Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stroke in Jerusalem District 1960 Through 1967: An Epidemiological Study

An epidemiological study was performed in Jerusalem district on the incidence of new stroke patients during the years 1960 through 1967. On the assumption that the vast majority of patients with a new cerebrovascular event were either hospitalized in one of the three local hospitals or later referred to the Neurological Outpatient Clinic at the Hadassah University Hospital, a retrospective study was performed in order to obtain a close estimation of the incidence of stroke in the district of Jerusalem. In the period of 1960 through 1967, 1,522 new stroke cases were identified and included in this study. On the basis of the history, clinical picture and auxiliary tests, the patients were divided into three groups: (1) ischemic stroke, (2) stroke due to hemorrhage, and (3) stroke of undetermined type. The criteria for differentiation of cerebral ischemia from hemorrhage were rigid, demanding at least a lumbar puncture, angiography, operation, or autopsy for a diagnosis of either one to be made. These rigid criteria account for the high percentage of undetermined cases. Ischemic stroke was diagnosed in 509 (33%), stroke due to hemorrhage in 181 (12%), and stroke of undetermined type in 832 (55%). The average annual incidence of stroke in the district of Jerusalem was 90/100,000 population. The age-specific annual incidence rates showed an almost constant increase for both sexes and the various types of stroke, with increasing age. The age-specific and sexspecific annual incidence rates disclosed a male preponderance for all the age groups above 45 in the “ischemic” and “undetermined” types, and for the total series. This preponderance was marked in the 65 to 74 age group. In the “stroke due to hemorrhage” type there was a slight male preponderance in the 65 to 74 age group and a slight female preponderance in the 75+ age group, the ratio being equal for the total hemorrhagic series. Our findings were compared with those reported in other studies and discussed.
Aptamer Directly Evolved from Live Cells Recognizes Membrane Bound Immunoglobin Heavy Mu Chain in Burkitt's Lymphoma Cells*S

The identification of tumor related cell membrane protein targets is important in understanding tumor progression, the development of new diagnostic tools, and potentially for identifying new therapeutic targets. Here we present a novel strategy for identifying proteins that are altered in their expression levels in a diseased cell using cell specific aptamers. Using an intact viable B-cell Burkitt's lymphoma cell line (Ramos cells) as the target, we have selected aptamers that recognize cell membrane proteins with high affinity. Among the selected aptamers that showed different recognition patterns with different cell lines of leukemia, the aptamer TD05 showed binding with Ramos cells. By chemically modifying TD05 to covalently cross-link with its target on Ramos cells to capture and to enrich the target receptors using streptavidin coated magnetic beads followed by mass spectrometry, we were able to identify membrane bound immunoglobin heavy mu chain as the target for TD05 aptamer. Immunoglobin heavy mu chain is a major component of the B-cell antigen receptor, which is expressed in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. This study demonstrates that this two step strategy, the development of high quality aptamer probes and then the identification of their target proteins, can be used to discover new disease related potential markers and thus enhance tumor diagnosis and therapy. The aptamer based strategy will enable effective molecular elucidation of disease related biomarkers and other interesting molecules.
Novel Viral Vector Systems for Gene Therapy

Over the last three decades, interest in the field of gene therapy seems to have fluctuated between hot and cold. Encouraging pre-clinical and clinical data has demonstrated the potential of genetic therapies and yet setbacks in clinical trials have cast doubts in some minds over the clinical future of gene therapy [1-3]. In the last two years, a number of studies have demonstrated therapeutic benefits in clinical trials aimed towards specific monogenetic disorders [4-6], and this has brought renewed optimism to the field. [. ]
Control Charts for Dispersed Count Data: An Overview

Control charts based on the Poisson distribution are commonly used to monitor count data in attributes. However, the Poisson distribution is based on the underlying equidispersion assumption that is limiting as discussed by different researchers in the literature. Therefore, a generalized control chart is required that can be used to monitor both overdispersed and underdispersed count data. This article reviews the methods to implement for dispersed count data and present ideas for future work in this area. A comprehensive literature review for researchers and practitioners is presented in this article. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum Zinc Level and Its Correlation with Vesikari System Scoring in Acute Pediatric Diarrhea

