Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of Genetic Marker Concentrations for Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Sewage and Animal Feces

ABSTRACT Very little is known about the density and distribution of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) genetic markers measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in fecal pollution sources. Before qPCR-based FIB technologies can be applied to waste management and public health risk applications, it is vital to characterize the concentrations of these genetic markers in pollution sources (i.e., untreated wastewater and animal feces). We report the distribution of rRNA genetic markers for several general FIB groups, including Clostridium spp. , Escherichia coli, enterococci, and Bacteroidales, as determined by qPCR on reference collections consisting of 54 primary influent sewage samples collected from treatment facilities across the United States and fecal samples representing 20 different animal species. Based on raw sewage sample collection data, individual FIB genetic markers exhibited a remarkable similarity in concentration estimates from locations across the United States ranging from Hawaii to Florida. However, there was no significant correlation between genetic markers for most FIB combinations (P > 0.05). In addition, large differences (up to 5 log10 copies) in the abundance of FIB genetic markers were observed between animal species, emphasizing the importance of indicator microorganism selection and animal source contribution for future FIB applications.
Distribution of a macaque immunosuppressive type D retrovirus in neural, lymphoid, and salivary tissues

Simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome (SAIDS) in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the California Primate Research Center is caused by a type D retrovirus designated SAIDS retrovirus serotype 1 (SRV-1). This syndrome is characterized by profound immunosuppression and death associated with opportunistic infections. Neurologic signs and lesions have not been described as part of this syndrome. The distribution of SRV-1 in the salivary glands, lymph nodes, spleens, thymuses, and brains of eight virus-infected rhesus macaques was examined by immunohistochemistry. Electron microscopy, in situ RNA hybridization, and Southern blot hybridization were also performed on selected tissues to detect viral particles, RNA, and DNA, respectively. In seven of eight SRV-1-infected animals, the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein (gp20) of SRV-1 was present in three or more tissues, but never in the brain. In the remaining animal, no viral antigen was detected in any tissue. In this same group of animals, viral nucleic acid was detected in the lymph nodes of six of six animals by Southern blot hybridization, in the salivary glands of two of five animals by both Southern blot and in situ hybridizations, and, surprisingly, in the brains of three of three animals by Southern blot and of three of five animals by in situ hybridization, including the one animal in which viral gp20 was undetectable. None of these animals had neurologic signs or lesions. The detection of viral nucleic acid in the absence of viral antigen in the brain suggests latent SRV-1 infection of the central nervous system.
Frequent detection of hepatitis A viral RNA in serum during the early convalescent phase of acute hepatitis A

The diagnosis of type A hepatitis is performed mainly by immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti‐hepatitis A antibody assay, but it has not been established whether there is a correlation between changes in viremia and the clinical course of type A hepatitis. We examined hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA in the sera from type A and non‐A, non‐B, non‐C acute hepatitis and analyzed the relation of HAV viremia with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and IgM‐HA levels. Two hundred sera from 38 patients with type A acute hepatitis and 20 patients with non‐A, non‐B, non‐C acute hepatitis were examined for the presence of HAV RNA. HAV RNA was detected by nested reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) with primers located at the 5′ non‐translated region of HAV. HAV RNA was detected in 35 of 38 (92%) type A hepatitis patients and in 60 of 156 (38%) serum samples. In contrast, it was detected in none of 44 serum specimens from 20 non‐A, non‐B, non‐C acute hepatitis patients. In type A hepatitis, the mean ALT level in HAV RNA positive specimens was 1,481 ± 2,042 (range, 20‐10,370) IU/L and that in HAV RNA negative specimens 186 ± 330 (range, 8‐1,698). The positivity of HAV RNA was correlated with the level of transaminase at the time of sample collection. The mean duration from the onset of symptoms to disappearance of HAV RNA was 18 ± 14 days. The mean titer of IgM‐HA in HAV RNA positive cases was 5.0 ± 1.4, in negative cases 5.7 ± 1.1, with no statistical difference. Our results indicate that HAV RNA in serum is detectable in the majority of type A hepatitis cases in their early convalescent phase by nested RT‐PCR.
INOVAÇÕES EM ROTINAS: UMA CONCILIAÇÃO POSSÍVEL / INNOVATIONS IN ROUTINES: A POSSIBLE CONCILIATION

