Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adding string processing capabilities to data management systems

Current data management and information retrieval systems lack advanced string processing capabilities needed in string-oriented application areas like computational molecular biology. Several theoretical models for string processing and querying have been proposed but they either have not been implemented in practice or the implementations are too restricted or platform-dependent to be generally useful. We propose a design for a string processing method that could be used to extend different kinds of data management systems by trying to minimise the interconnections between the database management system and the string handling part. The work continues the development of the Alignment Declaration language, our proposal for specifying string relations, by presenting a new and improved method for evaluating the queries and analysing their finiteness.
Pollination of two oil‐producing plant species: Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) and pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) double‐cropping in Germany

Camelina and pennycress are two annual oil‐producing plant species that have recently gained attention as biofuel feedstock crops. Prior to commercial production, information on their breeding and pollination system is essential to ensure sustainable management. We conducted pollination experiments and observed flower visitors in an experimental double‐cropping system in southern Germany. We found that common camelina varieties were mainly self‐pollinated and yield of one variety seemed to benefit from insect visitation, whereas pennycress was predominantly wind pollinated. Camelina showed higher overall visitation rates by insects than pennycress. Flies and wild bees visited both crop species, but honey bees visited camelina only. We conclude that both oil crop species produce yield without pollinators but offer foraging resources for different insect taxa at times when few other crops and native plants are flowering.
[Left ventricular hypertrophy in arterial hypertension].

Arterial hypertension is frequently and at an early stage complicated by left ventricular hypertrophy, i.e. an increase in muscular mass due to the proliferation of myofibrillae. This in fact is a physiological mechanism aimed at maintaining systolic function and systemic blood flow rate. Left ventricular hypertrophy may be associated with myocardial alterations, such as increase of collagen, abnormalities of diastolic function, reduced contractility, increased cell excitability and disorders of coronary perfusion. It is responsible for a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Antihypertensive treatments, therefore, must not only bring blood pressure down to normal values, but also reduce the myocardial mass. In order to avoid a detrimental effect on coronary reserve, it is highly desirable that arterial hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy regress simultaneously. Regression of the myocardial hypertrophy associated with arterial hypertension is observed with most antihypertensive drugs, except vasodilators that act directly on the vascular smooth muscle, probably due to stimulation of the sympathetic system. Diuretics also have an inconstant beneficial effect on left ventricular hypertrophy. When a choice has to be made between two drugs that have the same antihypertensive activity, it is the one that also brings about an early and lasting regression of myocardial hypertrophy which must be prescribed.
Interaction of benzylidene‐anabaseine analogues with agonist and allosteric sites on muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Background and purpose: Benzylidene‐anabaseines (BAs) are partial agonists of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) but their mechanism(s) of action are unknown. Our study explores several possibilities, including direct interactions of BAs with the nAChR channel.
Multicenter Reproducibility of 18F-Fluciclatide PET Imaging in Subjects with Solid Tumors

Integrins are upregulated on both tumor cells and associated vasculature, where they play an important role in angiogenesis and metastasis. Fluciclatide is an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptide with high affinity for αvβ3/αvβ5 integrin, which can be radiolabeled for PET imaging of angiogenesis. Thus, 18F-fluciclatide is a potential biomarker of therapeutic response to antiangiogenic inhibitors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of 18F-fluciclatide in multiple solid-tumor types. Methods: Thirty-nine patients underwent PET/CT scanning at 40, 65, and 90 min after injection of 18F-fluciclatide (maximum, 370 MBq) on 2 separate days (2–9 d apart). Patients did not receive any therapy between PET/CT scans. 18F-fluciclatide images were reported and quantitative measures of uptake were extracted using the PERCIST methodology. Intrasubject reproducibility of PET uptake in all measurable lesions was evaluated by calculating relative differences in SUV between PET scans for each lesion during the 2 imaging sessions. Results: Thirty-nine measurable lesions were detected in 26 patients. Lesion uptake correlated strongly across imaging sessions (r = 0.92, P < 0.05, at 40 min; r = 0.94, P < 0.05, at 65 min; r = 0.94, P < 0.05, at 90 min) with a mean relative difference and SD of the relative difference of 0.006 ± 0.18 at 40 min, 0.003 ± 0.19 at 65 min, and 0.025 ± 0.20 at 90 min. This reflects 95% limits of repeatability of 35%–39% for the difference between the 2 SUV measurements or a variability of 18%–20% in agreement from that observed in well-calibrated multicenter 18F-FDG studies. Conclusion: The test–retest reproducibility of 18F-fluciclatide across multiple tumor types has been measured and shown to be acceptable. This is an important step in the development of this in vivo biomarker to identify and quantify response to antiangiogenic therapy in cancer patients.
The Efficacy and Tolerability of Azilsartan in Mice With Left Ventricular Pressure Overload or Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract: Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are used for the treatment of patients with heart failure and hypertension. Yet their safety has been questioned by some who observed delayed cardiac healing and scar thinning after myocardial infarction (MI). To clarify potential efficacy and safety of ARBs, we administered Azilsartan medoxomil, a prodrug of an ARB (Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited), assessed cardiac fibrosis (hydroxyproline content), left ventricular (LV) wall thickness (premortem echocardiography and caliper measurement at necropsy), and LV mass and cardiac function with high-resolution ultrasound in mice with either surgically induced LV pressure overload (aortic banding) or acute MI. Drug-treated aortic-banded mice exhibited less LV wall thickness, hypertrophy, and dilation compared with that exhibited by controls. Survival in drug-treated MI mice was greater though not significantly. Drug-treated mice with acute MI exhibited less cardiomyocyte injury reflected by LV creatine kinase content and less LV hypertrophy and dilation. Thus, Azilsartan exerted favorable biological effects on the hearts of mice subjected to LV pressure overload or MI without compromising survival consistent with its potential utility and tolerability in patients with analogous conditions.
Study on fabrication and characterization of single CuO nanowire devices

