Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological and Behavioral Variation in Estivation among Mud Turtles (Kinosternon spp.)

Kinosternid mud turtles, a primarily aquatic group, exhibit variable degrees of terrestrial activity in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. We compared behavioral and physiological responses to dry conditions in four populations representing three species, Kinosternon sonoriense, Kinosternon flavescens, and Kinosternon hirtipes. All four groups were subjected to simulated dry season conditions in the laboratory, during which activity was monitored and physiological responses (blood chemistry and rates of resting metabolism and evaporative water loss) were measured. Kinosternon flavescens and K. hirtipes represented extremes in apparent ability to estivate, based on activity and rate of increase of plasma osmolality. Two populations of K. sonoriense exhibited intraspecific differences in behavioral and physiological measures that were related to extant environmental conditions. Large numbers of K. sonoriense from Arizona and K. hirtipes, the poorest estivators, had to be rehydrated after only 30 d out of water. Kinosteron flavescens had the lowest metabolic rates, but no evidence of metabolic depression during dehydration was found for any of the four populations. We conclude that the differences in capacity for estivation among populations are primarily linked to variable behavioral responses to dry conditions, though high rates of evaporative water loss in K. hirtipes represent a probable physiological constraint.
Common psychiatric disorders in glaucoma patients as seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

Fifty consenting patients attending glaucoma clinic were recruited over a six-month period and screened for general psychiatric morbidity, anxiety and depression using the SRQ-20 and HAD scales respectively. The male:female ratio of the group was 2.1:1 with a mean age of 57.3 years. The elderly population constituted 52% of the group. Twenty two per cent of the patients had a probable co-morbid psychiatric disorder with the prevalence rates of 10% and 6% respectively for anxiety and depression. All the depressed patients were males. The glaucoma patients with co-morbid psychiatric disorder had significantly higher scores on all psychometric test instruments than those without co-morbidity. Lack of formal education was the only socio-demographic variable that was significantly associated with psychiatric co-morbidity. Patients aged 50 years or above scored significantly higher than those aged less than 50 years on the depression sub-scale of the HADS, while the reverse was true for the anxiety sub-scale. The implications of these findings in the management of glaucoma patients are discussed. The prevalence and pattern of distribution of psychiatric disorders found among glaucoma patients in this study did not differ from that of the normal population Keywords : keyGlaucoma patients, common psychiatric disorders, anxiety, depression Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Research Vol. 3 (1) 2004: pp. 42-47
A Multi-sequence Alignment Algorithm for Web Template Detection

: Nowadays most of Web pages are automatically assembled by content management systems or editing tools that apply a ﬁxed template to give a uniform structure to all the documents beloging to the same site. The template usually contains side information that provides better graphics, navigation bars and menus, banners and advertisements that are aimed to improve the users’ browsing experience but may hinder tools for automatic processing of Web documents. In this paper, we present a novel template removing technique that exploits a sequence alignment algorithm from bioinformatics that is able to automatically extract the template from a quite small sample of pages from the same site. The algorithm detects the common structure of HTML tags among pairs of pages and merges the partial hypotheses using a binary tree consensus schema. The experimental results show that the algorithm is able to attain a good precision and recall in the retrieval of the real template structure exploiting just 16 sample pages from the site. Moreover, the positive impact of the template removing technique is shown on a Web page clustering task.
Clinical and Microbiological Profile of Bacillus Keratitis

