Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIV counseling and testing in a tertiary care hospital in Ganjam district, Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing (HCT) conducted at integrated counseling and testing centers (ICTCs) is an entry point, cost-effective intervention in preventing transmission of HIV. OBJECTIVES To study the prevalence of HIV among ICTC attendees, sociodemographic characteristics, and risk behaviors of HIV-seropositive clients. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was hospital record-based cross-sectional study of 26,518 registered ICTC clients at a tertiary care hospital in Ganjam district, Odisha, India over a 4-year period from January 2009 to September 2012. RESULTS A total of 1732 (7.5%) out of 22,897 who were tested for HIV were seropositive. Among HIV-seropositives, 1138 (65.7%) were males, while 594 (34.3%) were females. Majority (88.3%) of seropositives were between the age group of 15-49 years. Client-initiated HIV testing (12.1%) was more seropositive compared to provider-initiated (2.9%). Among discordant couples, majority (95.5%) were male partner/husband positive and female partner/wife negative. Positives were more amongst married, less educated, low socioeconomic status, and outmigrants (P<0.0001). Risk factors included heterosexual promiscuous (89.3%), parent-to-child transmission 5.8%, unknown 3.1%, infected blood transfusion 0.8%, homosexual 0.5%, and infected needles (0.5%). CONCLUSIONS There is need to encourage activities that promote HCT in all health facilities. This will increase the diagnosis of new HIV cases. The data generated in ICTC provide an important clue to understand the epidemiology in a particular geographic region and local planning for care and treatment of those infected with HIV and preventive strategies for those at risk especially married, young adults, and outmigrants to reduce new infections.
Effect of Temperature on the Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Biochar with Apple Tree Branches as Feedstock Material

The objective of this study was to study the structure and physicochemical properties of biochar derived from apple tree branches (ATBs), whose valorization is crucial for the sustainable development of the apple industry. ATBs were collected from apple orchards located on the Weibei upland of the Loess Plateau and pyrolyzed at 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C (BC300, BC400, BC500 and BC600), respectively. Different analytical techniques were used for the characterization of the different biochars. In particular, proximate and element analyses were performed. Furthermore, the morphological, and textural properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Boehm titration and nitrogen manometry. In addition, the thermal stability of biochars was also studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that the increasing temperature increased the content of fixed carbon (C), the C content and inorganic minerals (K, P, Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg), while the yield, the content of volatile matter (VM), O and H, cation exchange capacity, and the ratios of O/C and H/C decreased. Comparison between the different samples show that highest pH and ash content were observed in BC500. The number of acidic functional groups decreased as a function of pyrolysis temperature, especially for the carboxylic functional groups. In contrast, a reverse trend was found for the basic functional groups. At a higher temperature, the brunauer–emmett–teller (BET) surface area and pore volume are higher mostly due to the increase of the micropore surface area and micropore volume. In addition, the thermal stability of biochars also increased with the increasing temperature. Hence, pyrolysis temperature has a strong effect on biochar properties, and therefore biochars can be produced by changing pyrolysis temperature in order to better meet their applications.
Translaminar Facet Joint Screw Fixation for Lumbar and Lumbosacral Fusion: A Clinical and Biomechanical Study

Various systems of supplementing bone grafts with internal fixation in the lumbosacral spine have been used in an effort to improve fusion rates. This study reports biomechanical data of cyclic loading cadaveric spines instrumented with translaminar facet screws as well as early clinical results on this technique. Static loading tests comparing uninstrumented and instrumented spinal motion units show that a ninefold increase in flexion load is necessary for constant displacement after facet screw fixation. Repetitive loading tests show only a small decrease in stiffness of instrumented segments even after 5,000 cycles. To date, 35 patients have undergone fusion by this technique as performed by one surgeon. After excluding Workers' Compensation cases and cases with less than 2 years follow-up, there were 18 cases available for review. Twelve of these 18 cases were two-level fusions. Ten patients underwent concomitant discectomy or nerve root decompression. There were no cases of iatrogenic neurologic injury or pseudoarthrosis. It is concluded that translaminar facet screws have a sound biomechanical basis and are a valuable addition to lumbar fusion procedures.
Monitoring the stability of the fabricated high k Si MOS capacitors and investigation of the insulator/semiconductor interface

