Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of nine immunoassay kits (enzyme immunoassay and direct fluorescence) for detection of Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum in human fecal specimens

It is well known that Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum can cause severe symptoms in humans, particularly those who are immunologically compromised. Immunoassay procedures offer both increased sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional staining methods. These reagents are also helpful when screening large numbers of patients, particularly in an outbreak situation or when screening patients with minimal symptoms. The data obtained by using 9 diagnostic kits were compared: direct fluorescent-antibody assay (DFA) kits (TechLab Giardia/Crypto IF kit, TechLab Crypto IF kit, and Meridian Merifluor Cryptosporidium/Giardia) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits (Alexon ProSpecT Giardia EZ Microplate Assay, Alexon ProSpecT Cryptosporidium Microplate Assay, Cambridge Giardia lamblia Antigen Microwell ELISA, Meridian Premier Giardia lamblia, Meridian Premier Cryptosporidium, TechLab Giardia CELISA, Trend Giardia lamblia EIA). The test with the Meridian Merifluor Cryptosporidium/Giardia kit was used as the reference method. In various combinations, 60 specimens positive for Giardia, 60 specimens positive for Cryptosporidium, 40 specimens positive for a Giardia-Cryptosporidium mix, and 50 negative fecal specimens were tested. Different species (nine protozoa, three coccidia, one microsporidium, five nematodes, three cestodes, and one trematode) were included in the negative specimens. The sensitivity of EIA for Giardia ranged from 94% (Alexon) to 99% (Trend and Cambridge); the specificity was 100% with all EIA kits tested. The sensitivity of EIA for Cryptosporidium ranged from 98% (Alexon) to 99% (Meridian Premier); specificities were 100%. All DFA results were in agreement, with 100% sensitivity and specificity; however, the TechLab reagents resulted in fluorescence intensity that was generally one level below that seen with the reagents used in the reference method. In addition to sensitivity and specificity, factors such as cost, simplicity, ease of interpretation of results (color, intensity of fluorescence), equipment, available personnel, and number of tests ordered are also important considerations prior to kit selection.
Ocurrence of the chestnut long-tongued bat Lionycteris spurrelli Thomas, 1913 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in the Northeastern Atlantic Forest, Brazil

During an inventory fieldwork carried out at Usina Salgado property in the county of Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil, we captured a Lionycteris spurrelli specimen in a forest fragment known as Mata do Mingu (8° 31' 29" S and 35° 03' 26" W). This marks the first occurrence for the northeast region and therefore, the first record for the state of Pernambuco, widening its distribution area within Atlantic Forest. The extension of the occurrence area points out this record as being the oriental limit for the species.
Effects of Light Intensity and Restraint on Dark Pulse-Induced Circadian Phase Shifting during Subjective Night in Syrian Hamsters

Dark pulses presented on a background of constant light (LL) result in phase advances during midsubjective day and early subjective night, and phase delays during late subjective night, as shown in the dark-pulse phase response curve. In hamsters, the phase-shifting effects of dark pulses are thought to be mediated by increased activity, as previous studies have shown that restraining animals during dark pulses blocks the phase shifts observed in midsubjective day and late subjective night. This study focuses on dark-pulse-induced phase shifting during early subjective night, examining the influence of both LL intensity and restraint on the magnitude of these phase shifts. Syrian hamsters were maintained in LL of four different illumination levels (1, 10, 100, or 600 lux) and periodically presented with 6-h pulses (dark pulse alone, restraint alone, or dark pulse plus restraint) beginning at circadian time 11. Phase advances were observed in response to dark pulses alone, and the magnitude of these shifts was dependent on background illumination, with significantly larger advances seen under higher intensities. No relationship was found between the amount of activity displayed during dark pulses and phase shift magnitude. Six-hour periods of restraint resulted in phase delays, the magnitude of which was also dependent on background illumination. Restraining hamsters during dark pulses reduced the magnitude of phase advances, but the extent of this reduction could be predicted from the additive effects of the dark-pulse-alone and restraintalone conditions. These results indicate that the phase-shifting effects of dark pulses during early subjective night are not mediated by behavioral activation and may instead reflect a mirror image of the phase-delaying effects of light pulses at this phase.
On The Statistics Of The Error In Predictive Coding For Stationary Ornstein-uhlenbeck Processes