CuO nanowire is an important one-dimensional semiconductor nano-material which can be used in field effect transistors, photovoltaic cells, field emission nanodevices, and chemical and gas sensors. In this paper, CuO nanowires are synthesized by heating copper substrates in air, and the CuO nanowire is assembled on two opposite microelectrodes to fabricate a single CuO nanowire nanodevice by dielectrophoresis (DEP). In experiment, suitable parameters are chosen, such as concentration of the CuO nanowire solution, applied voltage and frequency on the microelectrodes, time of DEP duration, to assemble a single CuO nanowire on the microelectrode. Using this single nanowire nanodevice, this paper measured FET effect and photoconductivity of the single CuO nanowire. The results show that the single CuO nanowire nanodevice can work as a FET and it also has novel sensitivity to light intensity.
Human T-cell leukemia virus type 2 Rex inhibits pre-mRNA splicing in vitro at an early stage of spliceosome formation

The Rex protein is an essential regulator of RNA expression in human T-cell leukemia virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) that promotes the accumulation of full-length and partially spliced viral transcripts in the cytoplasm. Rex-mediated regulation correlates with specific binding to a cognate RNA recognition element which overlaps the 5' splice site in the viral long terminal repeat. It has been unclear whether Rex directly affects splicing or only nuclear-to-cytoplasmic transport of viral mRNA. We demonstrate that HTLV-2 Rex is a potent inhibitor of splicing in vitro at an early step in spliceosome assembly. Inhibition requires phosphorylation of Rex and the ability of Rex to bind to the Rex response element. Direct inhibition of early spliceosome assembly by Rex may account for differential accumulation of unspliced transcripts and represents a novel mechanism of retroviral gene regulation.
Super-resolution of imagery acquired through turbulent atmosphere

The resolution of images is determined by the processes of diffraction. Recently, practical algorithms have emerged that are capable of recovering spatial frequency detail that lies beyond the diffraction limit of an image sensor. In this presentation we shall briefly review some of the aspects of super-resolution algorithms and then discuss the extension of same to images obtained through a turbulent atmosphere. We will present a multiframe super-resolution algorithm that achieves reconstruction of diffraction-limited detail by using multiple speckle image frames and wavefront sensor data on the instantaneous point-spread-function. Examples of simulations of the algorithm will be given, along with a discussion of how the algorithm can be integrated with existing blind deconvolution algorithms to relax the requirements for wavefront sensing.
Family Dinner and Disordered Eating Behaviors in a Large Cohort of Adolescents

We aimed to examine longitudinal associations between family dinner and disordered eating behaviors among adolescents. We studied 7535 females and 5913 males, 9 to 14 years of age in 1996. We performed multivariable logistic regression to assess the associations of previous year family dinner with 1-year incidence of each of 3 outcomes: purging, binge eating, and frequent dieting. Compared to those who ate family dinner “never or some days,” female adolescents who ate family dinner at least most days were less likely to initiate purging, binge eating, and frequent dieting. Estimates of association among males were similar in direction and magnitude, although lower frequency of the outcomes resulted in less precise estimates and fewer statistically significant results.
Importance in diagnosis of gastritis of detection by PCR of the cagA gene in Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from children

