Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular analysis of isolates of feline calicivirus from a population of cats in a rescue shelter

Two visits, six weeks apart, were made to a cat rescue shelter and single oropharyngeal swabs were taken from all the compliant cats. Feline calicivirus was isolated from 14 of 45 swabs (31 per cent) taken on the first visit and 12 of 46 swabs (26 per cent) taken on the second visit. Nucleotide sequences were obtained for nine isolates from the first visit, six isolates from the second visit, and for the vaccine virus used in the cattery. Distance analysis showed that the majority of the isolates could be assigned to one of two groups. All the isolates obtained from cats sharing the same pen or isolates obtained from the same cat on successive visits, were less than 5 per cent distant, whereas most of the isolates from cats in different pens were more than 20 per cent distant. Phylogenetic analysis showed that at least seven distinct field isolates were present in the cattery. The only good evidence for virus transmission within the cattery was a case in which two viruses isolated from cats in different pens had sequences that were less than 5 per cent distant.
Viral infections

Although rubella is the only virus which can be regarded in the strict sense of the term a teratogen, there is no convincing evidence that other viruses can cause fetal damage of varying severity. The risk to the fetus appears to depend on the nature of the infectious agent, the maternal immune status and the gestational age when infection takes place. The possibility that subclinical maternal infections may cause damage must not be overlooked. As some of the viruses referred to can cause damage after the period of organogenesis, the use of the term 'teratogenic efect' in relation to viral infections is considered to be inappropriate.
Ovarian Abnormalities in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

FMR1 premutation (PM) alleles have 55–200 CGG·CCG-repeats in their 5′ UTR. PM carriers are at risk of fragile X–associated tremor and ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Females are also at risk for FX primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI). PM pathology is generally attributed to deleterious properties of transcripts with long CGG-tracts. For FXPOI, hormone changes suggest a reduced residual follicle pool. Whether this is due to a smaller than normal original follicle pool or an increased rate of follicle depletion is unclear. A FX-PM mouse the authors generated with 130 CGG·CCG-repeats in the endogenous Fmr1 gene recapitulates features of FXTAS. Here the authors demonstrate that the gross development of the ovary and the establishment of the primordial follicle pool is normal in these mice. However, these animals show a faster loss of follicles of all follicle classes, suggesting that the problem is intrinsic to the ovary. In addition, many oocytes show aberrant nuclear accumulation of FMRP and elevated levels of ubiquitination. Furthermore, PM follicles are smaller and have fewer granulosa cells (GCs) than normal. Thus, these animals have ovarian abnormalities involving both the oocytes and GCs that may shed light on the molecular basis of FXPOI in humans.
A Fault Attack on ECDSA

An advantage of schemes based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is that they require a smaller key size than other public key schemes to guarantee the same level of security. Thus, ECC algorithms are well suited for systems with constrained resources like smart cards or mobile devices. When evaluating those devices, not only the security from a theoretical point of view, but also implementation attacks, like fault attacks, have to be taken into account. In this paper, we present a new fault attack on the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA). We use a modification of the program flow to retrieve parts of the ephemeral key. The retrieved information allows erforming a lattice attack to determine the secret signing key. Furthermore, we propose a countermeasure to prevent such an attack.
No evidence of classical conditioning of electrodermal responses during anesthesia.

Classical conditioning of skin conductance responses was studied in 26 healthy volunteers and 31 patients who received general anesthesia (0.5 MAC isoflurane-70% nitrous oxide) for minor gynecologic surgery to determine whether there was autonomic evidence of new learning during anesthesia. In the conditioning phase, a loud noise was paired with a target word (conditioned stimulus [CS]). Conditioning was established if the CS produced conditioned responses, i.e., greater skin conductance responses than other, "filler words. " In the subsequent elicitation phase, we investigated whether it was possible to elicit similar conditioned responses to the CS when it was presented without noise about 3 h later. Conditioning was established in the control group, who received no anesthesia. There were differences in response magnitudes of 0.32 and 0.27 mu siemen between responses to the CS and filler words, P less than 0.001. In contrast, there was no evidence that conditioning was established during anesthesia. In the elicitation phase, conditioned responses to the CS could be elicited in volunteers; i.e., response magnitudes were greater for the CS than other words (during the first two blocks of trials), with differences of 0.19 to 0.48 mu siemen, P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.001. In contrast, responses to the CS could not be elicited in patients after anesthesia. There was also no evidence of recognition of words that were presented during anesthesia in patients, but recognition was manifested in volunteers. Thus, in contrast to our previous demonstration of conditioning in subjects who received 30% nitrous oxide in oxygen, there was no evidence of conditioning in anesthetized patients.
Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease

