Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Replantation of uterus and ovaries in dogs, with successful pregnancy.

TRANSPLANTATION. RANSPLANTATION of the ovary has been reported by a number of investigators. 1-4 Ovarian autoimplants in the peritoneal cavity may acquire sufficient parasitic blood supply to permit ovulation and successful pregnancy. Ovarian homotransplants provide temporary evidence of hormonal production, 5,6 but they are eventually rejected. 7 In contrast to those on ovarian transplantation, studies involving uterine transplantation have been few. In fact, we had found no such work in the available literature at the time we began our investigations. However, in April 1964, Zhordania and Gotsiridze 8 reported successful replantation of the uterus and its appendages in rabbits, dogs, and especially in sheep. They used omentopexy for revascularization and achieved successful pregnancy in some instances. Nevertheless, our studies apparently represent the first in which vascular anastomoses were used for successful uterine replantation. The efficacy of the several anastomoses were supported by aortography, hysterography, studies of vaginal epithelium, evidence of
Enhanced ERPs to visual stimuli in unaffected male siblings of ASD children

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by deficits in social and communication abilities. While unaffected relatives lack severe deficits, milder impairments have been reported in some first-degree relatives. The present study sought to verify whether mild deficits in face perception are evident among the unaffected younger siblings of children with ASD. Children between 6–9 years of age completed a face-recognition task and a passive viewing ERP task with face and house stimuli. Sixteen children were typically developing with no family history of ASD, and 17 were unaffected children with an older sibling with ASD. Findings indicate that, while unaffected siblings are comparable to controls in their face-recognition abilities, unaffected male siblings in particular show relatively enhanced P100 and P100-N170 peak-to-peak amplitude responses to faces and houses. Enhanced ERPs among unaffected male siblings is discussed in relation to potential differences in neural network recruitment during visual and face processing.
VISUAL TRACKING UTILIZING OBJECT CONCEPT FROM DEEP LEARNING NETWORK

Abstract. Despite having achieved good performance, visual tracking is still an open area of research, especially when target undergoes serious appearance changes which are not included in the model. So, in this paper, we replace the appearance model by a concept model which is learned from large-scale datasets using a deep learning network. The concept model is a combination of high-level semantic information that is learned from myriads of objects with various appearances. In our tracking method, we generate the target’s concept by combining the learned object concepts from classification task. We also demonstrate that the last convolutional feature map can be used to generate a heat map to highlight the possible location of the given target in new frames. Finally, in the proposed tracking framework, we utilize the target image, the search image cropped from the new frame and their heat maps as input into a localization network to find the final target position. Compared to the other state-of-the-art trackers, the proposed method shows the comparable and at times better performance in real-time.
Reduced Tonoplast Fast-Activating and Slow-Activating Channel Activity Is Essential for Conferring Salinity Tolerance in a Facultative Halophyte, Quinoa1[C][W][OA]

The negative control of SV and FV tonoplast channel activity in quinoa leaves reduces Na+ leak. This improves the efficiency of Na+ sequestration in leaf vacuoles, thus enabling optimal photosynthetic performance and conferring salinity tolerance in this halophyte species. Halophyte species implement a “salt-including” strategy, sequestering significant amounts of Na+ to cell vacuoles. This requires a reduction of passive Na+ leak from the vacuole. In this work, we used quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) to investigate the ability of halophytes to regulate Na+-permeable slow-activating (SV) and fast-activating (FV) tonoplast channels, linking it with Na+ accumulation in mesophyll cells and salt bladders as well as leaf photosynthetic efficiency under salt stress. Our data indicate that young leaves rely on Na+ exclusion to salt bladders, whereas old ones, possessing far fewer salt bladders, depend almost exclusively on Na+ sequestration to mesophyll vacuoles. Moreover, although old leaves accumulate more Na+, this does not compromise their leaf photochemistry. FV and SV channels are slightly more permeable for K+ than for Na+, and vacuoles in young leaves express less FV current and with a density unchanged in plants subjected to high (400 mm NaCl) salinity. In old leaves, with an intrinsically lower density of the FV current, FV channel density decreases about 2-fold in plants grown under high salinity. In contrast, intrinsic activity of SV channels in vacuoles from young leaves is unchanged under salt stress. In vacuoles of old leaves, however, it is 2- and 7-fold lower in older compared with young leaves in control- and salt-grown plants, respectively. We conclude that the negative control of SV and FV tonoplast channel activity in old leaves reduces Na+ leak, thus enabling efficient sequestration of Na+ to their vacuoles. This enables optimal photosynthetic performance, conferring salinity tolerance in quinoa species.
Symbol ranking text compressors: review and implementation

