Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Serological Survey of Ehrlichia Canis, Ehrlichia Equi, Rickettsia Rickettsii, and Borrelia Burgdorferi in Dogs in Oklahoma

Serum samples from 259 dogs were tested for antibodies to Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia equi, Rickettsia rickettsii, and Borrelia burgdorferi using the indirect fluorescent antibody test. The sera were obtained from submissions to the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory during a 14-month period from June 1986 through July 1987. The rate for positive antibody titers to E. canis was 53%, to E. equi was 33%, to R. rickettsii was 38%, and to B. burgdorferi was 18%. Higher percentages of sera serologically positive to E. canis were found in the spring through the fall months, but there were no seasonal variations for E. equi, R. rickettsii, and B. burgdorferi. There was no consistent pattern of titers to the 4 antigens when age-groups of the dogs were compared. Forty-four different breeds were tested.
Recognition Of Phonemes In A-Cappella Recordings Using Temporal Patterns And Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients

In this paper, a new method for recognizing phonemes in singing is proposed. Recognizing phonemes in singing is a task that has not yet matured to a standardized method, in comparison to regular speech recognition. The standard methods for regular speech recognition have already been evaluated on vocal records, but their performances are lower compared to regular speech. In this paper, two alternative classification methods dealing with this issue are proposed. One uses Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficient features, while another uses Temporal Patterns. They are combined to create a new type of classifier which produces a better performance than the two separate classifiers. The classifications are done with US English songs. The preliminary result is a phoneme recall rate of 48.01% in average of all audio frames within a song.
Mechanisms of DNA polymerases.

6.2. Chemistry of Exonuclease Proofreading 2872 6.3. Kinetic Mechanism of Nucleotide Excision 2872 7. Polymerase Activity is Altered by DNA Damage 2873 7.1. Miscoding DNA Lesions 2873 7.2. Non-Instructional DNA Lesions 2873 7.3. Replication of Bulky DNA Lesions 2874 7.4. Thymine Dimers 2875 7.5. Replication of Cisplatin-Modified DNA 2875 8. Damage-Responsive DNA Polymerases 2876 8.1. Replication of Abasic Sites 2876 8.2. Damage-Responsive DNA Polymerase Replicate Bulky DNA Lesions with High Fidelity 2876
Is Oil Palm the Next Emerging Threat to the Amazon?

The Amazon Basin appears poised to experience rapid expansion of oil palm agriculture. Nearly half of Amazonia is suitable for oil palm cultivation, and Malaysian corporations are now moving into the region to establish new plantations while the Brazilian government is considering a law that would count oil palm as “forest” towards a landowner's forest reserve requirement. Strong economic incentives for a major Amazonian oil palm industry are likely, given growing global demands for edible oils, oil-based products, and biofuel feedstocks. We have two main concerns. First, oil palm plantations are ecologically depauperate, supporting little forest-dependent wildlife. Second, we disbelieve political and corporate statements suggesting that oil palm plantations will be concentrated on previously deforested lands in Amazonia. In reality, oil palm producers strongly favor clearing primary forest for plantations because they can reap immediate profits from timber production. These profits subsidize the costs of plantation establishment and maintenance for the initial 3-5 years until the oil palm plantations become profitable. Hence, oil palm agriculture could soon emerge as a major new threat to the Amazonian environment.
Calcium oscillations in rhythmically active respiratory neurones in the brainstem of the mouse

