Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Case‐Time‐Control Design: Further Assumptions and Conditions

The case-time-control design is a strategy that was developed to tackle the problem of confounding by indication in the nonexperimental assessment of intended or known effects of drugs. By using subjects as their own controls, the case-time-control design, under an explicitly defined model, eliminates the biasing effect of unmeasured confounding factors in the situation where exposure varies over time. The correct application of this design is based on a specific model that contains inherent assumptions and imposes certain conditions for the approach to be valid. In a recent article, Greenland questioned the validity of the case-time-control design by presenting several “counterexamples. ” In this paper, we review the assumptions inherent to the validity of the case-time-control model. We show that the presumed counterexamples are not what they are claimed to be, simply because they do not conform to the logistic model explicitly underlying the case-time-control approach. These examples are shown to arise from an alternative model that includes a confounder by period interaction, a term expressly avoided in the case-time-control model. When the data from these examples are modified to satisfy the correct model, the resulting case-time-control estimates of the treatment odds ratio are exactly 2, the true treatment effect. We clarify the necessity of this assumption in the context of matching in epidemiology. We also discuss briefly the assumptions of conditional independence and carryover effects. (Epidemiology 1998;9:441–445)
Lack of dependence of cerebral blood flow on blood viscosity after blood exchange with a Newtonian O2 carrier.

Whether the increase in cerebral blood flow measured after hemodilution is mediated by a decrease in blood viscosity or in oxygen delivery to the brain is debated. In the present study, blood was replaced by an oxygen-carrying blood substitute, ultrapurified, polymerized, bovine hemoglobin (UPBHB). In contrast to normal blood, UPBHB yields a constant and defined viscosity in the brain circulation, since its viscosity is not dependent on the shear rate. CBF was determined after blood exchange with UPBHB in one group of conscious rats (UPBHB group) and in another group of blood-exchanged conscious rats in which viscosity was increased fourfold by the addition of 2% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), mw 750,000 (UPBHB-PVP group). Local CBF (LCBF) was measured in 34 brain structures by means of the quantitative iodo(14C)antipyrine method. After blood replacement, systemic parameters such as cardiac index, arterial blood pressure, blood gases, and acid-base status were not different between the UPBHB and the UPBHB-PVP groups. In particular, arterial oxygen content was similar in both groups. Compared with a control group without blood exchange, LCBF was increased after blood exchange in the different brain structures by 60-102% (UPBHB group) and by 33-101% (UPBHB-PVP group). Mean CBF was increased by 77% in the UPBHB group and by 69% in the UPBHB-PVP group. No significant differences were observed in the values of LCBF or mean CBF between the UPBHB group and the UPBHB-PVP group. The results show that a fourfold variation in the viscosity of a Newtonian blood substitute does not result in differences in CBF values. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Seizure control in antiepileptic drug‐treated pregnancy

This brief report covers an analysis of 7 years outcome data from the Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy. In studying the control of antiepileptic drug‐treated epileptic seizures during pregnancy, it was found that pregnancy had little influence on antiepileptic drug‐treated epileptic seizure disorders. Seizures during pregnancy occurred in 49.7% of 841 antiepileptic drug (AED) treated pregnancies in women with epilepsy. Epilepsies that were active in the year before pregnancy tended to increase the risk of intrapartum and postpartum seizures. The risk of seizures during pregnancy was 50–70% less if the prepregnancy year was seizure free, and decreased relatively little more with longer periods of prepregnancy seizure control. Once there had been 1 year's freedom from seizures there seemed relatively little further advantage in deferring pregnancy to avoid seizures returning while pregnant.
Wear Behavior and Histopathology of Classic Cemented Metal on Metal Hip Endoprostheses

