Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of fever on the serum antibody response of Gambian children to Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine

Background. Acute malaria is a major pediatric problem in developing countries and it is known to be immunosuppressive. Methods. The serum antibody response to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine was investigated in children ages 12 to 30 months with fever associated with malaria, fever associated with other causes or no fever. Groups of 57 children with malaria, 57 children with fever without malaria and 60 healthy children were bled and vaccinated with a single dose of H. influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide-tetanus protein conjugate vaccine. Of these 137 were bled again 1 to 2 months after vaccination. Results. The median antibody titers at baseline were low and similar in the three groups; 77, 65 and 57% of children in the malaria, febrile and healthy groups, respectively, had prevaccination titers of anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate antibodies below 0.15 μg/ml. The median antibody titers after vaccination were 6.3, 7.5 and 23 μg/ml in the malaria, febrile and healthy groups, respectively (P < 0.001, healthy group vs. the two febrile groups). All the healthy children had protective titers (>0.15 μg/ml) after vaccination, but 11% of the children with malaria and 4% of the other febrile children did not have protective titers. Conclusions. Anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate titers after Hib vaccination were lower in children with malaria or other febrile illnesses at the time of vaccination than in controls. Fever associated with malaria or other acute illnesses is associated with a diminished response to Hib conjugate vaccine. These findings raise questions about the vaccination of febrile children and indicate the need for further studies in this area.
A provincial and territorial review of hepatitis A in men who have sex with men.

introduction Hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been reported in urban areas of Canada, the United States (US), Europe and Australia. HAV usually causes clinical infection in adults with liver inflammation resulting in anorexia, nausea, fatigue, fever, and jaundice, and rarely in extreme cases, liver necrosis and death. HAV is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, through direct person-to-person contact or by ingestion of contaminated water or foods. There is no specific treatment for HAV infection, however vaccines are known to be effective in preventing infection.
Problem solving and creativity in engineering: conclusions of a three year project involving reusable learning objects and robots

Abstract The necessity for creative problem solving skills within the sciences and engineering are highlighted in benchmark and policy statements as essential abilities. None of these statements, however, offer any guidance on how these skills might be fostered, let alone assessed. This paper presents findings from the second cycle of an action research project to develop a dedicated creative problem solving module for first year engineering undergraduates. In the module problem based learning (PBL) techniques have been used with Lego Mindstorm NXT robots to develop creative problem solving skills. The focus of the module has been on developing process skills as opposed to the simple methodical solving of routine problems. Process skills have been introduced and mediated by the use of reusable learning objects (RLOs) within a virtual learning environment (VLE). Separate RLOs have also been used to develop skills in using the robots. The action research cycle has been informed by a parallel project involving interviews designed to explore the perceptions of students, academics and professional engineers of creative problem solving. Phenomenography has been used as the main research tool. Student feedback through online questionnaires, focus groups, classroom-based observation and interviews indicates that the module, and its means of delivery, has proven successful in improving creative problem solving skills. It also highlights the value of developing process skills within a practical and motivational environment.
Examining Medical Student Specialty Choice Through a Gender Lens: An Orientational Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT Phenomenon: A growing number of women are entering the medical workforce, yet their distribution across medical specialties remains nonuniform. We sought to describe how culture, bias, and socialization shape gendered thinking regarding specialty choice at a Canadian undergraduate medical institution. Approach: We analyzed transcripts from the Career Choices Project: 16 semistructured focus group discussions with 70 students graduating from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The questions and prompts were designed to explore factors influencing specialty choice and did not specifically probe gender-based experiences. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and deidentified before analysis. Analysis was inductive and guided by principles of orientational qualitative inquiry using a gender-specific lens. Findings: The pursuits of personal and professional goals, as well as contextual factors, were the major themes that influenced decision-making for women and men. Composition of these major themes varied between genders. Influence of a partner, consideration of familial commitments (both present and future), feeling a sense of connectedness with the field in question, and social accountability were described by women as important. Both genders hoped to pursue careers that would afford “flexibility” in order to balance work with their personal lives, though the construct of work–life balance differed between genders. Women did not explicitly identify gender bias or sexism as influencing factors, but their narratives suggest that these elements were at play. Insights: Our findings suggest that unlike men, women's decision-making is informed by tension between personal and professional goals, likely related to the context of gendered personal and societal expectations.
Overshadowing and summation in compound stimulus conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response.

