Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among turkeys on family farms in the state of Northeastern Brazil

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in turkeys and chickens on family farms in the semi-arid region of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. In order to do so, 204 sera samples from turkeys were analyzed using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) and 322 sera samples from chickens were assessed using the Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). Twenty-eight properties contained turkeys and 23 of these properties also contained chickens. The relative frequency of positive turkeys was 11% (21/204), with 46.6% (13/28) of the properties containing at least one positive turkey. The frequency of positive chickens was 25.8% (83/322), with 95.6% (22/23) of the properties containing at least one positive chicken. Based on the results of the present study, it was possible to conclude that turkeys can serve as an indicator of environmental contamination by oocysts of T. gondii. However, they are less effective than chickens bred in the same conditions. The increasing demand from consumers for naturally produced products should worry local sanitary authorities due to the high prevalence of antibodies against T. gondii found in this type of rearing system, particularly among chickens.
An Empirical-Study Of Budget-Related Predictions Of Corporate-Executives

In this paper I report the results of a study of the decisions of actual managers in a real decision setting within the framework of Brunswik's [1952] lens model. Subjects (executives, managers, and sales personnel) provided predictions of advertising sales for Time magazine, which is an important variable in the incentive contracts of Time Inc. Unlike previous studies using the lens model in accounting, this one used (1) actual data as cues for subjects' predictions and actual outcome data for accuracy comparisons, (2) the number and type of cues which closely approximate the data set available for the actual predictions, and (3) a task which required a prediction that subjects were accustomed to making. Several previous studies (e.g., Libby [1975], Wright [1977], and Ashton [1974]) have incorporated some, but not all, of these features. Also, this is the first lens model study in a budgeting context. The results of the study indicate that subjects were generally adept at predicting advertising sales, but improved predictions were possible using a linear regression model, and by using composite predictions.
Soy Protein Effects on Serum Lipoproteins: A Quality Assessment and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Studies

Objectives: Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed the effects of soy protein on serum lipoprotein risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). This review and meta-analysis assessed the quality of these RCTs and estimated the effects of soy protein consumption on serum lipoproteins. Data Sources: A comprehensive search using multiple databases was conducted for the years 1996 through 2008 to identify clinical trials related to soy protein intake and serum lipoprotein changes. Study Eligibility: RCTs were assessed that met these requirements: soy protein intake compared with nonsoy protein, provided information on serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol values, provided no more than 65 g of soy protein daily, and obtained LDL-cholesterol measurements between 4 and 18 weeks of treatment. Randomized parallel and crossover studies were evaluated. Methods: Studies were graded for quality using 12 criteria with a possible maximum grade of 24. Net changes in lipoproteins with soy protein consumption compared with nonsoy control diets were analyzed by meta-analyses and funnel plots. Confidence intervals were constructed using inverse weighting. Analyses compared parallel to crossover studies and studies with lower and higher grades. Results: Analyses included 20 parallel-design studies and 23 crossover studies. Parallel studies scored significantly higher (p < 0.001) in study quality, with a mean grade of 15.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.3 to 17.3) compared with 10.1 (95% CI, 8.2 to 11.9) for crossover trials. Soy protein intake was associated with net changes in serum LDL-cholesterol values of −0.23 mmol/l (95% CI, −0.28 to −0.18 mmol/l) or a 5.5% reduction in parallel studies and −0.16 mmol/l (95% CI, −0.22 to −0.11 mmol/l) or a reduction of 4.2% with crossover studies (p < 0.001 for parallel vs crossover). In parallel studies, net serum HDL-cholesterol values were 3.2% higher (p < 0.007) with soy vs control, and fasting serum triacylglycerol values were 10.7% lower (p < 0.008) for soy vs control. Conclusions and Implications: Soy protein consumption with a median of 30 g/d was associated with a significant improvement in lipoprotein risk factors for CHD. Compared with crossover RCTs, parallel RCTs had significantly higher quality grades and were associated with significantly greater improvements in serum LDL-cholesterol values. Regular consumption of 1 to 2 servings of soy protein daily (15 to 30 g) has a significant favorable impact on serum lipoprotein risk factors for CHD.
Brainstem evoked response abnormalities in late-life depression with vascular disease.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine whether the brainstem evoked responses of geriatric depressed patients with vascular disease show greater changes in wave V latency after increased stimulation than do responses of geriatric depressed patients without vascular disease and elderly comparison subjects with and without vascular disease. METHOD Geriatric patients with unipolar depression (N = 53) were recruited from a university psychiatric hospital. Elderly comparison subjects (N = 23) were recruited through advertisements. All subjects were assessed for depressive symptoms, cognitive performance, overall medical burden, vascular disease, and disability. Brainstem evoked response was elicited at stimulation rates of 11.4 and 80.0 clicks/sec. RESULTS The interaction between depression and vascular disease had a significant effect on change in wave V latency. This effect was synergistic, more than an additive effect. Post hoc comparisons showed that the depressed patients with vascular disease had greater changes in wave V latency that did the depressed patients without vascular disease, comparison subjects with vascular disease, and comparison subjects without vascular disease. Linear discriminant function analysis showed that 82% of the subjects with abnormal changes in wave V latency (sensitivity: 75%, specificity: 81%) could be identified on the basis of ratings for depression and vascular disease. CONCLUSIONS Demyelination afflicting the pons and mesencephalon may explain the greater change in wave V latency for the brainstem evoked response in depressed patients with vascular disease. Further studies combining brainstem evoked response with brain imaging may determine whether depression develops only after vascular disease leads to demyelination.
The Internationalization of New High-Potential U.S. Ventures: Antecedents and Outcomes

