Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DDT (dicophane) and postmenopausal breast cancer in Europe: case-control study

Abstract Objective: To examine any possible links between exposure to DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p -chlorophenyl)ethylene), the persistent metabolite of the pesticide dicophane (DDT), and breast cancer. Design: Multicentre study of exposure to DDE by measurement of adipose tissue aspirated from the buttocks. Laboratory measurements were conducted in a single laboratory. Additional data on risk factors for breast cancer were obtained by standard questionnaires. Setting: Centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain. Subjects: 265 postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 341 controls matched for age and centre. Main outcome measure: Adipose DDE concentrations. Results: Women with breast cancer had adipose DDE concentrations 9.2% lower than control women. No increased risk of breast cancer was found at higher concentrations. The odds ratio of breast cancer, adjusted for age and centre, for the highest versus the lowest fourth of DDE distribution was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 1.21) and decreased to 0.48 (0.25 to 0.95; P for trend=0.02) after adjustment for body mass index, age at first birth, and current alcohol drinking. Adjustment for other risk factors did not materially affect these estimates. Conclusions: The lower DDE concentrations observed among the women with breast cancer may be secondary to disease inception. This study does not support the hypothesis that DDE increases risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in Europe. Key messages Organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT may increase the risk of breast cancer in women DDE concentrations among the women with cancer were lower than among the controls, and there was an inverse risk gradient with higher DDE concentrations which remained significant after adjustment for risk factors for breast cancer These results are clearly incompatible with an increased risk of breast cancer at increased concentrations of DDE, although associations with other organochlorines cannot be excluded
Insecticide resistance status in the major West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens from Greece.

BACKGROUND One of the largest West Nile virus outbreaks in Europe occurred in Greece in 2010. Use of insecticides against Culex pipiens was substantially scaled up, as an emergency tool. Although mosquito control has been based on insecticides for several decades in Greece, insecticide resistance data are not available. RESULTS An examination was made of the resistance status of 13 Cx. pipiens populations from five regional units in Greece against four insecticides used for its control over a 3 year period. Bioassays demonstrated susceptibility of most populations to all insecticides, except for temephos in some regions, and deltamethrin and diflubenzuron on one occasion each. The authors also monitored the frequency of the pyrethroid target-site resistance mutations L1014F (kdr), as well as G119S and F290V in the Ace1 gene. Ace1 insensitivity mutations were found at low frequencies and always in heterozygocity. However, the frequency of kdr pyrethroid resistance mutations was higher (up to 63.0% in Thessaloniki). CONCLUSIONS The high frequency of kdr mutations indicates a risk that needs to be addressed, should the use of pyrethroids be further extended. There was no strong evidence of significant resistance levels against Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis and diflubenzuron. Continued monitoring of insecticide resistance is recommended for the application of appropriate management tactics.
Bryophyte-specific primers for retrieving plastid genes suitable for phylogenetic inference.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY We present here new bryophyte-specific primers that permit retrieval of 17 slowly evolving plastid genes and their associated introns and intergenic spacers. These regions were chosen to facilitate accurate phylogenetic inference across a broad range of mosses and other bryophytes. METHODS AND RESULTS We developed 78 new primers for the targeted regions using an initial sampling of exemplar bryophytes and other green plants, to complement those used in vascular plants. We assessed the ability of the new primers to amplify and sequence these regions using a test set of 11 additional exemplar bryophytes. CONCLUSIONS We show that the newly designed primers facilitate ready retrieval of 14 of 17 targeted regions from a broad range of bryophyte taxa. These primers should prove useful for future studies of bryophyte phylogeny.
Future on Power Electronics for Wind Turbine Systems

Wind power is still the most promising renewable energy in the year of 2013. The wind turbine system (WTS) started with a few tens of kilowatt power in the 1980s. Now, multimegawatt wind turbines are widely installed even up to 6-8 MW. There is a widespread use of wind turbines in the distribution networks and more and more wind power stations, acting as power plants, are connected directly to the transmission networks. As the grid penetration and power level of the wind turbines increase steadily, the wind power starts to have significant impacts to the power grid system. Therefore, more advanced generators, power electronic systems, and control solutions have to be introduced to improve the characteristics of the wind power plant and make it more suitable to be integrated into the power grid. Meanwhile, there are also some emerging technology challenges, which need to be further clarified and investigated. This paper gives an overview and discusses some development trends in the technologies used for wind power systems. First, the developments of technology and market are generally discussed. Next, several state-of-the-art wind turbine concepts, as well as the corresponding power electronic converters and control structures, are reviewed, respectively. Furthermore, grid requirements and the technology challenges for the future WTS are also addressed.
Luteophanol D, New Polyhydroxyl Metabolite from Marine Dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp