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea remains the most common infectious disease worldwide. Zinc has been studied extensively recently for its potential effect on prevention, control and treatment of acute diarrhoea. AIM: This study was designed to correlate the level of zinc with the severity of pediatric diarrhoea estimated by Vesikari Scoring System. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The present study included 80 children aged two months to 30 months from those suffering from the acute diarrheal episode and admitted to Pediatric Hospital “Abo El Rish” Cairo University. Serum Zinc level was assessed by a colorimetric method with a spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Zinc deficiency was detected in 45 (56.2%) patient of the studied group Significant negative correlations were found between serum zinc level and severity of dehydration and duration of hospitalization (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Zinc level has an essential role in acute pediatric diarrhoea. Zinc therapy should be considered beside Oral rehydration salts (ORS) to achieve maximum impact on diarrheal diseases; clinical trials are recommended to support the zinc supplementation in developing countries.
Oxygen plasma treatments of polydimethylsiloxane surfaces: effect of the atomic oxygen on capillary flow in the microchannels

Modification of polydimethylsoloxane/water interaction, to promote a spontaneous water flux through the microchannels, is a crucial task in microfluidic applications. For that reason, in this research, the authors study the hydrophilicity improvement induced by low-power oxygen plasma treatments (15 W) on the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel. The effects of the oxygen plasma treatments on wettability and water-work of adhesion on PDMS surfaces have been studied by sessile contact angle. The chemical composition of the plasma has been investigated by means of optical emission spectroscopy. The results indicate that the improvement of wettability on treated PDMS is led by the percentage of atomic oxygen in the plasma discharge. Super-hydrophilic surfaces (contact angle < 5°) have been obtained optimising the atomic oxygen percentage in the plasma discharge varying only the plasma working pressure. Super-hydrophilic PDMS microchannels show the highest spontaneous capillary flow in the channels while the hydrophilic microchannel shows only a small capillary flow.
Iodixanol Versus Low-Osmolar Contrast Media for Prevention of Contrast Induced Nephropathy: Meta-analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

Background—Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The objective of our meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of iodixanol compared with low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM) for prevention of CIN. Methods and Results—We searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and internet sources of cardiology trial results for individual and relevant reviews of randomized, controlled trials, for the terms contrast media, contrast nephropathy, renal failure, iodixanol, Visipaque, and low-osmolar contrast media. All studies reported an incidence rate of CIN for each study group; there was no restriction on the definition of CIN. There were no restrictions on journal type or patient population. Overall, 36 trials were identified for analysis of aggregated summary data on 7166 patients; 3672 patients received iodixanol and 3494 patients received LOCM. Overall, iodixanol showed no statistically significant reduction in CIN incidence below that observed with heterogeneous comparator agents (P=0.11). Analysis of patient subgroups revealed that there was a significant benefit of iodixanol when compared with iohexol alone (odds ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.11 to 0.55; P<0.001) but not when compared with LOCM other than iohexol or with other ionic dimers or among patients receiving intra-arterial contrast injections or among patients undergoing coronary angiography with or without percutaneous intervention. Conclusions—Analysis of aggregated summary data from multiple randomized, controlled trials of iodixanol against diverse LOCMs for heterogeneous procedures and definitions of CIN show an iodixanol-associated reduction that is suggestive but statistically nonsignificant.
Continuous Ethanol Production with a Membrane Bioreactor at High Acetic Acid Concentrations

