Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Abilities of African American Children with Prenatal Cocaine/Polydrug Exposure

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure on cognitive abilities of school-aged children. The study examined differences in the performance of low income prenatal cocaine/polydrug-exposed and non-exposed African American children (n=49) between 6 and 8 years of age, on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition. Twenty-five children had a history of prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure and 24 had no known history. The groups were matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Test scores determined if drug exposure predicted global intelligence score and if there were significant differences between the two groups in specific areas of cognitive ability assessed. Drug exposure predicted IQ scores, as drug-exposed children performed significantly lower than their non-exposed counterparts on global intelligence and verbal comprehension, but comparably on the freedom from distractibility tasks. On individual cognitive tasks, the performances of cocaine/polydrug-exposed and non-exposed children were comparable on 8 of the 11 tasks assessed. The findings call into question earlier predictions about cocaine-exposed children.
A Method for Rapid Determination of Sugars in Lignocellulose Prehydrolyzate

A simple and rapid dual-wavelength spectroscopic method is used for simultaneous determination of pentoses and hexoses in the prehydrolyzate from lignocellulosic biomass. The method is based on the following reaction mechanism: in the solution of hydrochloric acid, phloroglucinol gives color reaction with sugars or their degradation products, showing maximum absorbance at 553 nm and 410 nm. Based on dual-wavelength spectrophotometric measurement, the pentoses and hexoses can separately be quantified. It was found that the derivatives from these two different sugars have an isosbestic point at 425 nm. According to the validation results, high accuracy and reasonable recovery rate is shown with the present method (pentoses recovery 97.1 to 100.0%, hexoses recovery 97.2 to 102.0%). Additionally, the interferences from substances including lignin, furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), glucuronic acid, and galacturonic acid are insignificant. All of the above results illustrate the suitability of this method for analyzing sugars in the lignocelluloses prehydrolyzate, especially hardwoods or herbaceous plants, based on forest-related biorefinery research.
Laboratory features of common causes of fever in returned travelers.

BACKGROUND There can be considerable overlap in the clinical presentation and laboratory features of dengue, malaria, and enteric fever, three important causes of fever in returned travelers. Routine laboratory tests including full blood examination (FBE), liver function tests (LFTs), and C-reactive protein (CRP) are frequently ordered on febrile patients, and may help differentiate between these possible diagnoses. METHODS Adult travelers returning to Australia who presented to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with confirmed diagnosis of dengue, malaria, or enteric fever between January 1, 2000 and March 1, 2013 were included in this retrospective study. Laboratory results for routine initial investigations performed within the first 2 days were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS There were 304 presentations including 58 with dengue fever, 187 with malaria, and 59 with enteric fever, comprising 56% of all returned travelers with a febrile systemic illness during the study period. Significant findings included 9-fold and 21-fold odds of a normal CRP in dengue compared with malaria and enteric fever, respectively. The odds of an abnormally low white cell count (WCC) were also significantly greater in dengue versus malaria or enteric fever. Approximately one third of dengue presentations and almost half of the malaria presentations had platelet counts <100 × 10(9) /L. A normal CRP with leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia occurred in 21% to 30% of dengue presentations, but not in malaria or enteric fever presentations. CONCLUSIONS There is a wide differential diagnosis for imported fever, but the non-specific findings of a normal CRP with a low WCC and/or low platelet count may provide useful information in addition to clinical clues to suggest dengue over malaria or enteric fever. Further systematic prospective studies among travelers could help define the potential clinical utility of these results in assisting the clinician when deciding for or against commencement of empiric antimicrobial therapy while awaiting confirmatory tests.
A 1.05 V 1.6 mW, 0.45  $^{\circ}$C 3 $\sigma$ Resolution  $\Sigma\Delta$ Based Temperature Sensor With Parasitic Resistance Compensation in 32 nm Digital CMOS Process

