Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diffuse reflectance of oceanic shallow waters: influence of water depth and bottom albedo

We used simplifying assumptions to derive analytical formulae expressing the reflectance of shallow waters as a function of observation depth and of bottom depth and albedo. These formulae also involve two apparent optical properties of the water body: a mean diffise attenuation coefficient and a hypothetical reflectance which would be observed if the bottom was infinitely deep. The validity of these approximate formulae was tested by comparing their outputs with accurate solutions of the radiative transfer obtained under the same boundary conditions by Monte Carlo simulations. These approximations were also checked by comparing the reflectance spectra for varying bottom depths and compositions determined in coastal lagoons with those predicted by the formulae. These predictions were based on separate determinations of the spectral albedos of typical materials covering the floor, such as coral sand and various green or brown algae. The simple analytical expressions are accurate enough for most practical applications and also allow quantitative discussion of the limitations of remote-sensing techniques for bottom recognition and bathymetry. As early as 1944, Duntley used a spectrograph mounted in a glass-bottomed boat or flown in an airplane to analyze radiances emerging from the ocean and shallow waters. He evidenced the influence of the water depth on the spectral composition of the upward flux (Duntley 1963). Using a Monte Carlo technique, Plass and Kattawar (1972) calculated the radiative field in the atmosphere+cean system and in particular examined the dependence of the upward flux on the albedo of the ocean floor. Gordon and Brown (1974) studied the diffuse reflectance of a shallow ocean using Monte Carlo simulations and a probabilistic approach. Gordon and Brown provided an analysis based on photon history of the light field as modified by the presence of a reflecting bottom. In, addition, Ackleson and Klemas (1986) developed a two-flow model that simulated the light field within a canopy of bottom-adhering plants. A single scattering approximation for irradiance reflectance was also
Managing Everyday Occupations as a Predictor of Health and Life Satisfaction Among Mothers of Children With ADHD

Objective: Raising a child with special needs disturbs the balance of family life and affects mothers’ everyday life. The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of occupational competence, occupational settings, and role load to the health and life satisfaction of Arab mothers of children with and without ADHD. Method: Participants included 40 Israeli Arab women aged 25 to 40 years. Half were mothers of children with ADHD and half were mothers of children without ADHD. Data were collected by using four self-report questionnaires. Results: Occupational competence and occupational settings predicted mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction. Having or not having a child with ADHD only reflects a minor contribution. Conclusion: Enhancing mothers’ occupational competence and settings may increase their health and life satisfaction. This study highlights the need to focus on maternal occupational competence and settings as they affect mothers’ health and well-being when providing intervention to children with ADHD.
Stem cells in asexual reproduction of Enchytraeus japonensis (Oligochaeta, Annelid): Proliferation and migration of neoblasts

Enchytraeus japonensis is a small oligochaete that reproduces mainly asexually by fragmentation (autotomy) and regeneration. As sexual reproduction can also be induced, it is a good animal model for the study of both somatic and germline stem cells. To clarify the features of stem cells in regeneration, we investigated the proliferation and lineage of stem cells in E. japonensis. Neoblasts, which have the morphological characteristics of undifferentiated cells, were found to firmly adhere to the posterior surface of septa in each trunk segment. Also, smaller neoblast‐like cells, which are designated as N‐cells in this study, were located dorsal to the neoblasts on the septa. By conducting 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU)‐labeling‐experiments, we have shown that neoblasts are slow‐cycling (or quiescent) in intact growing worms, but proliferate rapidly in response to fragmentation. N‐cells proliferate more actively than do neoblasts in intact worms. The results of pulse‐chase experiments indicated that neoblast and N‐cell lineage mesodermal cells that incorporated BrdU early in regeneration migrated toward the autotomized site to form the mesodermal region of the blastema, while the epidermal and intestinal cells also contributed to the blastema locally near the autotomized site. We have also shown that neoblasts have stem cell characteristics by expressing Ej‐vlg2 and by the activity of telomerase during regeneration. Telomerase activity was high in the early stage of regeneration and correlated with the proliferation activity in the neoblast lineage of mesodermal stem cells. Taken together, our results indicate that neoblasts are mesodermal stem cells involved in the regeneration of E. japonensis.
Is obesity still a risk factor in renal transplantation?