This study examined the antecedents and outcomes of the internationalization of 61 new high-potential ventures in the U.S. The results indicate that internationalization is directly related to the use of product differentiation as a source of competitive advantage, the international work experience of the board of directors, and size at the point of the IPO. The use of low cost, product differentiation, or innovation as a source of competitive advantage, and size at the point of the IPO were directly related to sales growth in the two-year period following the IPO. Finally, the level of Internationalization at the time of the IPO is positively related to earnings two years later.
The relation between rice consumption, arsenic contamination, and prevalence of diabetes in South Asia

Rice is the major staple food for about two billion people living in Asia. It has been reported to contain considerable amount of inorganic arsenic which is toxic to pancreatic beta cells and disrupt glucose homeostasis. Articles and conference papers published between 1992 and 2017, indexed in Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE, Google, and Google scholar were used. Arsenic exposure has been associated with increased blood glucose and insulin levels, or decreased sensitization of insulin cells to glucose uptake. Several studies have shown the association between inorganic arsenic exposure and incidence of diabetes mellitus. Considerable amounts of arsenic have been reported in different types of rice which may be affected by cultivation methods, processing, and country of production. Use of certain microbes, fertilizers, and enzymes may reduce arsenic uptake or accumulation in rice, which may reduce its risk of toxicity. Combined exposure to contaminated rice, other foods and drinking water may increase the risk of diabetes in these countries. Maximum tolerated daily intake of arsenic contaminated rice (2.1 µg/day kg body weight) has been set by WHO, which may be exceeded depending on its content in rice and amount consumed. Hence, increased prevalence of diabetes in South Asia may be related to the consumption of arsenic contaminated rice depending on its content in the rice and daily amount consumed. In this review, we have focused on the possible relation between rice consumption, arsenic contamination, and prevalence of diabetes in South Asia.
Clinical course and predictive factors for cyclosporin‐induced autologous graft‐versus‐host disease after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

The administration of cyclosporin A (CyA) after autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) induces a systemic autoimmune syndrome mimicking graft‐vs.‐host disease (GVHD). This syndrome, termed autologous GVHD has notable anti‐tumour activity in animal studies. We intended to induce autologous GVHD with CyA in patients undergoing an autologous HSCT. We prospectively studied 118 patients with miscellaneous malignancies undergoing an autologous HSCT with low‐dose CyA to characterize the clinical syndrome, its frequency and clinical course, and to determine the factors affecting its incidence. Patients received CyA from d −1 through to d 28, first starting at 2 mg/kg intravenously and then orally as soon as feasible. The dose was adjusted to achieve pre‐dose blood levels around 100 ng/ml. A skin biopsy was performed when a skin rash was observed. Thirty‐three percent of the patients developed clinical GVHD: clinical stage 1 in 21 patients, stage 2 in seven patients, and stage 3 in three patients. Although total body irradiation (TBI) or high‐dose cyclophosphamide were previously thought to be needed, autologous GVHD occurred in five out of 12 patients (42%) after a preparative regimen with high‐dose melphalan alone. Autologous GVHD was significantly more frequent in patients older than 33 years, in patients who had received high doses of granulocyte‐macrophage colony forming units (CFU‐GM) and in those with a diagnosis of myeloid malignancy, compared with those with lymphoid malignancies or solid tumours. A significant negative association was also found with HLA‐DR6. In lymphoma patients, GVHD occurred more frequently in advanced disease than in first or second complete remission (CR1–2) patients. All other factors studied were not predictive for GVHD. In conclusion, CyA‐induced GVHD is reproducibly and safely induced with doses of CyA adapted to achieve blood levels around 100 ng/ml. In retrospective analysis, there was no survival advantage for patients with GVHD. Phase III trials with this approach are needed to evaluate its anti‐tumoral effect.
[Poster] Combining multi-touch and device movement in mobile augmented reality manipulations