The authors reviewed their collection of retrieved all metal hip joints (9 McKee-Farrar, 7 Müller, and 3 Huggler type prostheses) and tissues from the joint capsules and implant beds. The amount of wear was measured, and the total volume was calculated. The tissues were analyzed by atomic absorption spectral analysis or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. The size of particles was measured with a texture analysis system. The articulating surfaces showed many delicate scratches which represent normal wear. The calculated annual wear averaged approximately 5 mm3 per year, which is low compared with polyethylene. The cellular reaction to metal wear particles was regarded as mild. The cellular reaction to scattered and worn bone cement was always more pronounced than to metallic debris. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the irregular shapes and mostly submicron size of the metal particles. The analytically detected metal content of the periarticular tissue was relatively low and in accordance with the wear measurements from the articulating surfaces. The excess of chromium in the tissues is discussed in the light of the elimination of cobalt as well as the relation between elements representing either corrosion products or elements still bound in wear particles.
Legionella pneumophila Strain 130b Possesses a Unique Combination of Type IV Secretion Systems and Novel Dot/Icm Secretion System Effector Proteins

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila is a ubiquitous inhabitant of environmental water reservoirs. The bacteria infect a wide variety of protozoa and, after accidental inhalation, human alveolar macrophages, which can lead to severe pneumonia. The capability to thrive in phagocytic hosts is dependent on the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS), which translocates multiple effector proteins into the host cell. In this study, we determined the draft genome sequence of L. pneumophila strain 130b (Wadsworth). We found that the 130b genome encodes a unique set of T4SSs, namely, the Dot/Icm T4SS, a Trb-1-like T4SS, and two Lvh T4SS gene clusters. Sequence analysis substantiated that a core set of 107 Dot/Icm T4SS effectors was conserved among the sequenced L. pneumophila strains Philadelphia-1, Lens, Paris, Corby, Alcoy, and 130b. We also identified new effector candidates and validated the translocation of 10 novel Dot/Icm T4SS effectors that are not present in L. pneumophila strain Philadelphia-1. We examined the prevalence of the new effector genes among 87 environmental and clinical L. pneumophila isolates. Five of the new effectors were identified in 34 to 62% of the isolates, while less than 15% of the strains tested positive for the other five genes. Collectively, our data show that the core set of conserved Dot/Icm T4SS effector proteins is supplemented by a variable repertoire of accessory effectors that may partly account for differences in the virulences and prevalences of particular L. pneumophila strains.
A Quasi-best Random Testing

Random testing, having been employed in both hardware and software for a long time, is well known for its simplicity and straightforwardness, in which each test is selected randomly regardless of the tests previously generated. However, traditionally, it seems to be inefficient for its random selection of test patterns. Therefore, a new concept of quasi-best distance random testing is proposed in the paper to make it more effective in testing. The new idea is based on the fact that the distance between two adjacent selected test vectors in a test sequence would greatly influence the efficiency of fault testing. Procedures of constructing such a testing sequence are presented and discussed in detail. The new approach has shown its remarkable advantage of fitting in most circuits. Experimental results and mathematical analysis of efficiency are also given to assess the performances of the proposed approach.
Review of atazanavir: a novel HIV protease inhibitor

Atazanavir is a novel and potent protease inhibitor that differs from other protease inhibitors because of its good gastrointestinal tolerability, once-daily dosing, low pill burden and it does not seem to cause insulin resistance or lipid elevations in short-term use. Atazanavir produces an increase in indirect bilirubin levels, which is not related to hepatotoxicity. The incidence of atazanavir-related hyperbilirubinaemia does not seem to be increased in hepatitis B or C coinfection. I50L is atazanavir’s signature mutation. It has been shown in previously treated patients that resistance is likely when three or more protease inhibitor resistance-related primary mutations are present.
Cannabis and psychopathology: The meandering journey of the last decade

Since its inception cannabis has been observed to be associated with various psycho-pathology. In this paper, the authors have reviewed the advancement made in this area over the last decade. The association between cannabis and schizophrenia has been researched more intensively. The controversy regarding the reliability, clinical utility, and the existence of a cannabis withdrawal syndrome has also been settled. Recent studies also buttressed the possibility of acute and chronic effect of cannabis on various cognitive functions. There has been a plethora of research regarding the treatment for cannabis use disorders. But the new and most interesting area of research is concentrated on the endocannabinoid system and its contribution in various psychiatric disorders.
Makassar Strait Throughflow Seasonal and Interannual Variability: An Overview