Abstract At our center, since 1982, a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30 has been a prerequisite for placing a patient on the waiting list for renal transplantation. This decision was made because obese transplant recipients seemed to have a less than favorable post-transplant outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether this requirement is still justified. Forty-six patients with a BMI above 30 underwent primary cadaveric renal transplantation between 1972 and 1993. For each of these obese patients, five consecutive non-obese (BMI 20–25) control patients were selected. Patient and graft survival, causes of graft loss, and acute rejection rate were evaluated for the two patient groups before and after the year 1982. Within the first 30 post-transplant days, one patient (2 %) and 11 grafts (24 %) were lost in the group of obese patients whereas seven patients (3 %) and 36 grafts (16 %) were lost in the control group. Among the obese patients, renal circulatory complications were a major cause of graft loss. In the period 1973–1981, the 1-year patient survival rate was 65 % among obese patients versus 75 % among controls from 1982 to 1993, this was 90 % versus 93 %. From 1973 to 1981, the 1-year graft survival rate was 25 % among obese patients versus 53 % among controls (P < 0.05); from 1982 to 1993, it was 68 % versus 84 % (P = NS). Multivariate analysis showed that the immunosuppressive regimen, age of the patient, BMI, and cold ischemia time of the graft had a significant influence on graft survival. The acute rejection rate within the first 30 days was 28 % among obese patients and 35 % among controls (P = NS). We conclude that a BMI below or equal to 30 is still justified as a prerequisite for placement on the waiting list for renal transplantation, for despite an overall improvement, the outcome of renal transplantation in obese patients remains worse than that in non-obese patients.
Molecular typing and antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains

The aim of the present study was to use three PCR-based techniques for the analysis of genetic variability among Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from the Philippines. Seventeen strains of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from shrimps and from the environments where these shrimps are being cultivated were analyzed by RAPD, ERIC and REP-PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility of these strains to selected compounds was investigated using broth microdilution method. Results of this work and analysis of similarity among strains using Dice coefficient and unweighted average pair group method have demonstrated genetic variability within the V. parahaemolyticus strains. The RAPD, ERIC and REPPCR were found to be suitable typing methods for V. parahaemolyticus. They have good discriminative ability and can be used as rapid means of comparing these strains for epidemiological investigation. However, the REP-PCR analysis yielded a relatively small number of products suggesting that the REP sequences may not be widely distributed in the V. parahaemolyticus genome. Results of antimicrobial susceptibility revealed that resistance among the strains was rare. In conclusion, RAPD, ERIC and REP-PCR techniques are useful methods for molecular typing of V. parahaemolyticus strains. To our knowledge this is the first study of this kind carried out on V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from the Philippines. Maluping, R.P., Lavilla-Pitogo, C.R. , Romalde, J.L. and Krovacek, K. 2008. Molecular typing and antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains, pp. 451-468. In BondadReantaso, M.G. , Mohan, C.V. , Crumlish, M. and Subasinghe, R.P. (eds.). Diseases in Asian Aquaculture VI. Fish Health Section, Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines. Corresponding author: R.P. Maluping, rmaluping23@yahoo.com
Analysis of total power extracted with common converter wind farm topology

The aim of this paper is to analyze the control of several wind power generators with one common power converter. This configuration is especially useful for offshore wind farms with a VSC-HVDC transmission to an onshore system. A comparison with a more conservative topology, where one generator is connected to one power converter, is done focusing in the total power extraction. Scalar-controlled squirrel cage induction generators have been implemented in both cases. The control scheme has been slightly modified implementing an aggregated model in order to allow the common converter to perform the proper control tasks. Results have been validated by means of simulation in both scenarios showing the differences in the total power obtained and the influence of the generator operating point.
Recent pre-harvest supplementation strategies to reduce carriage and shedding of zoonotic enteric bacterial pathogens in food animals

Abstract Food-borne bacterial illnesses strike more than 76 million North Americans each year. Many of these illnesses are caused by animal-derived foodstuffs. Slaughter and processing plants do an outstanding job in reducing bacterial contamination after slaughter and during further processing, yet food-borne illnesses still occur at an unacceptable frequency. Thus, it is imperative to widen the window of action against pathogenic bacteria. Attacking pathogens on the farm or in the feedlot will improve food safety all the way to the consumer’s fork. Because of the potential improvement in overall food safety that pre-harvest intervention strategies can provide, a broad range of preslaughter intervention strategies are currently under investigation. Potential interventions include direct anti-pathogen strategies, competitive enhancement strategies and animal management strategies. Included in these strategies are competitive exclusion, probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics, antibacterial proteins, vaccination, bacteriophage, diet, and water trough interventions. The parallel and simultaneous application of one or more preslaughter strategies has the potential to synergistically reduce the incidence of human food-borne illnesses by erecting multiple hurdles, thus preventing entry of pathogens into the food chain. This review emphasizes work with Escherichia coli O157:H7 to illustrate the various strategies.
Can ultrashort‐TE (UTE) MRI sequences on a 3‐T clinical scanner detect signal directly from collagen protons: freeze–dry and D2O exchange studies of cortical bone and Achilles tendon specimens

