Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of the indirect hemagglutination assay for Salmonella typhi Vi antibodies by use of glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocytes

Glutaraldehyde-fixed sheep erythrocytes sensitized with Vi antigen were shown to be usable for at least 1 year in the indirect hemagglutination assay for Vi antibodies. The use of fixed sensitized erythrocytes improves the practicality of the indirect hemagglutination assay by (i) eliminating the need to sensitize cells each time the test is performed; (ii) reducing waste of the purified Vi antigen; and (iii) reducing test-to-test variation.
Combined PCR-oligonucleotide ligation assay for rapid detection of Salmonella serovars

We have developed a rapid and sensitive assay for the detection of Salmonella serovars in veterinary clinical specimens. This method utilizes a short cultivation period followed by PCR. For detection of the amplified product, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) was used. In this study, the PCR-OLA technique was compared with conventional culture and membrane hybridization for the detection of Salmonella bacteria. In evaluating the PCR-OLA with Salmonella serovars and non-Salmonella strains of bacteria, A490 readings for 51 Salmonella strains, representing 28 serovars, were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those for 25 non-Salmonella bacteria. With serial 10-fold dilutions of Salmonella CFU or with known concentrations of purified chromosomal DNA from Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 29946, the PCR-OLA was able to detect > or = 20 CFU per assay or > or = 80 fg of chromosomal DNA (corresponding to 160 molecules of DNA). Of 102 suspect clinical specimens screened, 15 were positive for Salmonella bacteria by both culture and the PCR-OLA procedure (100% sensitivity), and 3 samples were positive only by PCR-OLA (96.6% specificity), indicating a positive predictive value of 83.3% and a negative predictive value of 100%. In all experiments, the PCR-OLA was as sensitive as membrane hybridization. These results indicate that a limited enrichment cultivation and PCR-OLA could be used as a presumptive screening test for the detection of Salmonella serovars from any sample that currently requires extensive cultivation and that this assay would be adaptable to automation.
Cell Cycle-regulated Phosphorylation of the XenopusPolo-like Kinase Plx1*

Polo-like kinases (Plks) control multiple important events during M phase progression, but little is known about their activation during the cell cycle. The activities of both mammalian Plk1 and Xenopus Plx1 peak during M phase, and this activation has been attributed to phosphorylation. However, no phosphorylation sites have previously been identified in any member of the Plk family. Here we have combined tryptic phosphopeptide mapping with mass spectrometry to identify four major phosphorylation sites inXenopus Plx1. All four sites appear to be phosphorylated in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Phosphorylations at two sites (Ser-260 and Ser-326) most likely represent autophosphorylation events, whereas two other sites (Thr-201 and Ser-340) are targeted by upstream kinases. Several recombinant kinases were tested for their ability to phosphorylate Plx1 in vitro. Whereas xPlkk1 phosphorylated primarily Thr-10, Thr-201 was readily phosphorylated by protein kinase A, and Cdk1/cyclin B was identified as a likely kinase acting on Ser-340. Phosphorylation of Ser-340 was shown to be responsible for the retarded electrophoretic mobility of Plx1 during M phase, and phosphorylation of Thr-201 was identified as a major activating event.
Analyse de l'influence des non-linéarités de l'amplificateur de puissance dans une liaison de communication numérique RF

L'objectif principal de cette these est de presenter l'influence des non-linearites de l'amplificateur de puissance dans une liaison numerique radio frequence. Une etude permet de montrer l'importance de la modelisation des non-linearites de l'amplificateur de puissance sur les grandeurs caracterisant les liaisons numeriques, tel que l'adjacent channel power ratio. (acpr). Une methode de modelisation des non-linearites d'amplitude de l'amplificateur base sur le gain, le point a 1 db de compression et le point d'interception d'ordre 3est developpee, ainsi qu'un lien entre ces grandeurs caracterisant les non-linearites circuits et la grandeur caracterisant la remontee spectrale. Une etude permet de montrer la sensibilite des differentes modulations numeriques aux non-linearites de l'amplificateur de puissance
ABBREVIATED FORM OF THE TEST OF MEMORY MALINGERING

