Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphometric and Molecular Study of Fasciola Isolates from Ruminants in Iran.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was morphometric and molecular characterization of Fasciola isolates from ruminants in Iran. METHODS Flukes were collected from the livers of 54 naturally infected sheep and cattle. The proportion of body length to width (L/W) of each fresh fluke was measured using a digital caliper. We employed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to explore the reliability of L/W for differentiating the two species. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequencing was performed on ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes. The sequences were then analyzed and phylogenetic relationships were investigated. RESULT Forty-eight out of 54 isolates (88.9%) were identified as F. hepatica and four isolates (7.4%) as F. gigantica. All the sheep isolates were F. hepatica, while 4 out of 10 cattle were infected with F. gigantica. The morphometric study revealed an L/W ratio of 1.2 to 6.5 in Fasciola isolates with significantly higher L/W ratio in F. gigantica (p<0.00). According to the ROC curve analysis, the L/W value of 3.55 was regarded as the critical value to discriminate between the two species. CONCLUSIONS Findings of the present study indicate the presence of both Fasciola species in southeastern Iran. The phylogenetic analysis revealed two different clades representing F. hepatica and F. gigantica. The two isolates in this study were described as Fasciola sp. The mitochondrial DNA of these isolates were similar to F. hepatica, while their ITS fragments were identical to F. gigantica.
Association between depression and maintenance medication adherence among Medicare beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Depression is a significant comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although comorbid depression is associated with low use and poor adherence to medications treating other chronic conditions, evidence of the relationship between depression and COPD management is limited. This study estimated the association between depression and COPD maintenance medication (MM) adherence among patients with COPD.
Prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting with ondansetron, metoclopramide, or placebo in total intravenous anesthesia patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE To compare total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with ondansetron, and metoclopramide in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients. METHODS A prospective randomized double-blinded study was performed at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2007. Seventy-five patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy under TIVA were randomized to receive either: metoclopramide 10 mg (n=25), 4 mg ondansetron (n=25), or placebo (n=25) at the end of surgery. Postoperative nausea and vomiting episodes, analgesic supply, rescue medication, adverse events, and patient satisfaction were collected over 24 hours. RESULTS Nineteen patients developed PONV. The frequencies of PONV were equal for the 2 groups (28%), and lower among the ondansetron group (20%) (p>0.05). Female gender, lengthy surgery, and longer hospital stay were associated with more frequent PONV regardless of the study group (p<0.05). Patient's satisfaction was more frequent among the ondansetron group (p>0.05). Morphine consumption was associated with more PONV, but it was statistically significant only in the placebo group. There was no difference between the 3 groups with regard to the VAS pain score, cardiovascular parameters, or oxygen saturation. CONCLUSION It is unlikely that a single technique or drug will ever be effective in treating emesis under all surgical circumstances. Therefore, a multimodal regimen incorporating avoidance of emesis triggering factors, and administration of antiemetic medications is recommended.
The antisense oligonucleotide ISIS 2922 prevents cytomegalovirus‐induced upregulation of IL‐8 and ICAM‐1 in cultured human fibroblasts

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with excessive proinflammatory immune responses such as cytokine/chemokine production or upregulation of adhesion molecules on the host cells. It is assumed that these features of HCMV‐related immunopathology can not be treated effectively with currently available anti HCMV drugs. In the present study the efficacy of ganciclovir (GCV), foscarnet (PFA), cidofovir (HPMPC), and ISIS 2922, an antisense oligonucleotide complementary to HCMV immediate‐early (IE) mRNA, was investigated on HCMV‐induced secretion and functional activity of the C‐X‐C chemokine IL‐8 and the expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1). As compared with mock‐infected cells IL‐8 production was increased up to 9‐fold and ICAM‐1 expression up to 4‐fold in HCMV‐infected fibroblasts. Treatment of infected cells with GCV (40 μM), PFA (200 μM) or HPMPC (2 μM) suppressed completely virus replication as demonstrated by quantification of late (L) antigen expression and infectious virus production. These drugs, however, failed to inhibit IE antigen expression and did not prevent HCMV‐induced upregulation of IL‐8 and ICAM‐1. In contrast, ISIS 2922 (1 μM) suppressed both IE and L antigen expression by 99% and inhibited infectious virus production by 104‐fold. Moreover, ISIS 2922 significantly suppressed HCMV‐induced upregulation of both IL‐8 and ICAM‐1 expression on the transcriptional and on the protein level. Our results indicate that ISIS 2922 but not inhibitors of HCMV DNA prevents HCMV‐induced upregulation of IL‐8 and ICAM‐1, both hallmarks of inflammatory processes. Thus, inhibition of HCMV IE expression with ISIS 2922 may be an important strategy for the treatment of HCMV‐related immunopathogenesis. J. Med. Virol. 60:313–323, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What are the Long-Run Determinants of the Real Exchange Rate in Mena Countries? An Empirical Investigation