The Makassar Strait throughflow of ~12–13 Sv, representing ~77% of the total Indonesian Throughflow, displays fluctuations over a broad range of time scales, from intraseasonal to seasonal (monsoonal) and interannual scales. We now have 13.3 years of Makassar throughflow observations: November 1996 to early July 1998; January 2004 to August 2011; and August 2013 to August 2017. Strong southward transport is evident during boreal summer, modulated by an ENSO interannual signal, with weaker southward flow and a deeper subsurface velocity maximum during El Niño; stronger southward flow with a shallower velocity maximum during La Niña. Accordingly, the southward heat flux, a product of the along‐channel current and temperature profiles, is significantly larger in summer and slightly larger during La Niña. The southward flow relaxed in 2014 and more so in 2015/2016, similar though not as extreme as during the strong El Niño event of 1997. In 2017, the throughflow increased to ~20 Sv. Since 2016, the deep layer, 300‐ to 760‐m southward transport increases, almost doubling to ~7.5 Sv. Frommid‐2016 into early 2017, the transports above 300 m and below 300 m are about equal, whereas previously, the ratio was about 2.7:1. Near zero or northward flow occurs in the upper 100 m during boreal winter, albeit with interannual variability. Particularly strong winter reversals were observed in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017, the latter being the strongest winter reversal revealed in the entire Makassar time series. Plain Language Summary Pacific water flows into the Indian Ocean within the passages and basins of the Indonesian Seas: the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), driven by the pressure gradient between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The ITF affects heat and freshwater inventories of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The primary inflow path of Pacific water into the Indonesian seas is the Makassar Strait, channeling 12.5 × 10 m/s, about 77% of the total ITF. During the 21 years, November 1996 to August 2017, we have recorded 13.3 years of Makassar throughflow, exposing a broad range of spatial and temporal scale patterns. The Makassar Strait annual cycle transport ranges from about 7 to 16 × 10 m/s. Strong southward transport occurs during boreal summer, with weaker (stronger) southward flow and a deeper (shallower) subsurface velocity maximum during El Niño (La Niña). The throughflow relaxed in 2015 into 2016 during an El Niño. In 2017, the southward transport increased to 20 × 10 m/s. The 300‐ to 760‐m transport increased in 2016 into 2017, equaling the 0‐ to 300‐m transport, from the more typical 30% of the 0‐ to 300‐m transport. Near zero flow occurs in the upper ~100 m during boreal winter with particularly strong winter reversals in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017.
Mitch: A Machine Learning Approach to the Black-Box Detection of CSRF Vulnerabilities

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is one of the oldest and simplest attacks on the Web, yet it is still effective on many websites and it can lead to severe consequences, such as economic losses and account takeovers. Unfortunately, tools and techniques proposed so far to identify CSRF vulnerabilities either need manual reviewing by human experts or assume the availability of the source code of the web application. In this paper we present Mitch, the first machine learning solution for the black-box detection of CSRF vulnerabilities. At the core of Mitch there is an automated detector of sensitive HTTP requests, i.e., requests which require protection against CSRF for security reasons. We trained the detector using supervised learning techniques on a dataset of 5,828 HTTP requests collected on popular websites, which we make available to other security researchers. Our solution outperforms existing detection heuristics proposed in the literature, allowing us to identify 35 new CSRF vulnerabilities on 20 major websites and 3 previously undetected CSRF vulnerabilities on production software already analyzed using a state-of-the-art tool.
Effects of controlled RAD52 expression on repair and recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have examined the effects of RAD52 overexpression on methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) sensitivity and spontaneous mitotic recombination rates. Cells expressing a 10-fold excess of RAD52 mRNA from the ENO1 promoter are no more resistant to MMS than are wild-type cells. Similarly, under the same conditions, the rate of mitotic recombination within a reporter plasmid does not exceed that measured in wild-type cells. This high level of expression is capable of correcting the defects of rad52 mutant cells in carrying out repair and recombination. From these observations, we conclude that wild-type amounts of Rad52 are not rate limiting for repair of MMS-induced lesions or plasmid recombination. By placing RAD52 under the control of the inducible GAL1 promoter, we find that induction results in a 12-fold increase in the fraction of recombinants within 4 h. After this time, the fraction increases less rapidly. When RAD52 expression is quickly repressed during induction, the amount of RAD52 mRNA decreases rapidly and no nascent recombinants are formed. This result suggests a short active half-life for the protein product. Induction of RAD52 in G1-arrested mutant cells also causes a rapid increase in recombinants, suggesting that replication is not necessary for plasmid recombination.
Generalized LUI Propagation Model for UAVs Communications Using Terrestrial Cellular Networks