Luteophanol D (1), a new polyhydroxyl linear carbon-chain metabolite, has been isolated from the cultured marine dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. , which was isolated from Okinawan marine acoel flatworm Pseudaphanostoma luteocoloris. The structure of 1 was elucidated by detailed analyses of 2D NMR spectra. Luteophanol D (1) possesses two tetrahydropyran rings and twenty-three hydroxyl groups on C63-linear aliphatic chain with one exo-methylene and two methyl branches.
Role of dendritic cells in immunopathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus infection

The role of dendritic cells (DC) in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease has been a subject of considerable interest for several years. Initial studies focused on the infection, dysfunction, and depletion of DC in HIV-infected individuals. More recent studies have begun to identify the functional role of DC in the initiation and propagation of viral replication in T cells in HIV-infected individuals. This review discusses recent data regarding the role of DC in HIV disease with the aim of delineating basic immunopathogenic principles of infection and the development of therapeutic strategies.
Monoclonal antibodies that inhibit ADP-ribosyltransferase but not NAD-glycohydrolase activity of pertussis toxin

Kenimer et al. (J. G. Kenimer, J. Kim, P. G. Probst, C. R. Manclark, D. G. Burstyn, and J. L. Lowell, Hybridoma 8:37-51, 1989) identified three classes of monoclonal antibodies, termed A, B, and C, that recognize the S1 subunit of pertussis toxin. This report presents data demonstrating that class A monoclonal antibodies (3CX4, 6D11C, and 3C4D), which block the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and recognize the predominant neutralizing epitope on the S1 subunit of the toxin, do not inhibit the NAD-glycohydrolase activity of the toxin. In addition, alkylation of cysteine 41 of the S1 subunit, which may interact with NAD, inactivates the toxin but does not prevent binding by class A antibodies. Taken together, these results support the conclusion that proper alterations of amino acids that interact with NAD should allow for inactivation of the toxin without destruction of the predominant neutralizing epitope. The class A antibodies recognized control but not heat-treated pertussis toxin spotted onto nitrocellulose, indicating that class A antibodies do not recognize denatured S1 subunit. In contrast, a nonneutralizing class C antibody (X2X5) failed to bind to control toxin or S1 subunit in solution and recognized heat-treated pertussis toxin better than control toxin when spotted onto nitrocellulose. Thus, this type of analysis presents a heterogeneous mixture of fully or partially denatured and native S1 proteins and fails to distinguish between neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies.
Peritoneal fluid leptin and interleukin-15 in pelvic endometriosis

Objective: This study investigated the relation between peritoneal fluid (PF) leptin and interleukin-15 (IL-15) concentrations and the severity of pelvic endometriosis. Design: Peritoneal fluid samples were collected from 40 women with endometriosis and 15 women without endometriosis as controls. Setting: The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Benha Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University. Intervention: Peritoneal fluid samples were collected during laparoscopy. Quantitative measurement of PF leptin and IL-15 was done by enzyme immunoassay. Results: The mean ranks of PF leptin and IL-15 were significantly higher in women with endometriosis compared to controls (p = 0.001 and 0.004, respectively). PF leptin and IL-15 levels were significantly different in the various stages of endometriosis. The PF leptin in stages I and II was significantly higher than stages III and IV. In addition, significantly higher concentrations of IL-15 were found in stage I than stage III and IV. A significant negative correlation was found between PF leptin levels and the stage of endometriosis (r = -0.578, p < 0.001). Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between IL-15 and the stage of endometriosis (r = -0.425, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between PF leptin and IL-15 levels in endometriosis group (r = 0.381, p < 0.05). Conclusion: This work demonstrated that PF leptin and IL-15 concentrations were elevated in women with endometriosis particularly in the early stages of the disease. This could suggest a role for leptin and IL-15 in the pathogenesis of peritoneal endometriosis and development of endometrial peritoneal implants.
Dimensionality constraints imposed by highly frequency selective channels on MIMO-FBMC/OQAM systems

This paper investigates the application of MIMO to the FBMC/OQAM scheme in highly frequency selective channels. The system model that is considered in this work does not make any assumption about the flatness of the channel. In this scenario, it is definitely challenging the design of MIMO precoding and decoding matrices that succeed in removing the interference. In this regard, we have derived the degrees of freedom, in terms of number of streams (S), transmit (NT ) and receive (NR) antennas, required to eliminate the unwanted signals. The analysis reveals that in some multi-antenna configurations some residual interference should be expected. In this case, we have further studied existing low-complexity solutions that solve optimization problems that depend on the MSE. Numerical results show that the sum-rate in FBMC/OQAM is on pair with OFDM when NR - 1 = NT = S = 2. This result is relevant because the adoption of FBMC/OQAM brings substantial improvements with respect to OFDM in a variety of contexts.
Experimental study of governing parameters in pitching and plunging airfoil at low reynolds number