The release of inhibitory concentrations of acetic acid from lignocellulosic raw materials during hydrolysis is one of the main concerns for 2nd generation ethanol production. The undissociated form of acetic acid can enter the cell by diffusion through the plasma membrane and trigger several toxic effects, such as uncoupling and lowered intracellular pH. The effect of acetic acid on the ethanol production was investigated in continuous cultivations by adding medium containing 2.5 to 20.0 g·L−1 acetic acid at pH 5.0, at a dilution rate of 0.5 h−1. The cultivations were performed at both high (~25 g·L−1) and very high (100–200 g·L−1) yeast concentration by retaining the yeast cells inside the reactor by a cross-flow membrane in a membrane bioreactor. The yeast was able to steadily produce ethanol from 25 g·L−1 sucrose, at volumetric rates of 5–6 g·L−1·h−1 at acetic acid concentrations up to 15.0 g·L−1. However, the yeast continued to produce ethanol also at a concentration of 20 g·L−1 acetic acid but at a declining rate. The study thereby demonstrates the great potential of the membrane bioreactor for improving the robustness of the ethanol production based on lignocellulosic raw materials.
Mahimahi: Accurate Record-and-Replay for HTTP

This paper presents Mahimahi, a framework to record traffic from HTTP-based applications, and later replay it under emulated network conditions. Mahimahi improves upon prior record-and-replay frameworks in three ways. First, it is more accurate because it carefully emulates the multi-server nature of Web applications, present in 98% of the Alexa US Top 500 Web pages. Second, it isolates its own network traffic, allowing multiple Mahimahi instances emulating different networks to run concurrently without mutual interference. And third, it is designed as a set of composable shells, providing ease-of-use and extensibility. We evaluate Mahimahi by: (1) analyzing the performance of HTTP/1.1, SPDY, and QUIC on a corpus of 500 sites, (2) using Mahimahi to understand the reasons why these protocols are suboptimal, (3) developing Cumulus, a cloud-based browser designed to overcome these problems, using Mahimahi both to implement Cumulus by extending one of its shells, and to evaluate it, (4) using Mahimahi to evaluate HTTP multiplexing protocols on multiple performance metrics (page load time and speed index), and (5) describing how others have used Mahimahi.
Cerebral Granulomatous Inflammation Secondary to Hydrophilic Polymer Embolization Following Thrombectomy

Patient: Female, 59 Final Diagnosis: Granulomatous response to microscopic polymer Symptoms: Worsening neurologic deficit Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Mechanical thrombectomy Specialty: Neurosurgery Objective: Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment Background: Given the recent completion of multiple trials demonstrating the benefit of endovascular mechanical thrombectomy for select patients with proximal large artery occlusive ischemic strokes, there has been a large increase in the performance of these procedures. In the context of increased thrombectomy performance, there have also been increased reports of rare occurrences of granulomatous inflammatory response to the hydrophilic polymer which coat many of these interventional devices. Case Report: A 59-year-old female presented with a complete occlusion of her right proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) and imaging showed a large area of penumbra. Cerebral angiogram and mechanical thrombectomy were successfully performed with reversal of clinical symptoms. Eight months following her stroke, she developed progressive recurrence of left-sided neurological deficits. After extensive workup culminating in tissue sampling, she was found to have developed granulomatous inflammation surrounding microscopic embolization of hydrophilic polymer, which is used to coat many interventional devices such as wires and catheters. The patient responded both clinically and radiographically to anti-inflammatory steroid therapy. Conclusions: Recognizing the significant potential morbidity of a large vessel ischemic stroke and the expanded use of endovascular interventions aimed at staving off this disability, there are emerging and at times indolent complications from the use of hydrophilic polymer coated wires and catheters. This rare and potentially under-recognized complication should be considered in the differential for any patient with new neurological findings following cerebral intervention, especially given the consideration that this appears to a treatable complication.
On the comparison of norms of convolutors associated with noncommutative dynamics

To any action of a locally compact group $G$ on a pair $(A,B)$ of von Neumann algebras is canonically associated a pair $(\pi_A^{\alpha}, \pi_B^{\alpha})$ of unitary representations of $G$. The purpose of this paper is to provide results allowing to compare the norms of the operators $\pi_A^{\alpha}(\mu)$ and $\pi_B^{\alpha}(\mu)$ for bounded measures $\mu$ on $G$. We have a twofold aim. First to point out that several known facts in ergodic and representation theory are indeed particular cases of general results about $(\pi_A^{\alpha}, \pi_B^{\alpha})$. Second, under amenability assumptions, to obtain transference of inequalities that will be useful in noncommutative ergodic theory.
Cleavage of phi X174 single-stranded DNA by gene A protein and formation of a tight protein-DNA complex