The fabrication of both n and p-type Si MOS capacitors using high k dielectric as insulator deposited by atomic layer deposition technique is presented. The interface obtained between the high k dielectric and the semiconductor substrate, critical for stability and feasibility of the experimental devices, is analyzed using both numerical calculation of the ideal capacitance — voltage (C-V) characteristics of the MOS capacitors and experimental data obtained at high frequency (500 kHz). Accordingly, the effective oxide charge is determined based on the deviation of the flat band voltage from the ideal value, the smallest value (7.3 × 1010 cm−2) being obtained for the HfO2/n-Si structure. Using the Terman method, the interface traps density has been calculated, establishing that the HfO2/p-type sample present the best interface on the entire range of energy level in Si band gap. Finally, the stability of the fabricated Si MOS capacitors is monitored by cyclically high frequency C-V measurements with increased starting voltage after each recorded C-V characteristic.
Facilitation of listening comprehension by visual information under noisy listening condition

Comprehension of a sentence under a wide range of delay conditions between auditory and visual stimuli was measured in the environment with low auditory clarity of the level of -10dB and -15dB pink noise. Results showed that the image was helpful for comprehension of the noise-obscured voice stimulus when the delay between the auditory and visual stimuli was 4 frames (=132msec) or less, the image was not helpful for comprehension when the delay between the auditory and visual stimulus was 8 frames (=264msec) or more, and in some cases of the largest delay (32 frames), the video image interfered with comprehension.
Lentil’s (Lens Culinaris L.) Functional Properties in Prevention and Treatment of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases: A Review

Background: using functional food in diet planning and diet therapy is one of the newest approaches in prevention and treatment of non-communicable chronic diseases. Lentil has many bioactive and functional compounds and we have reviewed the influence of lentil in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in this review study. Materials and methods: In order to do search about mentioned objective key words including Lentils (Lens culinarisL.), functional foods, bioactive peptides, nutritional value, health polyphenol in combination with glycemic index (GI), insulin resistance, diabetes, cancer and hypertension, the sources in PubMed database were examined in the years between1986-2013. Key words such as lentils (Lens culinarisL.), functional foods, bioactive peptides, nutritional value, diabetes, cancer and hypertension were studied with access to Persian sources of Scientific Information Database (SID). Cell studies, animal models, clinical studies and review articles were used with favorable quality. Results: Lentils are rich sources of fibers, resistant starches, prebiotic compounds, phytochemicals, proteins and bioactive peptides, phenolic acids and antioxidants. Lentil has the highest total antioxidant capacity among other foods including apples, dates, raspberries, cherries, figs, oranges, garlic, cabbage and peanuts. High content of fibers and other phytochemicals are found in lentils that could improve glycemic response in diabetic patients, lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and weight management. Lentils may have favorable effects in prevention of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) prevalence. Conclusion: Increased dietary intake of lentils is considered as an important key in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, especially type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and cancer diseases.
An approach to performance equivalent simplification of sequent and parallel structures of DSPN

State space explosion of DSPN and inexistence of homogeneous Markov chain are key problems of DSPN models analysis. Based on the analysis of the definition of DSPN and the characters of different transitions, a method to performance equivalent simplification of sequent and parallel structures of DSPN is proposed. Based on this method, an arbitrary sequent or parallel structure with arbitrary number immediate, deterministic and exponential transitions, could be simplified into a sequent structure with a deterministic transition and an exponential transition, or be simplified into a single exponential transition. And the time characters of the simplified structure are reserved. The analysis result of an example shows that, the method is effective in reducing the state space of the DSPN models with sequent or parallel structures. And the method could resolve the inexistence of homogeneous Markov for some DSPN models.
Bartonella bacilliformis: colonial types and erythrocyte adherence

