Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal gestational zinc supplementation does not influence multiple aspects of child development at 54 mo of age in Peru.

BACKGROUND Zinc is necessary for central nervous system development, and maternal zinc status has been associated with developmental differences in offspring. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate differences in cognitive, social, and behavioral function in Peruvian children at 54 mo of age whose mothers participated during pregnancy in a zinc supplementation trial. DESIGN We attempted to follow up 205 children from a prenatal zinc supplementation trial and present data on 184 (90%) children-86 whose mothers took 25 mg zinc/d in addition to 60 mg iron and 250 microg folic acid and 98 whose mothers took iron and folic acid only. Following a standardized protocol, we assessed children's intelligence, language and number skills, representational ability, interpersonal understanding, and adaptive behavior and behavioral adjustment. We also assessed aspects of the mother (eg, age, education, verbal intelligence, stresses, and social support in parenting) and the home environment [HOME (Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment) inventory]. RESULTS No differences were observed between any of the tests used to characterize cognitive, social, or behavioral development (P > 0.05). Child sex, parity, or treatment compliance did not modify the effects of supplementation on any outcomes. CONCLUSION The addition of zinc to prenatal supplements did not influence developmental outcomes in Peruvian children when assessed at 4.5 y of age.
Serum amyloid A in geese; cloning and expression of recombinant protein

We defined the nucleotide-sequence of the full-length goose serum amyloid A and compared it to SAA sequences of the duck. The aim of this work was to clone and express recombinant goose SAA and to produce antibody against this protein: Total RNA was isolated from goose liver and used to synthesise first strand cDNA. The coding region of the goose SAA cDNA was amplified by PCR using primers corresponding to the appropriate conservative regions of duck SAA mRNA. The product was subcloned into pET-15b expression vector to result in a His•Tag® fusion protein expression. The protein was purified by affinity chromatography. Rabbits were then immunized against the recombinant purified goose SAA protein. The anti-SAA serum was tested by Western blotting. Full-length goose SAA mRNA sequence has been obtained and sequenced.
Insights into Head-Tailed Viruses Infecting Extremely Halophilic Archaea

ABSTRACT Extremophilic archaea, both hyperthermophiles and halophiles, dominate in habitats where rather harsh conditions are encountered. Like all other organisms, archaeal cells are susceptible to viral infections, and to date, about 100 archaeal viruses have been described. Among them, there are extraordinary virion morphologies as well as the common head-tailed viruses. Although approximately half of the isolated archaeal viruses belong to the latter group, no three-dimensional virion structures of these head-tailed viruses are available. Thus, rigorous comparisons with bacteriophages are not yet warranted. In the present study, we determined the genome sequences of two of such viruses of halophiles and solved their capsid structures by cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction. We show that these viruses are inactivated, yet remain intact, at low salinity and that their infectivity is regained when high salinity is restored. This enabled us to determine their three-dimensional capsid structures at low salinity to a ∼10-Å resolution. The genetic and structural data showed that both viruses belong to the same T-number class, but one of them has enlarged its capsid to accommodate a larger genome than typically associated with a T=7 capsid by inserting an additional protein into the capsid lattice.
New transformerless medium-voltage STATCOM based on half-bridge cascaded converters

To achieve higher performance in a distorted and unbalanced medium-voltage large-current system, a new shunt compensator is presented based on half-bridge cascaded converters (HBCC). Then, the transformerless HBCC based STATCOM can be controlled for various purposes such as reactive power of STATCOM, simultaneous harmonic cancellation and load balancing procedure. Compared to the conventional modular multilevel converters, the HBCC based STATCOM introduces lower ratings both for active and passive elements, improving the overall efficiency of the converter. A control strategy is proposed to ensure the source-end three phase currents are sinusoidal and balanced. At the same time, the DC capacitors voltages are controlled to operate under balanced condition. One interesting application for the HBCC based STATCOM could be electric traction system. Both power circuit and the proposed control strategy are simulated with PSIM and MATLAB, confirming the pre-defined objectives.
R&D performance measurement: A process perspective revisited