Methods used by Shannon in 1951 when investigating the information content of English text are shown to lead to a class of ‘symbol ranking’ text compressors. Included in this class are some recent compressors which combine high performance with completely novel techniques. These are described under the aegis of the symbol ranking classification. Some new compressors, deliberately designed as symbol ranking, are then described. One of these has operated at over 1 Mbyte per second in software, and should be suitable for hardware implementation at tens of megabytes per second, or higher. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Epaulet Size and Current Condition in Red-Winged Blackbirds: Examining a Semistatic Signal, Testosterone, Immune Function, and Parasites

Some sexually selected signals are thought to convey information about the current condition and genetic/epigenetic quality of the individual signaling, including the ability to resist parasites. However, it is unclear whether semistatic sexual signals that develop periodically and remain stable over protracted periods, such as avian breeding plumage, can relate to measures of current condition and health. We examined a semistatic signal (wing epaulet size) in male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) during the breeding season and looked for relationships between this trait and circulating testosterone (T), hematocrit, bacteria-killing ability (BKA) of the blood, and the infection status, richness, and abundance of four functional categories of parasite. We found that epaulet size was positively related to circulating levels of T and ectoparasite infections. We found no relationships between T and parasite infections. In adult males there was a negative relationship between T and BKA, whereas in yearling males there was no relationship. We found no evidence for a general reduction in immunocompetence in males with larger epaulets but rather an increase in susceptibility to specific types of parasites. Our results suggest that semistatic signals can be linked to measures of current condition, and we postulate that these relationships are modulated via activity levels related to breeding-season activities.
Double‐Blind trial of botulinum toxin for treatment of focal hand dystonia

Ten patients with focal dystonia of the hand, all of whom had benefited in an open‐label study of botulinum toxin, were treated with botulinum toxin‐A in a double‐blind study. Response was assessed by three measures: (a) subjective rating, provided by patients' reports of the effect of the injections on the dystonia; (b) objective testing, consisting of manual muscle testing (MRC scale) to measure muscle strength in all patients, timing of a writing sample and counting the number of errors of writing off‐the‐line in six patients with writer's cramp, counting the number of errors on a standard test of transcription in two patients with stenographer's cramp, and rating by professional musicians of the performances of two patients with musician's cramp; and (c) physicians'rating, provided by a review of the patients' videotaped performance by neurologists who were unaware of which treatment was administered. Eight of the 10 patients had greater subjective improvement with botulinum toxin than with placebo, and this impression was verified by at least one objective test in six patients. Two patients failed to have a better response to botulinum toxin than to placebo, and their reports were verified by the objective tests. This study confirms the efficacy of botulinum toxin in many patients with focal hand dystonia.
The Impact on Families of Respite Care in a Quicken's Hospice Program

