Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aerosol optical depth distribution in extratropical cyclones over the Northern Hemisphere oceans

Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and an extratropical cyclone database, the climatological distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in extratropical cyclones is explored based solely on observations. Cyclone‐centered composites of aerosol optical depth are constructed for the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude ocean regions, and their seasonal variations are examined. These composites are found to be qualitatively stable when the impact of clouds and surface insolation or brightness is tested. The larger AODs occur in spring and summer and are preferentially found in the warm frontal and in the postcold frontal regions in all seasons. The fine mode aerosols dominate the cold sector AODs, but the coarse mode aerosols display large AODs in the warm sector. These differences between the aerosol modes are related to the varying source regions of the aerosols and could potentially have different impacts on cloud and precipitation within the cyclones.
Ambrisentan therapy in pulmonary hypertension: clinical use and tolerability in a referral centre

Introduction: Ambrisentan is an oral selective endothelin receptor antagonist licensed for use in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). There are few data on clinical use and long-term tolerability in a wider range of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Methods: All patients treated with ambrisentan over a 4-year period were identified. Baseline characteristics, liver function test (LFT) results and World Health Organization (WHO) functional class were retrieved from hospital databases. Results: 272 patients received ambrisentan between March 2009 and June 2013 (32% idiopathic PAH, 36% connective tissue disease PAH, 11% congenital heart disease PAH, 6% portopulmonary hypertension, 1% HIV PAH, 4% PH in association with lung disease, 8% chronic thromboembolic PH and 2% PH in association with sarcoidosis). 33.5% of patients received ambrisentan as monotherapy and 12% received ambrisentan as their initial PH therapy. 18% stopped treatment due to side effects and 12% stopped due to lack of efficacy. Oedema was the most common side effect leading to cessation of therapy, which occurred in 7% of patients. 57% of patients who discontinued ambrisentan due to side effects also discontinued other PAH therapies due to side effects previously or subsequently. Ambrisentan was discontinued in two (<1%) patients due to abnormal LFTs. The 3-year survival in congenital heart disease PAH, idiopathic PAH and systemic sclerosis-associated PAH was 80%, 62%, and 38%, respectively (p = 0.003). Survival was superior in patients in whom WHO functional class improved in response to therapy. Conclusion: Ambrisentan is used as an initial therapy and as monotherapy in a minority of patients in a large UK PH referral centre. Discontinuation due to side effects, and especially oedema, was higher than reported in previous studies while discontinuation due to abnormal LFTs was very uncommon. A majority of patients who discontinued therapy due to side effects also previously or subsequently discontinued other PAH therapies. Improvement in WHO functional class was associated with superior survival.
Improvement of fertilizing performance by normal and abnormal mouse semen after zona opening of mature oocytes

The usefulness of opening the zona pellucida by partial zona dissection (PZD) to enhance fertilization of mature mouse oocytes was studied after insemination with three types of semen: normal and diluted semen and semen from long‐term‐vasectomized males. Zona opening did not by itself induce parthenogenetic cleavage of mature oocytes and did not significantly increase mono‐ and polyspermic fertilization of oocytes inseminated with normal semen. While a fertilization rate of 62% was obtained among intact oocytes, of which 4.5% were polyspermic, a 66.8% fertilization rate was observed among PZD oocytes, 6.3% of which were polyspermic. However, after using diluted semen, only 54 of 193 intact oocytes were fertilized (28%), and PZD improved the fertilization rate to 65.4%. Cleavage rate of nonmanipulated oocytes inseminated with abnormal semen from vasectomized males was dramatically decreased in comparison with those inseminated with normal semen (7.6% vs. 65%). PZD induced a moderate but significant improvement of fertilization performance when using this abnormal semen (19.6%).
Beta(2)-microglobulin and its deamidated variant, N17D form amyloid fibrils with a range of morphologies in vitro.