When assessing Research and development (R&D) activity on organizational level, it is extremely important to select the most suitable and accurate indicators for a valid evaluation of activity efficiency, productivity or effectiveness. It is the case that R&D activity differs from a regular activity of a business company by the nature and value of the output as well as the specificity of the R&D process itself. That is why its measurement requires the special attention. This paper presents the constructed comprehensive framework of R&D performance measurement at organizational level. It has been modelled using a base of R&D key processes chain: Input - In-Process - Output - Transfer system - Outcome. Such platform designed to present R&D activity indicators is considered as the most effective way to group the measures, as it can combine all the other measurement perspectives, such as financial, innovativeness and others.
Exaggerated reaction to insect bites in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Clinical and histological findings

&NA; We report three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with unusual vesiculobullous skin eruptions on exposed areas which were more commonly noted in spring and summer. The lesions appeared to be due to insect bites and could be differentiated from other causes on the basis of histological, immunohistological and clinical features. There was no correlation between the occurrence of the skin eruptions, disease status and treatment modalities. Exaggerated cutaneous reaction to insect bites should be considered as a cause of vesiculobullous lesions in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
OPTIMIZATION AND PURIFICATION OF LIPASE THROUGH SOLID STATE FERMENTATION BY BACILLUS CEREUS MSU AS ISOLATED FROM THE GUT OF A MARINE FISH SARDINELLA LONGICEPS

A lipase producing bacterium, Bacillus cereus MSU AS was isolated from the gut of a marine fish Sardinella longiceps . In total, seven agricultural waste substrates (coconut oil cake, neem oil cake, onion skin waste, wheat bran, jack fruit waste, banana skin peels and pomegranate skin peel) were selected for solid state production of lipase by B. cereus MSU AS. Among the tested substrates, onion skin waste supplemented medium was found to be yielded maximum lipase and hence it was selected as a major substrate for further study. On optimization, 10% moisture content, 0.5% maltose (carbon source), 0.5% ammonium hydrogen carbonate (nitrogen source), 0.4% gingilly oil (triglyceride) and 9% NaCl concentration were favoured more on production of lipase by B. cereus MSU AS. Further the lipase produced by the candidate strain was purified and its molecular weight was determined as 49 kDa by SDS-PAGE analysis.
The role of sleep and arousal in nocturnal enuresis

Aim: To review what is known about the role of sleep and arousal mechanisms in the pathogenesis of nocturnal enuresis. Methods: A review of the literature was carried out. Results: The sleep of enuretic children, although polysomnographically quite normal, is exceedingly “deep”; that is enuretic children have high arousal thresholds. Apart from some overlap between enuresis and the (other) classic parasomnias, the sleep of enuretic children is no more problematic than that of the general population. Recently, the exciting possibility has arisen that the low arousability of enuretic children may be linked to the autonomous nervous system and to disturbances in the upper pons.
Purification, Biochemical Characterization, and Gene Cloning of a New Extracellular Thermotolerant and Glucose Tolerant Maltooligosaccharide-Forming α-Amylase from an Endophytic Ascomycete Fusicoccum sp. BCC4124

An endophytic fungus, Fusicoccum sp. BCC4124, showed strong amylolytic activity when cultivated on multi-enzyme induction enriched medium and agro-industry substrates. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase activities were highly induced in the presence of maltose and starch. The purified target α-amylase, Amy-FC1, showed strong hydrolytic activity on soluble starch (kcat/Km=6.47×103 min−1(ml/mg)) and selective activity on γ- and β-cyclodextrins, but not on α-cyclodextrin. The enzyme worked optimally at 70 °C in a neutral pH range with t1/2 of 240 min in the presence of Ca2+ and starch. Maltose, matotriose, and maltotetraose were the major products from starch hydrolysis but prolonged reaction led to the production of glucose, maltose, and maltotriose from starch, cyclodextrins, and maltooligosaccharides (G3–G7). The amylase showed remarkable glucose tolerance up to 1 M, but was more sensitive to inhibition by maltose. The deduced protein primary structure from the putative gene revealed that the enzyme shared moderate homology between α-amylases from Aspergilli and Lipomyces sp. This thermotolerant, glucose tolerant maltooligosaccharide-forming α-amylase is potent for biotechnological application.
The anther smut disease on Gypsophila repens: a case of parasite sub‐optimal performance following a recent host shift?