With increasing trends towards home care of children with even the most complex conditions and care requirements, respite becomes critical in improving the quality of life for terminally ill children and their families. This article reports on the respite component of an evaluation project that examined the effect of the Canuck Place children's hospice program on the families it served during its first 30 months of operation. Canuck Place, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is the first free-standing children's hospice in North America. Findings are derived from mail-out surveys to 144 families, face-to-face interviews with 18 families, and separate questionnaires specifically directed to parents who had used Canuck Place respite services. Sixty-five parents responded to the respite questions. They cited a wide range of benefits to the ill child, the child's siblings, and to the parents themselves; they also offered a few cautions. Our discussion focuses on three “lessons learned” from this unique investigation of respite within pediatric hospice care.
Role of Antibiotic in Drug Resistance and Integrons Prevalence in Escherichia coli Isolated from Human and Animal Specimens

It is believed that high antibiotic consumption and horizontal transfer of resistance genes are two major causes of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. To confirm or reject this belief, we studied the role of drug administration in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), prevalence of Class I and II integrons and integron-mediated resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from human and animal specimens. Recording demographic data, E. coli from different specimens including human, chicken, cattle and sheep was isolated followed by phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing and detection of Class I and II integrase genes. The correlation between integrons and resistance (P value) was evaluated using SPSS software. According to demographic records, chickens received the highest dose and variation of antibiotics. As expected, the most prevalent MDR strains and integrons were found in chicken strains. Chi square analysis showed a significant correlation between integrons and resistance pattern mostly in E. coli strains isolated from chicken rather than other specimens. Our survey confirmed that the use of antibiotics is strongly associated with the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and integrons in commensal E. coli. Such results confirm that high doses of antibiotics and selection pressure may remove susceptible intestinal microorganisms followed by resistant ones.
Efficacy of Kakkon‐to, a traditional herb medicine, in herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in mice

Kakkon‐to is one of the representative traditional herb medicines (Kampo formulae) and has been used historically for the treatment of infectious diseases in China and Japan. The efficacy of this preparation was characterised using a cutaneous herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) infection in mice as a model for human viral infection. Kakkon‐to at a dose corresponding to human use reduced significantly the mortality of HSV‐1‐infected mice and localised skin lesions. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to HSV‐1 antigen was significantly stronger in treated mice than in untreated mice. However, no histopathological difference was noted in the skin lesions between treated and untreated mice except for the size of the lesions. Kakkon‐to did not inhibit the growth of HSV‐1 in vitro. Natural killer cell activity, natural cytotoxic killer cell activity, and the population of T‐cell subsets in spleen cells of infected mice were not affected by the drug. Kakkon‐to did not augment interferon induction and anti‐HSV‐1 antibody production, nor increased cytokine levels such as interleukin‐1α, interleukin‐2, interferon‐γ, and tumour necrosis factor‐α in sera of infected mice. Thus, Kakkon‐to induced strong DTH to HSV‐1 in infected mice, which may have caused localisation of skin lesions and reduction in the mortality of treated mice. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Relative afferent pupillary defect in glaucoma: a pupillometric study.

PURPOSE To study the presence of relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) in patients with glaucoma with the help of a custom-built pupillometer. METHODS Sixty-five participants were recruited (32 with open-angle glaucoma and 33 healthy subjects). All underwent standard clinical examination including perimetry and optic disc photography. Pupillary light reflexes were examined with a custom-built pupillometer. Three video sequences were recorded for each subject. Alternating light stimulation with a duration of 0.5 seconds was used, followed by a 1 second pause. Mean values of pupil area ratio (PAR), pupil contraction velocity ratio (PCVR), and pupil dilation velocity ratio (PDVR) were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for each of the three parameters. Intra-individual variability was estimated. RESULTS PAR and PDVR differed significantly between the group with glaucoma and the control group (P < 0.0001). PAR was more sensitive for glaucoma detection than the other pupillometric parameters (PCVR and PDVR). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was largest for PAR. At a fixed specificity of 90%, sensitivity for PAR was 86.7%. CONCLUSION Measuring RAPD with infrared computerized pupillometry can detect optic neuropathy in glaucoma with high sensitivity and specificity. The method is fast and objective. Pupil area amplitude measurements were superior to pupil velocity measurements for the detection of RAPD in glaucoma.
Growth Inhibition of HeLa Cells Is a Conserved Feature of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus E8^E2C Proteins and Can Also Be Achieved by an Artificial Repressor Protein