Although computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) evaluation of patients with valvular heart disease is almost never performed as a first line of diagnostic intervention, their performance does provide important morphologic and physiologic information concerning the etiology and the current status of the valvular dysfunction. Evaluation of chamber and great artery size as well as ventricular wall thickness provide the basis for diagnosing and analyzing severity of valvular heart disease. Furthermore, additional findings, including calcification and evidence of interstitial pulmonary edema, increase diagnostic sensitivity and confidence in diagnosis. MR examination has the advantage over CT of providing direct demonstration of the signal void jets of dysfunctional valves, as well as a means of quantitating regional and global ventricular function and severity of valvular pressure gradients.
A selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ agonist promotes reverse cholesterol transport

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are dietary lipid sensors that regulate fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. The hypolipidemic effects of the fibrate drugs and the antidiabetic effects of the glitazone drugs in humans are due to activation of the α (NR1C1) and γ (NR1C3) subtypes, respectively. By contrast, the therapeutic potential of the δ (NR1C2) subtype is unknown, due in part to the lack of selective ligands. We have used combinatorial chemistry and structure-based drug design to develop a potent and subtype-selective PPARδ agonist, GW501516. In macrophages, fibroblasts, and intestinal cells, GW501516 increases expression of the reverse cholesterol transporter ATP-binding cassette A1 and induces apolipoprotein A1-specific cholesterol efflux. When dosed to insulin-resistant middle-aged obese rhesus monkeys, GW501516 causes a dramatic dose-dependent rise in serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol while lowering the levels of small-dense low density lipoprotein, fasting triglycerides, and fasting insulin. Our results suggest that PPARδ agonists may be effective drugs to increase reverse cholesterol transport and decrease cardiovascular disease associated with the metabolic syndrome X.
Do executive deficits and delay aversion make independent contributions to preschool attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms?

OBJECTIVE To test whether deficits in executive function and delay aversion make independent contributions to levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms exhibited by preschool children. METHOD One hundred fifty-six children between 3 and 5.5 years old (78 girls and 78 boys) selected from the community completed an age-appropriate battery of tests measuring working memory, set shifting, planning, delay of gratification, and preference for delayed rewards. Parents completed a clinical interview about their children's ADHD symptoms. RESULTS Analysis of test performance revealed two factors: executive dysfunction and delay aversion. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that when other factors (i.e., age, IQ, and conduct problems) were controlled, executive dysfunction and delay aversion each made significant independent contributions to predictions of ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Preschool ADHD symptoms are psychologically heterogeneous. Executive dysfunction and delay aversion may represent two distinct and early appearing neurodevelopmental bases for ADHD symptoms.
Effects of Nigella Sativa on HDL-c & Body Weight

Hyperlipidemia with increased body weight are main cause of consideration on CAD. These pathological states eventually leading to development of metabolic syndrome are leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Various drug groups and regimen are being used to handle these problems but none is absolute satisfactory due to their widespread side effects and low compliance. Conventional use of nigella sativa for many diseases are now emerging in allopathic discipline of healthcare to cure various diseases with good compliance with least side effects. This study was conducted in Lipid Research Centre, Pakistan Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Pakistan, from October to December 2013. Study period was one month. Sixty male and female hyperlipidemic patients age range from 20 to 70 years were included in the research with written explained and approved consent. All patients were divided in two equal groups. In Group-A, 30 patients were advised to take two spoons of kalonji after breakfast for the period of four weeks. In group-II, 30 hyperlipidemic patients were advised to take placebo capsules after breakfast everyday for the period of four weeks. At the end of research work, mean values of all parameters with ±SD were analyzed statistically using paired „t‟ test. These results were compared with placebo therapy and observed that both parameters showed highly significant change, with p-value <0.001. We concluded from these results that kalonji is very effective herbal drug to increase HDL-c and decrease body weight.
Recently identified drug resistance biomarkers in ovarian cancer

ABSTRACT Ovarian cancer, consisting mainly of ovarian carcinoma, is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Improvements in outcome for patients with advanced-stage disease are limited by intrinsic and acquired chemoresistance and by tumor heterogeneity at different anatomic sites and along disease progression. Molecules and cellular pathways mediating chemoresistance appear to be different for the different histological types of ovarian carcinoma, with most recent research focusing on serous and clear cell carcinoma. This review discusses recent data implicating various biomarkers in chemoresistance in this cancer, with focus on studies in which clinical specimens have been central.
Does three-dimensional imaging offer a financial benefit for treating maxillary molars with furcation involvement? A pilot clinical case series.