This work proposes an empirical propagation model to obtain the path loss, and therefore determine the average received power, of a signal for a specific outdoor urban scenario with UAVs. The proposed 3D propagation model for terrestrial cellular networks generalizes the LUI model and is valid in the frequency ranges from GSM, UMTS and LTE technologies. We report experimental work in 3D space, considering the height, the antennas base station tilt, sectorization, angle and distances profile. The experimental work included in this study appropriately agrees with the proposed theoretical model; hence, the proposed model is adequate for cellular planning tools.
The changing epidemiology of meningococcal disease in North America 1945–2010

The epidemiology of Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) is distinct in the United States and Canada compared with other countries. This review describes the incidence, mortality and vaccination strategies relevant to IMD in these countries over the past 65 y. The incidence of IMD has remained consistently low in both countries during this period. Serogroup B and serogroup C have been the most prominent disease-causing serogroups. Notably, serogroup Y has recently become an important cause of IMD in the USA, but has not been as prominent in Canada. Periodic rises in incidence have been characterized by local outbreaks that have raised public concern, especially those caused by serogroup C in Canada, and serogroup B in the USA. Case fatality rates have remained consistent at around 10–20%, but vary by age and serogroup. Recent outbreaks have led to the introduction of vaccination programs for both outbreak control and routine immunization.
Inhibition of α‐Glucosidase by Aqueous Extracts of Some Potent Antidiabetic Medicinal Herbs

Abstract Diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalant diseases of adults. Agents with α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity have been useful as oral hypoglycemic drugs for the control of hyperglycemia in patients with type 2; noninsulin‐dependent, diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Investigation of some medicinal herbs: Urtica dioica, Taraxacum officinale, Viscum album, and Myrtus communis with α‐glucosidase inhibitor activity was conducted to identify a prophylactic effect for diabetes in vitro. All plants showed differing potent α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity. However, Myrtus communis strongly inhibited the enzyme (IC50 = 38 µg/mL). The inhibitory effect of these plants and some common antidiabetic drugs against the enzyme source (baker's yeast, rabbit liver, and small intestine) were also searched. Approximately all inhibitors used in this study showed quite different inhibitory activities, according to α‐glucosidase origins. Furthermore, subsequent separation of the active material from Myrtus communis by HPLC showed that only one fraction acted as an α‐glucosidase inhibitor.
Clinical and laboratory features parameters of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) in patients admitted to hospital in Guangdong Province, China