The present experiments examined acquisition of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response to a light + tone simultaneous compound stimulus and its components as a function of the intensity of the tone. In Experiment 1, the tone intensity was varied across the values of 85, 89, and 93 dB, and the CS-US (conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus) interval was 400 msec. In Experiment 2, the tone intensities were 73, 85, and 93 dB, and the CS-US interval was 800 msec. Experiments 3 and 4 further examined the effects of the 73-dB tone at CS-US intervals of 400 and 800 msec, respectively. All experiments included control groups, which were trained with either a light or a tone CS. In brief, the experiments revealed repeated instances of overshadowing, i.e., the impairment of conditioned response (CR) acquisition to one or both of the components of a compound. Moreover, two types of summation were obtained: within-subjects summation, in which rabbits trained with a compound showed a higher level of responding to the compound than to either of its component CSs (Experiments 2, 3, and 4), and between-groups summation, in which a group trained with a compound showed faster CR acquisition than either of its corresponding control groups trained with a single CS (Experiments 1 and 2). The results are discussed in terms of perceptual and distributive processing models of compound stimulus conditioning.
' s response to reviews Title : Distress criterion influences prevalence rates of functional gastrointestinal disorders

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are defined by a combination of chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms. Prevalence rates of FGID are high. Symptoms are associated with distress, and sufferers show high stress levels. However, the current diagnostic criteria do not consider subjective distress elicited by the symptoms, thus potentially leading to overestimated prevalence rates. The aim of this study was to explore the reduction in prevalence rates when distress is considered in the diagnostic criteria. Methods: In this web-based study, FGID were diagnosed using the Rome II criteria. Prevalence rates with and without subjective distress elicited by the symptoms were computed. Additionally, stress levels and stress reactivity were assessed. Results: Prevalence rates of FGID in our sample were similar to those in other studies. However, when considering the distress criterion, on average, a decrease of 34.36% was found in the prevalence rates of FGID. Sufferers who were subjectively distressed by their symptoms reported significantly higher stress levels than non-distressed subjects (all p < 0.001). Conclusions: The consideration of a criterion of subjective distress in the diagnosis of FGID has consequences for actual prevalence rates of FGID. Distressed subjects differ markedly from nondistressed subjects in terms of their stress levels. The inclusion of a distress criterion in the ongoing development of diagnostic criteria for FGID is therefore warranted.
Vav Is Required for Cyclin D2 Induction and Proliferation of Mouse B Lymphocytes Activated via the Antigen Receptor*

B lymphocytes from mice null for the Rho-family guanine-nucleotide exchange factor, Vav, are defective in their ability to proliferate in response to BCR cross-linking, but are able to proliferate normally in response to LPS. In addition, they have a depletion of CD5+ (B1) lymphocytes and defective IgG class switching. This phenotype is reminiscent of that observed in mice null for the cell cycle regulatory protein, cyclin D2. We demonstrate here that the inability of vav−/− B cells to proliferate in response to BCR ligation is due to an inability to induce cyclin D2. In addition, we show that the proliferative defect of these cells occurs after the cells have entered early G1phase. Analyses of potential down-stream signaling intermediates revealed differential activation of the stress-activated MAP kinases in the absence of Vav, normal activation of the ERK, MAPK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways, and defective intracellular calcium mobilization. We further demonstrate that intracellular calcium homeostasis is required for cyclin D2 induction, implicating a possible link with the defective calcium response ofvav−/− B cells and their inability to induce cyclin D2.
Nature, origin and evolution of a Late Pleistocene incised valley‐fill, Sunda Shelf, Southeast Asia

