Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resurgence of Pertussis in Europe

Background: A resurgence of pertussis has been observed in Canada, the United States and Australia since the 1980s, but inconsistent data are currently available for Europe. The objective of this paper is to describe the epidemiology of pertussis in Western European countries to discuss future vaccination strategies. Methods: The European Community funded a network for the epidemiologic surveillance of measles and pertussis in 1998. Sixteen European countries provided national surveillance data for pertussis for the period 1998–2002 in a standard format. Data were pooled and analyzed to describe incidence rates by age group, seasonality, proportion of hospitalized patients and deaths among notified cases. Results: Children younger than 1 year had the highest incidence during the entire period. Rates in the older than 14 years age group increased by 115% during the study period. Northern countries showed the highest incidence figures in all age groups. Among children younger than 1 year, 70% were admitted into hospital. Children younger than 6 months of age and those not vaccinated were most likely to be hospitalized. Thirty-two deaths were reported, 87% of which were in children younger than 6 months ofage. Conclusions: Pertussis is far from being controlled in Europe. Whereas the incidence in children younger than 1 year was high but remained stable, rates in adults doubled in 5 years.
Selective Route Based on SNR with Cross-Layer Scheme in Wireless Ad Hoc Network

In this study, we developed network and throughput formulation models and proposed new method of the routing protocol algorithm with a cross-layer scheme based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This method is an enhancement of routing protocol ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV). This proposed scheme uses selective route based on the SNR threshold in the reverse route mechanism. We developed AODV SNR-selective route (AODV SNR-SR) for a mechanism better than AODV SNR, that is, the routing protocol that used average or sum of path SNR, and also better than AODV which is hop-count-based. We also used selective reverse route based on SNR mechanism, replacing the earlier method to avoid routing overhead. The simulation results show that AODV SNR-SR outperforms AODV SNR and AODV in terms of throughput, end-to-end delay, and routing overhead. This proposed method is expected to support Device-to-Device (D2D) communications that are concerned with the quality of the channel awareness in the development of the future Fifth Generation (5G).
Osteoporosis Knowledge, Health Beliefs, and DXA T‐Scores in Men and Women 50 Years of Age and Older

PURPOSE To compare the knowledge of osteoporosis, revised health belief model variables (RHBM), and DXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) T-scores among men and women 50 years of age and older. DESIGN This was a secondary analysis that used 218 healthy community-based women 50 to 65 years of age and 226 healthy community-based men ≥50 years of age. Data for women were collected for 18 months during 2001–2003, and data for men were collected for 18 months during 2004–2006. The variables were knowledge of osteoporosis, RHBM variables (susceptibility, seriousness, benefits and barriers of calcium intake and of exercise, health motivation, self-efficacy of calcium intake and exercise), and DXA T-scores. METHOD The women and men completed an osteoporosis questionnaire prior to having a DXA screening test. A total of 190 women and 187 men had DXA scans. FINDINGS More than half of the sample had abnormal bone density scans. Knowledge of osteoporosis was low for women and even lower for men. Seven of the nine health belief variables were associated with gender. Women perceived osteoporosis to be serious and that they were susceptible. Men did not perceive osteoporosis to be serious or that they were susceptible. Men were more health motivated and more confident of their ability to engage in exercise.
The Chief Information Officer: A Study of Managerial Roles

This study investigates the managerial roles of the chief information officer (CIO) based on Mintzberg's classic managerial role model. Our findings indicate that CIOs differ from manufacturing and sales executives in the relative importance they place on managerial roles. This difference does not exist between CIOs and finance executives or between CIOs and information systems (IS) middle managers. As IS management matures, the spokesman and liaison role of the CIO becomes more important. Surprisingly, as IS matures, the strategic responsibilities entitled in the monitor and entrepreneur roles of the CIO do not become more important. However, it was found that the more centralized the IS resource, the greater the CIO's role in acting as a spokesman, environmental monitor, and resource allocator. The results of this study have implications for management development, training, and the career planning of IS management.
Responses of coxsackievirus B4-specific T-cell lines to 2C protein-characterization of epitopes with special reference to the GAD65 homology region.

Coxsackie B viruses (CBV) have been indicated as environmental triggers initiating autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells, and molecular mimicry might be the mechanism. A prime candidate for inducing cross-reactive immune responses is a homology sequence, PEVKEK, found both in CBV4 2C protein and in GAD65. To characterize the CBV4-specific T-cell epitopes, overlapping peptides covering the 2C protein were synthesized and CBV4-specific T-cell lines were established from healthy and diabetic subjects. The T-cell epitopes were dependent on the HLA-DR genotype of the T-cell donor, but no difference between diabetic and healthy subjects could be detected. Peptide p4, which included the PEVKEK sequence, contained an HLA-DR1-restricted T-cell epitope. Three randomly selected CBV4-specific T-cell lines, which responded to peptide p4, failed to recognize GAD65 protein or GAD65 peptides containing the PEVKEK sequence. We conclude that the CBV4 2C protein is strongly immunogenic for T-cells and PEVKEK is included in a T-cell epitope. However, presentation of this epitope in the context of neutral HLA-DR1 allele does not support its role in pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.
Proprioceptive deficits after ACL injury: are they clinically relevant?

Objective To establish the clinical relevance of proprioceptive deficits reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Material and methods A literature search was done in electronic databases from January 1990 to June 2009. Inclusion criteria for studies were ACL deficient (ACL-D) and ACL reconstruction (ACL-R) articles written in English, Dutch or German and calculation of correlation(s) between proprioception tests and clinical outcome measures. Clinical outcome measures were muscle strength, laxity, hop test, balance, patient-reported outcome, objective knee score rating, patient satisfaction or return to sports. Studies included in the review were assessed on their methodological quality. Results In total 1161 studies were identified of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Pooling of all data was not possible due to substantial differences in measurement techniques and data analysis. Most studies failed to perform reliability measurements of the test device used. In general, the correlation between proprioception and laxity, balance, hop tests and patient outcome was low. Four studies reported a moderate correlation between proprioception, strength, balance or hop test. Conclusion There is limited evidence that proprioceptive deficits as detected by commonly used tests adversely affect function in ACL-D and ACL-R patients. Development of new tests to determine the relevant role of the sensorimotor system is needed. These tests should ideally be used as screening tests for primary and secondary prevention of ACL injury.
Algal transgenics and biotechnology

Transgenesis in algae is a complex and fast-growing technology. Selectable marker genes, promoters, reporter genes, transformation techniques, and other genetic tools and methods are already available for various species and currently ~25 species are accessible to genetic transformation. Fortunately, large-scale sequencing projects are also planned, in progress, or completed for several of these species; the most advanced genome projects are those for the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, and the three green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Volvox carteri and Ostreococcus tauri. The vast amount of genomic and EST data coming from these and a number of other algae has the potential to dramatically enlarge not only the algae’s molecular toolbox. A powerful driving force in algal transgenics is the prospect of using genetically modified algae as bioreactors. In general, today’s non-transgenic, commercial algal biotechnology produces food additives, cosmetics, animal feed additives, pigments, polysaccharides, fatty acids, and biomass. But recent progress in algal transgenics promises a much broader field of application: molecular farming, the production of proteins or metabolites that are valuable to medicine or industry, seems to be feasible with transgenic algal systems. Indeed, the ability of transgenic algae to produce recombinant antibodies, vaccines, insecticidal proteins, or bio-hydrogen has already been demonstrated. Genetic modifications that enhance physiological properties of algal strains and optimization of algal production systems should further improve the potential of this auspicious technology in the future.
The characteristics of primary vesico-ureteric reflux in male and female infants with pre-natal hydronephrosis.