Three input modalities for manipulation techniques in Mobile Augmented Reality have been compared. The first one employs only multi-touch input. The second modality uses the movements of the device. Finally, the third one is a hybrid approach based on a combination of the two previous modalities. A user evaluation (N=12) on a 6 DOF docking task suggests that combining multi-touch input and device movement offers the best results in terms of task completion time and efficiency. Nonetheless, using solely the device is more intuitive and performs worse only in large rotations. Given that mobile devices are increasingly supporting movement tracking, the presented results encourage the addition of device movement as an input modality.
Why Does Middle Class Favor Democracy?

Empirical evidence shows that a revolution led by middle class citizens is more likely to turn the country into a democracy while both poorer and richer classes usually lead the country towards autocracy. This paper sets up a model to explain this phenomenon with three results: 1) Wealth is a good indicator of the revolutionaries’ choice only if the previous regime’s policy equal to the middle position leader’s ideal. 2) Revolutionaries choose democracy only if the previous regime has sufficient democratic basis. 3) The condition that the middle class favors democracy more than any other classes coincides with the condition that democracy occurs.
Removal of FKBP12.6 Does Not Alter the Conductance and Activation of the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor or the Susceptibility to Stress-induced Ventricular Arrhythmias*

The 12.6-kDa FK506-binding protein (FKBP12.6) is considered to be a key regulator of the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2), but its precise role in RyR2 function is complex and controversial. In the present study we investigated the impact of FKBP12.6 removal on the properties of the RyR2 channel and the propensity for spontaneous Ca2+ release and the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias. Single channel recordings in lipid bilayers showed that FK506 treatment of recombinant RyR2 co-expressed with or without FKBP12.6 or native canine RyR2 did not induce long-lived subconductance states. [3H]Ryanodine binding studies revealed that coexpression with or without FKBP12.6 or treatment with or without FK506 did not alter the sensitivity of RyR2 to activation by Ca2+ or caffeine. Furthermore, single cell Ca2+ imaging analyses demonstrated that HEK293 cells co-expressing RyR2 and FKBP12.6 or expressing RyR2 alone displayed the same propensity for spontaneous Ca2+ release or store overload-induced Ca2+ release (SOICR). FK506 increased the amplitude and decreased the frequency of SOICR in HEK293 cells expressing RyR2 with or without FKBP12.6, indicating that the action of FK506 on SOICR is independent of FKBP12.6. As with recombinant RyR2, the conductance and ligand-gating properties of single RyR2 channels from FKBP12.6-null mice were indistinguishable from those of single wild type channels. Moreover, FKBP12.6-null mice did not exhibit enhanced susceptibility to stress-induced ventricular arrhythmias, in contrast to previous reports. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the loss of FKBP12.6 has no significant effect on the conduction and activation of RyR2 or the propensity for spontaneous Ca2+ release and stress-induced ventricular arrhythmias.
A new design of selective harmonic elimination for adjustable speed operation of AC motors in mining industry

This paper presents an appropriate design of selective harmonic elimination for a high performance adjustable speed operation of ac motors in mining industry. These motors are normally old machines and/or fed by long cable and require pure sinusoidal voltages. A passive filter is employed between the machine and a three-level NPC converter. Owing to its higher frequency band free of harmonics the selective harmonic elimination was chosen to command the converter. Therefore it is required the operation of selective harmonic elimination in variable fundamental frequency conditions. It then brings the noneliminated harmonics to the low frequency region. A new design of selective harmonic elimination consists of a technical criterion of changing the set of pulse pattern in a more economical way in order to maintain the low frequency harmonic content far from the fundamental frequency range still keeping high system efficiency, fast acceleration and less torque pulsation and feasible digital implementation. The technical criterion also simplifies the passive filter design letting enough space to allocate cutoff and resonant frequencies inside the band free of harmonics. All the discussion of this work is supported by simulation and experimental results of a prototype which is aimed to confirm the feasibility of the above ideas.
Controlling a robotic stereo camera under image quantization noise

