospectively. Annual HIV incidence was 5.8%. CTL were independently associated with age and recent HIV-1 exposure,but were not prospectively associated with protection in a multivariable model that included HIV-1 exposure and duration of sex work.