Understanding the stratigraphic fill and reconstructing the palaeo‐hydrology of incised valleys can help to constrain those factors that controlled their origin, evolution and regional significance. This condition is addressed through the analysis of a large (up to 18 km wide by 80 m deep) and exceptionally well‐imaged Late Pleistocene incised valley from the Sunda Shelf (South China Sea) based on shallow three‐dimensional seismic data from a large (11 500 km2), ‘merge’ survey, supplemented with site survey data (boreholes and seismic). This approach has enabled the characterization of the planform geometry, cross‐sectional area and internal stratigraphic architecture, which together allow reconstruction of the palaeo‐hydrology. The valley‐fill displays five notable stratigraphic features: (i) it is considerably larger than other seismically resolvable channel forms and can be traced for at least 180 km along its length; (ii) it is located in the axial part of the Malay Basin; (iii) the youngest part of the valley‐fill is dominated by a large (600 m wide and 23 m deep), high‐sinuosity channel, with well‐developed lateral accretion surfaces; (iv) the immediately adjacent interfluves contain much smaller, dendritic channel systems, which resemble tributaries that drained into the larger incised valley system; and (v) a ca 16 m thick, shell‐bearing, Holocene clay caps the valley‐fill. The dimension, basin location and palaeo‐hydrology of this incised valley leads to the conclusion that it represents the trunk river, which flowed along the length of the Malay Basin; it connected the Gulf of Thailand in the north with the South China Sea in the south‐east. The length of the river system (>1200 km long) enables examination of the upstream to downstream controls on the evolution of the incised valley, including sea‐level, climate and tectonics. The valley size, orientation and palaeo‐hydrology suggest close interaction between the regional tectonic framework, low‐angle shelf physiography and a humid‐tropical climatic setting.
Effects of High Temperature on Silicate Liquid Structure: A Multinuclear NMR Study

The structure of a silicate liquid changes with temperature, and this substantially affects its thermodynamic and transport properties. Models used by geochemists, geophysicists, and glass scientists need to include such effects. In situ, high-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on 23Na, 27A1, and 29Si was used to help determine the time-averaged structure of a series of alkali aluminosilicate liquids at temperatures to 1320�C. Isotropic chemical shifts for 29Si increase (to higher frequencies) with increasing temperature, probably in response to intermediate-range structural changes such as the expansion of bonds between nonbridging oxygens and alkali cations. In contrast, isotropic chemical shifts for 27Al decrease with increasing temperature, indicating that more significant short-range structural changes take place for aluminum, such as an increase in mean coordination number. The spectrum of a sodium aluminosilicate glass clearly indicates that at least a few percent of six-coordinated aluminum was present in the liquid at high temperature.
Determining oxidant and antioxidant status in patients with genital warts

Abstract Objectives Warts are abnormal skin growths caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infections within the skin of patients. Genital warts usually appear in the perianal and perigenital regions. Asymptomatic warts may be activated after years and may damage natural immunity. The inflammation that occurs during this process may lead to an imbalance between the prooxidant and the antioxidant systems. The aim of this study was to investigate erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, serum paraoxonase enzyme levels, and oxidative stress levels in patients with genital warts. Patients and Methods In total, 32 patients with genital warts and 35 healthy subjects were included in this study. Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity, serum catalase activity, and paraoxonase enzyme, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined. Results Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity, serum MDA levels, and catalase activity were significantly higher in patients with genital warts than in controls (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, and P < 0.05, respectively). However, serum paraoxonase enzyme levels were not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). Serum triglyceride levels were significantly lower in patients with genital warts than in controls (P < 0.01). However, there were no statistically signiﬁcant differences between groups with respect to total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all P > 0.05). Conclusions Our data suggest that oxidative stress is increased in genital warts. Increased oxidative stress levels may contribute to the pathogenesis of genital warts, and prolonged HPV infection due to chronic inflammation could also affect oxidative stress.
Enhanced Susceptibility of Burned Mice to Experimental Infection with Candida albicans *

Summary: The susceptibility of mice with nonlethal burns of 30% body surface area to experimental infection with Candida albicans was investigated. Random bred (CF1) and inbred (C3H/HeN) mice with burn injuries along with unburned controls were injected 2 h post‐burn i. v. with graded doses of Candida albicans. At varying intervals, 5 mice from each group were sacrificed and the number of viable organisms in homogenized kidneys and liver was determined by plate count. Significantly higher numbers of organisms were recovered at 3 and 5 days post‐infection from the kidneys and liver of both strains of burned mice than that of controls. However, enhanced susceptibility of burned animals could only be demonstrated in C3H/HeN but not in CF1 mice when the animals were challenged i. v. with lethal doses of Candida albicans and resistance was measured by 30‐day survival. In an attempt to elucidate the mechanism for this enhanced susceptibility of burned mice, the phagocytic activity of their peritoneal macrophages was investigated. However, no significant impairment of macrophage function was observed after burn injury. This experimental model with inbred mice represents a reproducible means of studying the mechanisms of enhanced susceptibility of burned animals to Candida infections.
The Coevolution of Group Size and Leadership: an Agent-Based Public Goods Model for Prehispanic Pueblo Societies

