Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A retrospective serologic survey of hantavirus infections in the county of Cássia dos Coqueiros, State of São Paulo, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION In recent years, hantavirus infections producing severe diseases have obtained an increased attention from public health authorities from the countries of Eurasia to the Americas. Brazil has reported 1,300 cases of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) from 1993 to 2010, with about 80 of them occurring in the northeast of the State of São Paulo, with 48% fatality rate. Araraquara virus was the causative agent of HCPS in the region. Considering that hantaviruses causing human disease in the Americas were unknown until 1993, we have looked for hantavirus infections in the population of Cássia dos Coqueiros county, northeast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, before this time. This county has about 2,800 inhabitants and an economy based on agriculture, including cultivation of Brachiaria decumbens grass. The grass seeds are an important rodent attraction, facilitating transmission of hantavirus to man. Four HCPS cases were reported so far in the county. METHODS In this study, 1,876 sera collected from 1987 to 1990 were tested for IgG to hantavirus by IgG-ELISA, using the N recombinant protein of Araraquara virus as antigen. RESULTS Positive results were observed in 89 (4.7%) samples, which were all collected in 1987. The positivity among urban inhabitants was 5.3%, compared with 4.3% among those living in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that hantavirus infections occurred in Cássia dos Coqueiros, completely unrecognized, even before hantaviruses were described in the Americas.
T cells in the uninjected eye after anterior chamber inoculation of herpes simplex virus type 1.

PURPOSE To investigate T cell infiltration in the posterior segment of the uninjected eye after uniocular anterior chamber inoculation of HSV-1. METHODS The anterior chamber of one eye of euthymic BALB/c mice was injected with 1 x 10(4) plaque-forming units (PFU) to 2 x 10(4) PFU of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1; KOS strain). All mice were examined for retinitis on day 8 postinoculation (p.i.). Only mice with retinitis were retained and used in these experiments. Animals were killed on days 9, 11, 14, 21, 35, and 63 p.i. The uninjected eyes were removed. Some of the uninjected eyes were sectioned and stained for CD4+ and CD8+ cells using the avidin-biotinylated enzyme complex method. Infiltrating cells were collected from the remaining uninoculated eyes and stained using rat anti-mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, and the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS At day 9 p.i. (acute retinitis), T cells were observed in the uvea but not in the retina of the contralateral eye. CD4+ and CD8+ cells were observed in the sensory retina coincident with the onset of retinal necrosis (day 11 p.i.), and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells continued to be detected in the remnants of the retina up to and including day 63 p.i. The maximum percentage of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was observed at day 21 p.i. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that T cells enter the retina of the uninoculated eye during HSV-1 infection. The observation that T cells arrive in the sensory retina at the onset of retinal necrosis and not during acute retinitis and the peak of virus replication provides further evidence that T cells play a role in development of retinal necrosis. The result that T cells are observed in the uninjected eye as late as day 63 p.i. suggests that T cells might also have a role in the resolution phase of the disease.
Stress induction affects copper and zinc balance in calves fed organic and inorganic copper and zinc sources.

This study determined whether Cu and Zn balance was affected by feeding either Zn methionine (ZnMet) + Cu lysine (CuLys) or Zn sulfate (ZnSO4) + Cu sulfate (CuSO4) before and after stressing calves. Eight Charolais crossbred steer calves weighting 167 +/- 5 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments in a crossover experimental design. The millet hay and soybean meal diet when supplemented with the inorganic salts provided 9.2 ppm of Cu and 36.6 ppm of Zn or when fortified with the metal complexes contained 10.5 ppm of Cu and 36.6 ppm of Zn. Gentled calves were fed their respective diets for 28 d before an 18-d mineral balance trial was conducted. Collection consisted of five periods: 1) a 5-d baseline period, 2) 3 d of no Cu and Zn supplement, 3) 3 d of stress consisting of feed and water restriction and ACTH (80 IU) injections i.m. every 8 h, 4) 3 d of refeeding with no Cu and Zn supplement, and 5) 4 d of Cu and Zn repletion. Calves fed CuLys had 53% greater apparent Cu absorption and increased Cu retention (P < .05) during repletion compared with calves fed CuSO4. The 18-d mean retention of Cu from CuLys was greater (P < .05) than that from CuSO4. No differences (P > .05) in apparent absorption or retention of Zn were found between Zn sources, although during the 18-d trial mean retention was 58% higher when ZnMet was fed. Urinary Cu and Zn excretion decreased (P < .01) during stress. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Large Spanish-Catalan Parallel Corpus Release for Machine Translation