Abstract This paper investigates the main determinants of the real exchange rate in the Meadle East and North African (MENA) countries. We carry out recent panel data unit-root tests proposed by Im, Pesaran and Shin (1997, 2003) and panel data cointegration techniques developed by Pedroni (1999, 2004) to estimate the long-run determinants of the real exchange rate and we compare the results with those obtained with conventional time series unit-roots and cointegration tests. Our main finding is that whereas standard time series approach rejects the Balassa-Samuelson hypothesis for 12 countries out of 16, recent panel cointegration techniques permit to rescue this hypothesis for MENA countries. Moreover, further investigations show that government consumption, real interest rate differentials and the openness degree of the economy also influence real exchange rate in the long-run.
Implementation of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) on Reading, Writing and Numeracy Skills for Autistic Children

Autistic children have complex developmental obstacles that require measurable assessment techniques. However, teachers often find it challenging to conduct quantifiable assessments, primarily to monitor academic abilities because of the incompatibility of cognitive development of autistic children. This purpose of the study to describe the application of CBM to monitor the academic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic of autistic children and to describe and analyze the supporting factors and inhibiting factors of CBM implementation. This study uses a mixed method with the research subjects being autistic grade VIII junior high school girls. The findings indicate that CBM can be applied to children with autism. The CBM can be done on autistic children. The CBM for the development of learning plans has been carried out into four stages, namely screening, goal setting, diagnostic assessment, making hypotheses about interventions, and developing learning plans. The supporting factors for CBM implementation are the ease of using CBM, the assessment results make it easy to determine the next learning program, and use measurable measurement criteria, while the inhibiting factors are children's mood changes that are influenced by internal factors and external factors of autistic children. Keywords— autism, CBM, reading, writing, counting
The contribution of local government authorities in addressing teacher motivation in public secondary schools in Tanzania: A case of Dodoma municipality

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of local government authorities in addressing teacher motivation in public secondary schools in Tanzania. The study had three objectives, namely; to examine the role played by local government authorities (LGAs) informing, promoting and sustaining secondary school teachers’ motivation in Dodoma municipality; to identify problems facing LGAs in promoting secondary school teachers’ motivation in Dodoma municipality; and to explore possible initiatives that LGAs can undertake to enhance motivation to secondary school teachers in Dodoma municipality. The theoretical framework adopted for the study was a modified concept of Herzberg’s theory. Data collection was done using questionnaires and interviews. Sixty teachers from six public secondary schools filled in the questionnaire. Interviews were administered to six heads of schools, one district secondary education officer, two zonal school inspectors and one district TTU official. The findings show that LGAs were making efforts to motivate teachers, though at low range. The motivation of teachers was found not to be sustainable as LGAs had no proper plans to provide teachers with the required motivation. On the other hand the LGAs were faced with several challenges in motivating teachers, these including poor parental support to schools and their development projects whereby parents refused to contribute money or their manpower in projects such as building of teachers’ houses or classrooms; poor implementation of targeted education plans and shortage of fund in the education sector which hindered the implementation of education plans by LGAs. LGAs also failed to improve teaching conditions in different schools. The study recommended that LGAs should establish mechanisms to ensure that teachers’ living conditions are improved; teachers’ overtime allowances are paid; teachers are promoted on time and incentives like leave travel assistance, salary, arrears and other claims are paid to the teachers.
Proteomic analysis of HDL from inbred mouse strains implicates APOE associated with HDL in reduced cholesterol efflux capacity via the ABCA1 pathway[S]

Cholesterol efflux capacity associates strongly and negatively with the incidence and prevalence of human CVD. We investigated the relationships of HDL’s size and protein cargo with its cholesterol efflux capacity using APOB-depleted serum and HDLs isolated from five inbred mouse strains with different susceptibilities to atherosclerosis. Like humans, mouse HDL carried >70 proteins linked to lipid metabolism, the acute-phase response, proteinase inhibition, and the immune system. HDL’s content of specific proteins strongly correlated with its size and cholesterol efflux capacity, suggesting that its protein cargo regulates its function. Cholesterol efflux capacity with macrophages strongly and positively correlated with retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) and PLTP, but not APOA1. In contrast, ABCA1-specific cholesterol efflux correlated strongly with HDL’s content of APOA1, APOC3, and APOD, but not RBP4 and PLTP. Unexpectedly, APOE had a strong negative correlation with ABCA1-specific cholesterol efflux capacity. Moreover, the ABCA1-specific cholesterol efflux capacity of HDL isolated from APOE-deficient mice was significantly greater than that of HDL from wild-type mice. Our observations demonstrate that the HDL-associated APOE regulates HDL’s ABCA1-specific cholesterol efflux capacity. These findings may be clinically relevant because HDL’s APOE content associates with CVD risk and ABCA1 deficiency promotes unregulated cholesterol accumulation in human macrophages.
Frequency of narcolepsy symptoms and other sleep disorders in narcoleptic patients and their first‐degree relatives