Monitoring temperature in a microprocessor is important for optimal energy consumption under various workloads. This paper presents a temperature sensor in a 32 nm high-k metal gate digital CMOS process for integration in a microprocessor core. The sensor uses a ratio of currents driven into a BJT pair with current chopping to up-convert the temperature signal. A second order sigma-delta (ΣΔ) 1-bit ADC is used to digitize the chopped signal, which is then down-converted and filtered in the digital domain to obtain a temperature measurement. The sensor operates from -10 to 110°C, achieving a 3σ resolution of 0.45°C, and ≪5°C inaccuracy without calibration/trimming.
Monitoring of monthly SCC in she-camel in relation to milking practice, udder status and microbiological contamination of milk.

Somatic cell counts and bacteriological examinations were measured in 28 camel milk samples from 2 farms, one with milking machine (farm A) and the second with hand milking (farm B). The milk was analyzed for 6 months after the parturition, every month, the first one occurring one week approximately after delivery. The somatic cell count was higher at the first sampling in the two farms but significantly more in farm B. The microbiological contamination was also higher in farm B (37% samples were contaminated) than in farm A (12%). The somatic cell count decreased all along the lactation stage and increased with the parity but the trends were not significant due to the high variability of the values. On average, the normal level of somatic cell counts is low compared to cow. (Resume d'auteur)
ThaleMine: A Warehouse for Arabidopsis Data Integration and Discovery

ThaleMine (https://apps.araport.org/thalemine/) is a comprehensive data warehouse that integrates a wide array of genomic information of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The data collection currently includes the latest structural and functional annotation from the Araport11 update, the Col-0 genome sequence, RNA-seq and array expression, co-expression, protein interactions, homologs, pathways, publications, alleles, germplasm and phenotypes. The data are collected from a wide variety of public resources. Users can browse gene-specific data through Gene Report pages, identify and create gene lists based on experiments or indexed keywords, and run GO enrichment analysis to investigate the biological significance of selected gene sets. Developed by the Arabidopsis Information Portal project (Araport, https://www.araport.org/), ThaleMine uses the InterMine software framework, which builds well-structured data, and provides powerful data query and analysis functionality. The warehoused data can be accessed by users via graphical interfaces, as well as programmatically via web-services. Here we describe recent developments in ThaleMine including new features and extensions, and discuss future improvements. InterMine has been broadly adopted by the model organism research community including nematode, rat, mouse, zebrafish, budding yeast, the modENCODE project, as well as being used for human data. ThaleMine is the first InterMine developed for a plant model. As additional new plant InterMines are developed by the legume and other plant research communities, the potential of cross-organism integrative data analysis will be further enabled.
Drug-resistant HIV-1 in sub-Saharan Africa: clinical and public health studies

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Thymocytes appear to ignore class I major histocompatibility complex antigens expressed on thymus epithelial cells

BALB/c nu/nu mice were grafted with embryonic 14‐day‐old C57BL/6 thymi which were transplanted either nontreated or after elimination of hemopoietic cells with 2‐deoxyguanosine. In both types of grafts host cells developed normally into functional thymocytes. Thymocytes from 2‐deoxyguanosine‐treated but not from untreated grafts contained as many cytolytic T lymphocyte precursors specific for class I MHC antigens on thymus epithelium as normal BALB/c thymocytes. As cytolytic T lymphocyte precursors were neither suppressed nor activated in these grafts it is concluded that thymocytes ignore class I MHC antigens expressed on thymus epithelium.
Analyzing the Influences of Camera Warm-Up Effects on Image Acquisition