The gene A protein cleaves phi X174 single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The cleavage appears to be stoichiometric, whereby a gene A protein molecule breaks a phosphodiester bond and binds to the 5' end. The enzyme introduces mostly a single break in a circular ssDNA molecule. However, at high enzyme-to-DNA ratios, more than one break in the DNA could be observed. The cleavage of the ssDNA by gene A protein renders the DNA sensitive to the action of terminal transferase to incorporate [alpha -32P]ATP. Thus, the 3'OH end is free. All attempts to label the 5' end by T4-induced polynucleotide kinase and [gamma-32P]ATP failed. The formation of a gene A-ssDNA complex was demonstrated directly by using 3H-labeled gene A protein and 32P-labeled ssDNA in the reaction. Such a complex is resistant to treatments with 0.2 M NaOH, banding in CsCl, and boiling in 2.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Only treatment with a nuclease released the bound protein. Also, after cleaving [32P]ssDNA by gene A protein, followed by either DNase I or micrococcal nuclease digestion, a fraction of the 32P label remained resistant to nuclease treatment and comigrated with gene A protein on polyacrylamide gels.
Lignocellulosic biomass for bioproduct: its potency and technology development

Lignocellulosic biomass has high potency to be utilized as materials for bioproducts. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are main polymers which build the biomass structure. To convert the polymers into derived bioproducts, the cell wall structure of biomass must be fractionated. Common fractionation methods include physical, mechanical, biological and chemical process, or the combination between them. In line with the biorefinery concept, i.e. all of polymers can be utilized in creating functional materials, both as final and intermediate bioproducts. Cellulose is main material source for pulp and paper, bioplastic, bioethanol and 5-hydroxyl methylfurfural (HMF) production. Hemicellulose as 5-carbon sugar can be converted into xylitol used in food application as sweetener or in the production of other biochemicals. On the other hand, biosurfactant, activated carbon, and bioadhesives can be obtained from lignin processing. Research Center for Biomaterials LIPI is interested in developing process and technology for the conversion of these polymer into bioproducts, that is derived from wood and non wood material. The bioproducts are bioethanol, bio-adhesive based lignin, biosurfactant based lignin, wood plastic composites (WPC) and bio-composites. To drive the research development in this area, research collaboration among government, private and international research institutes is encouraged.
Phthalate release in leachate from municipal landfills of central Poland

Phthalate diesters (PAEs) are used as plasticizer additives to polymer chains to make the material more flexible and malleable. PAEs are bonded physically, not chemically, to the polymeric matrix and can migrate to and leach from the product surface, posing a serious danger to the environment and human health. There have been a number of studies on PAE concentrations in landfill leachate conducted in the EU and around the world, though few in Poland. In the present study, the leachate of five municipal landfills was analyzed for the presence of PAEs. Raw leachate was sampled four times over the period of one year in 2015/16. It was the first large study on this subject in Poland. PAEs were detected in the leachate samples on all of the landfills, thereby indicating that PAEs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. The following PAEs were detected in at least one sample: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Diethyl phthalate (DEP), Dimethyl phthalate (DMP), Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), Di-isobutylphthalate (DIBP). Out of all ten PAEs, DEHP was the most predominant, with concentrations up to 73.9 μg/L. DEHP was present in 65% of analyzed samples (in 100% of samples in spring, 80% in winter, and 40% in summer and autumn). In only 25% of all samples DEHP was below the acceptable UE limit for surface water (1.3 μg/L), while 75% was from 1.7 to 56 times higher than that value. On the two largest landfills DEHP concentrations were observed during samples from all four seasons, including on a landfill which has been remediated and closed for the last 5 years.
A Comparison of Sexual Outcomes in Primiparous Women Experiencing Vaginal and Caesarean Births