Amyloid fibrils formed by incubation of recombinant wild-type human beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)M) ab initio in vitro at low pH and high ionic strength are short and highly curved. By contrast, fibrils extracted from patients suffering from haemodialysis-related amyloidosis and those formed by seeding growth of the wild-type protein in vitro with fibrils ex vivo are longer and straighter than those previously produced ab initio in vitro. Here we explore the effect of growth conditions on morphology of beta(2)M fibrils formed ab initio in vitro from the wild-type protein, as well as a variant form of beta(2)M in which Asn17 is deamidated to Asp (N17D). We show that deamidation results in significant destabilisation of beta(2)M at neutral pH. Despite this, acidification is still necessary to form amyloid from the mutant protein in vitro. Interestingly, at low pH and low ionic strength long, straight fibrils of recombinant beta(2)M are formed in vitro. The fibrils comprise three distinct morphological types when examined using electron microscopy (EM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) that vary in periodicity and the number of constituent protofibrils. Using kinetic experiments we suggest that the immature fibrils observed previously do not represent intermediates in the assembly of fully mature amyloid, at least under the conditions studied here.
Pulmonary function in infancy and in childhood following mechanical ventilation in the neonatal period

Pulmonary function was evaluated in both infancy and childhood in the same 19 prematurely born infants, who required mechanical ventilation (MV) during the neonatal period. Results of our patients were compared with those of control subjects. Upon first evaluation, we found that lung resistance (RL) was significantly elevated (24.85 ± 6.06 vs. 17.77 ± 2.39 cmH2O/L/s; P < 0.01). The mean value of dynamic lung compliance (CLdyn) was low, but the difference compared to controls did not reach significance. From infancy to childhood, elevated RL persisted (9.33 ± 2.51 vs. 6.52 ± 1.52 cm H2O/L/s; P < 0.01), and the decrease of CLdyn became significant (46.86 ± 12.84 vs. 59.34 ± 15.68 mL/cmH2O; P < 0.05). In addition, maximum flow at functional residual capacity was significantly decreased (0.824 ± 0.284 vs. 1.215 ± 0.358 L/s; P < 0.01); whereas pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was similar in the patients (7.62 ± 2.16 mL/min/mm Hg) and in the controls (8.38 ± 1.6). Pulmonary dysfunction following premature birth, respiratory distress, and prolonged MV may not resolve from infancy to childhood. Pediatr Pulmonol 1990; 9:34–40.
Human-to-human transmission of Mycobacterium kansasii or victims of a shared source?

To the Editor: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment [1] and can cause opportunistic infections in humans with either an immunological deficit or structurally abnormal lungs, such as in cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [2]. Unlike Mycobacterium tuberculosis , human-to-human transmission of NTM is generally thought to be uncommon [2–4], although there is evidence that transmission of certain NTM is possible in certain circumstances [5]. Domestic plumbing has also been suggested as a potential source of infection [6]. We describe what we believe to be the best evidence to date of human-to-human transmission of Mycobacterium kansasii in a husband and wife living in East London, UK, an area with a high incidence of tuberculosis (∼112 cases per 100 000 per year) [7]. A recent survey suggested a UK isolation rate for NTM of around three cases per 100 000 per year with no data available for true disease incidence [8]. The first of the couple to be seen in chest clinic was a 69-year-old Caucasian …
Prevalence of diabetes in rural and urban populations in southern Sierra Leone: a preliminary survey

We conducted a preliminary community survey for diabetes in the Bo district of southern Sierra Leone. Five hundred and one subjects comprising 256 rural adults in two villages and 245 urban adults in Bo town were randomly selected and screened for diabetes using random capillary blood glucose according to WHO criteria. There were 6 diabetics, all in the urban area, giving a prevalence of 2.4% in the urban population, and 0% in the rural villages. The mean (s.d.) capillary random blood glucose (RBG) concentration was 5.7±1.7 mmol/l for the entire study population, while concentrations for the urban and rural populations were 5.8±2 and 5.5±1.4 mmol/l respectively (P>0.05). RBG increased significantly with age. The mean (s.d.) body mass index (BMI) was 22.3±4.9 kg/m2 for the total population while those for the urban and rural populations were 23.0±5.8 and 21.6±3.6 respectively (P<0.01). Only 5% of the population were obese, i.e. BMI30 kg/m2. Dietary habits were similar in both town and country. According to this survey, the prevalence of diabetes is very low in rural Sierra Leone, but urban areas may be experiencing increasing prevalence. Mechanisms for effective screening and promotion of proper diet and exercise must be incorporated into existing health services to prevent an escalation of diabetes in urban Sierra Leone.
Adaptive block threshold and tight frames for image denoising