1 The rhythmically active respiratory network in the brainstem slice of the mouse was investigated under in vitro conditions using patch clamp and microfluorometric techniques. Rhythmic respiratory activity persisted over the whole course of an experiment. 2 Electrophysiologically recorded rhythmic activity in respiratory neurones was accompanied by oscillations in intracellular calcium, which displayed a maximal concentration of 300 nm and decayed to basal levels with a mean time constant of 1.6 ± 0.9 s. 3 Elevations of calcium concentrations were highly correlated with the amplitude of rhythmic membrane depolarization of neurones, indicating that they were initiated by a calcium influx across the plasma membrane through voltage‐gated calcium channels. 4 Voltage clamp protocols activating either high voltage‐activated (HVA) or both HVA and low voltage‐activated (LVA) calcium channels showed that intracellular calcium responses were mainly evoked by calcium currents through HVA channels. 5 Somatic calcium signals depended linearly on transmembrane calcium fluxes, suggesting that calcium‐induced calcium release did not substantially contribute to the response. 6 For calcium elevations below 1 μm, decay time constants were essentially independent of the amplitude of calcium rises, indicating that calcium extrusion was adequately approximated by a linear extrusion mechanism. 7 Cytosolic calcium oscillations observed in neurones of the ventral respiratory group provide further evidence for rhythmic activation of calcium‐dependent conductances or second messenger systems participating in the generation and modulation of rhythmic activity in the central nervous system.
Diversity and Distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in Siders Pond , a meromictic salt pond

Genetic diversity and community structure of sulfate-reducing bacteria was investigated down the 12 meter water column of Siders Pond, a meromictic salt pond in Falmouth, MA. The physical and chemical gradients down this water column were also investigated, as they provide distinct niches for the microorganisms of Siders Pond. Microbial DNA was extracted from water samples at 12 depths. The dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsr) gene was amplified via PCR, and dsr amplicons from three depths were subsequently cloned and sequenced. Of the 12 sampled depths, dsr was detected in the lower 10 samples, all of which were taken from the anoxic portion of the water column. The dsr sequences in 12 m were genetically distinct from the dsr found in the 4 and 8 m samples, and contained more diversity, exemplifying niche differentiation of sulfate-reducing bacteria along the profile of the water column. Using BLAST to compare Siders Pond dsr sequences to the GenBank database also showed that the closest relatives of Siders Pond sulfate-reducing bacteria were all isolated from human-impacted and organic-rich environments.
Epidemiology of Twin Births in Southeast China: 1993–2005

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the rate of multiple births in most developed countries. However, few population-based studies have been conducted in China regarding the epidemiology of twin births in recent years. We performed a descriptive analysis of twin births from 1993 to 2005 using data from a population-based perinatal care program in southeast China. The twin birth rate in southeast China was 0.65%, and the twin birth rates from 1993 to 2005 fluctuated between 0.60% and 0.70%. During the three periods of 1993–1996, 1997–2000, and 2001–2005, the twin birth rate increased from 0.57% to 0.71% in urban areas (p = .005) and from 0.59% to 0.68% in mothers who had an education level of high school or higher (p = .046). After 2000, the twin birth rate of primiparae 30 years of age and older significantly increased from 0.72% to greater than 1.20%. We concluded that the twin birth rates in southeast China from 1993 to 2005 stayed constant in the overall population but increased in certain subgroups of women, presumably due to increased use of fertility treatment and the development of assisted reproductive technology.
Biped: Bidirectional Prediction of Order Violations

SUMMARY Concurrency bugs do signiﬁcantly a ﬀ ect system reliability. Although many e ﬀ orts have been made to address this problem, there are still many bugs that cannot be detected because of the complexity of concurrent programs. Compared with atomicity violations, order violations are always neglected. E ﬃ cient and e ﬀ ective approaches to detecting order violations are therefore in urgent need. This paper presents a bidirectional predictive trace analysis approach, BIPED, which can detect order violations in parallel based on a recorded program execution. BIPED collects an expected-order execution trace into a layered bidirectional prediction model, which intensively represents two types of expected-order data ﬂows in the bottom layer and combines the lock sets and the bidirectionally order constraints in the upper layer. BIPED then recognizes two types of candidate violation intervals driven by the bottom-layer model and then checks these recognized intervals bidirectionally based on the upper-layer constraint model. Consequently, concrete schedules can be generated to expose order violation bugs. Our experimental results show that BIPED can e ﬀ ectively detect real order violation bugs and the analysis speed is 2.3x-10.9x and 1.24x-1.8x relative to the state-of-the-art predictive dynamic analysis approaches and hybrid model based static prediction analysis approaches in terms of order violation bugs.
Optimal Control of Voltage Regulators for Multiple Feeders