Background Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is an acute tick-borne infectious disease with increasing morbidity and mortality, but is rarely considered in clinical practice. Because human-to-human transfusion or nosocomial transmission can occur, diagnosis is difficult when the history of tick bites is not clear. Methods We present clinical features and laboratory data of HGA patients who had no clear tick bite history. Results All patients in the study presented with a high fever, petechiae, purpura, nose bleeding and leukopenia, and patients had abnormally high levels of serum ferritin and C-reactive protein. Morulae in leukocytes were observed in three patients. Foamy histiocytes and slight erythrophagocytic activity were only found in severely ill patients. Conclusion In patients with fever and thrombocytopenia in whom no other diagnosis is evident on clinical assessment, HGA should be considered in the differential diagnosis, and tested for serologically if possible. For patients in whom the diagnosis of HGA is possible, and to whom tetracyclines can safely be given, it is apparent that these drugs hasten recovery and improve the prognosis.
Reconstructing Childhood: An Exploratory Study of Children in Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating disasters in the history of the United States. In this report, we examine children’s experiences in the aftermath of the catastrophe. Data was gathered through participant observation, focus groups, informal interviews, and in-depth formal interviews with parents, grandparents, day care service providers, school administrators, elementary school teachers, mental health service providers, religious leaders, and evacuee shelter coordinators in Louisiana. This research describes the experiences of children and their families in the days and weeks following the storm, discusses what was done on behalf of children to reduce their vulnerability, and illustrates various things that children did for themselves and for others to lessen the impacts of the disaster.
Novel Members of the Vesl/Homer Family of PDZ Proteins That Bind Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors*

Vesl-1S (186 amino acids, also called Homer) is a protein containing EVH1- and PDZ-like domains whose expression in the hippocampus is regulated during long term potentiation (LTP), one form of synaptic plasticity thought to underlie memory formation (Kato, A., Ozawa, F., Saitoh, Y., Hirai, K., and Inokuchi, K. (1997) FEBS Lett. 412, 183–189; Brakeman, P. R. , Lanahan, A. A. , O’Brien, R. , Roche, K. , Barnes, C. A. , Huganir, R. L. , and Worley, P. F. (1997)Nature 386, 284–288). Here we report additional members of the Vesl/Homer family of proteins, Vesl-1L and Vesl-2. Vesl-1L (366 amino acids), a splicing variant of Vesl-1S, shares N-terminal 175 amino acids with Vesl-1S and contains additional amino acids at the C terminus. Vesl-2 (354 amino acids) was highly related to Vesl-1L in that both contain EVH1- and PDZ-like domains at the N terminus (86% conservation) and an MCC (mutated in colorectal cancer)-like domain and a leucine zipper at the C terminus. In contrast to vesl-1S, we observed no changes in the levels of vesl-1L andvesl-2 mRNAs during dentate gyrus LTP. All these proteins interacted with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and mGluR5) as well as several hippocampal proteins in vitro. Vesl-1L and Vesl-2, but not Vesl-1S, interacted with each other through the C-terminal portion that was absent in Vesl-1S. Vesl-1L and Vesl-2 may mediate clustering of mGluRs at synaptic junctions. We propose that Vesl-1S may be involved in the structural changes that occur at metabotropic glutamatergic synapses during the maintenance phase of LTP by modulating the redistribution of synaptic components.
Docking of HIV-1 Vpr to the Nuclear Envelope Is Mediated by the Interaction with the Nucleoporin hCG1*

The HIV-1 genome contains several genes coding for auxiliary proteins, including the small Vpr protein. Vpr affects the integrity of the nuclear envelope and participates in the nuclear translocation of the preintegration complex containing the viral DNA. Here, we show by photobleaching experiments performed on living cells expressing a Vpr-green fluorescent protein fusion that the protein shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, but a significant fraction is concentrated at the nuclear envelope, supporting the hypothesis that Vpr interacts with components of the nuclear pore complex. An interaction between HIV-1 Vpr and the human nucleoporin CG1 (hCG1) was revealed in the yeast two-hybrid system, and then confirmed both in vitro and in transfected cells. This interaction does not involve the FG repeat domain of hCG1 but rather the N-terminal region of the protein. Using a nuclear import assay based on digitonin-permeabilized cells, we demonstrate that hCG1 participates in the docking of Vpr at the nuclear envelope. This association of Vpr with a component of the nuclear pore complex may contribute to the disruption of the nuclear envelope and to the nuclear import of the viral DNA.