Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of xylitol/chlorhexidine versus xylitol or chlorhexidine as single rinses on initial biofilm formation of cariogenic streptococci.

OBJECTIVES Oral bacteria implying a natural resistance may deteriorate the antibacterial efficacy of chlorhexidine on cariogenic microorganisms. Xylitol, mostly applied via chewing gum, is known to possess favorable plaque-reducing properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a xylitol rinse formulated as pure solution or combined with chlorhexidine on the viability of Streptococcus sanguis (early colonizer of human teeth) and Streptococcus mutans (the most causal strain for caries) during initial steps of biofilm formation. METHOD AND MATERIALS After exposure to the test solutions, the bacteria suspended in human sterile saliva were allowed to attach to human enamel slides for 60 minutes in a preclinical flow chamber system. The bacterial vitality of suspended and attached cells was monitored using 2 fluorescent DNA stains by epifluorescence microscopy. Further parameters measured were the total bacterial cell counts on enamel slides and growth of suspended streptococci. RESULTS The sensitivity of S mutans to pure chlorhexidine or in combination with xylitol is contrary to the natural resistance of S sanguis to chlorhexidine. The combination of xylitol/chlorhexidine showed a statistically significant antivital effect on S sanguis cells compared to the pure agents xylitol and chlorhexidine. The bacterial cell density on enamel and bacterial reproduction on agar plates were similarly affected by the combination of xylitol/chlorhexidine or the single substances. CONCLUSION The newly discovered synergistic antivital effect of xylitol combined with chlorhexidine may contribute to the favorable potential of xylitol use for the improvement of new formulations of caries-preventive mouthrinses.
Substrate interactions of benzene, toluene, and para-xylene during microbial degradation by pure cultures and mixed culture aquifer slurries

Benzene, toluene, and p-xylene (BTX) were degraded by indigenous mixed cultures in sandy aquifer material and by two pure cultures isolated from the same site. Although BTX compounds have a similar chemical structure, the fate of individual BTX compounds differed when the compounds were fed to each pure culture and mixed culture aquifer slurries. The identification of substrate interactions aided the understanding of this behavior. Beneficial substrate interactions included enhanced degradation of benzene and p-xylene by the presence of toluene in Pseudomonas sp. strain CFS-215 incubations, as well as benzene-dependent degradation of toluene and p-xylene by Arthrobacter sp. strain HCB. Detrimental substrate interactions included retardation in benzene and toluene degradation by the presence of p-xylene in both aquifer slurries and Pseudomonas incubations. The catabolic diversity of microbes in the environment precludes generalizations about the capacity of individual BTX compounds to enhance or inhibit the degradation of other BTX compounds.
Effective diffusivities and mass fluxes in fungal biopellets

Mass transport within biological aggregates is a key process that can determine overall turnover rates in submerged cultivations. A parameter commonly used for its description is the effective diffusion coefficient D eff, which is highly dependent on biomass density and structure. Different approaches have been used to estimate or measure D eff, yet the data still shows broad scattering. This study provides experimental data on effective diffusivities of oxygen within fungal pellets. A correlation is found with the hyphal gradient (dh/dr), which is a morphological parameter describing the structure of the pellet periphery. Furthermore, the dependency of D eff on fluid dynamic conditions at the pellet is investigated. The comparison of the results with data from literature clearly demonstrates the influence of the experimental methodology applied for determination of D eff. Moreover, it is shown that while diffusion limitation of whole pellets is mainly a function of size, the influence of advection in the outer zone of pellets that is supplied with oxygen is actually rather high. Thus, it is concluded that the effective diffusion coefficient might not be sufficient for the description of mass transport within the pellet periphery for a broad range of realistic fluid dynamic conditions during cultivation. Nevertheless, although actual mass transport rates inside pellets are unknown, mass fluxes can be calculated on the basis of spatially resolved data of oxygen and biomass distribution within the pellet. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 1202–1213. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Constructing a Chaotic System with an Infinite Number of Equilibrium Points