In this paper, a new method is proposed for the control of voltage regulators that enables the regulation of multiple feeders having diversified loads using only one regulator. The selection of the tap position of the regulator is chosen based on the solution of an integer linear optimization problem. The main advantage of the method is that it has a closed-form solution for the optimal tap; a merit which is very valuable in real-time operation. The constraints for having the voltage of the regulating points within the range of permissible values were ensured. Also, the necessary condition for feasible solutions was examined. A simulation study was carried out to validate the proposed method.
Structural and biochemical characterization of Roco proteins

Ongeveer 2% van de personen ouder dan 80 jaar wordt wereldwijd getroffen door Parkinson. Genetische studies hebben aangetoond dat ten minste 10% van de gevallen verklaard kan worden door Mendeliaanse erfelijkheid. Mutaties in het LRRK2 gen veroorzaken een autosomaal dominante vorm van Parkinson. LRRK2 heeft twee enzymatische domeinen, een GTPase en een kinase domein. De meest voorkomende Parkinson mutaties hebben een verlaagde GTPase en verhoogde kinase activiteit. Omdat dit kinase aan de basis ligt van problemen in de neuronen, werden kinaseremmers al klinisch getest. Die veroorzaken op termijn echter long- en nierproblemen. Wetenschappers zoeken daarom naar alternatieven om LRRK2 aan te pakken. In dit proefschrift hebben wij een gecombineerd inzicht kunnen geven in de kinetische, structurele en biochemische eigenschappen van de unieke G-eiwit cyclus van LRRK2 en Roco eiwitten. In tegenstelling tot klassieke G-eiwitten, schakelen Roco eiwitten niet tussen een actieve (GTP) en inactieve (GDP) conformatie, maar is de cyclus zelf de actieve vorm die de kinase activiteit verhoogd. Met andere woorden; LRRK2 moet GTP verbruiken om tot maximale kinase activiteit te komen. Onze data geven ook inzicht in het mechanisme van dimerisatie, het samen komen van twee identieke eiwitmoleculen. Het is de werking van het LRRK2 G-domein dat bepaalt of het eiwit in een ‘enkele’ staat of actieve ‘dubbele’ staat voorkomt. Alleen in zijn ‘dubbele’ of dimerische staat wordt LRRK2 wel actief en is er is een duidelijke link met genetische mutaties als oorzaak van Parkinson. Dit proces vormt dus een aantrekkelijk nieuw doelwit voor toekomstige ontwikkeling van medicijnen.
Antimicrobial activity of human eosinophil granule proteins: involvement in host defence against pathogens

Eosinophils have been associated with the pathophysiology of various allergic diseases and asthma. Eosinophils secrete a number of granule proteins that have been identified as effector molecules responsible for many of the actions of eosinophils. The four major eosinophil granule proteins, major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil peroxidase have been shown to be involved in a number of eosinophil associated functions. EDN possesses antiviral activity against single stranded RNA viruses like respiratory syncytial virus, Hepatitis and HIV, whereas ECP and MBP have antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. This review summarizes the studies on antipathogenic activities of eosinophil granule proteins against bacteria, viruses, protozoans and helminths.
Ectopic Bilharziasis

Ectopic Bilharziasis is discussed and two cases of ectopic pharyngeal affections are reported. The five theories advocated to explain how ectopic lesions can develop outside the portol-caval system are discussed. The clinical picture, age, diagnosis and follow-up of such lesions are mentioned.
Tissue Localization and Distribution of As and Al in the Halophyte Tamarix gallica under Controlled Conditions