We present a large Spanish-Catalan parallel corpus extracted from ten years of the paper edition of a bilingual Catalan newspaper. The produced corpus of 7.5 M parallel sentences (around 180 M words per language) is useful for many natural language applications. We report excellent results when building a statistical machine translation system trained on this parallel corpus. The Spanish-Catalan corpus is partially available via ELDA (Evaluations and Language Resources Distribution Agency) in catalog number ELRA-W0053.
Inhibition of HIV-1 Replication by Oligonucleotide Analogues Directed to the Packaging Signal and Trans-Activating Response Region

HIV possesses a remarkable capacity for mutational escape from therapeutics that target the viral proteins and enzymes. Inhibitory strategies aimed at highly conserved nucleic acid sequences within the genome are an attractive alternative. However, it has proven difficult to achieve an effective level of therapeutic at the appropriate site within the cell. Oligonucleotide delivery is a rapidly advancing field. We have investigated oligonucleotide analogues as steric-block therapeutics against two highly conserved regions of the HIV-1 genome. In the study we show that 2′O-methyl/locked nucleic acid oligonucleotides against the packaging signal and trans-activating response regions of HIV can inhibit replication of the virus.
Detection of Human Papillomavirus Genotypes Among High-Risk Women: A Comparison of Hybrid Capture and Linear Array Tests

Objectives: To assess the concordance and performance of 2 different assays in detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes among women with abnormal Pap smear. Study Design: A series of 575 women referred for colposcopy due to an abnormal Pap smear were analyzed with the Linear Array HPV Genotyping test detecting 37 HPV types and compared with Hybrid Capture II (HCII) assay for detection of carcinogenic HPV. Histologic outcomes of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) or worse (CIN2+) and CIN3+ were the primary endpoints. Clinical performance, including receiver operating characteristics, was determined for both tests. Results: HCII and linear array (LA) were concordant in 88.1% (433/491; 95% CI 85.3%–91.0%), having a substantial agreement with regular &kgr; (&kgr; = 0.70, 95% CI 0.62–0.77) and almost perfect agreement with weighted &kgr; (ICC = 0.82, 95% CI 0.7–0.85). In detecting CIN2+ and CIN3+, LA is 5% and 6% more sensitive but 9.5% and 8.7% less specific than HCII (area under ROC curve; P = 0.317 and P = 0.875, respectively). Conclusions: Performance of HCII and LA does not significantly differ in detecting CIN2+ or CIN3+.
Learning science principles for effective online learning in the workplace

We present an experiment involving the analysis and redesign of an online course that has been in existence for several years at Boeing. We created an experimental version of the course to explore the differential impact of a mix of learning science frameworks: integrating different types of formative and reflective feedback; minimizing cognitive load by restructuring lecture-derived text-centric materials into short, narrated, student-controlled videos; and using a learning management system (LMS) that supported social interactions and learner collaboration. We found significant differences between the existing course and the new course. Subjects in the experimental course learned more and at a greater rate. They had a more engaged attitude toward their future learning and less dependence on their level of initial subject knowledge. The social collaboration and data collection capabilities of the LMS supported continuous online course improvement during course development, but these tools had limited spontaneous use by students during the experiment. We describe the impact of these findings on developing an evidence-based methodology for implementing online learning experiences and future work.
Style and Society in Dark Age Greece: The Changing Face of a Pre-literate Society 1100-700 BC

List of abbreviations List of tables List of figures and diagrams List of plates Preface and acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical perspectives 3. Athens and Attica: the historical background 4. Methods and chronology 5. Athens: the analysis of the grave groups 6. The wider Dark Age world 7. Conclusions Bibliography Appendices Index of sites General index.
Propagation of negative streamers along mineral oil-solid interfaces