The chaotic systems with hidden attractors, such as chaotic systems with a stable equilibrium, chaotic systems with infinite equilibria or chaotic systems with no equilibrium have been investigated recently. However, the relationships between them still need to be discovered. This work explains how to transform a system with one stable equilibrium into a new system with an infinite number of equilibrium points by using a memristive device. Furthermore, some other new systems with infinite equilibria are also constructed to illustrate the introduced methodology.
Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Modulate Monocyte Function to Suppress T Cell Proliferation

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may be derived from a variety of tissues, with human umbilical cord (UC) providing an abundant and noninvasive source. Human UC-MSCs share similar in vitro immunosuppressive properties as MSCs obtained from bone marrow and cord blood. However, the mechanisms and cellular interactions used by MSCs to control immune responses remain to be fully elucidated. In this paper, we report that suppression of mitogen-induced T cell proliferation by human UC-, bone marrow-, and cord blood-MSCs required monocytes. Removal of monocytes but not B cells from human adult PBMCs (PBMNCs) reduced the immunosuppressive effects of MSCs on T cell proliferation. There was rapid modulation of a number of cell surface molecules on monocytes when PBMCs or alloantigen-activated PBMNCs were cultured with UC-MSCs. Indomethacin treatment significantly inhibited the ability of UC-MSCs to suppress T cell proliferation, indicating an important role for PGE2. Monocytes purified from UC-MSC coculture had significantly reduced accessory cell and allostimulatory function when tested in subsequent T cell proliferation assays, an effect mediated in part by UC-MSC PGE2 production and enhanced by PBMNC alloactivation. Therefore, we identify monocytes as an essential intermediary through which UC-MSCs mediate their suppressive effects on T cell proliferation.
Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: a literature review.

Yoga has become increasingly popular in Western cultures as a means of exercise and fitness training; however, it is still depicted as trendy as evidenced by an April 2001 Time magazine cover story on "The Power of Yoga. " There is a need to have yoga better recognized by the health care community as a complement to conventional medical care. Over the last 10 years, a growing number of research studies have shown that the practice of Hatha Yoga can improve strength and flexibility, and may help control such physiological variables as blood pressure, respiration and heart rate, and metabolic rate to improve overall exercise capacity. This review presents a summary of medically substantiated information about the health benefits of yoga for healthy people and for people compromised by musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary disease.
IL-25 and IL-25 Receptor Expression on Eosinophils from Subjects with Allergic Asthma

Background: Allergic asthma is an inflammatory airway disease in which Th2 cytokines play an important role. Epithelial-derived interleukin (IL)-25 has been suggested to be important in the maintenance of Th2-type responses. The effects of IL-25 are mediated by the IL-25 receptor, composed of two subunits, IL-17RA and IL-17RB. Eosinophils are effector cells in allergic asthma. The role of IL-25 in eosinophil function is unknown. This study examined the expression of IL-25 and its receptor on eosinophils in allergic asthmatics compared to atopic nonasthmatics and normal controls. Methods: The expression of IL-25, IL-17RA and IL-17RB on eosinophils, and levels of plasma IL-25 were measured in 14 normal control subjects, 15 atopic nonasthmatics and 14 mild allergic asthmatics. Results: The expression of IL-17RB on eosinophils was significantly higher in allergic asthmatics (43.08%, range 33.96-59.98%) than in atopic nonasthmatics (11.98%, range 6.33-27.11%, p = 0.002) and normal controls (17.70%, range 10.97-38.9%, p = 0.01). IL-17RA expression was also significantly higher in the allergic asthmatic group. No differences were observed in the intracellular expression of IL-25. The concentration of IL-25 in plasma was significantly increased in the allergic asthmatics (145 ng/ml, range 64-290 ng/ml) when compared to the normal controls (21 ng/ml, range 0-116 ng/ml, p = 0.012), but not compared to atopic nonasthmatics. There was a significant negative correlation between FEV1 % predicted and the IL-25 level in the plasma (r = -0.443, p = 0.003). Conclusions: The increased IL-25 levels in plasma and the expression of IL-17RA and IL-17RB on eosinophils in allergic asthma patients suggests that IL-25 may activate eosinophils during allergic inflammation.
Regulation of the production of soluble IL‐4 receptors in murine cutaneous leishmaniasis. The roles of IL‐12 and IL‐4