The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is a neuropsychological effort test in which scores below 45 on Trial 2 or Retention Trial indicate insufficient effort on testing, but Trial 1 score is not used. This study attempted to identify Trial 1 cut points above and below which further trials need not be administered. Data were analyzed from 114 patients referred for clinical neuropsychological evaluation. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value for identifying failure on TOMM were calculated. Trial 1 scores ≥36 indicated 99% likelihood that TOMM would be passed; Trial 1 scores ≤27 indicated 100% likelihood of failure.
A Novel 3-D Embedded Module for Displacement Measurement in Metal Structures

Measurements of relative displacement between the components of structural steel frameworks such as those used in large buildings, bridges, ships, and offshore platforms can be used to detect overstress or impending failure. However, current approaches used to measure displacement require complex arrays of optical sensors or strain gauges. We instead present a novel low-cost wireless 3-D embedded module that uses inductive eddy-current sensing with planar printed circuit board (PCB) coils to measure relative displacement between two or more metal plates. The module is a 50-mm cube with four faces formed by the planar PCB inductors that are used for measurement of relative displacement. The other faces and the hollow center of the cube are used for a four-channel inductive sensing IC, a microcontroller with integrated 802.15. 4-compatible radio, antenna, micro-USB serial connector, battery, and battery charger/monitor. The addition of temperature and humidity sensors and a microelectromechanical system inertial measurement unit makes the module into a full structural health monitoring system that can also sense environmental factors, inclination, vibration, and shock. The module was evaluated in two axes in a custom test system that allowed controlled relative movement to two orthogonal mild steel plates, as well as inclination of the plate in a different test setup. The results show that a resolution of 0.5 mm can be achieved in both axes when measuring displacement from the planar coils to the steel plates, with negligible interference between coils/plates on the adjacent faces. The displacement measurement is immune to the presence of water between the planar inductors and the steel plates, allowing the module to be used in applications exposed to high humidity and rain.
Noncriterial Recollection: Familiarity as Automatic, Irrelevant Recollection

Recollection is sometimes automatic in that details of a prior encounter with an item come to mind although those details are irrelevant to a current task. For example, when asked about the size of the type in which an item was earlier presented, one might automatically recollect the location in which it was presented. We used the process dissociation procedure to show that such noncriterial recollection can function as familiarity--its effects were independent of intended recollection.
Pea-Sized mmW Transceivers: QFN-?Based Packaging Concepts for Millimeter-Wave Transceivers

Enormous technological progress accomplished over the last several decades has facilitated the use of millimeter-wave (mmW) frequencies for mass-produced products such as automotive radars, industrial sensors, highspeed data communication links, and medical devices. The main enablers are new semiconductor technologies, with constantly improving cut-off frequencies reaching several hundred gigahertz. However, the dominant limiting factor for the mass production of low-cost mmW systems above 100 GHz is that suitable packaging technologies are not yet available. Still, a dramatic increase in research and development is taking place in the area of mmW packaging. The goal of this article is to provide a short overview of the topic and then present one particular approach in detail: the idea of integrating a complete mmW front end, including the antenna, into one small solderable surfacemount device (SMD).
BLOOD PRESSURE AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Background: Past studies link elevated blood pressure (BP) and BP variability to adverse neurocognitive changes in community samples. However, little is known about the relationship between BP indices and cognitive function in older CVD patients. Methods: A total of 99 older adults with CVD completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Resting BP measurements were collected every 10 min for 2 hr during a separate cardiac assessment. Five BP indices were generated: average and standard deviation of systolic blood pressure (SBP), average and standard deviation of diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and a function of systolic variability and average diastolic pressure. We examined the relationship between these BP indices and cognitive function. Results: Partial correlation adjusting for age and education revealed that the function of systolic variability and average diastolic pressure (SBP standard deviation divided by the average DBP) was most closely related to test performance, showing significant associations to both Learning/Memory (r = 0.25) and Language functioning (r = 0.22). SBP indices were also related to Language functioning (SBP avg., r = 0.22; SBP SD, r = 0.25), though DBP indices were unrelated to performance in any cognitive domain. Conclusions: The current findings indicate that BP is modestly related to cognitive function in older CVD patients. Contrary to expectations, greater BP variability was associated with better, not poorer, cognitive test performance. Such findings suggest that the relationship between BP and cognitive function is more complicated than typically believed and requires further examination.
Bone marrow cells contribute to regeneration of damaged glomerular endothelial cells.

BACKGROUND There is accumulating evidence that adult bone marrow (BM) cells show unexpected plasticity, and can differentiate into a wide range of specialized cells. In the case of intrinsic renal glomerular cells, BM-derived cells have been reported to differentiate into both mesangial cells and podocytes. However, there is controversy on recruitment of glomerular endothelial cells, although endothelial cells in other tissues are known to be recruited from the BM. METHODS Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and SD rats made chimeric by transplantation of bone marrow cells from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic littermate rats, were injected with anti-Thy-1.1 antibody, followed by unilateral nephrectomy (1-kidney model). Chimeric rats used in 1-kidney model were sacrificed for histologic examination at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 11. We examined isolated glomeruli and frozen sections of kidneys from rats of each group at weeks 2 and 11 by confocal laser scan microsopy (CLSM), both immunohistologically and three dimensionally. RESULTS In the 1-kidney group, using chimeric rats transplanted with EGFP(+) bone marrow cells, most rats died, presumably of uremia, after 8 to 11 weeks. A CLSM study using isolated glomeruli and frozen sections of kidneys revealed that bone marrow-derived PECAM-1(+), RECA-1(+) cells, and OX-7(+) cells contributed to the structural support for the glomerular capillaries during the chronic course. Global glomerular sclerotic lesions and diffuse tubular atrophic changes, with interstitial cell infiltration, were remarkable at weeks 8 and 11. CONCLUSION Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells participated in glomerular endothelial cell turnover after severe damage. Treatment that could target bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells and promote angiogenesis in regions of progressive glomerular lesions may be a promising therapeutic approach for preventing end-stage renal disease.
Predictors and Outcomes of Prolonged Ventilation after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

This study investigated and compared the risk factors and outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery with and without the occurrence of prolonged mechanical ventilation. Data in a cardiac surgery database were examined retrospectively. Data selected included any isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery performed by the surgical group from August 2005 to June 2009. The resulting cohort included a total of 2933 patients which was comprised of 116 patients with a ventilation time of greater than 72 hours (prolonged ventilation) and 2817 patients with a ventilation time of 72 hours or less (no prolonged ventilation). Patients with a prolonged ventilation time were matched (1:3 ratio) to patients not requiring a prolonged ventilation time by year of surgery resulting in our study cohort of 464 patients. To generate the unadjusted risks of each factor, χ2 and t test analysis were performed. Logistic regression analysis was then used to investigate the adjusted risk between cases and controls and each of the significant variables. χ2 and t tests were conducted comparing cases and controls with the outcome variables. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft that experienced a prolonged ventilation time (cases) were more likely female, had a New York Hospital Association functional class of III or IV, and had a longer perfusion time. There was no significant difference between cases and controls with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, left ventricular ejection fraction, or body mass index while controlling for all significant risk factors. Careful patient selection and preparation during preoperative evaluation may help identify patients at risk for prolonged mechanical ventilation and thus help prevent the added morbidity and mortality associated with it.
New faecal tests in gastroenterology