2. Graduate Research Assistant, University of Michigan, Department of Aerospace Engineering, rauschjm@umich.edu 3. Associate Professor, University of Michigan, Department of Aerospace Engineering, lpb@umich.edu 4. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson Collegiate Professor and Chair, University of Michigan, Department of Aerospace Engineering, weishyy@umich.edu 5. Aerospace Engineer, Air Vehicles Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Michael.Ol@wpafb.af. mil Experimental Study of Governing Parameters in Pitching and Plunging Airfoil at Low Reynolds Number
Applicability of tissue aspirate for quick parathyroid hormone assay to confirm parathyroid tissue identity during parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism.

HYPOTHESIS Intraoperative quick parathyroid hormone (PTH) assay for tissue aspirate facilitates the confirmation of parathyroid tissue identity and allows a more selective use of frozen section examination during parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. DESIGN A retrospective review of a prospective protocol of the applicability and accuracy of quick PTH assay for tissue aspirate as a biochemical frozen section tool. SETTING A university hospital department of surgery. PATIENTS Quick PTH assay for aspirate obtained from suspected parathyroid gland excised during parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The accuracy of this biochemical identification of parathyroid tissue identity was correlated with histological examination and outcome. RESULTS Quick PTH assay was performed for aspirate from at least 1 excised parathyroid gland in 122 (98%) of 125 patients while 13 patients (10%) had PTH aspirate for nonparathyroid tissues including thyroid (n = 10), thymic (n = 2) and lymphatic (n = 1) tissues. Frozen section examination was performed for 15 patients (12%), including the 3 patients who did not undergo tissue aspirate for quick PTH assay. All except 3 patients had an aspirate assay value of greater than 1500 pg/mL (range, 625 to >1500 pg/mL) for parathyroid tissue while the value of PTH aspirate for nonparathyroid tissue ranged from 27 to 229 pg/mL (median, 72 pg/mL) in 13 patients. The median size of abnormal parathyroid gland was 70 to 15,000 mg (median, 775 mg). CONCLUSIONS With the availability of quick PTH assay, tissue aspirate for PTH assay can be adopted as an alternative to traditional frozen section examination to confirm parathyroid gland identity. Frozen section examination can be employed more selectively.
THE EFFECT OF ANXIETY ON IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS SPEAKING SKILL