These studies were undertaken with the purpose of elucidating the key signals involved in the regulation of the production of soluble interleukin‐4 receptors (sIL‐4R) in mice during Th1 and Th2 responses to infection with the parasite Leishmania major. Our results showed that the production of sIL‐4R was consistently higher in lymph node cell cultures from animals mounting a predominant Th2 response (BALB/c mice), and that sIL‐4R production paralleled that of IL‐4 in both mouse strains, even in the presence of a dominant Th1 response (C3H/FeJ mice). Consistently, administration of anti‐IL‐12 antibodies to infected C3H/FeJ mice induced a switch from a Th1‐ to a Th2‐type response and resulted in enhanced production of sIL‐4R. Addition of rIL‐12 to splenic cell cultures, however, was found not to have a direct effect on sIL‐4R production induced by IL‐4 or T cell mitogens. Moreover, the production of sIL‐4R appears to be little influenced by Th1‐produced cytokines, inasmuch as recombinant interferon‐γ or supernatants derived from antigen‐stimulated Th1 clones did not affect the production of sIL‐4R by activated splenic cultures. Despite its correlation with Th2 responses, the presence of IL‐4 was not an absolute requirement for the up‐regulation of the expression of sIL‐4R because increased levels could be induced on cells obtained from IL‐4−/− mice. These results indicate that, although enhanced sIL‐4R production is a feature related to the activation and/or generation of Th2 responses, it is not absolutely dependent on IL‐4 or directly inhibited by IL‐12 or Th1 cytokines. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 481–488; 1999.
A data fusion method applied in an autonomous robot

In order to improve the accuracy and reliability of the measurement system, data fusion is frequently used in an autonomous robot to fuse multi-sensor information of measurement system. Several kinds of methods of multi-sensor data fusion are analyzed. Kalman filter is applied in an underwater autonomous robot to fuse redundant information. The autonomous robot is designed to dig hole in the mud underwater in sunken wreck salvage along the planed trajectory. Location system of move-in-mud robot is designed in the paper and location principle of move-in-mud robot is analyzed. The fusion method in location system of move-in-mud robot is simulated with Matlab software. The simulation results of the data fusion method show that Kalman filter can improve location accuracy efficiently.
Proportionality at Birth

ABSTRACT. 501 small (SGA), 330 average (AGA) and 460 large for gestational age (LGA) babies were measured at birth. Head‐chest, head‐crown‐rump length, and chest‐crown‐rump length ratios were used to evaluate the changing patterns of proportionality with increasing gestational age. The SGA group showed strong negative correlations for head‐chest and head‐length ratios, and positive correlations for chest‐length ratios. The patterns were similar in the AGA group, only less evident. For all three measures of proportionality, correlations with gestational age in the LGA group were close to zero. In each group boys had higher head‐chest ratios than girls.
Power flow analysis using fuzzy logic

The attributes of fuzzy theory have been successfully explored and implemented in this paper for performing the power flow analysis in a fuzzy environment. A fuzzy system is being proposed in this paper to solve power flow problem under different loading and under contingency conditions. Power flow analysis is carried out for computing bus voltage magnitude, voltage angle, real & reactive power of the system. The fuzzy system has many advantageous features such as optimized system complexity, control of power flow, control of non-linear system etc. The composition of the input variable for the proposed fuzzy logic based power flow method has been selected to emulate the solution process of a conventional power flow. The effectiveness of the fuzzy based power flow is demonstrated by computation of bus voltage magnitude & voltage angle for different loading condition & for single line outage contingencies in 3- bus and 6-bus systems
Joint source-chanel decoding of JPEG2000 images with unequal loss protection