Most abdominal disorders present with a limited number of overlapping symptoms. Blood tests are not routinely available for use in diagnosis and so investigation tends to require complex imaging procedures or endoscopy and biopsy. These are invasive for the patient, may be associated with morbidity and mortality and have considerable resource implications. Biochemical tests on a single sample of faeces are therefore a valuable alternative. Measurement of faecal calprotectin has been shown to have a role in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and in its monitoring. Lactoferrin is also of benefit used in this way. Faecal elastase has been demonstrated to be of use in the diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency. A number of faecal markers have been explored in colorectal cancer. Faecal occult blood testing is used for population screening, but the metabolomic marker tumour, M2-pyruvate kinase, has potential for use in both diagnosis and screening. DNA testing has advantages in colorectal cancer but the exact applications of such tests require further evaluation.
“Pray for Those Who Mistreat You”: Effects of Prayer on Anger and Aggression

Although some religious teachings have been used to justify aggression, most religious teachings promote peace in human affairs. Three experiments tested the hypothesis that praying for others brings out the more peaceful side of religion by reducing anger and aggression after a provocation. In Experiment 1, praying for a stranger led provoked participants to report less anger than control participants who thought about a stranger. In Experiment 2, provoked participants who prayed for the person who angered them were less aggressive toward that person than were participants who thought about the person who angered them. In Experiment 3, provoked participants who prayed for a friend in need showed a less angry appraisal style than did people who thought about a friend in need. These results are consistent with recent evolutionary theories, which suggest that religious practices can promote cooperation among nonkin or in situations in which reciprocity is highly unlikely.
To know you is to trust you: parents' trust is rooted in child disclosure of information.

As adolescents spend increasing amounts of time away from home, parental trust should become important. Little is known about how trust develops, however. We propose that parental trust is primarily based on knowledge. In this study, we pitted three types of knowledge of the child against each other in the prediction of parental trust: knowledge of feelings and concerns; of past delinquency; and of daily activities. Results showed that knowledge of daily activities was more important than knowledge of past delinquency. In further analyses, knowledge of daily activities that came from the child's spontaneous disclosure was most closely linked to parental trust. These findings add support to a recent re-interpretation of parental "monitoring" as parental knowledge that mainly comes from spontaneous child disclosure. Additionally, the role of parental trust for dysfunctional family relations was examined and it was found that the relations between the child's delinquency and family dysfunction were mediated by parental trust. Finally, even though there was substantial agreement between parents and children about parental trust in the child, the individual's unique perspectives were important. Family dysfunction from the child's perspective was based on whether they believed that their parents trusted them, and parental perceptions of family dysfunction were based on their own trust in the child.
The effects of dietary T-2 toxin on the NK-cell activity and on the reactivation of pseudorabies virus in NMRI mice.

Summary The fungal metabolite T-2 toxin was provided either as a diet containing 1, 10, or 20mg/kg, or injected intraperitoneally (2.5 mg/kg b. w.) into NMRI mice. It was found, that T-2 toxin exposure led to inhibited natural killer (NK)-cell activity especially after repeated injections or a seven day oral intake. This effect was still detectable at the lowest dosage (1 mg/kg feed) tested. The decrease in NK-cell activity could be demonstrated after injection of polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid as well as without pretreatment. The suppressive effect of T-2 toxin on NK-cell activity persisted even after a 14 day exposure to toxin-free diet. Activation of a subclinical infection with pseudorabies virus could not be observed within a 3 week exposure to a T-2 toxin containing diet. Zusammenfassung Einflus von T-2-Toxin auf die NK-Zellaktivitat und den Verlauf einer subklinischen Pseudorabies-Infektion bei der NMRI-Maus Das Mykotoxin T-2-Toxin wurde NMRI-Mausen entweder uber das Futter (1, 10, 20mg/kg) verabreicht oder i. p. injiziert (2,5 mg/kg KGW). Es wurde festgestellt, das T-2-Toxin die Aktivitat von “Natural Killer” (NK)-Zellen hemmt, insbesondere nach mehrmaliger Injektion bzw. nach oraler Aufnahme uber 7 Tage. Diese Wirkung konnte auch bei der niedrigsten gepruften Dosierung (1 mg/kg Futtermittel) beobachtet werden. Die Abnahme der Aktivitat der NK-Zellen war sowohl nach Injektion von Polyinosinylat-Polycytidilylat als auch ohne vorherige Behandlung festzustellen. Der suppressive Einflus von T-2-Toxin auf die NK-Zellaktivitat konnte selbst nach einer 14tagigen, toxinfreien Futterung noch nachgewiesen werden. Die Aktivierung einer subklinischen Pseudorabies-Infektion durch eine 3wochige Verabreichung von T-2-Toxin-haltigem Futter gelang nicht.
Mirror image and self-recognition in young human infants: I. A method of experimental analysis.