This paper introduces an experimental study on the propagation of negative streamers along mineral oil-solid interfaces. A standard type of impregnated paper and different polymeric films (made of PET, PTFE and PVDF) are selected as solid materials immersed in mineral oil. The effect of the solid material on the streamer propagation along the interface formed with transformer oil is studied. Streamer velocities classified as first mode propagation point cathode are reported. Voltage gradient of the streamer channel and its stopping voltage are calculated for all the cases. Comparison of streamer charge and stopping length propagation are reported.
Relieving self-healing SSDs of heal storms

Building self-healing SSDs is proven feasible by recent studies. When the stress of a block becomes critical, it can be healed to remove part of the stress. However, with wear leveling, all blocks are evenly worn and have similar stress, and all blocks could undergo the healing process within a short period of time. The intensive heal operations, called heal storms, cause highly unpredictable I/O performance and storage reliability. Inspired by the even distribution of erase counts under wear leveling, we propose to operate wear leveling on virtual erase counts instead of real erase counts. When the balance among virtual erase counts is achieved through wear leveling, all real erase counts become evenly dispersed in a controlled interval. In this way, blocks will undergo healing at different times. Virtual erase counts are progressively adjusted such that all blocks reach their endurance limit when the SSD permanently retires. Our results show that our approach successfully resolved the heal storm problem without impacting on the SSD lifespan.
A Herschel Space Observatory Spectral Line Survey of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies from 194 to 671 Microns

We describe a Herschel Space Observatory 194–671 μm spectroscopic survey of a sample of 121 local luminous infrared galaxies and report the fluxes of the CO J to J–1 rotational transitions for , the [N ii] 205 μm line, the [C i] lines at 609 and 370 μm, as well as additional and usually fainter lines. The CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs) presented here are consistent with our earlier work, which was based on a smaller sample, that calls for two distinct molecular gas components in general: (i) a cold component, which emits CO lines primarily at J ≲ 4 and likely represents the same gas phase traced by CO (1−0), and (ii) a warm component, which dominates over the mid-J regime (4 < J ≲ 10) and is intimately related to current star formation. We present evidence that the CO line emission associated with an active galactic nucleus is significant only at J > 10. The flux ratios of the two [C i] lines imply modest excitation temperatures of 15–30 K; the [C i] 370 μm line scales more linearly in flux with CO (4−3) than with CO (7−6). These findings suggest that the [C i] emission is predominantly associated with the gas component defined in (i) above. Our analysis of the stacked spectra in different far-infrared (FIR) color bins reveals an evolution of the SLED of the rotational transitions of vapor as a function of the FIR color in a direction consistent with infrared photon pumping.
Effects of anesthesia on norepinephrine kinetics. Comparison of propofol and halothane anesthesia in dogs.

Alteration of sympathetic function is a major determinant of the cardiovascular effects of anesthetic agents. Plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentrations are determined not only by the rate of NE release from sympathetic nerves but also by NE clearance rate. Therefore, NE concentration in plasma may be an inadequate index of sympathetic activity. We used an isotope dilution technique to investigate the effects of halothane and propofol anesthesia on NE kinetics. A relationship of NE kinetics to halothane dose was determined in six dogs. Halothane 1.0 MAC reduced plasma NE concentration by 35 +/- 9% versus awake (P less than 0.05). This was due to a reduction of 52 +/- 9% in NE spillover (P less than 0.05) accompanied by a reduction of 27 +/- 5% in NE clearance (P less than 0.005). The clearance changes were dose-dependent: reductions were 34 +/- 4% at 1.5 MAC (P less than 0.05 vs. 1.0 MAC) and 45 +/- 5% at 2.0 MAC (P less than 0.05 vs. 1.5 MAC). Six dogs were studied with a single halothane dose (1.0 MAC) and NE concentration, spillover, and clearance were found to be stable over a period of 5.5 h of anesthesia. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tgfβ/Alk5 signaling is required for shear stress induced klf2 expression in embryonic endothelial cells