This paper presents a method for joint decoding of JPEG2000 bitstreams and Reed-Solomon codes in the context of unequal loss protection. When the Reed-Solomon decoder is unable to retrieve the erased source symbols, the proposed joint decoder searches through the set of possible erased source symbols, making use of error resilience features of JPEG2000 to retrieve correct symbols. The joint decoder can be used as an add-on module to some of the existing schemes for unequal loss protection, and can improve the PSNR of decoded images by over 10 dB in some cases.
Pegylated Interferon plus Ribavirin Combination Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients with Congenital Coagulation Disorders

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and end-stage liver disease are becoming an increasingly common cause of mortality in patients with congenital bleeding disorders, especially in the HIV-coinfected group. Combination of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin has recently become the treatment of choice for CHC. In this study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of combination therapy with Peg-IFN plus ribavirin for the treatment of CHC in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)– and HIV+ patients with congenital bleeding disorders. Between 2000 and 2004, 50 (18–68 years old) patients with CHC (19 HIV+) from two hemophilia centers were included in the study. They were treated with weekly subcutaneous administration of Peg-INF-α combined with 800–1,200 mg ribavirin daily, for 24–48 weeks depending on viral genotype. Response was evaluated at weeks 12, 24, 48 (end of treatment response) and 72 had sustained virological response). Overall, 22/50 patients (43.8%) had end of treatment response and 20/50 (40%) sustained virological response. HIV– patients responded similarly to the general population (58.1%), while HIV+ patients had very low response rates (10.5%). The high rate of discontinuation (36.9%) as a result of side effects contributed to the observed low response rate in the HIV+ group. The only factor strongly associated with sustained virological response in the HIV– patients was the reduction of HCV RNA at 12 weeks (p = 0.001). Patients with viral genotypes other than 1 had higher SVR rates, but this was not found to be statistically significant. Peg-INF plus ribavirin is safe for the treatment of CHC monoinfected patients with inherited bleeding disorders, with similar response rates to nonhemophiliacs. On the contrary, in HIV coinfected hemophilic patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy it is associated with severe toxicity and very poor sustained virological response rates. Careful evaluation and several considerations are needed before starting treatment in this population.
Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) to a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and humans in an Australian zoo

SUMMARY Mycobacterium tuberculosis is primarily a pathogen of humans. Infections have been reported in animal species and it is emerging as a significant disease of elephants in the care of humans. With the close association between humans and animals, transmission can occur. In November 2010, a clinically healthy Asian elephant in an Australian zoo was found to be shedding M. tuberculosis; in September 2011, a sick chimpanzee at the same zoo was diagnosed with tuberculosis caused by an indistinguishable strain of M. tuberculosis. Investigations included staff and animal screening. Four staff had tuberculin skin test conversions associated with spending at least 10 hours within the elephant enclosure; none had disease. Six chimpanzees had suspected infection. A pathway of transmission between the animals could not be confirmed. Tuberculosis in an elephant can be transmissible to people in close contact and to other animals more remotely. The mechanism for transmission from elephants requires further investigation.
Changes in frequency of seizure-like events in stimulated cortical slices

Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million people in the United States alone. Given the fact that many people suffer from seizures that are intractable to pharmacological intervention, research groups are investigating the use of electrical stimulation to interact with and ameliorate symptoms of epileptic seizures. In mouse cortical slices made seizuregenic through chemical means, we applied precision controlled current pulses and measured local field potentials through a four point probe system to investigate the response of seizing tissue to electrical stimulation. We have determined that the frequency of the spontaneous seizure-like events may be modified by low amplitude, current controlled stimulation (0.5 µA). Differently from previously thought, this change in frequency is however not accompanied by any alteration of the tissue permittivity or conductivity during the inter-seizure interval.
Epstein‐barr virus (EBV) in malaysian upper‐aerodigestive‐tract lymphoma: Incidence and sub‐type

Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) type B, a less potent transformer of B lymphocytes than type A, has rarely been detected in EBV‐associated neoplasms except in AIDS‐related lymphomas, in which about 50% of the cases contained this sub‐type. In this study we analyzed the association of EBV and the distribution of virus sub‐types in Asian non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the upper aerodigestive tract. We studied archival material of 29 NHL cases from Malaysia. B‐ and T‐cell associated antigens were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, and EBV early RNA EBER‐1 was demonstrated using the RNA in situ hybridization technique. EBV was detected in the majority of tumour cells in 11/13 T‐NHL but in only 1/16 B‐NHL. EBV was sub‐typed by single‐step polymerase chain reaction of the EBNA‐2 gene. This was successful in 9/10 cases of EBER‐I‐positive tumours and all contained type‐A virus only. Our results showed a preponderance of T‐cell lymphoma of the upper aerodigestive tract in the ethnic Chinese group of Malaysian patients, and EBV was strongly associated with T‐NHL but not with B‐NHL. Our results suggest that type‐A EBV is the prevalent sub‐type in Asian NHL of the upper aerodigestive tract, similarly to findings in Asian nasopharyngeal carcinoma. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Health policy social policy and mortality prospects

These are the proceedings of a seminar that was held in Paris France February 28-March 4 1983 and was sponsored by the IUSSP Committee on Factors Affecting Mortality and the Length of Life. The 25 papers are organized into three sections: health intervention programs in developing countries health intervention programs in developed countries and the impact of social and economic policies. Focusing on the policy dimension of factors affecting mortality these papers are concerned with such developments in recent decades as the control of major diseases the establishment of social security systems and the initiation of major health programs in developing countries. The impact of these developments on mortality patterns worldwide is assessed.
Uterine sarcomas: the Curie Institut experience. Prognosis factors and adjuvant treatments.

PURPOSE With a retrospective study at a single institution, we propose to analyze the prognosis factors and adjuvant treatment for uterine sarcomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS From 1975 to 1995, 73 uterine sarcomas were treated at the Institut Curie, corresponding to 61 T1, 5 T2, and 8 T4 tumors. Thirteen patients had metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. The mean age was 58 years. In 71% of patients, the presenting sign was bleeding. This series consisted of 44% leiomyosarcomas (LMS), 19% endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS), and 31% carcinosarcomas or mixed mesodermal sarcomas (MMS). For the grading classification, we used the classification of the Sarcoma Group of the French Federation of Cancer Centres for soft tissue sarcomas. Of the patients, 66% presented a high-grade tumor. RESULTS The median overall survival was 42 months, with a 5-year survival of 45%. Histological grade, FIGO stage, histology types, and menopausal status were the four independent factors in multivariate analysis. Eighteen patients relapsed locally (25.7%), with 77% central pelvic sites. Patients with radiotherapy and ESS had better local control in multivariate analysis. Thirty-four patients developed metastases (48.6%), mainly pulmonary (58.8%). Eight patients presented with peritoneal disease. High grades and LMS had the worst survival without metastasis in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION This study validated our classification for sarcoma grading and confirmed the finding of worst prognosis for LMS and the importance of radiotherapy in local control.
Novel power receiver for dynamic wireless power transfer system

Dynamic magnetic coupling resonate wireless power transfer (WPT) system with single magnetic pole track allows very limited lateral migration of the power receiver relative to the power supply rail. The multi-pole rail improves the issue of lateral migration effectively, but when the receiver moves along the rail, the null points make it difficult to be applied to the equipment which carries none energy storage component. This paper presents a new multiphase receiver cooperating with multipolar power supply rail, which can improve the power transferring stability. Enabling applications such as automatic guided vehicles, robots, electrical vehicles which require continuous power supply, and ensure them to work continuously without any energy storage component. Besides, the improvement is achieved with any kind of shape of bipolar or multipolar tracks.
Bayesian radial basis function network for modeling fMRI data

Noisy and nonlinear nature make fMRI signal processing a challenging problem. We proposed and analyzed the Bayesian trained radial basis function (RBF) neural network in fMRI data processing. The method, which determines the regularization parameter in RBF network automatically by Bayesian learning, is especially suitable for fMRI data processing. Both simulated and real fMRI data were tested. Results show that this approach could model fMRI signals and remove the slowly varying drift in the data sets as well.