Information on localization of Al and As in Tamarix gallica is required in order to better understand the detoxification mechanisms that confer tolerance in this halophyte plant species. Plants were subjected to different Al and As concentrations with and without salt supplementation. High concentrations of As and Al have been found in Tamarix gallica leaves and roots without symptoms of toxicity to the plant, which may be related to the particular compartmentation. A sequential extraction was carried out on leaves and roots to determine and compare the metal compartmentation in the plant. In this study, subcellular localization of As and Al was determined for the first time in roots and leaves of T. gallica, and provided evidence of the detoxification mechanisms of high As and Al concentrations. These results suggest that the subcellular distribution of As and Al play important roles in avoidance of metal toxicity. The most part of Al (that has high toxicity to the plant when available forms are present) was immobilized in cell walls, potentially suppressing its transportation to other subcellular compartments more susceptible to Al toxicity. On the other hand, the greater sequestration of As in the vacuole reduces its toxicity to the remaining cell organelles in the roots, but cell wall confinement remains an important tolerant mechanism in the leaves.
Physical design of dual-core system-on-chip

To meet the aggressive time-to-market requirement, fast prototyping methodology is employed to shorten design cycle. To satisfy stringent path timing, a novel diagonal floorplan is integrated to enhance the data sharing between different cores in system on chip. In this paper, physical design of MediaSOC3221A shows how system on chip is planed and unified, with balanced clock trees and effective power distribution. As a result, the physical design of a dual-core chip is accomplished in only five days with good performance.
Intestinal immunity is a determinant of clearance of poliovirus after oral vaccination.

BACKGROUND Response to challenge with live, attenuated, oral polio vaccine (OPV) is a measure of immunity induced by prior immunization. METHODS Using stool samples from a study from Oman in which an initial schedule of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was followed by an OPV type 1 challenge, we quantitated virus shed, sequenced capsid proteins of recovered virus, and developed assays for neutralization of poliovirus and mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) detection. RESULTS Neutralizing activity correlated with detection of polio-specific IgA in stool suspensions collected 7 days after OPV type 1 challenge. Both neutralization and IgA in stool were associated with cessation of virus shedding by day 7. Rapid development of an IgA response with cessation of shedding suggests that IPV primed for the early response to challenge. Correlation of neutralization activity and IgA detection provides evidence that polio-specific IgA intestinal antibody is a determinant of mucosal shedding/transmission and that IgA functions through neutralization of virus. In contrast, neither presence nor quantity of serum or intestinal antibody induced by IPV prior to challenge correlated with cessation of shedding. CONCLUSIONS These assays provide an opportunity to study other immunization schedules to gain a broader understanding of the appearance and duration of a protective mucosal response to polio vaccination.
The utilization of glycogen accumulating organisms for mixed culture production of polyhydroxyalkanoates

Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by an open mixed culture enriched in glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) under alternating anaerobic–aerobic conditions with acetate as carbon source was investigated. The culture exhibited a stable enrichment performance over the 450‐day operating period with regards to phenotypic behavior and microbial community structure. Candidatus Competibacter phosphatis dominated the culture at between 54% and 70% of the bacterial biomass throughout the study, as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. In batch experiments under anaerobic conditions, PHA containing 3‐hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 27 mol‐% 3‐hydroxyvalerate (3HV) was accumulated up to 49% of cell dry weight utilizing the glycogen pool stored in the SBR cycle. Under aerobic and ammonia limited conditions, PHA comprising only 3HB was accumulated to 60% of cell dry weight. Glycogen was consumed during aerobic PHA accumulation as well as under anaerobic conditions, but with different stoichiometry. Under aerobic conditions 0.31 C‐mol glycogen was consumed per consumed C‐mol acetate compared to 0.99 under anaerobic conditions. Both the PHA biomass content and the specific PHA production rate obtained were similar to what is typically obtained using the more commonly applied aerobic dynamic feeding strategy. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 698–708 © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal excision for low rectal cancer – a video vignette

fewer postoperative complications compared with conventional mesorectal excision with intra-abdominal rectal section. No in-hospital mortality has been noted for rectal eversion and the technique has been shown to be a safe alternative to classical procedures [7]. The method has been reported in open and laparoscopic surgery [8,9], but to our knowledge, roboticassisted eversion has not previously been reported.
Thermal Noise in Track-and-Hold Circuits: Analysis and Simulation Techniques