Background and Objective: We conducted this study to evaluate and compare postpartum sexual functioning after vaginal and caesarean births. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out in postnatal health care in a hospital. A total of 50 primiprous women who had given birth 6-12 months ago and came to the hospital for postnatal care were asked to join the study. Forty of the women completed the entire questionnaire. Among these women, 20 delivered spontaneously with mediolateral episiotomy and 20 had elective caesarean section. Sexual function was evaluated by a validated, self-created questionnaire. A statistical evaluation was carried out by SPSS v.11. A two-part self-created validated questionnaire for data collection was administered regarding sexual function prior to pregnancy and 6-12 months postpartum. Results: The median time to restart intercourse in the normal vaginal delivery with episiotomy (NVD/epi) group was 40 days and in the caesarean section (C/S) group was 10 days postpartum. The most common problems in the NVD/epi group was decreased libido (80%), sexual dissatisfaction (65%), and vaginal looseness (55%). In the C/S group, the most common problems were vaginal dryness (85%), sexual dissatisfaction (60%), and decreased libido (35%). There were clinically significant differences between the two groups regarding sexual outcomes, but these differences were not statically significant. Conclusion: Postnatal sexual problems were very common after both NVD/epi and C/S. Because sexual problems are so prevalent during the postpartum period, clinicians should draw more attention to the women's sexual life and try to improve their quality of life after delivery.
Micro manipulation by a compliant piezoelectric micro gripper towards robotic micro assembly

This paper presents a new design of mobile micro manipulation system for robotic micro assembly where a compliant piezoelectric actuator-based micro gripper is designed for handling the miniature parts. The compensation of misalignment during robotic peg-in-hole assembly is achieved by this compliant micro gripper because the piezoelectric actuator has capability of producing the displacement in micron range and generates high force instantaneously. The throughput/speed analysis of mobile micro manipulation system is carried out for picking and placing the peg from one hole to next hole position. An analysis of piezoelectric actuator-based micro gripper has also been discussed where voltage is controlled through a proportional-derivative (PD) controller. By developing a prototype, it is demonstrated that compliant piezoelectric actuator-based micro gripper is capable of handling the peg-in-hole assembly task in a mobile micro manipulation system.
developmental differences in adaptation to cold stress in rats

University. As described in the highlight, Dr. Riccio’s interest in taste aversion learning began with his early work on the assessment of motion sickness in the rat and the conditions effective in inducing and abating it. While his initial interest focused on this unique US in aversion learning, his work soon turned to the memorial aspects of conditioned taste aversions. In a recent review with Susanne Meehan, Dr. Riccio asks a poignant question about taste aversions and the study of memory in this learning process. The question focused on why might one be interested in such a process given that taste aversion is a phenomenon characterized by its rapid acquisition and the robust nature of its display, i.e., memory of such learning is a given. In fact, as early as 1954, Rzoska and his colleagues noted studies in which rats displayed the retention of poison-based food aversions almost a full year after its acquisition. In a recent review by Dr. Riccio (see Meeham and Riccio, 2009), the memory processes associated with aversion learning are eloquently described and the similarity and differences with traditional learning noted. Such issues as the influence of age on the acquisition and retention of aversions, how stimulus generalization functions vary with retention interval, how context interacts with the retention interval in the display of aversions, the demonstrations of memory for extinguished responding, of retrograde amnesia and age effects in delay learning, how taste attributes change over long delays, how electroconvulsive shock, anesthesia and hypothermia during the CS-US delays affect aversion learning and memories of latent inhibition and UCS preexposure are all described and illustrate the richness of memorial processes in aversion learning. Dr. Riccio’s highlight reviews the role of his laboratory and students in assessing many of these issues and how memory processes shape this phenomenon. Aversion learning, while robust, provides a range of questions regarding memory, illustrating the multiple processes embedded in its acquisition and display.