Narcolepsy is a rare neurological sleep disorder affecting around 0.05% of the general population. Genetic factors are known to have an important role in narcolepsy. However, because of its very low prevalence, it is difficult to have groups of comparison between first‐degree relatives and general population subjects in order to identify a specific spectrum of disorders in these families. Consequently, from 157 Italian patients with narcolepsy, 263 first‐degree relatives were recruited, two refused to participate. These family members were compared with a matched group of 1071 subjects selected from a sample of 3970 subjects representative of the general population of Italy (46 million inhabitants). Finally, 68 spouses of narcoleptic patients were used to assess for possible role of environmental factors. All subjects were interviewed by telephone using the Sleep‐EVAL system. Nineteen cases of narcolepsy were discovered among the first‐degree relatives of 17 probands (10.8%). Compared with the general population subjects, the relative risk of narcolepsy among female first‐degree relatives was of 54.4 and of 105.1 among male first‐degree relatives. First‐degree relatives were also at higher risk for idiopatic hypersomnia (OR: 23.0), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OR: 6.8), adjustment sleep disorder (OR: 4.0), insufficient sleep syndrome (OR: 7.0), circadian rhythm disorders (OR: 2.5), REM behavior disorder (OR: 4.4), and sleep talking (OR: 2.0). The vulnerability to sleep disorders is very high in first‐degree relatives and the link with different expressivity and severity of hypersomnia can be confirmed.
Commitment Driven Investing and Time Diversification

Contrary to conventional practices, classic works of P. Samuelson and R. Merton demonstrated the rationality of the myopic view of life-cycle portfolio selection - a rational investor should maintain the same portfolio regardless of the investor’s age. Since then, academic and practitioners have endeavored to find a sensible portfolio selection framework that would justify the rationality of evolving portfolios. This paper provides such a framework as well as theoretical justification for the conventional practices - an investor’s portfolio should be rationally expected to evolve as the investor gets older. This framework differs from the classic approach in its primary objective (to fund a specific financial commitment vs. to maximize expected utility) as well as in the recognition that multiple asset allocation decisions should form a Nash equilibrium solution to the problem of funding the commitment.
Landslide Material Control on Tsunami Genesis—The Storegga Slide and Tsunami (8,100 Years BP)

Tsunami generation from subaqueous landslides is controlled by landslide kinematics, which in turn is governed by the material properties of the slide mass. Yet the effect of the material properties on tsunami genesis is poorly understood. Geomorphological observations of landslide runout put constraints on the landslide dynamics. In addition, observations of tsunami runup heights can improve our understanding of how the landslide material transforms from initiation to final runout. The giant prehistoric Storegga Slide off the mid-Norwegian coast caused a well-documented ocean-wide tsunami that offers a unique setting for coupling landslide material models to tsunami generation models. In this study we simulate the dynamics of the Storegga Slide and tsunami using the depth-averaged landslide model BingClaw, which implements visco-plastic rheology and remolding, and couple it to a standard tsunami propagation model. A broad sensitivity study varying the landslide material strength parameters in BingClaw shows that the initial soil yield strength and remolding rate are most important for the tsunami genesis but that the residual strength determined the final runout distance. BingClaw parameters were further optimized to obtain the observed runout distance and to minimize the relative error of the tsunami runup heights. As detailed time-dependent three-dimensional representations of landslide parameters cannot be determined through a field investigation of the landslide itself, these simulations of the Storegga Slide and tsunami can help in the selection of plausible parameter ranges for prognostic modeling in quantitative hazard assessments.
Confirmation of Putative HIV-1 Group P in Cameroon

ABSTRACT We report the second human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belonging to the new HIV type 1 (HIV-1) group P lineage that is closely related to the simian immunodeficiency virus found in gorillas. This virus was identified in an HIV-seropositive male hospital patient in Cameroon, confirming that the group P virus is circulating in humans. Results from screening 1,736 HIV-seropositive specimens collected in Cameroon indicate that HIV-1 group P infections are rare, accounting for only 0.06% of HIV infections. Despite its rarity, group P shows evidence of adaptation to humans.
Usability testing of Google cloud applications: students' perspective