This article presents an investigation of the impact of camera warmup on the image acquisition process and therefore on the accuracy of segmented image features. Based on an experimental study we show that the camera image is shifted to an extent of some tenth of a pixel after camera start-up. The drift correlates with the temperature of the sensor board and stops when the camera reaches its thermal equilibrium. A further study of the observed image flow shows that it originates from a slight displacement of the image sensor due to thermal expansion of the mechanical components of the camera. This sensor displacement can be modeled using standard methods of projective geometry in addition with bi-exponential decay terms to model the temporal dependence. The parameters of the proposed model can be calibrated and then used to compensate warmup effects. Further experimental studies show that our method is applicable to different types of cameras and that the warm-up behaviour is characteristic for a specific camera.
An experimental test of the effect of acute anxious arousal and anxiety sensitivity on negative reinforcement smoking

Introduction: Although anxiety sensitivity has been reliably associated with smoking-anxiety comorbidity, there has not been a test of whether this construct moderates the effect of acute anxious arousal on actual smoking behavior. The present study utilized an experimental design to test the moderating role of anxiety sensitivity on laboratory-induced anxious arousal in terms of smoking urges and topography (puff style). Method: Participants were adult daily smokers (n=90; Mage=43.6 SD =9.7); average 15.8 cigarettes per day). A between-subjects design was used; participants were randomly assigned to complete a biological challenge procedure consisting of either a single vital capacity inhalation of 35% carbon dioxide (CO2)-enriched air mixture or compressed room air. Smoking urges and smoking topography (puff behavior) were assessed before and after the challenge. Results: Results revealed a significant interaction between anxiety sensitivity and experimental condition (b=−9.96, p=0.014), such that high anxiety sensitive smokers exposed to 35% CO2-enriched air reported significantly lower levels of smoking urges, relative to low anxiety sensitive smokers; the conditional effect of anxiety sensitivity was not observed for the room air condition. There were no significant interaction effects of experimental manipulation by anxiety sensitivity for any of the smoking topography outcomes. Discussion: The present results suggest for smokers with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, the acute experience of anxious arousal is related to decreased subjective smoking urges. These data invite future research to explore the reasons for dampened smoking urges, including cardiorespiratory symptom severity.
Common Mechanisms of Dyspnea in Chronic Interstitial and Obstructive Lung Disorders.

RATIONALE The mechanisms underlying dyspnea in interstitial lung disease (ILD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are unknown. OBJECTIVES To examine whether the relationship between inspiratory neural drive to the diaphragm and exertional dyspnea intensity is different in ILD and COPD, given the marked differences in static respiratory mechanics between these conditions. METHODS We compared sensory-mechanical relationships in patients with ILD, patients with COPD, and healthy control subjects (n = 16 each) during incremental cycle exercise with diaphragmatic electromyography (EMGdi) and respiratory pressure measurements. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In patients with mild to moderate ILD or COPD with similarly reduced inspiratory capacity, the peak oxygen uptake, work rate, and ventilation were lower (P < 0.05) than in healthy control subjects. EMGdi expressed as a percentage of the maximum (EMGdi/EMGdi,max), respiratory effort (esophageal pressure expressed as percentage of the maximum), and ventilation were higher (P < 0.05) at rest and during exercise in both patients with ILD and patients with COPD than in control subjects. Each of these measurements was similar in the ILD and COPD groups. A Vt inflection and critically reduced inspiratory reserve volume occurred at a lower (P < 0.05) ventilation in the ILD and COPD groups than in control subjects. Patients with ILD had greater diaphragmatic activity, whereas patients with COPD had greater expiratory muscle activity. The relationship between dyspnea intensity and EMGdi/EMGdi,max during exercise was similar in all three groups. In ILD and COPD, descriptors alluding to inspiratory difficulty were selected more frequently, with a greater disparity between EMGdi/EMGdi,max and Vt. CONCLUSIONS Disease-specific differences in mechanics and respiratory muscle activity did not influence the key association between dyspnea intensity and inspiratory neural drive to the diaphragm.
Patterning micro-stiffness in cell-adhesive substrate using microfluidics-based lithography