Explicit expression are derived for the conditional expectation and variance of the encoder in a predictive DPCM coder with an N-level quantizer, when a stationary Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process is a source. A representation of the encoder in terms of a stochastic integral is presented. These expressions yield a nonlinear stochastic difference equation for the decoding error process and a stochastic differential equation (SDE) as a weak limit for the error process. The statistical properties of the error obtained as a solution of the limiting SDE are interpreted in terms of the slope overload error. >
More Classes of Stuck Unknotted Hexagons

Consider a hexagonal unknot with edges of fixed length, for which we allow universal joint motions but do not allow edge crossings. We consider the maximum number of embedding classes that any such unknot may have. Until now, five was a lower bound for this number. Here we show that there exists a hexagonal unknot with at least nine embedding classes.
Conversion of Fibroblasts to Parvalbumin Neurons by One Transcription Factor, Ascl1, and the Chemical Compound Forskolin*

Abnormalities in parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons cause neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia. Unlike other types of neurons that can be efficiently differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, PV neurons were minimally generated using a conventional differentiation strategy. In this study we developed an adenovirus-based transdifferentiation strategy that incorporates an additional chemical compound for the efficient generation of induced PV (iPV) neurons. The chemical compound forskolin combined with Ascl1 induced ∼80% of mouse fibroblasts to iPV neurons. The iPV neurons generated by this procedure matured 5–7 days post infection and were characterized by electrophysiological properties and known neuronal markers, such as PV and GABA. Our studies, therefore, identified an efficient approach for generating PV neurons.
Information dependability in distributed systems: The dependable distributed storage system

In distributed infrastructures data are usually scattered among different nodes and thus accessible by several users. It is therefore necessary to provide mechanisms and tools for managing the information, ensuring the access exclusively to authorized users avoiding malicious ones. Furthermore, satisfactory performance and adequate fault tolerance have to be provided while addressing information confidentiality, availability and integrity issues. In this paper we face the problem of data dependability in distributed system, proposing a redundant lightweight cryptography algorithm combining symmetric and asymmetric cryptography approaches. The proposed algorithm, named dependable distributed storage system D^{2}S^{2}, has been implemented on top of the Grid gLite middleware file access and replica management libraries, as a file system service with cryptography capability, redundancy management and POSIX interface. To demonstrate the effectiveness and the applicability of the D^{2}S^{2} gLite implementation, performance and reliability of its operations have been evaluated and compared to those of existing solutions. The tests have been performed on real applications to provide a complete overview of the D^{2}S^{2} implementation. The results thus obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the D^{2}S^{2} implementation also compared to existing solutions and former implementations.
Identification of a Novel WxSLVK Motif in the N Terminus of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Vif That Is Critical for APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F Neutralization

ABSTRACT The function of lentiviral Vif proteins is to neutralize the host antiviral cytidine deaminases APOBEC3G (A3G) and APOBEC3F (A3F). Vif bridges a cullin 5-based E3 ubiquitin ligase with A3G and A3F and mediates their degradation by proteasomes. Recent studies have found that Vif uses different domains to bind to A3G and A3F. A 14DRMR17 domain binds to A3F, 40YRHHY44 binds to A3G, and 69YxxL72 binds to both A3G and A3F. Here, we report another functional domain of Vif. Previously, we demonstrated that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vif failed to mediate A3G proteasomal degradation when all 16 lysines were mutated to arginines. Here, we show that K26, and to a lesser extent K22, is critical for A3G neutralization. K22 and K26 are part of a conserved 21WxSLVK26 (x represents N, K, or H) motif that is found in most primate lentiviruses and that shows species-specific variation. Both K22 and K26 in this motif regulated Vif specificity only for A3G, whereas the SLV residues regulated Vif specificity for both A3F and A3G. Interestingly, SLV and K26 in HIV-1 Vif did not directly mediate Vif interaction with either A3G or A3F. Previously, other groups have reported an important role for W21 in A3F and A3G neutralization. Thus, 21WxSLVK26 is a novel functional domain that regulates Vif activity toward both A3F and A3G and is a potential drug target to inhibit Vif activity and block HIV-1 replication.
Diamondback moth ecology and management: problems, progress, and prospects.