Modern information and communication technologies affect all areas of life significantly, including education and learning. Cloud storage tools are one of the forms of modern information technologies that are employed to serve the educational process. The current research aims to study the use of Google cloud applications (Google Classroom, Google Plus and Google Drive) in education and to determine the most appropriate web-based training environment in view of the level of usability. The experimental method was applied in this study using a sample of 200 students from Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University. The current research found that there was some convergence in the usability of the three environments. Based on the results of the study, it was found that the environment of Google Classroom has the highest usability value (86.45), and also showed statistically significant differences in scholastic achievement in the application the service of Google Classroom in the educational process.
Severing of a hydrogen bond disrupts amino acid networks in the catalytically active state of the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase

Conformational changes in the β2α2 and β6α6 loops in the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase (αTS) are important for enzyme catalysis and coordinating substrate channeling with the beta subunit (βTS). It was previously shown that disrupting the hydrogen bond interactions between these loops through the T183V substitution on the β6α6 loop decreases catalytic efficiency and impairs substrate channeling. Results presented here also indicate that the T183V substitution decreases catalytic efficiency in Escherchia coli αTS in the absence of the βTS subunit. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments indicate that the T183V substitution leads to local changes in the structural dynamics of the β2α2 and β6α6 loops. We have also used NMR chemical shift covariance analyses (CHESCA) to map amino acid networks in the presence and absence of the T183V substitution. Under conditions of active catalytic turnover, the T183V substitution disrupts long‐range networks connecting the catalytic residue Glu49 to the αTS‐βTS binding interface, which might be important in the coordination of catalytic activities in the tryptophan synthase complex. The approach that we have developed here will likely find general utility in understanding long‐range impacts on protein structure and dynamics of amino acid substitutions generated through protein engineering and directed evolution approaches, and provide insight into disease and drug‐resistance mutations.
Granules and Secretory Vesicles in Human Neonatal Neutrophils

Neonates have an increased susceptibility to bacterial infections that may be due to defective adherence and migration of neonatal neutrophils (NN). Because receptors of relevance for these activities are located mainly in intracellular granules and secretory vesicles that have only recently been characterized in adult neutrophils (AN), we investigated whether the same structures are present in NN and to what extent they are mobilized in response to chemotactic and inflammatory mediators. Subcellular fractionation of NN on a three-layer Percoll density gradient revealed that secretory vesicles, identified by latent alkaline phosphatase and albumin, are present in NN. We also demonstrated the presence of gelatinase granules distinct from specific granules, although the content of their respective markers, gelatinase and lactoferrin, was markedly reduced. The low content of lactoferrin may explain an observed lower isopycnic density of specific granules in NN. Mobilization of granules by a variety of stimuli was slightly higher in NN compared with AN, whereas mobilization of secretory vesicles was normal. This shows that NN contain both secretory vesicles and all subsets of granules identified in AN, and that these are readily mobilized, although a marked structural difference exists between peroxidase-negative granules of NN and AN that may reflect differences during myelopoiesis.
Binding of lectins to Streptococcus mutans cells and type-specific polysaccharides, and effect on adherence

The lectin concanavalin A (Con A) agglutinated the cells of 13 of 15 strains of the seven serotypes of Streptococcus mutans in an 18-h incubation period. Strains of types a, d, f, and g agglutinated within 2 h. Strains of a, d, and f were also agglutinated in 2 h by the castor bean lectin RCA. S. sanguis, S. salivarius, S. bovis, Actinomyces viscosus, A. naeslundii, and Lactobacillus plantarum were agglutinated within 2 h. The S. mutans type f polysaccharide was precipitated by Con A. The a, b, c, d, and e polysaccharides were not precipitated. Glucan from d and e strains of S. mutans and dextran T2000 were also precipitated by Con A. D-glucose inhibited the agglutination of type f cells by Con A and the agglutination of type d cells by D-galactose. The quantity of [acetyl-3H]Con A bound was not proportional to the degree of agglutination. Cells grown in sucrose medium bound more Con A than those grown in glucose medium. After treatment with dextranase, the sucrose-grown cells bound two- to fourfold more Con A. The binding of Con A to the type-specific polysaccharide or to teichoic acid could not be determined by the use of specific antibody due to the binding of Con A to the antibody globulin on the cell surface. Con A bound to S. mutans cells did not inhibit the activity of cell-bound glucosyltransferase, glucan synthesis, and in vitro adherence. Bound Con A also did not inhibit the ability of heat-treated cells to bind glucosyltransferase, synthesize glucan, and produce in vitro adherence.