Speaking skill is necessary for everyone who wants to learn second / foreign languages. Feelings of anxiety and nervousness are common among second/foreign language learners. Different learners with different level of anxiety use different strategies while speaking a foreign language. Existence of such feelings in the learners may prevent them from achieving the desired goal. Some speak in front of others without any anxiety, but some delay this activity until learn enough knowledge, and some delay it forever and never speak a foreign language. The aim of present study is to investigate the relationship between anxiety and English speaking skill among Iranian EFL learners. To achieve this aim 100 of EFL learners who learn English in language learning institutions in Ilam province are investigated. The instrument used in this study to measure student’s foreign language speaking anxiety is the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz (1986), and the results of speaking grades which are qualitative data from the interview with learners is used as another kind of questionnaire to measure learners speaking. To analyze the scores SPSS software was used. The results show that English learning anxiety has a significant moderate negative correlation with the English achievement of the students in this study, the participants of this study as EFL learners usually have levels of anxiety, and the higher the FLCAS score is, the low English speaking is, so by reducing the level of anxiety of learners English speaking can be improved.
Insomnia in Primary Care: Misreported, Mishandled, and Just Plain Missed.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 8, 2017 Insomnia is likely the most common sleep disorder, with population estimates generally showing that approximately 10% of the United States population meets criteria for an insomnia disorder.1 This prevalence is even higher in the Veteran population with an estimate of 26%. 2 Insomnia is a major risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders,3 suicide,4 cardiometabolic disease risk,5 and all-cause mortality.6 It is frequently comorbid with psychiatric, chronic medical and addictive disorders, conditions commonly reported in the Veteran population. Fortunately, efficacious and effective treatments exist, most notably cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I),7 which is the recommended first-line treatment for the disorder,8 even in the context of comorbidities.9 Efficacious medication regimens also exist when CBT-I is not available.10 Although other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy are typically referred for treatment by sleep medicine specialists, insomnia is often neglected or dealt with in the context of primary care. This can potentially lead to problems, because primary care clinicians often lack training regarding importance, screening, assessment, and management of insomnia. The Veterans Affairs (VA) network is an especially salient context to examine the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia in the context of primary care. As an organization, the VA has made efforts and allocated resources to recognize the importance of mental health in the context of primary care, including those for insomnia. In addition, the VA has engaged a nationwide training and education program focused on insomnia diagnosis and treatment.11 It is with this information in mind that the paper by Ulmer and colleagues in this issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine explores the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of VA primary care clinicians regarding insomnia.12 Overall, the results of this study show that insomnia is frequently misreported or not reported in the medical record, on many occasions mishandled through provision of suboptimal care, and often just plain missed—not discussed or brought up at all. Ulmer and colleagues report that the plurality of clinicians surveyed believed that insomnia symptoms were experienced by 20% to 39% of their patients. Prior work by this group has shown that the prevalence of poor sleep quality may COMMENTARY
HIV-2-Infected Individuals With Undetectable Plasma Viremia Carry Replication-Competent Virus in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Using an optimized HIV co-culture protocol it was possible to isolate infectious HIV-2 variants from 6 HIV-2-infected individuals who had undetectable plasma viremia and maintained high CD4+ T-cell numbers for prolonged periods. This shows for the first time that HIV-2-infected individuals with no demonstrable in vivo virus production carry replication-competent virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The frequency of PBMCs with infectious virus was low, ranging from 0.01–0.9 infectious units per million (IUPM) CD4+ T cells with a median value of 0.2 IUPM. In comparison, viremic HIV-2-infected individuals had a 2-log higher median infectious load (36 IUPM, range 1–673; P = 0.003). HIV-2 infectious load correlated with CD4 counts (rs = −0.88, P < 0.0001). The low infectious load in aviremic HIV-2-infected persons is reminiscent of what has been observed for HIV-1 infection controlled by highly active antiretroviral therapy.
Trait variability of the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) in a recently invaded region reflects potential benefits and trade-offs during dispersal.

Rapid range expansion is one of the major attributes of invasion success. During range expansion, dispersing individuals face a novel environment where trade-offs between benefits of reduced conspecific density and pressure from niche competitors may differentially affect life-history traits essential for population growth. In this study, we examined differences in sex ratio, body condition, physiological condition and capacity for energetic investment into reproduction along an actively expanding range of one of the most successful crayfish invaders in Europe, the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). In the examined invasive range, signal crayfish faces competition by a native crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus. By comparing measured parameters between invasion fronts and invasion core sites, we analyzed whether the potential benefits of dispersal to areas with low conspecific density are outweighed by the competitive pressure from a native crayfish. Caught signal crayfish of both sexes from invasion fronts were in a better body condition compared to those from the invasion core, while females from invasion fronts also exhibited better energetic status of hepatopancreas and gonads. At the same time, A. leptodactylus from the contact zones at invasion fronts were in poorer body condition compared to those outside the invaded range. Thus, interspecific competition at invasion fronts affected the native A. leptodactylus more strongly than the signal crayfish, which still benefited from the reduced conspecific density in the presence of a competitor. This study highlights the importance of examining trait variability as invader advances its range, since a shift between the rate of population growth and counteracting pressure from other niche competitors could represent one of the crucial determinants of a lag between establishment and expansion of invasive species.
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐3 gene up‐regulation in a rat tail compression loading‐induced disc degeneration model

The rodent static compression loading‐induced disc degeneration model still has important gaps among the radiographic, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histological schemes and the acute and chronic expression of catabolic genes such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐3. Our objectives were to assess the validity of a rat tail two‐disc static compression model and to elucidate a representative catabolic marker, MMP‐3 gene alterations, throughout the degenerative process. Static compression at 1.3 MPa for up to 56 days produced progressive disc height loss in radiographs, lower nucleus intensity on T2‐weighted MRIs, and histomorphological degeneration. Real‐time RT‐PCR mRNA quantification showed significant MMP‐3 up‐regulation in nucleus pulposus cells from 7 days and a significantly progressive increase as the loading duration lengthened, with high correlations to radiological degenerative scores. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated progressively increased positive staining for MMP‐3. These results validate this animal model for disc degeneration research. Progressive mRNA and protein‐distributional up‐regulations indicate the significant role of MMP‐3 and its feasibility as a disc degenerative marker. This model should prove useful for investigating the pathomechanism and for evaluating molecular therapies for degenerative disc disease. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1026–1032, 2010