Bartonella bacilliformis was cultivated on a solid medium, and two bartonella colonial morphologies were differentiated and designated colony types T1 and T2. Although both T1 and T2 bartonellae adhered to human erythrocytes in vitro, approximately twice as many T2 bartonellae adhered as did T1. Maximum adherence required bartonella energy, most likely proton motive force-dependent motility. Bartonellae did not penetrate or lyse erythrocytes in vitro. Bartonellae adhered poorly to alpha- or beta-glucosidase-treated erythrocytes, but pronase or subtilisin treatment of erythrocytes stimulated adherence. This indicates that bartonellae probably adhere to an erythrocyte glycolipid moiety.
Retrovirus vector silencing is de novo methylase independent and marked by a repressive histone code

Retrovirus vectors are de novo methylated and transcriptionally silent in mammalian stem cells. Here, we identify epigenetic modifications that mark retrovirus‐silenced transgenes. We show that murine stem cell virus (MSCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) vectors dominantly silence a linked locus control region (LCR) β‐globin reporter gene in transgenic mice. MSCV silencing blocks LCR hypersensitive site formation, and silent transgene chromatin is marked differentially by a histone code composed of abundant linker histone H1, deacetylated H3 and acetylated H4. Retrovirus‐transduced embryonic stem (ES) cells are silenced predominantly 3 days post‐infection, with a small subset expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein to low levels, and silencing is not relieved in de novo methylase‐null [dnmt3a−/−;dnmt3b−/−] ES cells. MSCV and HIV‐1 sequences also repress reporter transgene expression in Drosophila, demonstrating establishment of silencing in the absence of de novo and maintenance methylases. These findings provide mechanistic insight into a conserved gene silencing mechanism that is de novo methylase independent and that epigenetically marks retrovirus chromatin with a repressive histone code.
Whole-Genome Analysis of Photosynthetic Prokaryotes

The process of photosynthesis has had profound global-scale effects on Earth; however, its origin and evolution remain enigmatic. Here we report a whole-genome comparison of representatives from all five groups of photosynthetic prokaryotes and show that horizontal gene transfer has been pivotal in their evolution. Excluding a small number of orthologs that show congruent phylogenies, the genomes of these organisms represent mosaics of genes with very different evolutionary histories. We have also analyzed a subset of “photosynthesis-specific” genes that were elucidated through a differential genome comparison. Our results explain incoherencies in previous data-limited phylogenetic analyses of phototrophic bacteria and indicate that the core components of photosynthesis have been subject to lateral transfer.
Effect of water activity and temperature on mycotoxin production by Alternaria alternata in culture and on wheat grain

Both water activity (aW) and temperature affected the production of altenuene (AE), alternariol (AOH), and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) by Alternaria alternata on wheat extract agar and wheat grain. Greatest production of all three mycotoxins occurred at 0.98 aW and 25 degrees C on both substrates. At 0.98 aW and 25 degrees C, a single colony of A. alternata grown on wheat extract agar produced 807 micrograms of AOH, 603 micrograms of AME, and 169 micrograms of AE ml in 30 days. However, production of all three mycotoxins at 0.95 aW was less than 40% of these amounts. Little toxin was produced at 0.90 aW. Changing temperature and aW altered the relative amounts of the different toxins produced on agar. At 15 degrees C and 0.98 aW, maxima of 52 micrograms of AOH and 25 micrograms of AME per ml were produced after 15 and 30 days, respectively, whereas AE continued to increase and reached 57 micrograms/ml after 40 days. At 15 degrees C and 0.95 aW, production was, respectively, 62, 10, and 5 micrograms/ml after 40 days. All three metabolites were produced at 5 degrees C and 0.98 to 0.95 aW and at 30 degrees C and 0.98 to 0.90 aW. On wheat grain at 25 degrees C and 0.98 to 0.95 aW, more AME was produced than AOH or AE, but at 15 degrees C there was less AME than AOH or AE. Only trace amounts of AE, AOH, and AME were found at 15 to 25 degrees C and 0.90 aW, but production of AME was inhibited at 30 degrees C and 0.95 aW or less.
Misfolding leads the way to unraveling signaling pathways in the pathophysiology of prion diseases