The study of how parasites adapt to new hosts is of great importance for understanding the emergence of new diseases. Here, we report a study of the anther smut disease on Gypsophila repens (Caryophyllaceae). In contrast to what is usually found on other host species, infected natural populations of G. repens are extremely rare. Moreover, symptoms of diseased plants are incomplete and highly variable over the time. These results suggest that the fungus infecting G. repens is a case of a parasite not capable of exploiting its host optimally. Molecular analyses of Microbotryum violaceum strains infecting this and other Caryophyllaceae revealed that this sub‐optimal behaviour probably resulted from a recent host shift from the morphologically similar plant Petrorhagia saxifraga. With its exceptionally low virulence and prevalence, but apparent self‐sustainability, the disease on G. repens may thus represent an interesting case study for investigating the conditions leading to adaptation of parasites on new hosts.
Poultry as a source of Campylobacter and related organisms

Approximately 80% of raw chickens sold in the UK are contaminated with thermophilic campylobacters and they can be found on carcasses at levels as high as several thousand per cm 2 of skin. Thus, although they do not multiply on meat, they have a low infectious dose, so that human infection from undercooked meat, or as a result of handling raw poultry, is common. The precise contribution of poultry to human infection is not clear, but comparisons of types infecting humans and animals indicate that there are other important sources of human infection, particularly cattle. Rates of contamination of raw poultry meat with Arcobacter species and Helicobacter pullorum are also very high. Thermophilic campylobacters and H. pullorum colonize the chicken gut and rarely cause disease in poultry. Arcobacter species often appear to be environmental contaminants rather than part of the natural gut flora of poultry, although A. butzleri, in particular, can cause intestinal infections and abortion in humans. Thermophilic campylobacters arc not generally thought to be transmitted vertically via eggs, nor via feed or litter, provided rearing houses are cleaned and disinfected between flocks, and litter renewed. Flocks usually become infected at about 3 weeks of age. Every bird is usually rapidly colonized, with high levels (10 6 -10 7 cfu/g) in the caccal contents. The source of infection can be via unchlorinated water, but in situations where the water supply is not to blame, the precise source of infection is seldom identified. Infection could be via wild birds, rodents, or from farm operatives via boots or clothing. Infection has sometimes been associated with 'thinning' of flocks about a week prior to slaughter. Avoidance of infection during rearing therefore relies mostly on careful attention to hygiene, exclusion of vermin and a clean water supply. During transport, slaughter and dressing, Campylobacter-negative flocks can readily be contaminated from positive flocks. Contamination can be reduced by improved disinfection of transport crates, slaughter of uninfected flocks prior to infected flocks, and by careful attention to major points of cross-contamination on the line. A more effective measure would be to use a terminal decontamination step, such as trisodium phosphate, lactic acid, reduced pressure steam or gamma irradiation.
Entorhinal cortex of the monkey: IV. Topographical and laminar organization of cortical afferents

The nonhuman primate entorhinal cortex is the primary interface for information flow between the neocortex and the hippocampal formation. Based on previous retrograde tracer studies, neocortical afferents to the macaque monkey entorhinal cortex originate largely in polysensory cortical association areas. However, the topographical and laminar distributions of cortical inputs to the entorhinal cortex have not yet been comprehensively described. The present study examines the regional and laminar termination of projections within the entorhinal cortex arising from different cortical areas. The study is based on a library of 51 3H‐amino acid injections that involve most of the afferent regions of the entorhinal cortex. The range of termination patterns was broad. Some areas, such as the medial portion of orbitofrontal area 13 and parahippocampal areas TF and TH, project widely within the entorhinal cortex. Other areas have a more focal and regionally selective termination. The lateral orbitofrontal, insular, anterior cingulate, and perirhinal cortices, for example, project only to rostral levels of the entorhinal cortex. The upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus projects mainly to intermediate levels of the entorhinal cortex, and the parietal and retrosplenial cortices project to caudal levels. The projections from some of these cortical regions preferentially terminate in the superficial layers (I–III) of the entorhinal cortex, whereas others project more heavily to the deep layers (V–VI). Thus, some of the cortical inputs may be more influential on the cortically directed outputs of the hippocampal formation or on gating neocortical information flow into the other fields of the hippocampal formation rather than contributing to the perforant path inputs to other hippocampal fields. J. Comp. Neurol. 509:608–641, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
NORMAL SINGULARITIES WITH TORUS ACTIONS