Agricultural intensification and greater production of Brassica vegetable and oilseed crops over the past two decades have increased the pest status of the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. , and it is now estimated to cost the world economy US$4-5 billion annually. Our understanding of some fundamental aspects of DBM biology and ecology, particularly host plant relationships, tritrophic interactions, and migration, has improved considerably but knowledge of other aspects, e.g., its global distribution and relative abundance, remains surprisingly limited. Biological control still focuses almost exclusively on a few species of hymenopteran parasitoids. Although these can be remarkably effective, insecticides continue to form the basis of management; their inappropriate use disrupts parasitoids and has resulted in field resistance to all available products. Improved ecological understanding and the availability of a series of highly effective selective insecticides throughout the 1990s provided the basis for sustainable and economically viable integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. However, repeated reversion to scheduled insecticide applications has resulted in resistance to these and more recently introduced compounds and the breakdown of IPM programs. Proven technologies for the sustainable management of DBM currently exist, but overcoming the barriers to their sustained adoption remains an enormous challenge.
New Optimized Spectral Indices for Identifying and Monitoring Winter Wheat Diseases

The vegetation indices from hyperspectral data have been shown to be effective for indirect monitoring of plant diseases. However, a limitation of these indices is that they cannot distinguish different diseases on crops. We aimed to develop new spectral indices (NSIs) that would be useful for identifying different diseases on crops. Three different pests (powdery mildew, yellow rust, and aphids) in winter wheat were used in this study. The new optimized spectral indices were derived from a weighted combination of a single band and a normalized wavelength difference of two bands. The most and least relevant wavelengths for different diseases were first extracted from leaf spectral data using the RELIEF-F algorithm. Reflectance of a single band extracted from the most relevant wavelengths and the normalized wavelength difference from all possible combinations of the most and least relevant wavelengths were used to form the optimized spectral indices. The classification accuracies of these new indices for healthy leaves and leaves infected with powdery mildew, yellow rust, and aphids were 86.5%, 85.2%, 91.6%, and 93.5%, respectively. We also applied these NSIs for nonimaging canopy data of winter wheat, and the classification results of different diseases were promising. For the leaf scale, the powdery mildew-index (PMI) correlated well with the disease index (DI), supporting the use of the PMI to invert the severity of powdery mildew. For the canopy scale, the detection of the severity of yellow rust using the yellow rust-index (YRI) showed a high coefficient of determination ( \mbiR2 = 0.86) between the estimated DI and its observations, suggesting that the NSIs may improve disease detection in precision agriculture application.
Effect of lactation stage on the cheesemaking properties of milk and the quality of Saint-Nectaire-type cheese