In this paper, we propose an Adaptive BlockThresh-old and Tight Frames Denoising (ABTTFD) using sub-block threshold for image denoising in wavelet do-main. The size of sub-block is equivalent to LLn where LL is the low frequency subband, n is the level of wavelet transform. The proposed thresholding called Block-Shrink is more efficient and adaptive because the threshold depends on wavelet coefficients of sub-block and uses the scale parameter. Moreover, tight frames are used to eliminate artifacts. Several test images are used for comparison among several denoising techniques like ABTTFD, Soft thresholding (Soft) and Block translation invariant stein thresholding (B-stein). Experimental results show that ABTTFD not only has good performance in visual effect but also obtains higher SNR and computing efficiency. Virtually, it outperforms Soft and B-stein.
FNAC Diagnosis of Lymph Nodes : An Institutional Experience

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology is a simple, cost effective, out-patient diagnostic procedure done for palpable lumps in the body. Chronic lymphadenopathy is local manifestation of a systemic disease and Tuberculosis is the most common cause for lymphadenopathy accounting for increased number of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in both developing as well as developed countries. Coupling the cytomorphological features with acid fast bacilli, immunocytochemistry, culture and PCR not only increases the diagnostic specificity but also helps in identifying Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection thereby altering the mode of treatment. Aim and Objective: 1. To study the pattern of disease in lymph nodes using FNAC 2. To study the cytomorphological pattern of TB lymphadenitis and 3. To study the diagnostic algorithm used for diagnosis of TB lymphadenitis Material and Methods: Retrospective study of lymph nodes aspirated in between January 2012 to July 2013 were included for the study. Results: Fifteen of 65 cases were inadequate for opinion after the aspiration, so excluded from the study. TB was the most common cause for lymphadenopathy in the present study followed by reactive pattern and metastatic deposits. TB lymphadenitis was common among adolescents and young adults, whereas metastatic deposits were common among elderly as usual. Most common cytomorphological pattern observed was granulomatous lymphadenitis with necrosis, followed by granulomatous lymphadenitis without necrosis and only necrotic material. Acid fast bacilli were identified in only two cases. Discussion: Common diagnostic algorithm for cytologic diagnosis is used in present study like in other studies. Acid fast bacilli were detected in only two cases. But studies have demonstrated mycobacterial antigen in necrotic debris where it was negative for acid fast bacilli. Conclusion: Procuring the aspirate material for immunocytochemistry, culture, PCR in case of suspected Mycobacterial infection, not only increases the diagnostic specificity but also helps in differentiating tuberculous from non-tuberculous lymphadenitis. It is also a useful tool in primary diagnosis and classification of lymphoma by providing material for ancillary studies. But immunocytochemistry and culture are not done in the present study, which would have improved the diagnostic
Nursing Support, Workload, and Intent to Stay in Magnet, Magnet-Aspiring, and Non-Magnet Hospitals

This study examined the differences between nurses' (N = 3,337) scores on organizational support, workload, satisfaction, and intent to stay between Magnet, Magnet-aspiring, and non-Magnet hospitals. The study was conducted using the Individual Workload Perception Scale, a valid and reliable tool with 32 Likert scale items, with nurses from 11 states, 15 institutions, and 292 diverse units. Results indicate that nurses at Magnet hospitals had significantly better scores on all subscales. Furthermore, nurses from Magnet-aspiring hospitals had better scores than did nurses from non-Magnet facilities. Conclusions of the study indicate that the Magnet program is meeting its intended goal: to provide a professional practice environment for staff nurses. Nurse executives may consider using the Individual Workload Perception Scale as a way to assess their organization's culture as it relates to professional practice of the registered nurse.
Context Effects and Observer Bias—Implications for Forensic Odontology