We propose a method to compute a desingularization of a normal affine varietyX endowed with a torus action in terms of a combinatorial description of such a variety due to Altmann and Hausen. This desingularization allows us to study the structure of the singularities of X. In particular, we give criteria for X to have only rational, (Q-)factorial, or (Q-)Gorenstein singularities. We also give partial criteria for X to be Cohen-Macaulay or log-terminal. Finally, we provide a method to construct factorial affine varieties with a torus action. This leads to a full classification of such varieties in the case where the action is of complexity one.
A job shop scheduling system based on Parallel Control Mechanism

Job shop scheduling has been an active area of research for several decades. However, there seems to have been a significant gap between the theoretical research in academia and practical application in industry. The scheduling system, which are developed aiming at the vast library of benchmark problems, usually faces some challenges when applying in the real manufacturing environment to support the day-to-day running of a factory. This paper will present a job shop scheduling system, which is inspired by the Parallel Control Mechanism. The system consists of two interacting subsystems, the artificial sub-system, which could provide optimal scheduling scheme, and the actual one, which would re-generate the schedule according to the real would situation. A hybrid scheduling strategy is proposed, which supports the system to make scheduling decision in job shop that operates in a dynamic environment. The strategy harmonize the different approaches, ant colony optimization algorithm, rule-based scheduling, or real-time simulation, into a unified framework, and therefore can be used as an online scheduler. The presented system and strategy offers better performance than conventional single-optimal-algorithm-based scheduling system.
Mutations in the tetA(B) gene that cause a change in substrate specificity of the tetracycline efflux pump

The tetA(B) gene from transposon Tn10 fails to mediate resistance to the novel tetracycline analog 9-(dimethylglycylamido)minocycline (DMG-Mino) (P. E. Sum, V. J. Lee, R. T. Testa, J. J. Hlavka, G. A. Ellestad, J. D. Bloom, Y. Gluzman, and F. P. Tally, J. Med. Chem. 37:184-188, 1994; R. T. Testa, P. Petersen, N. V. Jacobus, P. E. Sum, V. J. Lee, and F. P. Tally, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 37:2270-2277, 1993). Mutations in either of two codons of tetA(B) that resulted in increased resistance to DMG-Mino also caused diminished resistance to tetracycline, identifying amino acid residues critical for the recognition of tetracycline.
Should We Measure C‐reactive Protein on Earth or Just on JUPITER?

Evidence for the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is compelling and has generated interest in high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) as a marker of cardiovascular risk. Data regarding hs‐CRP and cardiovascular risk, though largely consistent, is of unclear clinical relevance. Most recently, the Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) trial has led to further debate regarding the utility of hs‐CRP. This article provides a comprehensive review of the data regarding cardiovascular risk and hs‐CRP with an emphasis on the JUPITER trial and concludes with an evidence‐based analysis of the current role of hs‐CRP in cardiovascular risk assessment. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A New Antifuse Cell With Programmable Contact for Advance CMOS Logic Circuits

A new CMOS-process-compatible programmable contact antifuse (PCAF) cell is presented in this letter for advance programmable logic applications. This innovative PCAF cell adapts an oxide layer formed by the etched resist-protection oxide layer under a properly designed contact region, which results in a highly scalable one-time-programmable solution for advance logic circuits. A subcircuit model describing the - characteristics of the antifuse cell before and after program is developed to facilitate the future PCAF memory macro design.
Variation in Sorbitol Accumulation and Polyol-Pathway Activity in Cultured Human Proximal Tubule Cells