As a vehicle that lets us explore the main ideas of this article, we will utilize the commonly used charge-redistribution track-and-hold amplifier (THA) circuit (shown in Figure 1) and evaluate this circuit in terms of its thermal noise performance. Of course, it is well know that the thermal noise of this circuit is somehow related to “kT/C. ” What we accomplish in this article is to precisely track down the proper proportionally constants so that we can validate the results of a circuit simulation with good precision. After all, as you have learned from your experienced analog guru, you will never trust a circuit simulation blindly, right?
Depression and anxiety: implications for nosology, course, and treatment.

International epidemiologic and clinical studies have shown that comorbid depression and anxiety is of major importance, resulting in more severe symptoms, impairment, subjective distress, and longitudinal course than either anxiety or depression alone. Threshold and subthreshold levels of anxiety ("A," "a") and depression ("D," "d") can be defined on the basis of duration, frequency, impairment, and number of symptoms. These letters can then be used to designate the various combinations of depression and anxiety, e.g., AD, aD. Current evidence demonstrates the importance of evaluating both threshold and subthreshold levels of depression and anxiety.
[Best practice guidelines for research in autistic spectrum disorders].

INTRODUCTION Achieving a better knowledge of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders known as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), poses a major scientific challenge. These disorders are some of the earliest and most severe psychopathological disorders in infancy; they include an heterogeneous group of conditions; its prevalence rate seems to be continually increasing and they generate a significant social impact. AIMS AND DEVELOPMENT Nowadays, there is a current international agreement on the general requirements to be fulfilled by research projects and the priority areas to be considered when developing ASD high quality research. In Spain, although there are some established research groups with broad experience and expertise in these disorders, public funding opportunities and research development are still scarce. For this reason, the Study Group of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III has generated by consensus some Good Practice Guidelines for Research in ASD. CONCLUSIONS After comparing priorities and recommendations from international reference documents with the results obtained after having carried out an exhaustive bibliographic revision of articles published in autism in the last 30 years by Spanish authors, methodological and ethical recommendations are established. Finally, structural deficiencies to be corrected and emerging research initiatives to be supported are identified.
K‐ras Mutation and p53 Protein Accumulation in Intraductal Mucin‐Hypersecreting Neoplasms of the Pancreas

Intraductal mucin-hypersecreting neoplasm of the pancreas (IMHN) is a unique tumor that is composed of tumor cells with different cell atypia. K-ras and p53 alterations have been shown to occur in pancreatic duct cell carcinoma (PDC). but they have not been well documented in the individual lesion of IMHN. The aim of this study was to examine the relation of the genetic alterations of K-ras and p53 in IMHN to the tumorigenesis of the pancreas. In 32 microscopically dissected lesions of seven cases of IMHN, the K-ras mutation was investigated by primer-mediated, mutant-enriched, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Mutant p53 expression was examined in the adjacent serial sections by immunohistochemistry. In IMHN, alterations of K-ras and p53 were frequently observed (71.9 and 50%, respectively). The frequency became higher as the grade of cell atypia increased. Simultaneous alterations of the two genes were detected in carcinoma and its accompanying hyperplastic and dysplastic lesions. It is suggested that alterations of K-ras and p53 may be early events in the tumorigenesis of IMHN and may cooperate to produce neoplastic transformation of the pancreatic duct epithelium.