ABSTRACT A misfolded version of the prion protein represents an essential component in the pathophysiology of fatal neurodegenerative prion diseases, which affect humans and animals alike. They may be of sporadic origin, acquired through exogenous introduction of infectious misfolded prion protein, or caused by genetic alterations in the prion protein coding gene. We have recently described a novel pathway linking retention of mutant prion protein in the early secretory pathway to activation p38-MAPK and a neurodegenerative phenotype in transgenic mice. Here we review the consequences that mutations in prion protein have on intracellular transport and stress responses focusing on protein quality control. We also discuss the neurotoxic signaling elicited by the accumulation of mutant prion protein in the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Improved knowledge about these processes will help us to better understand complex pathogenesis of prion diseases, a prerequisite for therapeutic strategies.
Cost-effectiveness of telemonitoring of diabetic foot ulcer patients

This study compared the cost-effectiveness of telemonitoring with standard monitoring for patients with diabetic foot ulcers. The economic evaluation was nested within a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. A total of 374 patients were randomised to either telemonitoring or standard monitoring. Telemonitoring consisted of two tele-consultations in the patient’s own home and one consultation at the outpatient clinic; standard monitoring consisted of three outpatient clinic consultations. Total healthcare costs were estimated over a 6-month period at individual patient level, from a healthcare sector perspective. The bootstrap method was used to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, and one-way sensitivity analyses were performed. Telemonitoring costs were found to be €2039 less per patient compared to standard monitoring; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Amputation rate was similar in the two groups. In conclusion, a telemonitoring service in this form had similar costs and effects as standard monitoring.
RAP‐011, an activin receptor ligand trap, increases hemoglobin concentration in hepcidin transgenic mice

Over expression of hepcidin antimicrobial peptide is a common feature of iron‐restricted anemia in humans. We investigated the erythroid response to either erythropoietin or RAP‐011, a “murinized” ortholog of sotatercept, in C57BL/6 mice and in hepcidin antimicrobial peptide 1 over expressing mice. Sotatercept, a soluble, activin receptor type IIA ligand trap, is currently being evaluated for the treatment of anemias associated with chronic renal disease, myelodysplastic syndrome, β‐thalassemia, and Diamond Blackfan anemia and acts by inhibiting signaling downstream of activin and other Transforming Growth Factor‐β superfamily members. We found that erythropoietin and RAP‐011 increased hemoglobin concentration in C57BL/6 mice and in hepcidin antimicrobial peptide 1 over expressing mice. While erythropoietin treatment depleted splenic iron stores in C57BL/6 mice, RAP‐011 treatment did not deplete splenic iron stores in mice of either genotype. Bone marrow erythroid progenitors from erythropoietin‐treated mice exhibited iron‐restricted erythropoiesis, as indicated by increased median fluorescence intensity of transferrin receptor immunostaining by flow cytometry. In contrast, RAP‐011‐treated mice did not exhibit the same degree of iron‐restricted erythropoiesis. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that RAP‐011 can improve hemoglobin concentration in hepcidin antimicrobial peptide 1 transgenic mice. Our data support the hypothesis that RAP‐011 has unique biologic effects which prevent or circumvent depletion of mouse splenic iron stores. RAP‐011 may, therefore, be an appropriate therapeutic for trials in human anemias characterized by increased expression of hepcidin antimicrobial peptide and iron‐restricted erythropoiesis. Am. J. Hematol. 90:8–14, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hand rash in trichinosis

Trichinosis patients may develop peri‐orbital oedema, conjunctival haemorrhages, splinter haemorrhages of the fingernails, and nonspecific skin rashes. Here, we describe an unusual hand rash noted in several patients enrolled in a treatment study for trichinosis.
Enzymatic Glucose Sensors: Improved Long-Term Performance In Vitro and In Vivo