Purpose. To examine the clinical and microbiological profile of Bacillus keratitis. Methods. A retrospective review was done of all medical and laboratory records of patients with infectious keratitis in an urban tertiary level eye-care center in South India between January 1991 and June 1997. Results. Nineteen eyes of 17 patients having microbiologically proven Bacillus keratitis were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 32.64 years (range, 3–70). The duration of symptoms ranged from 1 day to 3 months, with 11 eyes seen within a week of onset of symptoms. Trauma (five eyes), lagophthalmos (two eyes), topical corticosteroid therapy (one eye), bullous keratopathy (two eyes), previous corneal scars (two eyes), and diabetes (one eye) were identified as predisposing factors. Severe corneal features, disproportionate to the duration of symptoms, were present in most of the eyes. Gram stain of corneal scrapings showed variably stained bacilli in eight (42.1%) cases. Polymicrobial infection was present in six eyes (two fungal, four bacterial). Of the 16 isolates tested for in vitro antibiotic susceptibility, 100% were sensitive to gentamicin, 15 (93.75%) were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, 14 (87.5%) were sensitive to chloramphenicol, and 10 (62.5%) were sensitive to cefazolin. Whereas 12 (63.1%) eyes required only medical therapy, adjunctive procedures were required in seven (36.8%) eyes. The ulcers healed (mean time to healing, 37.4 ± 28.6 days) in 16 eyes (lost to follow-up, three). Visual acuity had improved after treatment in 10 (71.4%) of 14 eyes in whom vision could be recorded. Conclusion. Bacillus is an unusual pathogen in the clinical setting of infectious keratitis. The infection is mostly amenable to treatment with commonly used antibiotics, and the final outcome is often satisfactory.
Clinical validity of urinary interleukin 18 and interleukin 6 determinations in preterm newborns.

INTRODUCTION Preterm newborns are at a particular risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis. PURPOSE Assessment of urinary interleukin 18 (ulL-18) and urinary interleukin 6 (ulL-6) concentrations in association with AKI and sepsis respectively in newborns hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). MATERIAL AND METHODS An evaluation was carried out of the dependence of ulL-18 on neonatal birth weight (BW) and AKI as well as ulL6 on sepsis. In prospective study, the evaluation included 58 children with BW up to 2000 g. Clinical observations spanned the period between the 1st and 28th day of life. RESULTS The mean gestational age was 30.3 Hbd, mean BW was 1361.9 g. AKI was diagnosed in 35 (60.3%), sepsis in 22 (39.7%) neonates. For median values of uIL-18 and ulL-18/mgCr, as well as for mean logarithmically transformed values of ulL-18 and ulL-18/mgCr, negative, statistically significant linear correlations were demonstrated for BW. In population, median value of ulL-18 and ulL-18/mgCr decreased respectively by 8.21 pg/ml and 84.8 pg/mgCr per each 100 g increment of BW. A negative, statistically significant linear correlation with an average strength was noted for the dependency of the duration of AKI and BW. No significant differences were observed in uIL-18 and ulL-181 mgCr values between the investigated days of AKI and reference group. There was noted a significant increase of the values of uIL-6 and uIL-6/ mgCr on day 0 of sepsis confirmed by the ROC analysis with AUROC 78% and 74%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS ulL-18 and ulL-18/mgCr values might be a reliable marker of renal tubules maturation in newborns; ulL-18 is not a reliable marker in diagnosing AKI in neonatal population; ulL-6 and uIL-6/ mgCr concentration values measured on actual days may be regarded an early marker of sepsis; AKI duration in preterm neonates is negatively correlated with BW.
PEN-2 Is an Integral Component of the γ-Secretase Complex Required for Coordinated Expression of Presenilin and Nicastrin*

The Alzheimer disease-associated presenilin (PS) proteins apparently provide the active site of γ-secretase, an unusual intramembrane-cleaving aspartyl protease. PSs principally occur as high molecular weight protein complexes that contain nicastrin (Nct) and additional so far unidentified components. Recently, PEN-2 has been implicated in γ-secretase function. Here we identify PEN-2 as a critical component of PS1/γ-secretase and PS2/γ-secretase complexes. Strikingly, in the absence of PS1 and PS1/PS2, PEN-2 levels are strongly reduced. Similarly, PEN-2 levels are reduced upon RNA interference-mediated down-regulation of Nct. On the other side, down-regulation of PEN-2 by RNA interference is associated with reduced PS levels, impaired Nct maturation, and deficient γ-secretase complex formation. We conclude that PEN-2 is an integral γ-secretase complex component and that γ-secretase complex components are expressed in a coordinated manner.
Review of Screening Studies for Atrial Fibrillation in Rural Populations of 11 Countries