AIM To assess the financial benefit of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for the treatment options of maxillary molars including periodontal surgery and extraction followed by implant placement. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twelve patients with generalized chronic periodontitis were recruited, and CBCT was performed in maxillary molars (n = 22) with clinical furcation involvement and increased probing pocket depths. Treatment recommendations were either based on conventional periodontal diagnostics (clinical examinations and periapical radiographs), or based on the additional CBCT data. Clinical recommendations comprised a minimal (e.g. supportive periodontal treatment) and a maximal invasive therapy (e.g. extraction and implant placement), and these were compared with CBCT-based recommendations. According to the Swiss dental tariff structure, the probabilities of saving costs or time, and the numbers needed to treat were analysed with an empirical cumulative distribution function. RESULTS Average cost reduction from CBCT amounted to CHF 915 ± 1470 and saved 136 ± 217 min. Greatest reductions were found with maximal invasive clinically based treatment decisions (CHF 1566 ± 1840), particularly for second molars (CHF 2485 ± 2226). To compensate CBCT costs, 1.7 subjects were needed to treat to at least break even. CONCLUSIONS Data from CBCT facilitated a reduction in treatment costs and time for periodontally involved maxillary molars in Switzerland. Based on these cost analyses, however, CBCT as additional diagnostic measure is justified only when more invasive therapies are planned.
The effect of response scale, administration mode, and format on responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey.

OBJECTIVE To examine how different response scales, methods of survey administration, and survey format affect responses to the CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS) survey. STUDY DESIGN A total of 6,500 patients from a university health center were randomly assigned to receive the following: standard 12-page mail surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales (on CG-CAHPS composite items), telephone surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales, or four-page mail surveys. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A total of 3,538 patients completed surveys. Composite score means and provider-level reliabilities did not differ between respondents receiving 4-category or 6-category response scale surveys or between 12-page and four-page mail surveys. Telephone respondents gave more positive responses than mail respondents. CONCLUSIONS We recommend using 4-category response scales and the four-page mail CG-CAHPS survey.
Protracted displacement: uncertain paths to self-reliance in exile

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7922 0300 Fax. +44 (0) 20 7922 0399 E-mail: hpgadmin@odi.org.uk Website: http://www.odi.org.uk/hpg Forced displacement has grown rapidly over the last decade, increasing on average by 1.6 million people a year between 2000 and 2014, when it reached 59.5m. Five countries accounted for over half of this displacement, while a similarly small number bear the burden of hosting large populations: four countries – Syria, Colombia, Iraq and Sudan – host more than half of the world’s internally displaced people (IDPs), while seven – Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey, Palestine and Jordan – host more than half of all refugees. Forced displacement is, in other words, a major and growing global concern. Most displacement crises persist for years, and most refugees and many IDPs living in these situations can expect to be in exile for many years, with little or no prospect of achieving a durable solution – that is, of returning to their homes, integrating with full rights in their place of exile or settling elsewhere.1
BMP‐2 immobilized on nanocrystalline diamond–coated titanium screws; demonstration of osteoinductive properties in irradiated bone

Irradiation results in impaired bone healing. Thus, osteosynthesis procedures are afflicted with increased failure rates. To improve osseointegration bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2) immobilized on nanocrystalline diamond (NCD)–coated implant surfaces might be 1 solution.
Performance analysis and application of PMCAP/CDMA in voice/data integration networks

Preamble minislot channel access protocol (PMCAP/CDMA) is a receiver-oriented medium access protocol. PMCAP/CDMA is applied to voice and data integration networks in a single cell. A dynamic code-set assignment strategy is proposed to separate voice/data access contention and guarantee the QoS of these traffics. A PCAR (proposed code-pool assignment rule) is proposed to decrease the collision probability of the same type of traffic. The simulation shows that the dynamic code-set assignment strategy is more adaptive to the fluctuation of voice/data traffic. By using PCAR in PMCAP/CDMA, the performance of data traffic is significantly improved while the performance of voice traffic remains good.
Treatment of murine invasive candidiasis with amphotericin B and cilofungin: evidence for enhanced activity with combination therapy

The in vivo interactions of cilofungin, an echinocandin antifungal agent, and amphotericin B, a polyene derivative, in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis have been investigated. While single therapy with either drug alone prolonged survival of infected mice, kidney colony counts were not appreciably reduced. In contrast, combination therapy, especially at higher doses of both drugs, resulted in significant prolongation of survival and suppression of growth of yeast cells in the kidneys. Combination therapy of experimental candidiasis with cilofungin and amphotericin B did not result in antagonism; rather, additive or synergistic effects were seen. Future preclinical work with other echinocandin and polyene derivatives should include studies evaluating the in vivo interactions of both classes of compounds.
Service Deployment Algorithms for Vertical Search Engines