ABSTRACT Infections with certain human papillomaviruses (HPV), such as type 16 (HPV16), 18, or 31, are a necessary risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. Transcript analyses of several HPV revealed that the viral E2 gene encodes both the E2 regulator protein and the E8∧E2C protein, which differ in their amino termini. Up to now, functional studies have focused on HPV31 E8∧E2C and demonstrated that it is a potent repressor of viral transcription and replication. However, recent analyses of HPV16 genomes have suggested that E8∧E2C proteins may differ in their activities. Therefore, we performed a comparative analysis of E8∧E2C proteins of HPV16, -18, and -31. All E8∧E2C proteins potently inhibited HPV E6/E7 oncogene promoters, and also displayed long-distance transcriptional-repression activities. Furthermore, the expression of all E8∧E2C proteins inhibited the growth of HeLa cells. Expression of E8∧E2C proteins rapidly increased the protein levels of the E6 and E7 targets p53 and p21, consistent with the repression of the endogenous HPV18 E6/E7 promoter. All E8∧E2C proteins induced G1 arrest more efficiently than E2 proteins and activated senescence markers. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the 31E8 domain can be functionally replaced by the KRAB repression domain derived from KOX1. The KRAB-E2C fusion protein possesses long-distance transcriptional-repression activity and inhibits the growth of HeLa cells comparably to E8∧E2C. Taken together, our results suggest that the E8∧E2C proteins of HPV16, -18, and -31 are highly conserved transcriptional repressors that inhibit the growth of HeLa cells by repression of E6/E7 transcription but do not have proapoptotic activities.
Game-Theory-Based Distributed Power Splitting for Future Wireless Powered MTC Networks

This paper studies the emerging wireless power transfer for machine type communication (MTC) network, where one hybrid access point (AP) with constant power supply communicates with a set of users (i.e., wearable devices and sensors) without power supply. The information and energy are transferred simultaneously in downlink direction. For MTC networks, most devices only receive several bits control data from AP in downlink transmission. So it is possible to utilize part of the received power to execute energy harvesting provided that the transmission reliability is guaranteed. Since we assume that all devices are without power supply or battery, the power of uplink transmission is entirely from energy harvesting. After converting electromagnetic wave to electricity, the devices are able to transmit their measured and collected data in uplink. Based on these considerations, a non-cooperative game model is formulated and a utility function involving both downlink decoding signal to noise ratio (SNR) and uplink throughput is established. The existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) in the formulated game model is proved. The uniqueness of NE is discussed and the expected NE is selected based on fairness equilibrium selection mechanism. The optimal splitting ratio within the feasible set, which maximizes the utility function, is obtained by an iterative function derived from this utility function. The numerical results show that in addition to ensuring the downlink decoding SNR and maximizing uplink throughput of an individual device, our proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional algorithm in terms of system performance.
Integrating gender and culture into medical curricula: putting principles into practice

In a multicultural and diverse society with vast health disparities, facing rapid socio-economic and demographic change both in the community and within the medical profession, it is imperative that our medical education system addresses appropriately issues arising from this diversity. The educational task is not only to encourage the development of our medical students in their understandings of how human diversity affects the health of their patients, but also to help them understand how it affects their own development as individuals and health practitioners. For several years, and in particular since introducing its new curriculum, the University of Adelaide Medical School has been developing innovative appropriate methods to encourage adequate discussion and learning about human diversity by its undergraduates. This article describes some of the techniques used to introduce gender and cultural discourse into the medical curriculum, and the challenges faced by medical educators in their efforts.
Urine Antibiotic Activity in Patients Presenting to Hospitals in Laos: Implications for Worsening Antibiotic Resistance