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and pathological burden can be influenced by environmental factors. The rural environment may influence the burden of AF, although no systematic review studies have been conducted to address this issue. We performed a systematic review of AF screening studies conducted in rural global populations to determine the burden, risk factors, and screening methods surrounding AF in these settings. Out of the 1792 articles gathered from a keyword search of medical databases and reference lists, 18 publications from 11 countries were included in our analysis. The pooled prevalence of AF across the studies was 2.05% (95% confidence interval, 1.97%–2.13%) and ranged from 0.3% to 10.87%. Only one study utilized a handheld electrocardiogram to screen AF, while the rest used the 12-lead electrocardiogram. AF risk factors reported across studies varied and included increasing age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, prior myocardial infarction or stroke, obesity, hyperlipidemia/hypercholesterolemia, alcohol consumption, and heart failure. However, none of the studies assessed all risk factors. We suggest that future research on AF in rural communities examine a complete checklist of AF risk factors to better understand their influence on AF burden and development. This will aid in understanding rural prevention strategies and the management of detected AF cases specific to rural areas. At present, the burden of AF in rural communities is poorly understood and has been underreported.
Do not leave the heart arrested. Non-cardioplegic continuous myocardial perfusion during complex aortic arch repair improves cardiac outcome.

OBJECTIVES Myocardial protection with cardioplegia alone may be inadequate during complex aortic arch surgery, potentially resulting in postoperative myocardial insufficiency. We hypothesized that non-cardioplegic continuous myocardial perfusion (CMP) is feasible and safe to protect the heart while operating on the aortic arch, and improves cardiac outcome. METHODS Between April 2010 and April 2014, 144 patients (60% male, age: 60 ± 13 years) underwent complex aortic arch repair in our institution using prefabricated, branched aortic arch grafts. In 36 patients, the hearts were protected with a combination of cardioplegic cardiac arrest during cardiac procedures and subsequent non-cardioplegic CMP group during aortic arch repair. In 108 patients, myocardial protection was achieved by cardioplegic arrest (CA group) only. RESULTS Preoperative risk factors were comparable in both groups. Acute aortic dissection was the indication for surgery in 42% (CMP) and 44% (CA) of patients; 22% (CMP) and 29% (CA) of patients underwent reoperations. Concomitant cardiac procedures were similar. CMP patients received a frozen elephant trunk more frequently (89 vs 66%, P = 0.0096). Cardiopulmonary bypass time (242 ± 50 vs 264 ± 68 min; P = 0.046), and cardiac ischaemic time (49 ± 32 vs 149 ± 56 min, P < 0.0001) were significantly lower in the CMP group. There were no conversions to CA in the CMP group. Aortic arch repair was not prolonged by CMP. Low cardiac output syndrome occurred less frequently in the CMP group (3 vs 22%, P = 0.0052). Thirty-day mortality was significantly lower in the CMP group (6 vs 21%, P = 0.040). There were no cardiac deaths in the CMP group (0 vs 9%, P = 0.067). Neurological outcome was comparable. Blood loss was higher in the CA group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Routinely protecting the heart during complex aortic arch repair with non-cardioplegic CMP is a valuable new concept. The CMP technique is feasible and safe, does not prolong aortic arch repair, reduces myocardial damage and improves cardiac outcome. Further evaluation in a larger patient cohort is warranted to establish this novel technique.
Response of endogenous glial cells to motor neuron degeneration induced by toxic ricin

The injection of toxic lectin from Ricinus communis into the rat facial nerve resulted in suicide transport and rapid degeneration of facial motor neurons. The reaction of glial cells to neuronal death in comparison with nerve crush lesions was studied by using lectin‐HRP conjugates derived from Griffonia simplicifolia for the selective staining of microglial cells at both light and electron microscopic levels. In addition, the proliferative activity of microglia was assessed by quantification of 3H‐thymidine incorporation. The astrocytic response was evaluated by light microscopic immunocytochemistry for glial fibrilliary acidic protein.
A Prospective Study of the Effect of Pregnancy on CD4 Counts and Plasma HIV-1 RNA Concentrations of Antiretroviral-Naive HIV-1–Infected Women