The polyol pathway is present in tissues of several organs where its activation may participate in the development of diabetic complications. We measured the accumulation of polyol-pathway intermediates in HPT cells isolated from 21 different human kidneys from nondiabetic individuals. When exposed to 27.5 mM glucose in the growth media, cells isolated from ∼75% of individuals (accumulators) accumulated sorbitol within 1–4 days, whereas 25% (nonaccumulators) accumulated only negligible amounts, even when the period of exposure was extended to 2 wk. Surprisingly, measurement of the activities of the polyol-pathway enzymes showed no difference in the levels of either AR or SDH between accumulators and nonaccumulators, even when the conversion of galactose to galactitol was used to measure AR activity in intact cells independently of SDH. Measurement of sorbitol in the growth media indicated that nonaccumulators were not releasing sorbitol into the growth media. Fructose levels in the conditioned growth media were 4 times higher in the sorbitol-accumulating cells. Together, these results indicate that the tendency of cells from an individual to accumulate significant amounts of sorbitol may reflect the cells' ability to metabolize sorbitol in steps subsequent to the polyol pathway.
Augmented catecholamine uptake by the heart during hemorrhage in the conscious dog.

Changes in arterial and coronary sinus concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) in response to hemorrhage were examined in conscious dogs. Hemorrhage (45 +/- 3.2 ml/kg) decreased mean arterial pressure by 47 +/- 6%, left ventricular (LV) dP/dt by 38 +/- 6%, and mean left circumflex coronary blood flow by 47 +/- 6%, while heart rate increased by 44 +/- 13%. Increases in concentrations of arterial NE (5,050 +/- 1,080 from 190 +/- 20 pg/ml) and E (12,700 +/- 3,280 from 110 +/- 20 pg/ml) were far greater than increases in coronary sinus NE (1,700 +/- 780 from 270 +/- 50 pg/ml) and E (4,300 +/- 2,590 from 90 +/- 10 pg/ml). Net release of NE from the heart at rest was converted to a fractional extraction of 66 +/- 9% after hemorrhage. Fractional extraction of E increased from 16 +/- 6% at rest to 73 +/- 8% after hemorrhage. In cardiac-denervated dogs, hemorrhage (46 +/- 2.8 ml/kg) decreased mean arterial pressure by 39 +/- 15%, LV dP/dt by 36 +/- 10%, and mean left circumflex coronary blood flow by 36 +/- 13%, while heart rate increased by 24 +/- 10%. Hemorrhage increased arterial NE (1,740 +/- 150 from 210 +/- 30 pg/ml) and E (3,050 +/- 880 from 140 +/- 20 pg/ml) more than it increased coronary sinus NE (460 +/- 50 from 150 +/- 30 pg/ml) and E (660 +/- 160 from 90 +/- 20 pg/ml) but significantly less (P less than 0.05) than observed in intact dogs. These experiments indicate that hemorrhage, unlike exercise and sympathetic nerve stimulation, does not induce net overflow of NE from the heart. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Local circuit synaptic interactions between CA1 pyramidal cells and interneurons in the kainate‐lesioned hyperexcitable hippocampus

Following kainate (KA)‐induced lesions of subfield CA3–a lesion relevant to human temporal lobe epilepsy–remaining pyramidal cells in CA1 display synchronous hyperexcitability associated with a loss of synaptic inhibition. Despite this loss, inhibitory interneurons in CA1 remain viable, and the density and function of GABAergic receptors on the CA1 pyramidal cells are maintained at approximately normal levels.
A novel face coding scheme based on Gabor Wavelet Networks and genetic algorithm

In this paper we present a face coding scheme based on Gabor wavelet networks (GWNs) and genetic algorithm (GA). Because GWNs is insensitive to variations in illumination and geometric deformation, encodes textural and geometrical information simultaneously, it is quite suitable for face coding. Gabor wavelets are found through optimization. The traditional optimization method -Levenberg Marquardt (LM) may get stuck in local minima and must select the initial parameters carefully. We use a genetic algorithm for determining the parameters of GWNs instead of LM method to make the solution stable. The experiments have demonstrated that our scheme is more effective in face coding and reconstruction.