In this study, we demonstrate the formation of 3D cell-adhesive hydrogels exhibiting well-defined spatial variation in stiffness using our previously developed microfluidics-based lithography technique [12]. PEG monoacrylate-linked bovine fibrinogen (PEG-fibrinogen) is photopolymerized into specific, user-defined shapes inside a microchannel, and successive cycles of fabrication result in a heterogeneous structure with controlled regional variations in stiffness. Atomic force microscope (AFM) indentations were used to directly confirm the micro-stiffness distribution, and morphological and migratory behavior of cells in microenvironments of controlled variations in stiffness was characterized. Our approach allows control of microscale variations of stiffness in cell-adhesive substrates with high precision and flexibility and offers the opportunity to examine differential cell-ECM interactions relevant to a multitude of fundamental cellular processes [14].
Dengue hemorrhagic fever in South Vietnam: report of the 1963 outbreak.

Summary An outbreak of mosquito-borne hemorrhagic fever occurred in the Mekong River delta and the city of Saigon, South Vietnam, in the rainy season of 1963. High mortality accompanied the rural outbreak. Clinically, the disease resembled that described in other outbreaks in Southeast Asia. Three dengue viruses identified tentatively as type 2 were recovered, two from patients and one from Aedes aegypti captured in Saigon. Serologic data strongly suggested dengue virus etiology in clinically diagnosed cases. In view of at least one earlier outbreak of this disease, it is not possible to establish the date of the first occurrence of hemorrhagic fever in South Vietnam.
Influence of brisk walking on appetite, energy intake, and plasma acylated ghrelin.

PURPOSE This study examined the effect of an acute bout of brisk walking on appetite, energy intake, and the appetite-stimulating hormone-acylated ghrelin. METHODS Fourteen healthy young males (age 21.9 +/- 0.5 yr, body mass index 23.4 +/- 0.6 kg x m(-2), (.)VO2max 55.9 +/- 1.8 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1); mean +/- SEM) completed two 8-h trials (brisk walking and control) in a randomized counterbalanced fashion. The brisk walking trial commenced with 60 min of subjectively paced brisk walking on a level-motorized treadmill after which participants rested for 7 h. Participants rested for the duration of the control trial. Ad libitum buffet meals were offered twice during main trials (1.5-2 and 5-5.5 h). Appetite (hunger, fullness, satisfaction, and prospective food consumption) was assessed at 30-min intervals throughout. Levels of acylated ghrelin, glucose, insulin, and triacylglycerol were determined from plasma. RESULTS Sixty minutes of brisk walking (7.0 +/- 0.1 km x h(-1) yielded a net (exercise minus resting) energy expenditure of 2008 +/- 134 kJ, yet it did not significantly influence appetite, energy/macronutrient intake, or the plasma concentration of acylated ghrelin either during or after exercise(P > 0.05). Participants did not compensate for energy expended during walking, therefore a deficit in energy was induced (1836 kJ, 439 kcal) relative to control. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that, despite inducing a moderate energy deficit, an acute bout of subjectively paced brisk walking does not elicit compensatory responses in acylated ghrelin, appetite, or energy intake. This finding lends support for a role of brisk walking in weight management.
The Need and Plan for Global Elimination of Congenital Syphilis

In every society, congenital syphilis (CS) has significant medical, economic, societal and emotional burdens; these are poorly characterized but high. Inexplicably, the elimination of CS has failed to attract international attention. Yet, the cornerstones of programs to do this universally are in place, the recent development of new diagnostic tools offers the now-practical possibility of testing every pregnant woman, testing is cost-effective, and programs for the elimination of CS can be joined with other programs to enhance efficiency. The magnitude of the CS burden, globally, rivals that of HIV infection in neonates yet receives little attention. The newly proposed World Health Organization Strategy for the Global Elimination of Congenital Syphilis aims to mobilize resources and provide a plan to address this underrecognized health problem.
Computerized script training for aphasia: preliminary results.