Background:In HIV-1–infected women, CD4 count declines occur during pregnancy, which has been attributed to hemodilution. However, for women who have not initiated antiretroviral therapy, it is unclear if CD4 declines are sustained beyond pregnancy and accompanied by increased viral levels, which could indicate an effect of pregnancy on accelerating HIV-1 disease progression. Methods:In a prospective study among 2269 HIV-1–infected antiretroviral therapy-naive women from 7 African countries, we examined the effect of pregnancy on HIV-1 disease progression. We used linear mixed models to compare CD4 counts and plasma HIV-1 RNA concentrations between pregnant, postpartum, and nonpregnant periods. Results:Women contributed 3270 person-years of follow-up, during which time 476 women became pregnant. In adjusted analysis, CD4 counts were an average of 56 (95% confidence interval: 39 to 73) cells/mm3 lower during pregnant compared with nonpregnant periods and 70 (95% confidence interval: 53 to 88) cells/mm3 lower during pregnant compared with postpartum periods; these results were consistent when restricted to the subgroup of women who became pregnant. Plasma HIV-1 RNA concentrations were not different between pregnant and nonpregnant periods (P = 0.9) or pregnant and postpartum periods (P = 0.3). Neither CD4 counts nor plasma HIV-1 RNA levels were significantly different in postpartum compared with nonpregnant periods. Conclusions:CD4 count declines among HIV-1–infected women during pregnancy are temporary and not sustained in postpartum periods. Pregnancy does not have a short-term impact on plasma HIV-1 RNA concentrations.
THE IMPACT OF MIGRATION FROM PARASITE-FREE PATCHES ON ANTAGONISTIC HOST-PARASITE COEVOLUTION

Abstract Natural populations of hosts and parasites are often subdivided and patchily distributed such that some regions of a host species' range will be free from a given parasite. Host migration from parasite-free to parasite-containing patches is expected to alter coevolutionary dynamics by changing the evolutionary potential of antagonists. Specifically, host immigration can favor parasites by increasing transmission opportunities, or hosts by introducing genetic variation. We tested these predictions in coevolving populations of Pseudomonas fluorescens and phage Φ2 that received immigrants from phage-free populations. We observed a negative quadratic relationship between sympatric resistance to phage and host immigration rate (highest at intermediate immigration) but a positive quadratic relationship between coevolution rate and host immigration rate (lowest at intermediate immigration). These results indicate that for a wide range of rates, host immigration from parasite-free patches can increase the evolutionary potential of parasites, and increase the coevolutionary rate if parasite adaptation is limiting in the absence of immigration.
Hematological disorders: a commonly unrecognized cause of acute stroke

ABSTRACT Introduction: Hematological disorders account for about 1.3% of all causes of acute stroke. This systematized review presents updated information on the implications of this category of heterogeneous diseases as a cause of stroke. Areas covered: The most relevant aspects of the relationship between stroke and hematological disorders are reported. A high index of suspicion is needed in young stroke patients, patients with recurrent stroke of undetermined cause, and in patients with prior history of venous thrombosis to identify a potential hematological disorder as the definitive etiology of stroke Expert commentary: Stroke can be the presenting manifestation of a specific hematological disease or may appear as a complication in the course of hematological disorders. It is important to make a correct diagnosis of the underlying hematological disorder in order to treat stroke patients promptly and appropriately as well as to establish the optimal secondary prevention strategy for recurrent vascular cerebral disease.
When Incentives Matter Too Much: Explaining Significant Responses to Irrelevant Information

When agents observe a continuous variable and a discrete signal based on that variable, theory suggests that the signal should not impact behavior conditional on the variable. Numerous empirical studies, many based on regression discontinuity design, contradict this basic prediction. We propose two rationalizations with testable implications. One is based on information acquisition costs and the other on learning and imperfect information. Using education data from North Carolina and exploiting a pay-for-performance system, we find support for the model of learning. This implies that rational responses to policy interventions may emerge gradually, and evaluations with short-term data may understate treatment effects.
Comparison by 1H‐nmr spectroscopy of the conformation of the 2600 dalton antifreeze glycopeptide of polar cod with that of the high molecular weight antifreeze glycoprotein