The cagA gene has been detected by PCR and DNA hybridization in 45 Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from children. For each child, clinical symptoms, endoscopic aspect of the gastric mucosa, and histological gastritis were evaluated. Gene-positive strains were associated with hemorrhagic gastritis in 66.6% of the children, while gene-negative strains were associated with hemorrhagic gastritis in 11.2% of the children (P = 0.0001). In addition, 88.8% of gene-positive strains were associated with severe histological gastritis (scores of 3 and 4), and gene-negative strains were collected from the gastric mucosa with the same type of infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the lamina propia in 55.5% of the children. These differences were statistically significant (P = 0.017). Gene-positive strains were also isolated more frequently from children with vomiting (P = 0.04), while the absence of clinical signs was not significantly different in cagA gene-positive or -negative patients. All of these observations confirmed the role of this cagA gene as a marker of gastric inflammation in children. The detection of this gene might be helpful to determine the degree of inflammation of the gastric mucosa in the absence of abdominal symptoms. We might better understand the natural history of H. pylori infection if we studied the evolution of gastritis in children with regard to the cagA status of isolated strains.
Perception of Preceptor and Student Nurse Partnership on Clinical Teaching and Learning

Preceptorship is a model of clinical training in which a qualified nurse, referred to as a preceptor, is assigned to one or a group of nursing students, for the purpose of facilitating learning in the clinical setting. This study was done in Maua Methodist {M. M. H (Meru County, Kenya)} and Preyspeterian Churches East Africa (P. C. E. A) Chogoria (Tharaka-Nthi County, Kenya) hospitals in Meru, Kenya and its main objective was to determine the perceived need for preceptor-student nurse partnership in nursing training institution. A sample size of one hundred (100) respondents was randomly selected from a target population of one hundred and eighty (180) preceptees, by use of convenient sampling method. Ten (10) preceptors were also selected conveniently to participate in the study. One hundred and ten (110) questionnaires were distributed out of which ninety nine (99) were received back {(ninety-one -91) from preceptees and eight (8) from preceptors)}. Both, qualitative and quantitative descriptive survey designs was utilized. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the resultant data. Regarding to the importance of having preceptors, results showed that eighty five out of ninety {85/90 (94.44%)} of the student nurses agreed that they are important while three (33.33%) disagreed. Eight out of nine {8/9 (88.88%)} of the preceptors agreed on the importance of preceptorship while one {1/9 (11.11%)} was not sure. The reasons according to students why they need these preceptors included; provision of directions and guidelines (90%), supervision (79%), resolve clinical conflicts between them and staff nurses (76%) and to have a role model to emulate (83%). For the preceptors –to have a good working environment (78%) and to act as role model (56%). Hence the need for the student- preceptor partnership during students nurses training period.
Brazilian aquatic biodiversity in peril.

The ongoing fiscal and political crisis in Brazil has already caused deep cuts to science and education (“Fiscal crisis has Brazilian scientists scrambling,” H. Escobar, In Depth, 28 August, p. [909][1]), and now the environment is in the crosshairs. On 2 October, the Federal Government
A randomized controlled trial with 4-month follow-up of adjunctive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left prefrontal cortex for depression

Background Effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for major depression is unclear. The authors performed a randomized controlled trial comparing real and sham adjunctive rTMS with 4-month follow-up. Method Fifty-nine patients with major depression were randomly assigned to a 10-day course of either real (n=29) or sham (n=30) rTMS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Primary outcome measures were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and proportions of patients meeting criteria for response (⩾50% reduction in HAMD) and remission (HAMD⩽8) after treatment. Secondary outcomes included mood self-ratings on Beck Depression Inventory-II and visual analogue mood scales, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score, and both self-reported and observer-rated cognitive changes. Patients had 6-week and 4-month follow-ups. Results Overall, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores were modestly reduced in both groups but with no significant group×time interaction (p=0.09) or group main effect (p=0.85); the mean difference in HAMD change scores was −0.3 (95% CI −3.4 to 2.8). At end-of-treatment time-point, 32% of the real group were responders compared with 10% of the sham group (p=0.06); 25% of the real group met the remission criterion compared with 10% of the sham group (p=0.2); the mean difference in HAMD change scores was 2.9 (95% CI −0.7 to 6.5). There were no significant differences between the two groups on any secondary outcome measures. Blinding was difficult to maintain for both patients and raters. Conclusions Adjunctive rTMS of the left DLPFC could not be shown to be more effective than sham rTMS for treating depression.
Internet traffic modelling: from superposition to scaling

