Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol by NACE with on‐line ESI‐MS

Phosphatidylethanol (Peth), a group of aberrant phospholipids formed in cell membranes in the presence of ethanol, has been recently proposed as biomarker of chronic alcohol abuse. The aim of this study was to develop a new analytical method, based on NACE online coupled with a mass spectrometer for the analysis of Peth in blood. For this purpose an ion‐trap mass spectrometer equipped with an orthogonal ESI source operating in negative ion mode was used. An alkaline solution of ammonium acetate 5 mM (pH 9) in water/methanol (MeOH) (80:20 v/v) was delivered as coaxial sheath liquid. All experiments were performed using an uncoated fused‐silica capillary (90 cm×75 μm id). The effects of variable percentages of ACN, MeOH, 2‐propanol, dichloromethane, along with variable concentrations of ammonium acetate were investigated for the separation of Peth. Collectively, a separation medium composed of ACN (45% v/v), 2‐propanol (20% v/v), dichloromethane (20% v/v), MeOH (10% v/v), water (5% v/v), and ammonium acetate (25 mM) was chosen. The estimated LOD was 0.1 μM, while LOQ was 0.4 μM. Within‐run (intra‐day) and between‐run (inter‐day) precision was always lower than 15%. The method proved to be robust and reliable. The MS detector allowed the simultaneous identification of several Peth homologues, and the use of an internal standard (phosphatidylbutanol) with similar electrophoretic properties of that of Peth increased quantitation effectiveness.
Perception of Emotion from Dynamic Point-Light Displays Represented in Dance

It is well known that biological motion, as produced by point-light displays on a human body, gives a good representation of the represented body—eg its gender and the nature of the task which it is engaged in. The question is whether it is possible to judge the emotional state of a human body from motion information alone. An ability to make this kind of judgment may imply that people are able to perceive emotion from patterns of movement without having to compute the detailed shape first. Subjects were shown brief video clips of two trained dancers (one male, one female). The dancers were aiming to convey the following emotions: fear, anger, grief, joy, surprise, and disgust. The video clips protrayed fully lit scenes and point-light scenes, with thirteen small points of light attached to the body of each dancer. Half the stimuli were presented the right way up, while half were inverted. The subjects' task was to judge which emotion was being portrayed. Full-body clips gave good recognition of emotionality (88% correct), but the results for upright biological-motion displays were also significantly above chance (63% correct). Inversion of the display reduced biological-motion (but not full-body) performance to close to chance but still significantly above chance. A space–time analysis of the motion of the points of light was carried out, and was related to the discriminability of the different emotions. Biological-motion displays, which convey no information while static, are able to give a rich description of the subject matter, including the ability to judge emotional state. This ability is disrupted when the image is inverted.
Segmentation of organs‐at‐risks in head and neck CT images using convolutional neural networks

Purpose: Accurate segmentation of organs‐at‐risks (OARs) is the key step for efficient planning of radiation therapy for head and neck (HaN) cancer treatment. In the work, we proposed the first deep learning‐based algorithm, for segmentation of OARs in HaN CT images, and compared its performance against state‐of‐the‐art automated segmentation algorithms, commercial software, and interobserver variability. Methods: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs)—a concept from the field of deep learning—were used to study consistent intensity patterns of OARs from training CT images and to segment the OAR in a previously unseen test CT image. For CNN training, we extracted a representative number of positive intensity patches around voxels that belong to the OAR of interest in training CT images, and negative intensity patches around voxels that belong to the surrounding structures. These patches then passed through a sequence of CNN layers that captured local image features such as corners, end‐points, and edges, and combined them into more complex high‐order features that can efficiently describe the OAR. The trained network was applied to classify voxels in a region of interest in the test image where the corresponding OAR is expected to be located. We then smoothed the obtained classification results by using Markov random fields algorithm. We finally extracted the largest connected component of the smoothed voxels classified as the OAR by CNN, performed dilate–erode operations to remove cavities of the component, which resulted in segmentation of the OAR in the test image. Results: The performance of CNNs was validated on segmentation of spinal cord, mandible, parotid glands, submandibular glands, larynx, pharynx, eye globes, optic nerves, and optic chiasm using 50 CT images. The obtained segmentation results varied from 37.4% Dice coefficient (DSC) for chiasm to 89.5% DSC for mandible. We also analyzed the performance of state‐of‐the‐art algorithms and commercial software reported in the literature, and observed that CNNs demonstrate similar or superior performance on segmentation of spinal cord, mandible, parotid glands, larynx, pharynx, eye globes, and optic nerves, but inferior performance on segmentation of submandibular glands and optic chiasm. Conclusion: We concluded that convolution neural networks can accurately segment most of OARs using a representative database of 50 HaN CT images. At the same time, inclusion of additional information, for example, MR images, may be beneficial to some OARs with poorly visible boundaries.
A Generalized Load Flow Method to Assess Steady-State Equilibrium of Power Systems