The infant's responses to his mirror image have been viewed as indices of self'recognition, but a lack of experimental evidence has caused contradictory conclusions on the beginning of self'recognition. The authors suggest that infants may respond to several factors in the mirror image: eye'to'eye contact, contingency of the image on their own behavior, a smiling face, another babyish being or another human being in general, and the identity of the image with their concept of self. A method for the study of these factors is described. The mirror image was replaced with a televised self-image which was presented simultaneously with another matching image in a 2-choice preference design. The discriminant variables between both images equate individual factors of the mirror image in individual modifications of the method. In this pilot study of eleven 5-month-old infants, the basic methodological questions were solved, and the first attempt was made to evaluate the roles of eye-to-eye contact and of mirror-image contingency.
Rapid migration of VMs on a datacenter under cyber attack over optical infrastructure

Virtualization technologies are becoming increasingly common in recent years. One of the major problems in institutions and organizations using virtualization technology is cyber attacks to their virtual resources, e.g., VMs in clouds. In case of an attack, not only one or a few VMs are under the risk, but all datacenters in the cloud face the risk of cyber attack. In this study, we investigate an evacuation model to avoid VMs from the effects of cyber attack by migrating them to quarantine and inspection centers. Our approach minimizes the size of the damage due to cyber attack by rapidly migrating VMs under the risk of malware infection to other locations by taking the warnings provided by intrusion detection mechanisms into consideration. We formulate the problem into a mathematical model which turns out to be an Integer Linear Programming (ILP). The numerical examples show that our approach successfully migrates all or majority of VMs under risk to other locations with minimum migration cost considering storage and network conditions.
Optimal Procurement Design in the Presence of Supply Risk

This paper analyzes optimal auction design when delivery of supply is uncertain. We consider a buyer facing multiple potential suppliers, each having an associated (exogenous) reliability that quantifies its risk of supply failure. We design optimal mechanisms that depend on the buyer's level of information regarding the suppliers' cost of production and reliability. When supplier reliability is known, we find that the optimal allocation resembles the allocation under full information, but with inflated production costs. When it is unknown, the same result is true when cost and reliability of a supplier are independent. Furthermore, the buyer does not have to pay any rent for information on suppliers' reliability. Moreover, we assess the benefits of the optimal mechanism compared to traditional auctions that ignore supply risk.
Mise en place d'une couche physique pour les futurs systèmes de radiocommunications hauts débits UWB

L'UWB (Ultra Wide Band) consiste a transmettre des signaux entre 3. 1 et 10. 6 GHz avec une puissance limitee a -41. 3 dBm/MHz. Pour les communications hauts debits (100 a 500 Mbit/s) et courtes portees (1 a 10 m), les solutions de l'etat de l'art reposent sur des traitements numeriques complexes. Mitsubishi ITE propose une solution alternative multi-bandes (MB) impulsionnelle basee sur un recepteur non-coherent. La demodulation OOK est effectuee par une detection d'energie originale avec un seuillage adapte dynamiquement suivant les conditions de propagation. La parallelisation complete de ce systeme MB-OOK permet a la fois d'eviter les interferences inter-symboles et de recuperer la quasi totalite de l'energie disponible. En outre, l'approche impulsionnelle limite les evanouissements du signal sur canal multi-trajets. La comparaison des systemes MB-OOK et MB-OFDM demontre la pertinence de la solution proposee pour des applications tres hauts debits, courte portee et faible consommation.