O presente trabalho e um ensaio teorico. Ele foi desenvolvido no intuito de se ter uma contraposicao teorica entre os temas: Rotinas Organizacionais e Inovacao. Como consideracao encontrada ao desenvolvimento do artigo, tem-se que a rotina, algo com padrao estavel e continuo, e a base para o surgimento de inovacoes. Para tanto, teorias da (1) Estruturacao Social, na qual tem por limites dois reinos, onde as regras e rotinas sao inseridas em seu cerne, o institucional e o das acoes; e de (2) Rotinas, com seus aspectos performativos e ostensivos, foram estudas em contemplando alguns de seus modelos. Ao final do trabalho, algumas proposicoes de estudos sao feitas no intuito de servirem de base a trabalhos empiricos futuros.
Phosphene thresholds elicited by transcorneal electrical stimulation in healthy subjects and patients with retinal diseases.

PURPOSE To evaluate electrically evoked phosphene thresholds (EPTs) in healthy subjects and in patients with retinal disease and to assess repeatability and possible correlations with common ophthalmologic tests. METHODS In all, 117 individuals participated: healthy subjects (n = 20) and patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP, n = 30), Stargardt's disease (STG, n = 14), retinal artery occlusion (RAO, n = 20), nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION, n = 16), and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG, n = 17). EPTs were determined at 3, 6, 9, 20, 40, 60, and 80 Hz with 5 + 5-ms biphasic current pulses using DTL electrodes. Subjects were examined twice (test-retest range: 1-6 weeks). An empirical model was developed to describe the current-frequency relationship of EPTs. Visual acuity, visual field (kinetic + static), electrophysiology (RP, RAO, STG: Ganzfeld-electroretinography [ERG]/multifocal-ERG; POAG: pattern-ERG; NAION: VEP), slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fundus examination, and tonometry were assessed. RESULTS EPTS varied between disease groups (20 HZ: healthy subjects: 0.062 ± 0.038 mA; STG: 0.102 ± 0.097 mA; POAG: 0.127 ± 0.09 mA; NAION: 0.244 ± 0.126 mA; RP: 0.371 ± 0.223 mA; RAO: 0.988 ± 1.142 mA). In all groups EPTs were lowest at 20 Hz. In patients with retinal diseases and across all frequencies EPTs were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects, except in STG at 20 Hz (P = 0.09) and 40 Hz (P = 0.17). Test-retest difference at 20 Hz was 0.006 mA in the healthy group and 0.003-0.04 mA in disease groups. CONCLUSIONS Considering the fast, safe, and reliable practicability of EPT testing, this test might be used more often under clinical circumstances. Determination of EPTs could be potentially useful in elucidation of the progress of ophthalmologic diseases, either in addition to standard clinical assessment or under conditions in which these standard tests cannot be used meaningfully. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00804102.).
Unsupervised Image Segmentation based on Texems for Hyperspectral data

There is no doubt about how useful and valuable the information provided by the hyperspectral sensors can be. Image segmentation procedures can take advantage of this information to increase the ability for separating different textures in an image. A multiscale approach for segmenting hyperspectral images is presented in this work. The method is based on the recently proposed texem model which has been extended in this work to spaces of high dimensionality. Furthermore, the hyperspectral extension of the texem-based segmentation would be computationally impracticable without a prior step for reducing the dimensionality. Thus, a band selection process based on the mutual information among bands has also been applied. The complete process is particularly useful in applications for remote sensing or quality inspection tasks.
Clinical assessment of exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized as a multisystemic disease that reduces patient’s tolerance to exercise. Nowadays, a great variety of validated tests are available for use in Respiratory Physical Therapy that are simple, practical and inexpensive. Objective: To describe the tests most used in patients with COPD to evaluate their exercise capacity and physical activity, along with some tests that potentially could be adopted for clinical evaluations in such patients. Conclusions: To be able to justify the professional quality of the respiratory physical therapists’ work, tests that have been used and validated internationally must be incorporated. Moreover, it is important to choose the most appropriate tests for measuring exercise capacity and, above all, to perform a careful follow-up of the patient.
CorEA: Italian News Corpus with Emotions and Agreement