Widespread use of antibiotics may be important in the spread of antimicrobial resistance. We estimated the proportion of Lao in- and outpatients who had taken antibiotics before medical consultation by detecting antibiotic activity in their urine added to lawns of Bacillus stearothermophilus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus pyogenes. In the retrospective (N = 2,058) and prospective studies (N = 1,153), 49.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 47.4–52.0) and 36.2% (95% CI = 33.4–38.9), respectively, of Vientiane patients had urinary antibiotic activity detected. The highest frequency of estimated antibiotic pre-treatment was found in patients recruited with suspected central nervous system infections and community-acquired septicemia (both 56.8%). In Vientiane, children had a higher frequency of estimated antibiotic pre-treatment than adults (60.0% versus 46.5%; P < 0.001). Antibiotic use based on patients histories was significantly less frequent than when estimated from urinary antibiotic activity (P < 0.0001).
F‐actin‐like filaments formed by plasmid segregation protein ParM

It was the general belief that DNA partitioning in prokaryotes is independent of a cytoskeletal structure, which in eukaryotic cells is indispensable for DNA segregation. Recently, however, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed highly dynamic, filamentous structures along the longitudinal axis of Escherichia coli formed by ParM, a plasmid‐encoded protein required for accurate segregation of low‐copy‐number plasmid R1. We show here that ParM polymerizes into double helical protofilaments with a longitudinal repeat similar to filamentous actin (F‐actin) and MreB filaments that maintain the cell shape of non‐spherical bacteria. The crystal structure of ParM with and without ADP demonstrates that it is a member of the actin family of proteins and shows a domain movement of 25° upon nucleotide binding. Furthermore, the crystal structure of ParM reveals major differences in the protofilament interface compared with F‐actin, despite the similar arrangement of the subunits within the filaments. Thus, there is now evidence for cytoskeletal structures, formed by actin‐like filaments that are involved in plasmid partitioning in E.coli.
Multicenter Evaluation of the LightCycler Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Advanced Test as a Rapid Method for Detection of MRSA in Nasal Surveillance Swabs

ABSTRACT The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection continues to rise in many health care settings. Rapid detection of MRSA colonization followed by appropriate isolation can reduce transmission and infection. We compared the performance of the new Roche LightCycler MRSA advanced test to that of the BD GeneOhm MRSA test and culture. Double-headed swabs were used to collect anterior nasal specimens from each subject. For both tests, DNA was extracted and real-time PCR was performed according to manufacturer's instructions. For culture, one swab of the pair was plated directly to CHROMagar MRSA. The swab paired with the BD GeneOhm MRSA test was also placed into an enrichment broth and then plated to CHROMagar MRSA. Colonies resembling staphylococci were confirmed as S. aureus by standard methods. Discrepant specimens had further testing with additional attempts to grow MRSA as well as sample amplicon sequencing. Agreement between results for the two swabs was 99.3% for those with valid results. A total of 1,402 specimens were tested using direct culture detection of MRSA as the gold standard; 187 were culture positive for MRSA. The LightCycler MRSA advanced test had relative sensitivity and specificity of 95.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 91.1% to 97.8%) and 96.4% (95% CI: 95.2% to 97.4%), respectively. The BD GeneOhm assay had relative sensitivity and specificity of 95.7% (95% CI: 91.7% to 98.1%) and 91.7% (95% CI: 90.0% to 93.2%), respectively. Following discrepancy analysis, the relative sensitivities of the LightCycler MRSA advanced test and the BD GeneOhm MRSA assay were 92.2 and 93.2%, respectively; relative specificities were 98.9 and 94.2%, respectively. Specificity was significantly better (P < 0.001) with the LightCycler MRSA advanced test. The sensitivity of direct culture was 80.4%. The LightCycler MRSA advanced test is a useful tool for sensitive and rapid detection of MRSA nasal colonization.