We present an agent-based model for voluntaristic processes allowing the emergence of leadership in small-scale societies, parameterized to apply to Pueblo societies of the northern US Southwest between AD 600 and 1300. We embed an evolutionary public-goods game in a spatial simulation of household activities in which agents, representing households, decide where to farm, hunt, and locate their residences. Leaders, through their work in monitoring group members and punishing defectors, can increase the likelihood that group members will cooperate to achieve a favorable outcome in the public-goods game. We show that under certain conditions households prefer to work in a group with a leader who receives a share of the group's productivity, rather than to work in a group with no leader. Simulation produces outcomes that match reasonably well those known for a portion of Southwest Colorado between AD 600 and 900. We suggest that for later periods a model incorporating coercion, or inter-group competition, or both, and one in which tiered hierarchies of leadership can emerge, would increase the goodness-of-fit.
Consequences of Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN) and the Clinical Significance of Antibody Screening in Prenatal Diagnosis: A Study of Multigravidal and Primigravidal Women in Port Harcourt, Niger Delta

Copyright: © 2016 Azuonwu O, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Corresponding author: Dr. Azuonwu O, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers, State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, E-mail: bimajacobs@yahoo.co.uk
Food Consumption and Growth of California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus californianus)

The daily food consumption of 26 California sea lions at the Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park was recorded. Average annual food consumption of males increased with age to stabilize at approximately 4,000 kg/year by the age of 10 years. Females showed a rapid increase in average annual food consumption until they were 3 years old. Thereafter, females housed outdoors averaged 1,800 kg/year, whereas those housed indoors ate approximately 1,400 kg/year. Between the ages of 4 and 7 years, the food intake of males began to fluctuate seasonally, decreasing between May and August. The low food intake in summer was associated with an increase in aggressive behavior. Seasonal fluctuation in the food intake of non-reproductive females was negligible. Between the ages of 6 and 8 years, many females began to reproduce successfully. Pups were born in May and June. The females' food intake decreased approximately 3 days before birth and ceased the next day. Feeding resumed the day after birth, and by 2 days after birth, it had usually returned to normal. On average, female intake increased in the year of conception, the year of birth, during which the pup was suckled for 6 months, and the following calendar year, during which the pup was weaned. Pups began to eat fish at approximately 11 months of age. When forcefed, they were fully weaned within 2 to 23 days. Male weight and body length increased until approximately 20 years of age. Females increased in body length until 6 years and in weight until approximately 13 years of age. The relationship between standard body length and body weight is given. The heavier an animal is, the lower is its food intake as a percentage of body weight. Zoo Biol 19:143–159, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Candida utilis and Chlorella vulgaris Counteract Intestinal Inflammation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Intestinal inflammation, caused by impaired intestinal homeostasis, is a serious condition in both animals and humans. The use of conventional extracted soybean meal (SBM) in diets for Atlantic salmon and several other fish species is known to induce enteropathy in the distal intestine, a condition often referred to as SBM induced enteropathy (SBMIE). In the present study, we investigated the potential of different microbial ingredients to alleviate SBMIE in Atlantic salmon, as a model of feed-induced inflammation. The dietary treatments consisted of a negative control based on fish meal (FM), a positive control based on 20% SBM, and four experimental diets combining 20% SBM with either one of the three yeasts Candida utilis (CU), Kluyveromyces marxianus (KM), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) or the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris (CV). Histopathological examination of the distal intestine showed that all fish fed the SC or SBM diets developed characteristic signs of SBMIE, while those fed the FM, CV or CU diets showed a healthy intestine. Fish fed the KM diet showed intermediate signs of SBMIE. Corroborating results were obtained when measuring the relative length of PCNA positive cells in the crypts of the distal intestine. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed decreased expression of amino acid, fat and drug metabolism pathways as well as increased expression of the pathways for NOD-like receptor signalling and chemokine signalling in both the SC and SBM groups while CV and CU were similar to FM and KM was intermediate. Gene expression of antimicrobial peptides was reduced in the groups showing SBMIE. The characterisation of microbial communities using PCR-DGGE showed a relative increased abundance of Firmicutes bacteria in fish fed the SC or SBM diets. Overall, our results show that both CU and CV were highly effective to counteract SBMIE, while KM had less effect and SC had no functional effects.