Endothelial cells (EC) translate biomechanical forces into functional and phenotypic responses that play important roles in cardiac development. Specifically, EC in areas of high shear stress, i.e., in the cardiac outflow tract and atrioventricular canal, are characterized by high expression of Krüppel‐like factor 2 (Klf2) and by transforming growth factor‐beta (Tgfβ)‐driven endothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition. Extraembryonic venous obstruction (venous clip model) results in congenital heart malformations, and venous clip‐induced alterations in shear stress‐related gene expression are suggestive for an increase in cardiac shear stress. Here, we study the effects of shear stress on Klf2 expression and Tgfβ‐associated signaling in embryonic EC in vivo using the venous clip model and in vitro by subjecting cultured EC to fluid flow. Cellular responses were assessed by analysis of Klf2, Tgfβ ligands, and their downstream signaling targets. Results show that, in embryonic EC, shear stress activates Tgfβ/Alk5 signaling and that induction of Klf2 is an Alk5 dependent process. Developmental Dynamics 240:1670–1680, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of RDW-CV, RDW-SD, and MATH-1SD for the detection of erythrocyte anisocytosis observed by optical microscopy

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of red cell distribution width reported statistically as coefficient of variation (RDW-CV), standard deviation (RDW-SD), and mathematical deduction of 1 standard deviation (SD) around mean corpuscular volume (MATH-1SD) in identifying anisocytosis in automated blood counts when compared with the manual quantification of erythrocyte anisocytosis in peripheral blood smears. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 806 routine samples obtained from the hematology laboratory of Hospital de Clinicas da Universidade Federal do Parana (HC-UFPR) were analyzed. Performance evaluations were carried out by dividing samples into microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic mean corpuscular volume (MCV). For each MCV range, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and efficiency were calculated. In addition, the Youden index (Y) was obtained and a comparative analysis with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was done to evaluate the performance of RDW-SD, RDW-CV, and MATH-1SD on different MCV ranges. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: RDW-CV had the best sensitivity (86.8%) and efficiency (86.8%) in detecting anisocytosis in microcytic MCV ranges. RDW-SD and MATH-1SD were more sensitive and efficient in normocytic (82.9% and 83.3%; 92.1% and 92.3%, respectively) and macrocytic (90.2% and 90.2%; 95.1% and 95.1%, respectively) MCV ranges. A ROC curve analysis indicated that RDW-CV was more efficient in detecting anisocytosis in microcytic MCV ranges (p < 0.05 vs. RDW-SD and MATH-1SD). In normocytic and macrocytic MCV ranges, RDW-SD and MATH-1SD showed similar efficiency in detecting anisocytosis (p < 0.05 vs. RDW-CV). CONCLUSION: RDW-SD, RDW-CV, and MATH-1SD deliver different performances in detecting blood smear anisocytosis according to MCV values. They are parameters that complement each other and should be used together to identify erythrocyte size heterogeneity.
Effect of probiotic supplementation and genotype on growth performance, carcass traits, hematological parameters and immunity of growing rabbits under hot environmental conditions.