Ultrashort‐TE (UTE) sequences can obtain signal directly from short‐T2, collagen‐rich tissues. It is generally accepted that bound and free water can be detected with UTE techniques, but the ability to detect protons directly on the collagen molecule remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the potential of UTE sequences on a 3‐T clinical scanner to detect collagen protons via freeze–drying and D2O–H2O exchange studies. Experiments were performed on bovine cortical bone and human Achilles tendon specimens, which were either subject to freeze–drying for over 66 h or D2O–H2O exchange for 6 days. Specimens were imaged using two‐ and three‐dimensional UTE with Cones trajectory techniques with a minimum TE of 8 μs at 3 T. UTE images before treatment showed high signal from all specimens with bi‐component T2* behavior. Bovine cortical bone showed a shorter T2* component of 0.36 ms and a longer T2* component of 2.30 ms with fractions of 78.2% and 21.8% by volume, respectively. Achilles tendon showed a shorter T2* component of 1.22 ms and a longer T2* component of 15.1 ms with fractions of 81.1% and 18.9% by volume, respectively. Imaging after freeze–drying or D2O–H2O exchange resulted in either the absence or near‐absence of signal. These results indicate that bound and free water are the sole sources of UTE signal in bovine cortical bone and human Achilles tendon samples on a clinical 3‐T scanner. Protons on the native collagen molecule are not directly visible when imaged using UTE sequences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of Cancer Patients with Lynch Syndrome: Clinically Significant Discordances and Problems in Tissue-Based Mismatch Repair Testing

Tissue-based microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis and immunohistochemistry for DNA mismatch repair proteins are accepted screening tools to evaluate patients with cancer for Lynch syndrome. These laboratory analyses are thus important tools in cancer prevention. Quality assurance review was conducted to identify test discordances and problems. These results were then analyzed in conjunction with genetic testing outcomes. Six hundred and forty-six consecutive tumors from 2002 to 2010 were examined. MSI-low tumors were excluded so that 591 tumors comprised the final analyses. Discordance was defined as a discrepancy between immunohistochemical and MSI analysis. Problem was defined as indeterminate or questionable immunohistochemical or MSI results. All results and clinical and family histories were centrally reviewed by two pathologists and one genetics counselor. Discordances and problems were identified in 23 of 591 (3.9%) of the tumors. Twelve of 102 MSI-high carcinomas (11.8%) and one of 489 microsatellite stable tumors had discordant immunohistochemistry. Of these 13 tumors, 11 were from patients who had personal and/or family cancer histories concerning for a germline mismatch repair gene mutation. In addition to discordances, 10 tumors with problematic immunohistochemical profiles were identified. Accurate evaluation of MSI was possible in all tumors. In summary, concordance between immunohistochemistry and MSI was high, particularly for tumors that are microsatellite stable. Greater frequency of test discordance was identified in the tumors that were MSI-high. Thus, a major consequence of the use of immunohistochemistry by itself as a screen is the failure to identify colorectal and endometrial cancer patients who likely have Lynch syndrome. Cancer Prev Res; 5(2); 320–7. ©2011 AACR.
Clofarabine‐containing conditioning regimen for allo‐SCT in AML/ALL patients: a survey from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of EBMT

Clofarabine (CLO), a second‐generation purine analogue, has demonstrated an efficient anti‐leukemia activity while showing a favorable toxicity profile. This retrospective multicenter report assessed the outcome of 90 patients who received a CLO‐containing conditioning regimen before allo‐SCT for AML (n = 69) or ALL (n = 21). Median age was 42 yr at transplant. The majority of cases (n = 66) presented with an active disease at transplant while 38 patients had received previous transplantation(s). A total of 88 and two patients received a reduced‐intensity conditioning or a myeloablative regimen, respectively. Engraftment was achieved in 97% of evaluable patients. With a median follow‐up of 14 months (range, 1–45), the 2‐year OS, LFS, relapse, and NRM rates were 28 ± 5%, 23 ± 5%, 41 ± 6%, and 35 ± 5%, respectively. When comparing AML and ALL patients, OS and LFS were significantly higher for AML (OS, 35 ± 6% vs. 0%, P < 0.0001); LFS: 30 ± 6% vs. 0%, P < 0.0001). In a Cox multivariate analysis, an AML diagnosis was the only factor associated with a better LFS (HR = 0.37; 95%CI, 0.21–0.66; P = 0.001). We conclude that a CLO‐containing conditioning regimen prior to allo‐SCT might be an effective treatment. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the potential role of CLO as part of conditioning regimens in acute leukemias.
Molecular parasitology in the 21 st Century