Continuous advances in terms of the capability of modern computers allow the development of power systems analysis tools that takes into consideration aspects that are usually neglected for power flow calculation. Examples are detailed models for generators, turbines, speed and voltage controllers that are usually over-simplified, flexible AC transmission systems devices, induction generators, dynamic loads, etc. This paper presents a generalized power flow method able to include the steady state characteristics of any dynamic device by using the same models considered for time domain simulation. The method solves simultaneously the power system set of algebraic and differential equations at the steady-state equilibrium, allowing monitoring the dynamic devices performance when certain parameter is changed, such as the load level or the voltage setpoint of a given controller, or after the occurrence of contingencies. Simulations in a 16-machines/69-buses test system show that the proposed method provides the system post-disturbance equilibrium point with the high degree of accuracy of time domain simulation and the low computational requirements of conventional power flow.
Molecular characterization and epidemiology of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Nigeria

SUMMARY Avian influenza caused infection and spread throughout Nigeria in 2006. Carcass samples (lung, liver, spleen, heart, trachea and intestine) from the different regions of Nigeria were processed for virus isolation. Infective allantoic fluids were tested for avian influenza viruses (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus using monospecific antisera. Thirty-five isolates were generated and characterized molecularly using the haemagglutinin gene. The molecular analysis indicated that different sublineages of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses spread throughout Nigeria. We compared the Nigerian isolates with others from Africa and results indicated close similarities between isolates from West Africa and Sudan. Some of the analysed viruses showed genetic drift, and the implications of these for future epidemiology and ecology of avian influenza in Africa require further evaluation. The spread of primary outbreaks was strongly linked to trade (legal and illegal), live bird markets, inappropriate disposal, and poorly implemented control measures. No strong correlation existed between wild birds and HPAI H5N1 in Nigeria.
Kinetic stabilization of microtubule dynamic instability in vitro by vinblastine.

The antiproliferative action of vinblastine at low concentrations appears to result from modulation of the polymerization dynamics of spindle microtubules rather than from depolarization of the microtubules [Jordan, M. A. , Thrower, D. , & Wilson, L. (1991) Cancer Res. 51, 2212-2222; (1992) J. Cell. Sci. 102, 401-416]. In the present study, we used differential interference contrast video microscopy to analyze the effects of vinblastine on the growing and shortening dynamics (dynamic instability) of individual bovine brain microtubules in vitro. With microtubules which were either depleted of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) or rich in MAPs, low concentrations of vinblastine (0.2 microM-1 microM) suppressed the growing and shortening rates and increased the percentage of time that the microtubules spent a state of attenuated activity, neither growing nor shortening detectably. Vinblastine also suppressed the duration of microtubule growing and shortening, and increased the duration of the attenuated state, during which the microtubules neither grew nor shortened detectably. Consistent with previous data obtained using radiolabeled nucleotide exchange in microtubule suspensions [Jordan, M. A. , & Wilson, L. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 2730-2739], vinblastine suppressed growing and shortening dynamics at the kinetically more rapid plus ends. The results suggest that vinblastine kinetically stabilizes microtubule ends by modulating the gain and loss of the stabilizing GTP or GDP-Pi "cap", which is believed to be responsible for the transitions between the growing and shortening phases. The data support the hypothesis that (1) low concentrations of vinblastine inhibit mitosis by kinetically stabilizing the polymerization dynamics of spindle microtubules and that (2) the dynamics of spindle microtubules are critical for the proper progression of mitosis.
Analysis of 30-day mortality for clostridium difficile-associated disease in the ICU setting.