Two groups of eight multiparous cows with different calving periods (November or February) were managed in the same way during lactation. During four 4 week experimental periods distributed over 12 months, the cows were fed on a diet composed of hay and concentrate (70[ratio ]30) in a restricted and controlled amount which varied according to their lactation stage, so as to cover the animals' requirements correctly. The animals' average lactation stage varied according to period from 26 to 298 d. Milk from each group was processed on two occasions during each period to make Saint-Nectaire-type cheese; the cheesemaking conditions were the same throughout. Lactation stage had an important effect on milk fat, protein and calcium contents but not on the casein[ratio ]protein ratio or phosphorus content. The milk pH and the urea content were higher in late lactation. The calcium concentration of milk was higher in late lactation but the soluble fraction was higher in early lactation. Despite higher protein contents, the maximal firmness of the coagulum of late-lactation milk was not different from that of early or mid-lactation milks. pH was higher in cheeses from late-lactation milks compared with those from early and mid-lactation milks. Cheeses from early lactation milks were more yellow than the others and had a lower dry matter fat content. In sensory analysis the odour of cheeses from early and late-lactation milks was less pleasant than that of those from mid-lactation milks. Cheeses from late-lactation milks were more melting and less firm than those from early or mid-lactation milks. Their taste was more intense and more persistent. At tasting, they were less appreciated than the others. These differences were linked to increased proteolysis in the cheeses made with late-lactation milks.
Collection and transfusion of blood and blood components in the United States, 1989

To probe recent trends in transfusion practice and their effect on the adequacy of the national blood resource, transfusions and collections in the United States in 1989 were studied, by using data shared by the American Association of Blood Banks, the American Red Cross, and the Council of Community Blood Centers, together with results from a sample survey of the 3600 hospitals that were not members of the national organizations. Statistical methods were used to estimate national activities. The total US supply of blood in 1989 was 14,229,000 units, an increase of 1.2 percent over the supply in 1987. Red cell transfusions were 12,059,000 units. A total of 3,159,000 patients underwent transfusion with whole blood and/or red cells (mean, 3.8 units/patient). Preoperative autologous deposits of 655,000 units by 310,000 patients represented an increase of 65 percent over the level in 1987. However, only 356,000 units (54%) were transfused to the patients who preoperatively deposited them; of the remainder, 13,000 units were crossed over for transfusion to other patients, while 286,000 units were never used. Directed donations, 350,000 units, were provided for 130,000 intended recipients, but only 97,000 units (28%) were transfused to their intended recipients; of the balance, 59,000 units (17%) were crossed over and 194,000 units (55%) were never transfused. Total platelet transfusions were equivalent to 7,258,000 units in 1989, for an increase of 13.7 percent over totals in 1987.
Primary Cricotracheal Resection with Thyrotracheal Anastomosis for the Treatment of Severe Subglottic Stenosis in Children and Adolescents

Severe subglottic stenosis in children is best managed by laryngotracheal reconstruction or cricotracheal resection (CTR). We describe clinical outcomes with CTR and end-to-end anastomosis in pediatric patients with severe subglottic stenosis in a tertiary-care pediatric teaching hospital in Mexico City. We prospectively followed up all consecutive patients younger than 18 years of age with a Myer-Cotton grade 3 or 4 subglottic stenosis who underwent CTR between May 1, 2000, and March 31, 2003. The frequency of each clinical outcome was calculated. Twenty-two patients (16 boys [72.7%] and 6 girls [27.3%]) were included. The mean age at operation was 4.6 years (range, 11 months to 16 years). Eighteen patients (81.8%) required primary CTR, and 4 (18.2%) required extended CTR. Seventeen (77.3%) had grade 3 stenosis, and 5 (22.7%) had grade 4 stenosis. Six (27.3%) had associated clinical conditions, and 3 (13.6%) had associated vocal cord mobility defects. All were tracheostomy-dependent at presentation, and none had undergone previous airway surgery. Ten (45.5%) underwent one-stage surgery, and 12 (54.5%) had a concomitant temporary tracheotomy. No intraoperative complications occurred. Seventeen patients (77.3%) developed postoperative granulation tissue requiring endoscopic resection. The mean follow-up was 1.2 years (range, 2 months to 2.8 years). No deaths occurred. Fifteen children (88.2%) with grade 3 stenosis and 5 (100%) with grade 4 stenosis were decannulated, for an overall decannulation rate of 90.9%. Partial cricoid resection with end-to-end anastomosis has been a feasible procedure with reproducible successful results among our patients. We conclude that CTR performed as a primary procedure is an effective treatment for the management of severe subglottic stenosis in children.
Determination of Clonality and Relatedness of Vibrio cholerae Isolates by Genomic Fingerprinting, Using Long-Range Repetitive Element Sequence-Based PCR