Web search engines are systems devised to cope with highly dynamic and demanding query rates. These systems are composed by several services, each one dedicated to execute a single operation required to solve a query. Services are allocated into thousand of multi-core processors organized in racks. Some services communicate more than others, so it is desirable to put them in the same rack. In this work, we present and evaluate deployment algorithms for a web search engine. In particular, we focus on vertical search engines with specific on-line content which may include shopping, advertisement, etc. Our goal is to improve the performance of a search engine by reducing communication time. Communication among services is performed by means of a fast and complex network supporting parallel sending and receiving of messages. We propose a communication-graph-based method, in which processors are the nodes of the graph and communication between them is represented as weighted arcs. Results show that our proposal method is able to reduce maximum query response time.
Safety of hair products during pregnancy: personal use and occupational exposure.

QUESTION Several of my pregnant patients who are hairdressers have asked me if exposure to products they use is harmful to their unborn babies. They also want to know if their pregnant clients' personal use of hair products should be of concern. ANSWER There is no evidence of teratogenic effects for pregnant women exposed to these products from occupational use (ie, hairdressing); however, it is recommended that pregnant hairdressers wear gloves to minimize exposure, work for no more than 35 hours per week, avoid standing for prolonged periods of time, and ensure that the salons where they work have adequate ventilation. Evidence suggests there is minimal systemic absorption of hair products, so personal use by pregnant women 3 to 4 times throughout pregnancy is not considered to be of concern.
MR imaging features of an intracochlear acoustic schwannoma

Abstract We present a very unusual case of an acoustic neuroma involving the left cochlea and internal auditory canal of a 24-year-old man. Clinical suspicion was aroused when the patient presented with a left total sensorineural hearing loss and continuing vertigo. The diagnosis was made pre-operatively with MRI after initial CT scanning was normal. The tumour was removed via a transotic approach. This case report demonstrates the MRI features of an intracochlear schwannoma and emphasizes the importance of MRI in patients with significant auditory and clinical abnormalities with normal CT scans of the relevant region.
A remote sensor-based 6-minute functional walking ability test

This paper proposes and implements an integrated remote sensor-based 6-minute walk test (6MWT) for monitoring a patient's clinical condition and correlate this data to the walking activity that the patient is performing to assess his/her functional ability and physical performance. The 6MWT is known to be one of the most effective rehabilitation tests for a clinician to assess individuals with a variety of clinical conditions including survivors of a critical illness. Our method deploys body sensors for measuring health conditions and an on-body accelerometer for detecting motion. An intelligent algorithm was developed to detect a walk step, count the number of steps, and dynamically derive the step distance based on an individual's real-time walking parameters. The path and the derived walk distance are then related to their vital signs to assess their functional ability under various walk conditions. Our remote 6MWT is being considered for a telehealth rehabilitation procedure in an integrated assistive healthcare system.
A practical method to measure the MTF of CT scanners.

A method has been devised which enables the modulation transfer function(MTF) of computerized tomographic (CT) scanners to be simply and rapidly determined. The method relies upon the measurement of the standard deviation of the pixel values within the image of cyclic bar patterns. The method is shown to produce results which are indistinguishable from those derived by less practical conventional methods.
Effects of quantum corrections and isotope scattering on silicon thermal properties

A quantum correction procedure is proposed to correct silicon thermal properties estimated with molecular dynamics (MD). The procedure considers the energy quantization per mode basis and the anharmonic nature of the potential energy function (including the thermal expansion of the crystal) and is applied to reported thermal properties of silicon estimated with MD in ref. [11], such as temperature, specific heat and thermal conductivity. The procedure facilitates the use of these properties as input to faster numerical methods, such as those based on the Boltzmann transport equation under the single relaxation time approximation. In addition, the effect of isotope scattering is included in reported values of phonon-phonon relaxation times. The effects of the correction procedure and the scattering with isotopes are analyzed in terms of the change of phonon specific heat, mean free path and thermal conductivity. We have found that the application of quantum corrections yields a significant reduction in the contribution of high-frequency modes to the overall thermal conductivity. This contribution is further reduced by the inclusion of isotope scattering. At 220 K, the total contribution of optical modes reduces from 12.3 % (before quantum corrections) to 5.8 %; and to 2 % when the isotope scattering is also considered. The quantum corrections and the inclusion of isotope scattering are found to bring the estimated thermal conductivity into close agreement with experimental values. The relative contributions of the acoustic and optical modes after quantum corrections agrees very well with recently reported ab initio results.