OBJECTIVE To examine the 30-day mortality rate among patients with Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) requiring intensive care. DESIGN A retrospective, single-center, observational, cohort study. SETTING Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,200-bed, urban, teaching facility. PATIENTS Adult patients admitted to the ICU identified to have CDAD by enzyme immunoassay. INTERVENTIONS Retrospective data collection from automated hospital, microbiology, and pharmacy databases. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Two hundred seventy-eight patients with CDAD admitted to an ICU were identified over a 2-year period. Two hundred six patients (74.1%) received prior antibiotic therapy. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 36.7% (n = 102). Logistic regression analysis identified septic shock (adjusted odds ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47 to 2.61; p = 0.018), ward-to-ICU transfer (adjusted odds ratio, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.62 to 2.79; p = 0.006), and increasing APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) II scores (1-point increments) [adjusted odds ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.12; p < 0.001] as independent predictors for 30-day mortality. The attributable mortality associated with CDAD was estimated to be 6.1% (95% CI, - 1.7 to 13.9%; p = 0.127). CDAD was associated with an excess ICU length of stay (2.2 days) and hospital length of stay (4.5 days). CONCLUSIONS We found a high 30-day crude mortality among patients with CDAD in the ICU setting. Although the attributable mortality from CDAD was relatively low, excess length of stay in the ICU and hospital was observed with CDAD. ICUs should routinely employ infection control efforts aimed at minimizing the occurrence of CDAD because of the excess morbidity associated with this nosocomial infection.
The History of Tree and Shrub Taxa on Bol’shoy Lyakhovsky Island (New Siberian Archipelago) since the Last Interglacial Uncovered by Sedimentary Ancient DNA and Pollen Data

Ecosystem boundaries, such as the Arctic-Boreal treeline, are strongly coupled with climate and were spatially highly dynamic during past glacial-interglacial cycles. Only a few studies cover vegetation changes since the last interglacial, as most of the former landscapes are inundated and difficult to access. Using pollen analysis and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) metabarcoding, we reveal vegetation changes on Bol’shoy Lyakhovsky Island since the last interglacial from permafrost sediments. Last interglacial samples depict high levels of floral diversity with the presence of trees (Larix, Picea, Populus) and shrubs (Alnus, Betula, Ribes, Cornus, Saliceae) on the currently treeless island. After the Last Glacial Maximum, Larix re-colonised the island but disappeared along with most shrub taxa. This was probably caused by Holocene sea-level rise, which led to increased oceanic conditions on the island. Additionally, we applied two newly developed larch-specific chloroplast markers to evaluate their potential for tracking past population dynamics from environmental samples. The novel markers were successfully re-sequenced and exhibited two variants of each marker in last interglacial samples. SedaDNA can track vegetation changes as well as genetic changes across geographic space through time and can improve our understanding of past processes that shape modern patterns.
Myocyte-enriched calcineurin-interacting protein, MCIP1, inhibits cardiac hypertrophy in vivo