ABSTRACT A high-throughput method which is applicable for rapid screening, identification, and delineation of isolates of Vibrio cholerae, sensitive to genome variation, and capable of providing phylogenetic inferences enhances environmental monitoring of this bacterium. We have developed and optimized a method for genomic fingerprinting of V. cholerae based on long-range PCR. The method uses a primer set directed to enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences, a high-fidelity DNA polymerase, and analysis via conventional agarose gel electrophoresis. Long (∼10 kb), highly reproducible amplicons were generated from V. cholerae isolates, including those from different geographical locations and historical strains isolated during the period 1931-2000. The amplicons yielded reduced variability in their densitometric band patterns to ≤10% and clonal distinction at <90% similarity. Rapid band-matching analysis was accomplished for fingerprints with ≥90% similarity, discriminating O serotypes and biotypes (classical versus El Tor) as well as pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains. Compared to genome similarity measured by DNA-DNA hybridization, the results showed good correlation (r = 0.7; P < 0.001), with five times less measurement error and without bias. The method permits both phylogenetic inference and clonal differentiation of individual V. cholerae strains, enables robust, high-throughput analysis, and does not require specialized equipment to perform. With access to a curated public database furnished with appropriate analytical software applications, the method should prove useful in large-scale multilaboratory surveys, especially those designed to detect specific pathogens in the natural environment.
A fast inter residual quad-tree construction method in HEVC

High Efficiency Video Coding(HEVC) is an ongoing video coding standard. Compared to H.264, it adopts quad-tree structure to decide the encoding efficiency by computing the rate-distortion(R-D) cost function recursively. The transform unit (TU) is the basic unit used for the transform and quantization processes in HEVC and the ranges size from 4×4 to 32×32. In addition, a large size TU is always chosen, e.g., 32×32, of the RQT if a residual block has a little prediction error, especially the homogeneous-area CUs are encoded. Based on the observations, the proposed method uses two stages to skip unnecessary computations on the residual quad-tree (RQT). First, to decide whether DCT/Q processes can be omitted or not. And then is used to early terminate the TU split process. Experiment results show that the proposed method is capable of reducing a large amount of time of inter prediction RQT decision on average 50% and retaining the coding performance by comparing the original HEVC encoder.
Towards a new approach to mid-level qualifications

The authors look at the roles that vocations, vocational streams and productive capabilities can play in improving links between mid-level qualifications and occupational outcomes. Support for vocational streams and productive capabilities varied by industry but there is the potential to progress these concepts in each of the industries investigated. Suggestions for progressing these concepts include changing the emphasis of tertiary curriculum away from specific occupations to preparation for a broad field of practice and having equal representation by social partners on qualification and approval bodies. This report is part of the research program 'Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market'.
Retraction notice to: Long-term assay of off-pump atrial septal defect closure using vena caval inflow occlusion and minimally invasive approaches in 130 cases.

OBJECTIVES: Vena caval inflow occlusion may be applied to a range of lesions within a period of up to 2 min of intracardiac exposure. This procedure for the closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) was investigated in patients for whom transcatheter closure was contraindicated. This article evaluates the long-term complications of this technique for ASD closure. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2010, a total of 130 patients at Imam Reza Hospital (mean age 15 ± 12.71 years) underwent closure of secundum-type ASD, using direct suturing through right anterolateral minithoracotomy and ministernotomy without use of a cardiopulmonary bypass pump. Long-term complications of ASD closure at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery (and then annually) were collated and analysed. SPSS 16 software was used for data analyses, which included both parametric and non-parametric tests. A P value 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of consecutive ASD patients, contraindicated for transcatheter closure, undergoing off-pump closure using vena caval inflow occlusion and minimally invasive approaches for ASD indicated low ASD closure times, no long-term presentation of neurological side effects, no mortality and no changes in physical, behavioural or cognitive functions.