The antifreeze glycopeptide (AFGP‐8) from polar cod, B. saida, is a 14‐amino acid polypeptide having alternating glycotripeptide sequences of Ala‐[Gal(β1 → 3)GalNAc(β1 → O)]‐Thr‐Pro and Ala‐[Gal(β1 → 3)GalNAc(β1 → O)]‐Thr‐Ala, with alanyl residues at amino and carboxy terminals. Conformational studies of AFGP‐8 have been carried out by 1H‐nmr and empirical energy calculations to investigate the difference in its antifreeze behavior from that of the more active high‐molecular weight AFGP 1‐4 of P. borchgrevinki. The 1H‐nmr spectra, including the resonances of the exchangeable amide protons, were assigned by two‐dimensional correlated spectroscopy (COSY), one‐dimensional difference decoupling, and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) measurements. For the four threonyl residues, the amide proton coupling constants and the small coupling constants between Hα and Hβ indicate similar conformations, despite significant chemical shift differences. The strong NOE between the α protons and the amide protons of the residue following together with large temperature coefficients of chemical shifts, indicate an extended conformation not consisting of α‐helix, turns or bends. Energy computations indicate several low‐energy conformations consistent with the observed coupling constants for ϕ. Among these, a left‐handed helical conformation with three repeating residues per turn has been proposed, which is in accordance with the observed NOE between the methyl group of the α‐GalNAc and Ala Hβs. While the observed Overhauser effects in the threonyl side chain suggest a certain amount of conformational averaging, the effect involving the acetmido methyl of α‐GalNAc and Hβs of Ala indicate that it as is a major conformer. In view of the close similarity between the conformations of AFGP‐8 and the more active antifreeze polymer, AFGP 1‐4, we propose that the difference in their activities is due to the length of the regular repeating structure with glycosylation at every third amino acid residue, and not due to any fundamental difference in their conformations.
Present State, Challenges, and Future of Power Generation in Saudi Arabia

Electricity consumption rates in Saudi Arabia have been steadily on the rise over the past three decades. While the population of about 26 million is growing at a high rate of 3%, the growth in total number of power utility customers is increasing at a higher rate of 5%. Between 2006 and 2007, the Saudi Electric Company, SEC reported an 11.9% growth in total peak loads, which reached 34,953 MW in 2007. Studies show that power demand in Saudi Arabia is expected to continue its rapid increase to reach 60,000 MW over the coming 15 years. In addition to the high rate of population growth, the expanding in industrialization and development plans is among the factors contributing to the rapid increase in power demand in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, major steps need be taken to prepare for the expected future increase in power demand. This paper addresses the actions already taken to increase power generation and availability in Saudi Arabia, and presents recommendations for other actions needed, including the importance of shifting towards renewable energy.
Virtually simulated social pressure influences early visual processing more in low compared to high autonomous participants.

In a previous study, we showed that virtually simulated social group pressure could influence early stages of perception after only 100 ms. In the present EEG study, we investigated the influence of social pressure on visual perception in participants with high (HA) and low (LA) levels of autonomy. Ten HA and ten LA individuals were asked to accomplish a visual discrimination task in an adapted paradigm of Solomon Asch. Results indicate that LA participants adapted to the incorrect group opinion more often than HA participants (42% vs. 30% of the trials, respectively). LA participants showed a larger posterior P1 component contralateral to targets presented in the right visual field when conforming to the correct compared to conforming to the incorrect group decision. In conclusion, our ERP data suggest that the group context can have early effects on our perception rather than on conscious decision processes in LA, but not HA participants.
Fundamentals of cancer metabolism

Researchers provide a conceptual framework to understand current knowledge of the fundamentals of cancer metabolism. Tumors reprogram pathways of nutrient acquisition and metabolism to meet the bioenergetic, biosynthetic, and redox demands of malignant cells. These reprogrammed activities are now recognized as hallmarks of cancer, and recent work has uncovered remarkable flexibility in the specific pathways activated by tumor cells to support these key functions. In this perspective, we provide a conceptual framework to understand how and why metabolic reprogramming occurs in tumor cells, and the mechanisms linking altered metabolism to tumorigenesis and metastasis. Understanding these concepts will progressively support the development of new strategies to treat human cancer.