Signaling events controlled by calcineurin promote cardiac hypertrophy, but the degree to which such pathways are required to transduce the effects of various hypertrophic stimuli remains uncertain. In particular, the administration of immunosuppressive drugs that inhibit calcineurin has inconsistent effects in blocking cardiac hypertrophy in various animal models. As an alternative approach to inhibiting calcineurin in the hearts of intact animals, transgenic mice were engineered to overexpress a human cDNA encoding the calcineurin-binding protein, myocyte-enriched calcineurin-interacting protein-1 (hMCIP1) under control of the cardiac-specific, α-myosin heavy chain promoter (α-MHC). In unstressed mice, forced expression of hMCIP1 resulted in a 5–10% decline in cardiac mass relative to wild-type littermates, but otherwise produced no apparent structural or functional abnormalities. However, cardiac-specific expression of hMCIP1 inhibited cardiac hypertrophy, reinduction of fetal gene expression, and progression to dilated cardiomyopathy that otherwise result from expression of a constitutively active form of calcineurin. Expression of the hMCIP1 transgene also inhibited hypertrophic responses to β-adrenergic receptor stimulation or exercise training. These results demonstrate that levels of hMCIP1 producing no apparent deleterious effects in cells of the normal heart are sufficient to inhibit several forms of cardiac hypertrophy, and suggest an important role for calcineurin signaling in diverse forms of cardiac hypertrophy. The future development of measures to increase expression or activity of MCIP proteins selectively within the heart may have clinical value for prevention of heart failure.
Dose addition and the isobole method as approaches for predicting the cumulative effect of non-interacting chemicals: A critical evaluation

The prediction of the effect of cumulative exposure to similarly acting chemicals is commonly done by dose addition, such as in the relative potency factor approach. This can only be done under the assumption of zero interaction between the chemicals. The related, but not equivalent, isobole method is the most common criterion to judge whether interactions between similarly acting chemicals have taken place in a mixture experiment. Many who apply this latter method assume that it is applicable to any combination of substances, regardless of the shape of the dose-response curves of the individual substances or their underlying mechanism of action. Proponents commonly refer to the work of Berenbaum, who claimed to have proven the general applicability of the isobole method based on zero interaction. In this article, we argue that his argumentation is not generally valid. We further demonstrate that the isobole method, just like dose addition, has limited applicability. Using a physiologically based mathematical model, we provide a theoretical example of a combination of chemicals with zero interaction where the isobole method would result in the decision that they do interact. We discuss the implications for research focusing on detecting or defining interactions, and for the prediction of effects from combined exposures assuming zero interaction.
Suppression of Disease in New Zealand Black/New Zealand White Lupus-Prone Mice by Adoptive Transfer of Ex Vivo Expanded Regulatory T Cells1

An increasing number of studies indicate that a subset of CD4+ T cells with regulatory capacity (regulatory T cells; Tregs) can function to control organ-specific autoimmune disease. To determine whether abnormalities of thymic-derived Tregs play a role in systemic lupus erythematosus, we evaluated Treg prevalence and function in (New Zealand Black × New Zealand White)F1 (B/W) lupus-prone mice. To explore the potential of Tregs to suppress disease, we evaluated the effect of adoptive transfer of purified, ex vivo expanded thymic-derived Tregs on the progression of renal disease. We found that although the prevalence of Tregs is reduced in regional lymph nodes and spleen of prediseased B/W mice compared with age-matched non-autoimmune mice, these cells increase in number in older diseased mice. In addition, the ability of these cells to proliferate in vitro was comparable to those purified from non-autoimmune control animals. Purified CD4+CD25+CD62Lhigh B/W Tregs were expanded ex vivo 80-fold, resulting in cells with a stable suppressor phenotype. Adoptive transfer of these exogenously expanded cells reduced the rate at which mice developed renal disease; a second transfer after treated animals had developed proteinuria further slowed the progression of renal disease and significantly improved survival. These studies indicate that thymic-derived Tregs may have a significant role in the control of autoimmunity in lupus-prone B/W mice, and augmentation of these cells may constitute a novel therapeutic approach for systemic lupus erythematosus.
Processing Words with Emotional Connotation: An fMRI Study of Time Course and Laterality in Rostral Frontal and Retrosplenial Cortices