Internet traffic at various tiers of service providers is essentially a superposition or active mixture of traffic from various sources. Statistical properties of this superposition and a resulting phenomenon of scaling are important for network performance (queuing), traffic engineering (routing) and network dimensioning (bandwidth provisioning). In this article, the authors study the process of superposition and scaling jointly in a non-asymptotic framework so as to better understand the point process nature of cumulative input traffic process arriving at telecommunication devices (e.g., switches, routers). The authors further assess the scaling dynamics of the structural components (packets, flows and sessions) of the cumulative input process and their relation with superposition of point processes. Classical and new results are discussed with their applicability in access and core networks. The authors propose that renewal theory-based approximate point process models, that is, Pareto renewal process superposition and Weibull renewal process superposition can model the similar second-order scaling, as observed in traffic data of access and backbone core networks, respectively.
Benchmarking by HbA1c in a national diabetes quality register – does measurement bias matter?

Abstract Background: Bias in HbA1c measurement could give a wrong impression of the standard of care when benchmarking diabetes care. The aim of this study was to evaluate how measurement bias in HbA1c results may influence the benchmarking process performed by a national diabetes register. Methods: Using data from 2012 from the Norwegian Diabetes Register for Adults, we included HbA1c results from 3584 patients with type 1 diabetes attending 13 hospital clinics, and 1366 patients with type 2 diabetes attending 18 GP offices. Correction factors for HbA1c were obtained by comparing the results of the hospital laboratories’/GP offices’ external quality assurance scheme with the target value from a reference method. Results: Compared with the uncorrected yearly median HbA1c values for hospital clinics and GP offices, EQA corrected HbA1c values were within ±0.2% (2 mmol/mol) for all but one hospital clinic whose value was reduced by 0.4% (4 mmol/mol). Three hospital clinics reduced the proportion of patients with poor glycemic control, one by 9% and two by 4%. Conclusions: For most participants in our study, correcting for measurement bias had little effect on the yearly median HbA1c value or the percentage of patients achieving glycemic goals. However, at three hospital clinics correcting for measurement bias had an important effect on HbA1c benchmarking results especially with regard to percentages of patients achieving glycemic targets. The analytical quality of HbA1c should be taken into account when comparing benchmarking results.
Convergence effects in Spanish-English bilingual rhythm

This study examines the rhythmic properties of highly proficient Spanish-English bilinguals. Ten Spanish-English bilinguals who live in the United States read aloud sentences in Spanish (their L1) and English (their L2), and ten Spanish and ten English monolingual control speakers read aloud sentences in their respective native languages. We performed an acoustic analysis of vocalic and consonantal durations and applied four timing metrics with the intent of measuring rhythmic variability across groups. We used two Pairwise Variability Index (PVI) metrics (nPVI-V and rPVI-C) and two variation coefficient (Varco) metrics (VarcoV and VarcoC). Results show that the Spanish and English monolingual control groups pattern as expected for syllable- and stress-timed languages, respectively. The bilingual speakers show separate statistical distributions in their L1 and L2 rhythms, implying that they produce separate rhythms in their two languages. Further analysis revealed that the bilingual speakers were consistently English-like in English (their L2) but were not consistently Spanish-like in Spanish (their L1). These data support the notion that extensive exposure to an L2 facilitates development toward native-like command of L2 rhythmic patterns, and that this can further lead to L2-to-L1 convergence effects.
Selection on the Genes of Euplotes crassus Tec1 and Tec2 Transposons: Evolutionary Appearance of a Programmed Frameshift in a Tec2 Gene Encoding a Tyrosine Family Site-Specific Recombinase

ABSTRACT The Tec1 and Tec2 transposons of the ciliate Euplotes crassus carry a gene for a tyrosine-type site-specific recombinase. The expression of the Tec2 gene apparently uses a programmed +1 frameshift. To test this hypothesis, we first examined whether this gene has evolved under purifying selection in Tec1 and Tec2. Each element carries three genes, and each has evolved under purifying selection for the function of its encoded protein, as evidenced by a dearth of nonsynonymous changes. This distortion of divergence is apparent in codons both 5′ and 3′ of the frameshift site. Thus, Tec2 transposons have diverged from each other while using a programmed +1 frameshift to produce recombinase, the function of which is under purifying selection. What might this function be? Tyrosine-type site-specific recombinases are extremely rare in eukaryotes, and Tec elements are the first known eukaryotic type II transposons to encode a site-specific recombinase. Tec elements also encode a widespread transposase. The Tec recombinase might function in transposition, resolve products of transposition (bacterial replicative transposons use recombinase or resolvase to separate joined replicons), or provide a function that benefits the ciliate host. Transposons in ciliated protozoa are removed from the macronucleus, and it has been proposed that the transposons provide this “excisase” activity.