English. In this paper, we describe an Italian corpus of news blogs, including bloggers’ emotion tags, and annotations of agreement relations amongst bloggercomment pairs. The main contributions of this work are: the formalization of the agreement relation, the design of guidelines for its annotation, the quantitative analysis of the annotators’ agreement. Italiano. In questo articolo descriviamo la raccolta di un corpus di blog giornalistici in Italiano che include le emozioni etichettate dai blogger e l’annotazione manuale con la relazione di approvazione tra commenti. I contributi principali di questo articolo sono: la formalizzazione della relazione di approvazione, le linee guida per la sua annotazione e l’analisi quantitativa dell’accordo tra annotatori.
A 90-nm CMOS Low-Power GSM/EDGE Multimedia-Enhanced Baseband Processor With 380-MHz ARM926 Core and Mixed-Signal Extensions

To meet the widely varying speed and power requirements of multifunctional mobile devices, an appropriate combination of technology features, circuit-level low-power techniques, and system architecture is implemented in a GSM/Edge baseband processor with multimedia and mixed-signal extensions. Power reduction techniques and performance requirements are derived from an analysis of relevant use cases and applications. The 44 mm2 baseband processor is fabricated in a 90-nm low-power CMOS technology with triple-well option and dual-gate oxide core devices. The ARM926 core achieves a maximum clock frequency of 380 MHz at 1.4-V supply due to the usage of thin oxide (1.6 nm) devices. Power dissipation can be adapted to the performance requirements by means of combined voltage and frequency scaling to reduce active power consumption in medium-performance mode by 68%. To reduce leakage currents during standby mode, large SRAM blocks, nFET sleep transistors, and circuit components with relaxed performance requirements are implemented using devices with 2.2-nm gate oxide thickness
Delayed ethyl pyruvate therapy attenuates experimental severe acute pancreatitis via reduced serum high mobility group box 1 levels in rats.

AIM To investigate the effect of delayed ethyl pyruvate (EP) delivery on distant organ injury, survival time and serum high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels in rats with experimental severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS A SAP model was induced by retrograde injection of artificial bile into the pancreatic ducts of rats. Animals were divided randomly into three groups (n = 32 in each group): sham group, SAP group and delayed EP treatment group. The rats in the delayed EP treatment group received EP (30 mg/kg) at 12 h, 18 h and 30 h after induction of SAP. Animals were sacrificed, and samples were obtained at 24 h and 48 h after induction of SAP. Serum HMGB1, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cr) levels were measured. Lung wet-to-dry-weight (W/D) ratios and histological scores were calculated to evaluate lung injury. Additional experiments were performed between SAP and delayed EP treatment groups to study the influence of EP on survival times of SAP rats. RESULTS Delayed EP treatment significantly reduced serum HMGB1 levels, and protected against liver, renal and lung injury with reduced lung W/D ratios (8.22 +/- 0.42 vs 9.76 +/- 0.45, P < 0.01), pulmonary histological scores (7.1 +/- 0.7 vs 8.4 +/- 1.1, P < 0.01), serum AST (667 +/- 103 vs 1 368 +/- 271, P < 0.01), ALT (446 +/- 91 vs 653 +/- 98, P < 0.01) and Cr (1.2 +/- 0.3 vs 1.8 +/- 0.3, P < 0.01) levels. SAP rats had a median survival time of 44 h. Delayed EP treatment significantly prolonged median survival time to 72 h (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Delayed EP therapy protects against distant organ injury and prolongs survival time via reduced serum HMGB1levels in rats with experimental SAP. EP may potentially serve as an effective new therapeutic option against the inflammatory response and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in SAP patients.
Exacerbations of asthma without sputum eosinophilia.