Responses of rostral frontal and retrosplenial cortices to the emotional significance of words were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twenty-six strongly righthanded participants engaged in a language task that alternated between silent word generation to categories with positive, negative, or neutral emotional connotation and a baseline task of silent repetition of emotionally neutral words. Activation uniquely associated with word generation to categories with positive or negative versus neutral emotional connotation occurred bilaterally in rostral frontal and retrosplenial cortices. Furthermore, the time courses of activity in these areas differed, indicating that they subserve different functions in processing the emotional connotation of words. Namely, the retrosplenial cortex appears to be involved in evaluating the emotional salience of information from external sources, whereas the rostral frontal cortex also plays a role in internal generation of words with emotional connotation. In both areas, activity associated with positive or negative emotional connotation was more extensive in the left hemisphere than the right, regardless of valence, presumably due to the language demands of word generation. The present findings localize specific areas in the brain that are involved in processing emotional meaning of words within the brain's distributed semantic system. In addition, time course analysis reveals diverging mechanisms in anterior and posterior cortical areas during processing of words with emotional significance.
Normative Data on the Boston Naming Test and Two Equivalent 30-Item Short Forms

Because of the significance of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in the differential diagnosis of the dementias, especially Alzheimer's disease, adequate norms from community-dwelling elderly individuals are essential. The present study describes the development of two new empirically derived equivalent short forms (30 items each) of the test. Normative data for the total BNT and the two equivalent 30-item halves based on item difficulty are presented using the performance of 314 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and over. Age and education norms are presented using an overlapping midpoint interval strategy.
Efficacy of CPX‐351, (cytarabine:daunorubicin) liposome injection, against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) xenograft models of the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program

CPX‐351, a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin co‐encapsulated at an optimized synergistic 5:1 molar ratio, has demonstrated improved clinical outcomes over conventional cytarabine/daunorubicin treatment in a randomized phase 2 trial in patients with AML as well as superior efficacy against preclinical leukemia models when compared to the free drugs in combination.
The Role of Vision, Mission, Objective and Strategic Choice on the Quality of Service Provided to Citizens Jenin Municipality in Palestine

This study aims to investigate the role of vision, mission, objectives and strategic choice on the quality of service provided to citizens Jenin Municipality case study. The survey was administered towards employees of Jenin Municipality. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to inspect both the hypothesis and coefficient relationship between the concepts and their implication. The results of this study revealed that vision, mission, objectives and strategic choice have significant influence on service quality. The importance performance matrix analysis (IPMA) analysis revealed that strategic choice is the most important factor among all other factors in order to measure service quality. In conclusion, administrative suggestions, boundaries and future research guidelines have been considered.
Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Bovine Clinical Specimens Using Real-Time Fluorescence and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Probe Rapid-Cycle PCR

ABSTRACT Nucleic acid sequence capture extraction was coupled with LightCycler PCR amplification and product detection using real-time fluorescence for rapid, definitive detection of Mycobacterium bovis in lymph node specimens from 38 cattle with bovine tuberculosis lesions. PCR amplification of sequence-captured DNA using both a conventional heating block thermocycler and a LightCycler thermocycler was compared with culture and histopathological analyses. Conventional PCR enabled detection of 26 of 28 culture-positive specimens (93%) in approximately 9 h, and the LightCycler PCR detected 20 of 28 culture-positive specimens (71%) in only 30 min. Specific confirmation of Mycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex DNA was achieved by LightCycler PCR amplification using Syb Green 1 and an M. tuberculosis complex-specific Cy5-labeled fluorescence resonance energy transfer probe. The system described here enabled rapid and specific laboratory confirmation of bovine tuberculosis, and this is the first report of the detection ofM. bovis in tissues using LightCycler PCR. The fluorescence technology used in the study has potential to allow development of a high-throughput molecular diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis.