Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in Bacterial Population in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) Fry after Transfer from Incubator to Pools

The microflora of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) fry from a commercial freshwater hatchery, along with important water quality parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH was analysed. Samples for bacteriological analysis were taken from gill, heart and kidney, from third to eigth week after hatching. Pure bacterial colonies were examined macroscopically, with Gram staining and biochemical tests. For final identification, the APILAB Plus programme (Bio Merieux, France) was used. The bacterial populations of rainbow trout fry changed depending on age. Most of the bacterial colonies were cultured from the gills (64.4 %), rather than the heart (21.8 %) and kidney (13.8 %). The bacterial community of fry gills from an incubator was composed mostly of Gram-positive bacteria such as Renibacterium salmoninarum, Lactobacillus spp. , Staphylococcus spp. and Corynebacterium aquaticum. After the transfer of fry from incubator into the pools the Gram-negative bacteria increased in number and became the dominant microflora of rainbow trout fry and comprised more than 95 % of the bacterial flora of rainbow trout fry. Flavibacterium, Acinetobacter and Yersinia were the predominant Gram-negative genera in fry in the incubator, whereas Aeromonas and Pseudomonas were the main isolates from rainbow trout fry until the end of the experiment.
Mn‐Containing Paramagnetic Conductors with Bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT‐TTF)

Two novel paramagnetic conductors have been prepared with the organic donor bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT‐TTF = ET) and paramagnetic Mn‐containing metallic complexes: κ′‐ET4[KMnIII(C2O4)3]∙PhCN (1) and ET[MnIICl4]∙H2O (2). Compound 1 represents the first Mn‐containing ET salt of the large Day’s series of oxalato‐based molecular conductors and superconductors formulated as (ET)4[AM(C2O4)3]∙G (A+ = H3O+, NH4+, K+, .; MIII = Fe, Cr, Al, Co, .; G = PhCN, PhNO2, PhF, PhCl, PhBr, .). It crystallizes in the orthorhombic pseudo‐κ phase where dimers of ET molecules are surrounded by six isolated ET molecules in the cationic layers. The anionic layers contain the well‐known hexagonal honey‐comb lattice with Mn(III) and H3O+ ions connected by C2O42- anions. Compound 2 is one of the very few examples of ET salts containing ET2+. It also presents alternating cationic‐anionic layers although the ET molecules lie parallel to the layers instead of the typical almost perpendicular orientation. Both salts are semiconductors with room temperature conductivities of ca. 2 x 10-5 and 8 x 10−5 S/cm and activation energies of 180 and 210 meV, respectively. The magnetic properties are dominated by the paramagnetic contributions of the high spin Mn(III) (S = 2) and Mn(II) (S = 5/2) ions.
Simulation of breast tissue: a study to evaluate optimal compression dynamics

This investigation aims to study the behavior of breast tissue under different compression in a chamber prototype to differentiate strain between breast tumors and its surrounding tissues. The simulation study gives us the optimal compression pressure range to apply in order to have a measurable amount of strain and also to look at strain distribution dynamics if more than one cancer nodules are encountered. The result of these measurements enables the study to identify the correct compression pattern and chamber design for breast tissues. By doing this, it is hoped that the development of automated instrumentation of ultrasound elastography for the differentiation between normal and malignant breast tissues, utilizing B-mode ultrasound would be able to be established.
Morphogens, their identification and regulation

During the course of development, cells of many tissues differentiate according to the positional information that is set by the concentration gradients of morphogens. Morphogens are signaling molecules that emanate from a restricted region of a tissue and spread away from their source to form a concentration gradient. As the fate of each cell in the field depends on the concentration of the morphogen signal, the gradient prefigures the pattern of development. In this article, we describe how morphogens and their functions have been identified and analyzed, focusing on model systems that have been extensively studied.
Automated Alzheimer Disease Detection Model by inducing an Efficient Fusion Strategy for Image-based Classification

This paper presents a new fully automated image based classification method to evaluate the neurodegenerative disease, by feature extraction from brain magnetic resonance (MR) images based on support vector machine (SVM). Neurodegenerative diseases involves large variety of mental disorders, the evaluation of disease is not particularly related to visual differences carried out by radiologists. Such analysis that may examines the disease, which may not give comprehensive results to disease. Hence by this paper we introduced general and special visualization software designed in Visual Basics 2010.Application will produce quantitative and clinical analysis of MR images of brain. We use the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as the case study; the results are affected regions of AD, and a plotted graph for regions of interest and percentage of death of neurons. This is achieved by fusion strategy, which combines bottom-up information flow and top-down information flow. Bottom-up includes Multiscale analysis of features from different images, where as top-down includes learning phase and fusion problem. Finally difference in individuality of regions found by this approach is highly correlated to clinical studies of Alzheimer’s disease.
Synergistic Anticancer Activity of Arsenic Trioxide with Erlotinib Is Based on Inhibition of EGFR-Mediated DNA Double-Strand Break Repair

Arsenic trioxide (ATO), one of the oldest remedies used in traditional medicine, was recently rediscovered as an anticancer drug and approved for treatment of relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, its activity against nonhematologic cancers is rather limited so far. Here, we show that inhibition of ATO-mediated EGF receptor (EGFR) activation can be used to potently sensitize diverse solid cancer types against ATO. Thus, combination of ATO and the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib exerted synergistic activity against multiple cancer cell lines. Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was based on the blockade of ATO-induced EGFR phosphorylation leading to more pronounced G2–M arrest as well as enhanced and more rapid induction of apoptosis. Comparable ATO-sensitizing effects were also found with PI3K/AKT and mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal–regulated kinase (MEK) inhibitors, suggesting an essential role of the EGFR-mediated downstream signaling pathway in cancer cell protection against ATO. H2AX staining and comet assay revealed that erlotinib significantly increases ATO-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) well in accordance with a role of the EGFR signaling axis in DNA damage repair. Indeed, EGFR inhibition led to downregulation of several DNA DSB repair proteins such as Rad51 and Rad50 as well as reduced phosphorylation of BRCA1. Finally, the combination treatment of ATO and erlotinib was also distinctly superior to both monotreatments against the notoriously therapy-resistant human A549 lung cancer and the orthotopic p31 mesothelioma xenograft model in vivo. In conclusion, this study suggests that combination of ATO and EGFR inhibitors is a promising therapeutic strategy against various solid tumors harboring wild-type EGFR. Mol Cancer Ther; 12(6); 1073–84. ©2013 AACR.
Utilization of Internet Technology by Low-Income Adults

Objectives: To examine whether low-income adults’ utilization of Internet technology is predicted or mediated by health literacy, health numeracy, and computer assistance. Method: Low-income adults (N = 131) from the midwestern United States were surveyed about their technology access and use. Results: Individuals with low health literacy skills were less likely to use Internet technology (e.g., email, search engines, and online health information seeking), and those with low health numeracy skills were less likely to have access to Internet technology (e.g., computers and cell phones). Consistent with past research, males, older participants, and those with less education were less likely to search for health information online. The relationship between age and online health information seeking was mediated by participant literacy. Discussion: The present study suggests that significant advances in technology access and use could be sparked by developing technology interfaces that are accessible to individuals with limited literacy skills.
Experimental study of the storage battery capacity reduction by using direct current mutual power interchanges for micro grid

The facility cost of the storage systems are a critical issue in the construction of micro grid, which is the core of the renewable energy. We propose the direct current mutual power interchange system as a way to reduce the storage battery capacity. This paper reports the outline of the proposed system and the verified result on the effect caused by electricity interchange upon the reduction of battery capacity.
Characterizing the chip damage potential during wafer probing of highly integrated devices

Wafer probing is the state of-the-art procedure to test the electrical functionality of devices in semiconductor manufacturing and packaging process. During measurement, a probe tip is pressed onto the metal pad of the device with a defined force thus achieving a low-resistive and stable electrical contact. However, the contact forces have to be kept below a critical limit to avoid chip damage and to reduce the remaining scrub mark. This becomes particularly important for probing highly integrated devices with their increasingly reduced pad sizes and pitches, to maintain the wire bonding capability of the pads after testing, and when probing over active areas. It is thus important to analyze the amount of plastic deformation in the pad metal and the risk for crack initiation and chip damage during the probing process. In this study, the deformations transferred to the pad metal and the underlying active areas through probing were analyzed by finite element (FE) simulation. For this purpose, two different bond pad metals were experimentally investigated by mechanical testing for a given probe tip geometry and displacement. In a second step reproducible scratches on bond pads were created using modified nanoindentation scratch experiments. The achieved force-displacement behavior was modeled taking into consideration the plastic material properties and large deformations during testing.
Object and action picture naming in three- and five-year-old children*

ABSTRACT The objectives were to explore the often reported noun advantage in children's language acquisition using a picture naming paradigm and to explore the variables that affect picture naming performance. Participants in Experiment 1 were aged three and five years, and in Experiment 2, five years. The stimuli were action and object pictures. In Experiment 1, action pictures produced more errors than object pictures for the three-year-olds, but not the five-year-olds. A qualitative analysis of the errors revealed a somewhat different pattern of errors across age groups. In Experiment 2 there was no robust difference in accuracy for the actions and objects but naming times were longer for actions. Across both experiments, imageability was a robust predictor of object naming performance, while spoken frequency was the most important predictor of action naming. The results are discussed in terms of possible differences in the manner in which nouns and verbs are acquired.
Enhanced T-Cell Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vaccine Regimen Consisting of Consecutive Priming with DNA and Boosting with Recombinant Fowlpox Virus

ABSTRACT The induction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific T-cell responses is widely seen as critical to the development of effective immunity to HIV type 1 (HIV-1). Plasmid DNA and recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) vaccines are among the most promising safe HIV-1 vaccine candidates. However, the immunity induced by either vaccine alone may be insufficient to provide durable protection against HIV-1 infection. We evaluated a consecutive immunization strategy involving priming with DNA and boosting with rFPV vaccines encoding common HIV-1 antigens. In mice, this approach induced greater HIV-1-specific immunity than either vector alone and protected mice from challenge with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HIV-1 antigens. In macaques, a dramatic boosting effect on DNA vaccine-primed HIV-1-specific helper and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses, but a decline in HIV-1 antibody titers, was observed following rFPV immunization. The vaccine regimen protected macaques from an intravenous HIV-1 challenge, with the resistance most likely mediated by T-cell responses. These studies suggest a safe strategy for the enhanced generation of T-cell-mediated protective immunity to HIV-1.
Ultrasound Guidance in Caudal Epidural Needle Placement

Background:This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using ultrasound as an image tool to locate the sacral hiatus accurately for caudal epidural injections. Methods:Between August 2002 and July 2003, 70 patients (39 male and 31 female patients) with low back pain and sciatica were studied. Soft tissue ultrasonography was performed to locate the sacral hiatus. A 21-gauge caudal epidural needle was inserted and guided by ultrasound to the sacral hiatus and into the caudal epidural space. Proper needle placement was confirmed by fluoroscopy. Results:In all the recruited patients, the sacral hiatus was located accurately by ultrasound, and the caudal epidural needle was guided successfully to the sacral hiatus and into the caudal epidural space. There was 100% accuracy in caudal epidural needle placement into the caudal epidural space under ultrasound guidance as confirmed by contrast dye fluoroscopy. Conclusions:Ultrasound is radiation free, is easy to use, and can provide real-time images in guiding the caudal epidural needle into the caudal epidural space. Ultrasound may therefore be used as an adjuvant tool in caudal needle placement.
Blood pressure and urinary sodium in men and women : the Norfolk Cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer ( EPIC-Norfolk ) 1 – 3

Background: Abundant evidence indicates that a high sodium intake is causally related to high blood pressure, but debate over recommendations to reduce dietary sodium in the general population continues. A key issue is whether differences in usual sodium intake within the range feasible in free-living populations have clinical or public health relevance. Objective: We examined the relation between blood pressure and urinary sodium as a marker of dietary intake. Design: This was a study of 23 104 community-living adults aged 45–79 y. Results: Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased as the ratio of urinary sodium to creatinine increased (as estimated from a casual urine sample), with differences of 7.2 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 3.0 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (P 0.0001) between the top and bottom quintiles. This trend was independent of age, body mass index, urinary potassium:creatinine, and smoking and was consistent by sex and history of hypertension. The prevalence of those with systolic blood pressure 160 mm Hg halved from 12% in the top quintile to 6% in the bottom quintile; the odds ratio for having systolic blood pressure 160 mm Hg was 2.48 (95% CI: 1.90, 3.22) for men and 2.67 (95% CI: 2.08, 3.43) for women in the top compared with the bottom quintile of urinary sodium. Estimated mean sodium intakes in the lowest and highest quintiles were 80 and 220 mmol/d, respectively. Conclusions: Within the usual range found in a free-living population, differences in urinary sodium, an indicator of dietary sodium intake, are associated with blood pressure differences of clinical and public health relevance. Our findings reinforce recommendations to lower average sodium intakes in the general population. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1397–403.
Differences in Eating Style between Overweight and Normal-Weight Youngsters

Differences in eating styles between overweight and normal-weight youngsters were investigated with a child version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Subjects were children (n = 1458; M: 10.1; SD = 1.3) and adolescents (n = 1016; M: 14.9; SD =1.5). Overweight adolescent girls scored high on emotional eating while overweight adolescent boys displayed more external eating. In overweight children, already 10.5 per cent displayed emotional eating and 38.4 per cent reported external eating. All overweight youngsters reported restrained attitudes. Eating styles were positively associated with indicators of eating pathology. The results suggest the use of appropriate norms that take into account the child's age, gender and overweight status.
Ethical Issues in DNA Identification of Human Biological Material from Mass Disasters

Abstract Each mass disaster has its own characteristics and will involve a different approach, so the safeguarding and collection of forensic evidence have to be considered as part of the field response procedure. DNA typing has played a more prominent role in the identification of human remains, and particularly so for highly decomposed and fragmented remains. Although the ultimate goal is to obtain the identification, the specific context of each application of human identity testing has its specific problems, ranging from technical approach, through statistical interpretation, to ethical issues. The preparedness plan of the forensic genetics laboratory needs to include policies for family notification, long-term sample storage, and data archiving. For this reason, DNA sample collection and a strategy for DNA-based victim identification needs to be part of the preparedness plan. In this paper, the authors seek to define three of these ethical aspects: (1) the humanitarian importance of identification; (2) resource allocation in the victims’ DNA identification; and (3) the secondary use for research of the samples initially collected for identification purposes. DNA analysis for the purpose of identifying victims of mass disasters has complex implications that demand much more rigorous examination than they have received until now. CaenazzoL, TozzoP, RodriguezD. Ethical issues in DNA identification of human biological material from mass disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(4):1-4.
Neural tube defects and maternal intake of micronutrients related to one-carbon metabolism or antioxidant activity.

BACKGROUND Maternal nutritional status has been evaluated to clarify its role in development of neural tube defects (NTDs). Maternal folate intake during pregnancy has been closely evaluated for its association with NTDs. The study objective was to examine associations between NTDs and other dietary periconceptional micronutrient intake, particularly nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism or antioxidant activity. METHODS Using data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2005, logistic regression models were used to estimate the relative risk of NTDs based on maternal micronutrient intake. RESULTS Results were stratified according to folic acid supplement use, race/ethnicity, and maternal body mass index. Analyses included 954 cases (300 with anencephaly, 654 with spina bifida) and 6268 controls. Higher intakes of folate, thiamin, betaine, iron, and vitamin A were associated with decreased risk of anencephaly among some ethnic and clinical groups. In some groups, higher intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B(6) , vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, and retinol were associated with decreased risk of spina bifida. CONCLUSION In addition to folic acid, other micronutrients, including thiamin, betaine, riboflavin, vitamin B(6) , vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, iron, retinol, and vitamin A, may decrease the risk of NTD occurrence. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A comparative study of DNA cytometry methods for benign and malignant thyroid tissue.

DNA measurements of 46 thyroid specimens were performed by use of fresh tissue for flow cytometry and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue for flow and static cytometry. The tissue included four histopathologic subgroups, i.e., 19 colloid goiters, 7 papillary carcinomas, 10 follicular adenomas, and 10 follicular carcinomas. The methods measured DNA index and the percentage of cells in S-phase for each subgroup. There was a strong correlation between the methods for DNA-index measurements. In three cases, tissue interpreted as diploid by one method was aneuploid by another method. The S-phase measurements were not reproducible between the methods because of the low percentage of cells in S-phase (mean: 2.6%; range: 0.0-7.5% overall). Aneuploid cells were rare in nodular goiter (2 of 19 cases, 10.5%) but were increasingly present in subsequent subgroups, i.e., 2 of 7 papillary carcinomas (28%), 3 of 10 follicular adenomas (30%), and 6 of 10 follicular carcinomas (60%).
Capacity analysis of multi-hop decode-and-forward over Rician fading channels

In this paper, the system capacity of multihop Decode-and-Forward (DF) relaying networks under adaptive transmission techniques is studied over Rician fading channels. In particular, three adaptive transmission techniques including constant power with optimal rate adaption (ORA), optimal simultaneous power and rate adaption (OPRA) and truncated channel inversion with fixed rate (TIFR) are considered. Based on the approximated end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the closed-form expression of the system capacities is derived. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to corroborate our analysis results.
Regulation of meiotic cohesion and chromosome core morphogenesis during pachytene in Drosophila oocytes

During meiosis, cohesion between sister chromatids is required for normal levels of homologous recombination, maintenance of chiasmata and accurate chromosome segregation during both divisions. In Drosophila, null mutations in the ord gene abolish meiotic cohesion, although how ORD protein promotes cohesion has remained elusive. We show that SMC subunits of the cohesin complex colocalize with ORD at centromeres of ovarian germ-line cells. In addition, cohesin SMCs and ORD are visible along the length of meiotic chromosomes during pachytene and remain associated with chromosome cores following DNase I digestion. In flies lacking ORD activity, cohesin SMCs fail to accumulate at oocyte centromeres. Although SMC1 and SMC3 localization along chromosome cores appears normal during early pachytene in ord mutant oocytes, the cores disassemble as meiosis progresses. These data suggest that cohesin loading and/or accumulation at centromeres versus arms is under differential control during Drosophila meiosis. Our experiments also reveal that the α-kleisin C(2)M is required for the assembly of chromosome cores during pachytene but is not involved in recruitment of cohesin SMCs to the centromeres. We present a model for how chromosome cores are assembled during Drosophila meiosis and the role of ORD in meiotic cohesion, chromosome core maintenance and homologous recombination.