In this paper, we address the problem of controlling a mobile stereo camera under image quantization noise. Assuming that a pair of images of a set of targets is available, the camera moves through a sequence of Next-Best-Views (NBVs), i.e. a sequence of views that minimizes the trace of the targets’ cumulative state covariance, constructed using a realistic model of the stereo rig that captures image quantization noise and a Kalman Filter (KF) that fuses the observation history with new information. The proposed algorithm decomposes control into two stages: first the NBV is computed in the camera relative coordinates, and then the camera moves to realize this view in the fixed global coordinate frame. This decomposition allows the camera to drive to a new pose that effectively realizes the NBV in camera coordinates while satisfying Field-of-View constraints in global coordinates, a task that is particularly challenging using complex sensing models. We provide simulations and real experiments that illustrate the ability of the proposed mobile camera system to accurately localize sets of targets. We also propose a novel data-driven technique to characterize unmodeled uncertainty, such as calibration errors, at the pixel level and show that this method ensures stability of the KF.
A study of oogenesis and early embryogenesis in the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, with special reference to the structural changes of mitochondria

The structural changes of mitochondria that occur during oogenesis and early embryogenesis in the rabbit have been examined with the electron microscope. Mitochondria of oogonia are both elongate and oval and contain a variable number of cristae which may or may not traverse the longitudinal axis of the organelle. When oogonia differentiate into oocytes, mitochondria become spheroidal and their cristae are sparse when compared with those found in the ellipsoidal organelles of concomitantly maturing follicle cells. As differentiation proceeds, the cristae of the mitochondria display varied configurations. For example, many display an arch‐like arrangement in several regions of the organelle whereas others contain a pair of concentric membranes closely associated with limiting membrane of the mitochondrion.
[Study on the association of oral contraceptives, angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphisms and risk of stroke in women].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the associations of oral contraceptives (OC) exposure, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and their joint actions with the risk of stroke in Chinese women. METHODS A case-control study, based on a set cohort, was carried out. Incident cases of stroke identified between July 1 1997 and June 30 2009 were enrolled. One hospital control and healthy community control were matched on region and age (± 3 years). A total of 453 women with stroke and 919 controls were recruited. I/D gene polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), A-240T polymorphism were detected by TagMan. RESULTS (1) The risk of stroke gradually increased with the cumulative time of OC being used in women (P < 0.0001). Compared with non-users, the risk of stroke significantly increased among those with cumulative time of using OC longer than 20 years (adjusted OR was 2.07, with 95%CI as 1.30 - 3.29). (2) ID/DD genotype of I/D locus indicated significantly an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted OR, 2.37; 95%CI, 1.46 - 3.84). (3) Women with ID/DD genotype of I/D locus or with TA/TT genotype of A-240T locus and using OC could significantly increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted OR was 4.59; with 95%CI as 2.21 - 9.51 and OR was 2.50; with 95%CI as 1.42 - 4.38). (4) Data from multivariate analyses showed that both OC and ID/DD genotypes were important risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSION ID/DD and TA/TT genotypes of ACE gene, OC and their joint action might increase the risk of stroke, especially on hemorrhagic stroke in Chinese women.
Large‐scale analysis of somatic hypermutations in antibodies reveals which structural regions, positions and amino acids are modified to improve affinity

The principles of affinity maturation of antibodies (Abs), which underlies B cell‐mediated immunity, are still under debate. It is unclear whether the antigen (Ag) binding site is a preferred target for mutations, and what the role of activation‐induced deaminase (AID) hotspots is in this process. Here we report a structural analysis of 3495 residues that have been replaced through somatic hypermutations (SHMs) in 196 Abs. We show that there is no correlation between the propensity of an amino acid to be in AID hotspot and the probability that it is replaced during the SHM process. Although AID hotspots may be necessary to enable SHMs, they are not a major driving force in determining which residues are mutated. We identified Ab positions that are highly mutated and significantly affect binding. The effect of mutation on binding energy is a major factor in determining which structural regions of the Ab are mutated. There is a clear preference for mutations at the Ag‐binding site. However, positions outside this region that also affect binding are often preferred targets for SHMs. As for amino acid preferences, a general trend during SHM is to make Ab–Ag interfaces more similar to protein–protein interfaces in general. In different regions of the Ab, there are different sets of preferences for amino acid substitution. This mapping improves our understanding of Ab affinity maturation and may assist in Ab engineering.
Event-driven processor power management

Energy-efficient computing as a research area has been receiving increasing attention in recent years due to rising energy costs and environmental awareness. In this paper, we present an approach to increasing the energy efficiency of modern multi-core computers, which is suitable for scenarios with varying load characteristics often found in private and small office/home office (SOHO) machines. The approach is based on a closer integration of the operating system scheduler and frequency governor, while shifting the mode of operation from time-driven to event-driven. We discuss theoretical as well as practical considerations, and describe experiments for both desktop and server systems. Based on a fully functional implementation within the Linux kernel, it is shown that our approach is feasible and allows for power savings of up to 10% while delivering a performance comparable to disabled power management and being more energy-efficient than the traditional time-driven variant.