PURPOSE This article describes computer software that was developed specifically for training conversational scripts and illustrates its use with 3 individuals with aphasia. METHOD Three participants with chronic aphasia (Broca's, Wernicke's, and anomic) were assessed before and after 9 weeks of a computer script training program. For each participant, 3 individualized scripts were developed, recorded on the software, and practiced sequentially at home. Weekly meetings with the speech-language pathologist occurred to monitor practice and assess progress. Baseline and posttreatment scripts were audiotaped, transcribed, and compared to the target scripts for content, grammatical productivity, and rate of production of script-related words. Interviews with the person with aphasia and his or her significant other were conducted at the conclusion of treatment. RESULTS All measures (content, grammatical productivity, and rate of production of script-related words) improved for each participant on every script. Two participants gained more than 5 points on the Aphasia Quotient of the Western Aphasia Battery. Five positive themes were consistently identified from the exit interviews-increased verbal communication, improvements in other modalities and situations, communication changes noticed by others, increased confidence, and satisfaction with the software. CONCLUSION Computer-based script training potentially may be an effective intervention for persons with chronic aphasia.
Xylose Utilisation: Cloning and Characterisation of the Xylitol Dehydrogenase from Galactocandida mastotermitis

Abstract We cloned and successfully expressed the gene for xylitol dehydrogenase from Galactocandida mastotermitis in Escherichia coli. The amino acid sequence revealed that the enzyme belongs to the superfamily of zinc containing, medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenases. The enzyme catalyses the second step in the xylose utilising pathway converting xylose to xylulosephosphate. Xylulose-phosphate is further degraded by the transaldolase and transketolase reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway. The purified xylitol dehydrogenase from G. mastotermitis was subjected to partial amino acid sequence analysis. The resulting amino acid information was then used to construct oligonucleotide probes for PCR amplification. The PCR product was used to screen a genomic library. The identified xdh gene includes one short intron at its 5′ end. Putative regulatory signals were identified with the help of Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulatory sequence databases. An intronless xdh transcript, cloned by RT-PCR, was actively expressed in pBTac1 at 37°C to approximately 8% of the soluble E. coli protein. Furthermore, the kinetic parameters were determined and conditions were found to stabilise the soluble and active protein.
BProVe: Tool support for business process verification

This demo introduces BProVe, a tool supporting automated verification of Business Process models. BProVe analysis is based on a formal operational semantics defined for the BPMN 2.0 modelling language, and is provided as a freely accessible service that uses open standard formats as input data. Furthermore a plug-in for the Eclipse platform has been developed making available a tool chain supporting users in modelling and visualising, in a friendly manner, the results of the verification. Finally we have conducted a validation through more than one thousand models, showing the effectiveness of our verification tool in practice. (Demo video: https://youtu.be/iF5OM7vKtDA)
Investigational glucagon receptor antagonists in Phase I and II clinical trials for diabetes

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite type 2 diabetes (T2D) being recognized as a bihormonal pancreatic disease, current therapies are mainly focusing on insulin, while targeting glucagon has been long dismissed. However, glucagon receptor (GCGr) antagonists are currently investigated in clinical trials. Area covered: Following a brief description of the rationale for antagonizing GCGr in T2D, lessons from GCGr knock-out mice and pharmacological means to antagonize GCGr, a detailed description of the main results obtained with GCGr antagonists in Phase I-II clinical trials is provided. The development of several small molecules has been discontinued, while new ones are currently considered as well as innovative approaches such as monoclonal antibodies or antisense oligonucleotides inhibiting GCGr gene expression. Their potential benefits but also limitations are discussed. Expert opinion: The proof-of-concept that antagonizing GCGr improves glucose control in T2D has been confirmed in humans. Nevertheless, some adverse events led to stopping the development of some of these GCGr antagonists. New approaches seem to have a better benefit/risk balance, although none has progressed to Phase III clinical trials so far. Pharmacotherapy of T2D is becoming a highly competitive field so that GCGr antagonists should provide clear advantages over numerous existing glucose-lowering medications before eventually reaching clinical practice.