We studied the long-term in vitro and in vivo performance of enzyme electrode glucose sensors. Single commercially produced enzyme-active membranes remained functional for estimating glucose in vitro for 14-36 months. These membranes were implanted subcutaneously in rats for 1 year and, upon explanation, remained functional for measuring glucose in vitro. Sensors with these membranes plus an additional outer membrane with lower glucose permeability allowed glucose monitoring in the low oxygen tension of subcutaneous tissue. These sensors were surgically implanted in three nondiabetic dogs. Each sensor implant was coupled to a radio transmitter to allow continuous long-term glucose monitoring in these awake unrestrained dogs. In vivo sensor performance was evaluated by intravenous glucose infusion, with reference blood glucose determinations made in the clinical laboratory. These subcutaneously implanted sensors tracked changes in plasma glucose for up to 12 weeks. The in vivo initial response for three sensor implants was approximately 35 sec (n=8). Sensor peak response to glucose after bolus infusion ranged from 3 to 14 min. Stability of sensor sensitivity within ± 15% for more than 1 month was demonstrated in two of the dogs. Sensor lifetime was limited not by loss of enzyme activity, but by biodegradation of the outermost polyurethane membrane. The findings suggest that long-term continuous monitoring of blood glucose using a subcutaneously implanted enzyme electrode sensor may be possible.
Effects of hyaluronic acid upon diffusion of solutes and flow of solvent

Day (1950, 1952) showed that hyaluronic acid plays an important part in the resistance of connective tissue to the flow of fluid through it. Other workers (Krogh, 1919; Wright, 1934; Harris & Burn, 1949; Paulson, Sylven, Hirsch & Sneilman, 1951) have found that the diffusion of solutes occurs considerably more slowly through connective tissue than through water: this may be due in part to hyaluronic acid, which is known (Meyer, Davidson, Linker & Hoffman, 1956; Rogers, 1961) to be widely distributed in connective tissues. Ogston & Phelps (1961) have shown that hyaluronic acid has an important effect on the distribution of solutes between buffer solutions and those containing hyaluronic acid, and that the mechanism of this effect is probably steric. The heterogeneity of samples of connective tissue would make it difficult to relate effects on diffusion or flow to their composition. We therefore decided to make measurements on homogeneous systems, particularly on solutions of hyaluronic acid, whose compositions are exactly known: concentrations of hyaluronic acid were used which were not greater than those known to exist in one type of connective tissue, Wharton's jelly (Sherman, personal communication). Serum albumin, synthetic polyglucose, and glucose were used as representative diffusing solutes. The results, though preliminary and needing extension, show that hyaluronic acid has important effects on both diffusion and flow and therefore presumably plays a part in determining the permeability of connective tissue.
Finding Frequently Visited Indoor POIs Using Symbolic Indoor Tracking Data

Indoor tracking data is being amassed due to the deployment of indoor positioning technologies. Analysing such data discloses useful insights that are otherwise hard to obtain. For example, by studying tracking data from an airport, we can identify the shops and restaurants that are most popular among passengers. In this paper, we study two query types for finding frequently visited Points of Interest (POIs) from symbolic indoor tracking data. The snapshot query finds those POIs that were most frequently visited at a given time point, whereas the interval query finds such POIs for a given time interval. A typical example of symbolic tracking is RFID-based tracking, where an object with an RFID tag is detected by an RFID reader when the object is in the reader’s detection range. A symbolic indoor tracking system deploys a limited number of proximity detection devices, like RFID readers, at preselected locations, covering only part of the host indoor space. Consequently, symbolic tracking data is inherently uncertain and only enables the discrete capture of the trajectories of indoor moving objects in terms of coarse regions. We provide uncertainty analyses of the data in relation to the two kinds of queries. The outcomes of the analyses enable us to design processing algorithms for both query types. An experimental evaluation with both real and synthetic data suggests that the framework and algorithms enable efficient and scalable query processing.