Abstract: Psychologists have long recognized the effects of contextual and extraneous information on decision making. Such information renders the subject susceptible to both motivational and cognitive bias; yet, it is difficult to assess the extent to which these influence forensic odontologists opinions as there have been no studies to date on this subject. This article explores the various types of contextual effects and biasing influences that potentially impact on the analysis of bitemarks in forensic odontology. It appears that the current practice of bitemark analysis is rich in sources of potentially biasing influences. In addition to the fundamental recognition that some form of bias is likely to exist, ways in which these should be minimized include: separation of the collection and analysis phases; limiting the amount of contextual information available to the odontologist responsible for the analysis; and ensuring that evidence that is ambiguous or of poor quality is identified as such prior to analysis.
Transglutaminase 2 Is Needed for the Formation of an Efficient Phagocyte Portal in Macrophages Engulfing Apoptotic Cells1

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2), a protein cross-linking enzyme with many additional biological functions, acts as coreceptor for integrin β3. We have previously shown that TG2−/− mice develop an age-dependent autoimmunity due to defective in vivo clearance of apoptotic cells. Here we report that TG2 on the cell surface and in guanine nucleotide-bound form promotes phagocytosis. Besides being a binding partner for integrin β3, a receptor known to mediate the uptake of apoptotic cells via activating Rac1, we also show that TG2 binds MFG-E8 (milk fat globulin EGF factor 8), a protein known to bridge integrin β3 to apoptotic cells. Finally, we report that in wild-type macrophages one or two engulfing portals are formed during phagocytosis of apoptotic cells that are characterized by accumulation of integrin β3 and Rac1. In the absence of TG2, integrin β3 cannot properly recognize the apoptotic cells, is not accumulated in the phagocytic cup, and its signaling is impaired. As a result, the formation of the engulfing portals, as well as the portals formed, is much less efficient. We propose that TG2 has a novel function to stabilize efficient phagocytic portals.
Addressing information literacy through student-centered learning

This case study describes several courses that resulted from a teaching partnership between an instructional technologist/professor and a librarian that evolved over several semesters, and the information literacy implications of the course formats. In order to increase student engagement, active learning and inquiry-based learning techniques were incorporated into the courses. By designing the courses in this manner, information literacy was addressed in various ways throughout the courses. This paper will provide some background on the instructors’ approach and inspirations, discuss some specifics of the courses, and relate the information literacy outcomes.
A Case-Control Study of Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background : Randomized trials demonstrate that intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) improves outcome in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). To assess translation of this efficacy into effectiveness in routine clinical practice we performed a case-control study of tPA treatment for AIS in a single hospital. Methods : 151 tPA-treated AIS patients (1996-2005) were matched 1:1 with blinding to outcome to controls from a prospective registry based on age, gender, pre-stroke Oxford handicap scale (OHS), stroke severity, and subtype. The outcomes were in-hospital death, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH), length-of-stay (LOS), discharge OHS and long-term survival. Results : In-hospital mortality (23% vs. 24%) or long-term survival (median follow-up of 2 years) was not different between cases and controls (p=0.83). SICH occurred in 7.8% (95% CI 4.2-13.5%) of tPA-treated patients. Median LOS was non-significantly shorter for cases (13 [7-29] vs. 16 [8-32] days, p=0.14) but significantly shorter in tPA-treated vs. non-treated women (14 [7-28] vs. 20 [11-34] days, p=0.04). At discharge 6.6% (95% CI 1.1-12.0%) more tPA-treated patients than controls had no disability (OHS ≤1, p=0.02). However, there was no difference in discharge independence rates or proportion discharged home. Conclusion : We demonstrate minor improvements in early recovery after stroke with tPA but the impact is less dramatic than that reported in randomized trials. This may relate to timing of treatment and the type of patients treated.
GaN on Si Technologies for Power Switching Devices