BACKGROUND--Sputum analysis provides a non-invasive method of examining the airway secretions of subjects with asthma in order to better understand the inflammatory process. Increased proportions of eosinophils are generally seen in the sputum of subjects with asthma, especially when there is an exacerbation. An unexpected observation in the sputum of subjects with mild exacerbations of asthma is reported. METHODS--Thirty four consecutive subjects with symptoms consistent with a mild exacerbation of asthma were recruited for a treatment study. Inclusion criteria required persistent symptoms of chest tightness, dyspnoea, or wheezing for two weeks (without spontaneous improvement or alteration in dose of inhaled corticosteroid) and a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) that was reversible to more than 75% predicted or known best to ensure the exacerbation was mild. Sputum (spontaneous or induced with hypertonic saline) from all subjects was examined for differential cell counts. Eosinophilic sputum was defined as > or = 4% eosinophils on two occasions or > 10% eosinophils once. Clinical characteristics, sputum differential counts, and measurements of airways obstruction were compared between the subjects with and without sputum eosinophilia. RESULTS--Almost half of the subjects (16 of 34) considered to have mildly uncontrolled asthma had no sputum eosinophilia. In comparison with the subjects who had sputum eosinophilia the non-eosinophilic group had less airways obstruction (FEV1% predicted 88% v 70%) and less severe airways hyperresponsiveness (PC20 methacholine 0.45 mg/ml v 0.13 mg/ml). There was no difference between the groups in the type or prevalence of symptoms, history of recent infections, smoking, relevant allergen exposure, or use of inhaled corticosteroid. CONCLUSIONS--Symptoms of mildly uncontrolled asthma are not always associated with eosinophilic airways inflammation as measured by sputum analysis. The causes and treatment of the non-eosinophilic condition require further investigation.
Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate modulation in SHIP2‐deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts

SHIP2, the ubiquitous SH2 domain containing inositol 5‐phosphatase, includes a series of protein interacting domains and has the ability to dephosphorylate phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3]in vitro. The present study, which was undertaken to evaluate the impact of SHIP2 on PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 levels, was performed in a mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) model using SHIP2 deficient (–/–) MEF cells derived from knockout mice. PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 was upregulated in serum stimulated –/– MEF cells as compared to +/+ MEF cells. Although the absence of SHIP2 had no effect on basal PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 levels, we show here that this lipid was significantly upregulated in SHIP2 –/– cells but only after short‐term (i.e. 5–10 min) incubation with serum. The difference in PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 levels in heterozygous fibroblast cells was intermediate between the +/+ and the –/– cells. In our model, insulin‐like growth factor‐1 stimulation did not show this upregulation. Serum stimulated phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI 3‐kinase) activity appeared to be comparable between +/+ and –/– cells. Moreover, protein kinase B, but not mitogen activated protein kinase activity, was also potentiated in SHIP2 deficient cells stimulated by serum. The upregulation of protein kinase B activity in serum stimulated cells was totally reversed in the presence of the PI 3‐kinase inhibitor LY‐294002, in both +/+ and –/– cells. Altogether, these data establish a link between SHIP2 and the acute control of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 levels in intact cells.
Changes in Placental Blood Flow in the Normal Human Fetus with Gestational Age

ABSTRACT: We assessed fetoplacental blood volume flow and placental resistance prospectively with Doppler sonog-raphy in 74 normal human fetuses of 19 to 42 wk gestation to determine the changes in placental perfusion with gestational age. Placental blood volume flow was assessed from the umbilical vein as the product of the mean flow velocity integral and the cross-sectional area of the umbil-ical vein. Placental resistance was assessed as the ratio of maximum systolic and minimum diastolic blood flow velocities from an umbilical artery. Umbilical vein blood volume flow increased exponentially (r = 0.86) with gestational age from 19 wk to term, and did not decrease in postdate fetuses. Umbilical vein blood volume flow increased linearly with fetal weight (r = 0.77), although volume flow per unit body weight changed little with gestational age. Umbilical artery velocity ratio decreased progressively, indicating diminishing placental resistance with gestational age, but did not correlate closely with umbilical vein blood volume flow, We submit that fetoplacental blood volume flow can be readily calculated directly from the umbilical vein with Doppler ultrasound and may provide a better index of placental perfusion than the umbilical artery velocity ratio.
Assembly of Photosystem I