Protist parasites cause important human and animal diseases, and because of their early divergence from other eukaryotes they possess structural and biochemical characteristics not found in other cells. The completion of the genome projects of most human protist parasites and the development of novel molecular tools for their study guarantee a rapid progress in understanding how they invade, modify and survive within their hosts. The ultimate goal of these studies will be the identification of targets for the design of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines. In addition, the accessibility of some of these parasites to multiple genetic manipulations has converted them into model systems in cell and molecular biology studies that could lead to the understanding of basic biological processes, as well as their evolution and pathogenesis. In the present chapter we discuss the biochemical and molecular peculiarities of these parasites and the molecular tools available for their study.
Defective neutrophil and monocyte motility in patients with early onset periodontitis

Several studies have documented suppressed polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) chemotaxis in most patients with juvenile periodontitis. In contrast, data regarding PMN chemotaxis in patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis are very limited, and monocyte (MN) chemotaxis and random migration of PMNs or MNs from these patients have not been studied previously. Accordingly, we examined cell motility of PMNs and MNs from 27 patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis, 5 patients with juvenile periodontitis, and 37 normal control subjects by using a microchamber technique and the synthetic peptide N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) as the chemoattractant. As a group, PMNs and MNs from patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis manifested significantly enhanced random migration relative to control cells (P less than 0.001), suppressed directed migration (chemotaxis) at FMLP doses of 10(-9) and 10(-8) M (P less than 0.05), and enhanced directed migration at a dose of 10(-6) M FMLP (P less than 0.01). In contrast, PMNs from patients with juvenile periodontitis exhibited normal random migration, and directed migration was significantly suppressed at all doses of FMLP tested (P less than 0.05). An abnormality of either PMN or MN motility was observed in 26 of 27 patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis. Enhanced random migration was seen in PMNs in 63%, MNs in 39%, and both cell types in 26% of the patients. Suppressed chemotaxis was seen in PMNs in 85%, in MNs in 74%, and in both cell types in 69% of the patients. The prevalence and magnitude of abnormalities in motility were somewhat lower in treated than in untreated patients. Thus, most, if not all, of this subgroup of patients with early onset, highly destructive periodontitis have abnormalities in PMN or MN motility, and these defects may differ from those seen in cells from patients with the juvenile form of the disease.
Scholar metadata and knowledge generation with human and artificial intelligence

Scholar metadata have traditionally centered on descriptive representations, which have been used as a foundation for scholarly publication repositories and academic information retrieval systems. In this article, we propose innovative and economic methods of generating knowledge‐based structural metadata (structural keywords) using a combination of natural language processing‐based machine‐learning techniques and human intelligence. By allowing low‐barrier participation through a social media system, scholars (both as authors and users) can participate in the metadata editing and enhancing process and benefit from more accurate and effective information retrieval. Our experimental web system ScholarWiki uses machine learning techniques, which automatically produce increasingly refined metadata by learning from the structural metadata contributed by scholars. The cumulated structural metadata add intelligence and automatically enhance and update recursively the quality of metadata, wiki pages, and the machine‐learning model.
HFA-134a (1 ,1, 1, 2-tetrafluoroethane): lack of oncogenicity in rodents after inhalation

1 Groups of 60 male and 60 female B6C3F1 mice or Han- Ibm Wistar rats were exposed to HFA-134a using snout- only inhalation exposure techniques for periods of one hour daily for at least 104 weeks. HFA-134a was deliv ered directly from cylinders at vapour concentrations of 2500, 15 000 and 75 000ppm for mice and from metered-dose inhalers at vapour concentrations of 2500, 10 000 and 50 000ppm for rats. 2 Intended dosages were achieved. 3 Evidence of absorption was found at each dose level and was dose related. 4 Neither species suffered any treatment related effects on survival, clinical signs, body weights, haematology nor on the type, incidence, site or severity of gross lesions. 5 There was no effect of treatment on the type, incidence, site or severity of neoplasms in mice or rats. 6 There were no non-neoplastic findings related to treat ment in mice. 7 HFA-134a was considered not to be oncogenic and to provide a safe alternative to chlorofluorocarbons for use in pharmaceutical metered-dose inhalers.
A prospective study of the association between the human humoral immune response to Plasmodium falciparum blood stage antigen gp190 and control of malarial infections

The human humoral immune response to the Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface antigen gp190 was analyzed to determine the rate of reinfection by the parasite and the ability to control parasite density. The prospective study was carried out in a West African village where malaria is hyperendemic. No correlation between the antibody titers and protection against infection was observed within the group of children. Positive and negative associations of antibody specificities with protection against and/or control of parasitemia were, however, found for adolescents and adults, respectively. Thus, in adolescents, the presence of antibodies to gp190 fragment M6 correlates with a 50% reduced risk of P. falciparum infection and an increased ability to control parasitemia, whereas in adults, the humoral response to some of the polymorphic regions of gp190 associates with an increased risk of infection.