The effect of dietary inclusion of probiotics and genetic groups on rabbit performance under hot environmental conditions was studied. A total of 80 rabbits aged 8 weeks were distributed into a completely randomized design in a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement, including four genetic groups and three concentrations of dietary probiotic (0, 200 and 400 g/t feed). The utilized probiotic contained 4 × 109 colony-forming units/g of Bacillus subtilis. Jabali local breed (J), imported Spanish V-line (V) and their crossbreds (¼J¾V and ¾J¼V) were included in the current study. Final weight and body weight gain were not significantly affected by dietary probiotic levels or genetic group. The feed conversion ratio was better for purebreds than that of crossbreds. A significant improvement in percentage of dressed carcass, mid and hind parts was recorded for rabbits fed a diet containing 400 g probiotic/t feed compared with those fed a basal diet or low probiotic level. Probiotic supplementation had a significant decrease in serum cholesterol. Rabbits given 400 g probiotic/t feed had higher hemoglobin, red blood cells and platelets. Adding 400 g probiotic/t feed to rabbit's diet significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved cell-mediated immunity compared to the other treatments 48 h post-injection.
A matched-cohort comparison of laparoscopic renal cryoablation using ultra-thin cryoprobes with open partial nephrectomy for the treatment of small renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of performing laparoscopic renal cryoablation (LRC) for the treatment of RCC, as compared with open partial nephrectomy (OPN), which is the established NSS. MATERIALS AND METHODS From April 2004, among the patients who underwent LRC with a 1.47 mm cryoprobe, we enrolled 20 patients who were pathologically confirmed as having RCC with a tumor size smaller than 4 cm. These patients were matched with a group of 20 patients, who were selected based on the pre-operative characteristics of the tumor and those of the patients, from a pre-existing database of the patients who underwent OPN during the same period. RESULTS The mean age and tumor size were 56.3+/-11.5 years and 2.4+/-1.7 cm in the LRC group, and 57.6+/-10.9 years and 2.2+/-1.1 cm in the OPN group. The two groups were similar for their age, gender, BMI, ASA, the tumor characteristics and the indications for operation. While the pathologic results and the operation time showed similarity, the EBL (98+/-87 ml vs 351+/-147 ml, respectively, p=0.001), the transfusion rate (10% vs 40%, respectively, p=0.03) and the hospital stay (4.2+/-1.5 days vs 8.2+/-2.4 days, respectively, p=0.005) were significantly less in the LRC group. Major complications did not occur in the LRC group, but in the OPN group, one patient experienced urine leakage and one patient had a perirenal hematoma. During the mean follow up of 27.3+/-10.8 months and 28.7+/-14.9 months for each group, respectively, all the patients remained disease-free with no evidence of local recurrence or metastases. CONCLUSIONS LRC using ultra-thin cryoprobes for the treatment of small RCC showed similar effective oncologic results with the merits of minimal invasiveness, as compared with OPN, during the intermediate term follow up.
News of Risk for Early Heart Disease as a Stressful Event

&NA; Modern prevention includes efforts to reduce the frequency of coronary heart disease by screening populations for certain risk factors, and then advising persons high in risk on how to alter their vulnerability. But what is the effect of telling persons they are at increased risk for such threatening events as heart attacks? Without such information they may not be motivated to change such behavior as cigarette smoking or to comply with blood pressure reducing regimens. With it, worry about their health status may increase. The present study examined such variables in 575 men with no previous symptoms of heart disease who were informed of increased risk and followed for three years. The men were divided at random into two groups of equal size. A Special Intervention group received repeated reminders of risk and procedures for cessation of smoking, reduction of blood pressure, and dietary alteration to lower serum cholesterol. A contrast group received usual medical care, as they saw fit, in response to the news of risk. At yearly intervals, scores on level of subjective distress, avoidance, and coping were obtained. One‐third of the men reported intrusive or avoidance experiences one year after receipt of the news of increased risk. The Special Intervention group, with its more frequent reminders, had significantly higher levels of intrusive ideas and feelings about the news of risk than the Usual Care group, and significantly higher levels of coping experiences.
Case Report of Management Problem of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is one of the most common types of idiopathic generalised epilepsy. It starts in teenage years, yet it is frequently misdiagnosed or diagnosed very late, thereby resulting in inadequate therapy plan and worsening of symptoms. Timely diagnosis of JME is crucial for the correct management of symptoms and prevention of disease development. In this case report we describe a case of a 33-year-old woman who did not receive appropriate care due to a late diagnosis of her JME condition.
Immigration Theory for a New Century: Some Problems and Opportunities 1

This essay examines some of the pitfalls in contemporary immigration theory and reviews some of the most promising developments in research in this field. As a data-driven field or study, immigration has not had to contend with grand generalizations for highly abstract theorizing. On the contrary, the bias has run in the opposite direction, that is toward ground-level studies of particular migrant groups or analysis of official migration policies. As the distillate of past research in the field and a source of guidance for future work, theory represents one of the most valuable products of our collective intellectual endeavor. Ways to foster it and problems presented by certain common misunderstandings about the meaning and scope of scientific theorizing are discussed.