This paper reviews the recent activities for normally-off GaN-based gate injection transistors (GITs) on Si substrates and their application to inverters. Epitaxial growth of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with good crystallinity over 200-mm Si substrates with eliminated bowing enables low-cost fabrication of GaN devices with high breakdown voltages. A novel normally-off GaN transistor called as GIT is proposed in which hole injection from the p-type AlGaN gate increases the drain current with low on-state resistance by conductivity modulation. The low on-state resistance in GaN-based devices greatly helps to increase the efficiency of power switching systems. A GaN-based three-phase inverter successfully drives a motor with high efficiency of 99.3% at a high output power of 1500 W. The presented GaN-based devices are expected to greatly help saving energy in the future as an indispensable power switching system.
Virological and immunological response in HIV-1-infected patients with multiple treatment failures receiving raltegravir and optimized background therapy, ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort.

BACKGROUND The efficacy of raltegravir plus optimized background therapy (OBT) has been demonstrated for antiretroviral (ARV)-experienced HIV-1-infected patients in randomized clinical trials. We studied viro-immunological response, pharmacokinetic parameters and genotypic test results in an observational cohort of multiple ARV class-experienced patients starting a raltegravir-based regimen. METHODS Already enrolled ANRS CO3 Aquitaine Cohort patients with virological failure were included in this study after starting a raltegravir-based regimen (400 mg twice a day, week 0). Virological success was defined by the plasma HIV-1 RNA level [viral load (VL)] <2.7 log(10) copies/mL at week 12 and <1.7 log(10) copies/mL at week 24. One patient was excluded from further analysis (no follow-up after week 4). RESULTS Fifty-one patients [male/female = 43/8, median age = 48 (interquartile range = 43, 55) years] were included. At week 0, median CD4 count was 244 (110; 310)/mm(3) and median VL was 4.2 (3.6, 4.7) log(10) copies/mL. At week 24, 39 (78%) patients experienced virological success: 4 (44%), 14 (82%) and 21 (87%) patients with a genotypic sensitivity score <1, > or =1 and <2 and > or =2 (P = 0.02), respectively. Raltegravir-related mutations emerged in 9 of 11 failing patients (82%): Q148H/R (n = 5), N155S/H (n = 3) and S230N (n = 1). Median CD4 increases from week 0 to week 4 and week 24 were 28 (-4, 85) and 57 (0, 156) cells/mm(3), respectively. A poor immune response was independently associated with a lower VL decline (week 0 to week 12) [odds ratio (OR): 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4, 8.4, for 1 log(10) less] and CD4+% at baseline (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 0.97, 8.3, for 10% lower). CONCLUSIONS Raltegravir plus OBT provided a good virological success rate in highly pre-treated patients under clinical routine conditions.
Mechanobiology and Mechanotherapy of Adipose Tissue-Effect of Mechanical Force on Fat Tissue Engineering

Summary: Our bodies are subjected to various mechanical forces, which in turn affect both the structure and function of our bodies. In particular, these mechanical forces play an important role in tissue growth and regeneration. Adipocytes and adipose-derived stem cells are both mechanosensitive and mechanoresponsive. The aim of this review is to summarize the relationship between mechanobiology and adipogenesis. PubMed was used to search for articles using the following keywords: mechanobiology, adipogenesis, adipose-derived stem cells, and cytoskeleton. In vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that adipogenesis is strongly promoted/inhibited by various internal and external mechanical forces, and that these effects are mediated by changes in the cytoskeleton of adipose-derived stem cells and/or various signaling pathways. Thus, adipose tissue engineering could be enhanced by the careful application of mechanical forces. It was shown recently that mature adipose tissue regenerates in an adipose tissue-engineering chamber. This observation has great potential for the reconstruction of soft tissue deficiencies, but the mechanisms behind it remain to be elucidated. On the basis of our understanding of mechanobiology, we hypothesize that the chamber removes mechanical force on the fat that normally impose high cytoskeletal tension. The reduction in tension in adipose stem cells triggers their differentiation into adipocytes. The improvement in our understanding of the relationship between mechanobiology and adipogenesis means that in the near future, we may be able to increase or decrease body fat, as needed in the clinic, by controlling the tension that is loaded onto fat.