A 4.4-kb HindIII fragment, encoding an unusual rubredoxin (denoted RubA), a homolog of theSynechocystis sp. PCC 6803 gene slr2034 andArabidopsis thaliana HCF136, and the psbEFLJoperon, was cloned from the cyanobacterium Synechococcussp. PCC 7002. Inactivation of the slr2034 homolog produced a mutant with no detectable phenotype and wild-type photosystem (PS) II levels. Inactivation of the rubA gene ofSynechococcus sp. PCC 7002 produced a mutant unable to grow photoautotrophically. RubA and PS I electron transport activity were completely absent in the mutant, although PS II activity was ∼80% of the wild-type level. RubA contains a domain of ∼50 amino acids with very high similarity to the rubredoxins of anaerobic bacteria and archaea, but it also contains a region of about 50 amino acids that is predicted to form a flexible hinge and a transmembrane α-helix at its C terminus. Overproduction of the water-soluble rubredoxin domain inEscherichia coli led to a product with the absorption and EPR spectra of typical rubredoxins. RubA was present in thylakoid but not plasma membranes of cyanobacteria and in chloroplast thylakoids isolated from spinach and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Fractionation studies suggest that RubA might transiently associate with PS I monomers, but no evidence for an association with PS I trimers or PS II was observed. PS I levels were significantly lower than in the wild type (∼40%), but trimeric PS I complexes could be isolated from the rubA mutant. These PS I complexes completely lacked the stromal subunits PsaC, PsaD, and PsaE but contained all membrane-intrinsic subunits. The three missing proteins could be detected immunologically in whole cells, but their levels were greatly reduced, and degradation products were also detected. Our results indicate that RubA plays a specific role in the biogenesis of PS I.
Cotransport of reduced glutathione with bile salts by MRP4 (ABCC4) localized to the basolateral hepatocyte membrane

The liver is the major source of reduced glutathione (GSH) in blood plasma. The transport protein mediating the efflux of GSH across the basolateral membrane of human hepatocytes has not been identified so far. In this study we have localized the multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4; ABCC4) to the basolateral membrane of human, rat, and mouse hepatocytes and human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Recombinant human MRP4, expressed in V79 hamster fibroblasts and studied in membrane vesicles, mediated ATP‐dependent cotransport of GSH or S‐methyl‐glutathione together with cholyltaurine, cholylglycine, or cholate. Several monoanionic bile salts and the quinoline derivative MK571 were potent inhibitors of this unidirectional transport. The Km values were 2.7 mmol/L for GSH and 1.2 mmol/L for the nonreducing S‐methyl‐glutathione in the presence of 5 μmol/L cholyltaurine, and 3.8 μmol/L for cholyltaurine in the presence of 5 mmol/L S‐methyl‐glutathione. Transport of bile salts by MRP4 was negligible in the absence of ATP or without S‐methyl‐glutathione. These findings identify a novel pathway for the efflux of GSH across the basolateral hepatocyte membrane into blood where it may serve as an antioxidant and as a source of cysteine for other organs. Moreover, MRP4‐mediated bile salt transport across the basolateral membrane may function as an overflow pathway during impaired bile salt secretion across the canalicular membrane into bile. In conclusion, MRP4 can mediate the efflux of GSH from hepatocytes into blood by cotransport with monoanionic bile salts.
Modification of CFAR Algorithm for Oil Spill Detection from SAR Data

It is very difficult to detect oil spills when the scattering intensity of background clutter is inhomogeneous in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. To improve the oil detection capability, we propose a modified constant false alarm rate (CFAR)-based method for the detection of oil spills in SAR images. This proposed method combines edge detection technique and CFAR detection theory to improve the accuracy of oil spills detection. First, we segment the image into the areas of interest (AOIs) by using ratio edge detection. Second, to get a more accurate detection result, an improved Weibull-CFAR detector is applied to these AOIs. Experimental results demonstrate that the modified CFAR algorithm can work more effectively than a global CFAR detector for oil spill detection, especially for the inhomogeneous intensity SAR images. This model can detect the target more effectively, and false alarms can be greatly diminished.