OBJECTIVE To examine the characteristics of primary vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR) in young infants following prenatal hydronephrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study comprised 155 consecutive infants with VUR detected at a mean age of 8.7 weeks (SD 6.3). Reflux units (n = 236) were analysed for relationships between gender, severity of reflux, exposure to urinary tract infection (UTI) and the presence of focal and generalized types of kidney damage on imaging. Bladder wall thickness (from ultrasonography) was examined in comparison with a further group of 29 males without VUR. RESULTS Male infants predominated (117 of 155, 75%); bilateral VUR affected the same proportion (52%) of males and females. Most kidneys exposed to VUR (158 of 236. 67%) were normal and of the 78 abnormal kidneys (57 without UTI), 53 showed generalized damage (only eight exposed to UTI) and 71 (91%) were associated with severe (grades IV and V) reflux that predominantly affected males (P < 0.001). Grade V reflux was almost exclusively a male disorder. Most female units (45 of 58, 78%) compared with 46% (82/178) of male units had mild (grades I to III) reflux that was independently associated with normal kidneys. The mean bladder wall thickness was significantly greater for males with VUR than for females with VUR and for males without VUR. CONCLUSIONS Two distinct but not exclusive patterns of VUR were identified: (i) mild reflux associated with normal kidneys that affected most females and a proportion of males; (ii) severe reflux combined with kidney damage, most likely fetal in origin, that is almost exclusively a male disorder.
Circularly polarized microstrip antenna array for UAV application

This paper present a circularly polarized microstrip antenna array for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The antenna element is designed using conventional rectangular microstrip antenna which is electromagnetically coupled fed by a microstrip line. The 1×4 element microstrip antenna array is then assembled on the surface of UAV cylindrical fuselage. The measurement result showed for 1x4 element antenna array that it operates at frequency 5.6 GHz with return loss characteristic of - 22.24 dB. The impedance bandwidth at VSWR <; 2 is 720 MHz. Moreover, the radiation pattern show omnidirectional. Both simulation and experimental results show the proposed antenna radiation characteristics can be achieved as specified.
HUMAN LYSYL HYDROXYLASES

Lysyl hydroxylase (E.C. 1.14.11.4) catalyzes the formation of hydroxylysine in collagens and other proteins with collagenous domains. The resulting hydroxylysine residues participate in the formation of collagen crosslinks, and serve as attachment sites for carbohydrate units. They have been regarded as non-essential, since the absence of lysyl hydroxylase 1 activity is not lethal, although it leads to the kyphoscoliotic type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and since recombinant collagens I and III lacking any hydroxylysine form native-type fibrils in vitro. A novel human lysyl hydroxylase isoenzyme, lysyl hydroxylase 3, was identified, cloned and characterized here. The novel isoenzyme was expressed as a recombinant protein in insect cells, and the protein was shown to catalyze hydroxylation of lysine residues in vitro. No differences were found in the catalytic properties between the recombinant lysyl hydroxylases 3 and 1. The human lysyl hydroxylase 3 gene was shown to be 11.6 kb in size and to contain 19 exons. The introns contain 15 full-length or partial Alu retroposons, which are known to be involved in most human gene rearrangements that occur by homologous recombination. The three recombinant human lysyl hydroxylase isoenzymes were isolated here for the first time as homogenous proteins. Limited proteolysis data suggested that the lysyl hydroxylase polypeptides might consist of at least three distinct domains, A-C. The N-terminal domain A was found to play no role in lysyl hydroxylase activity as a recombinant B-C polypeptide was a fully active hydroxylase. This work also confirmed that lysyl hydroxylase 3 has collagen glucosyltransferase activity as well as trace amounts of collagen galactosyltransferase activity. However, the levels of these activities were so low that their biological significance remains to be determined. In the last part of this work, lysyl hydroxylase 3 knock-out mice were produced and analyzed. The homozygous null embryos were found to die at a very early stage of development due to lack of type IV collagen in the basement membranes. The data demonstrated that hydroxylysine formed by lysyl hydroxylase 3 is essential for early mouse development and that lysyl hydroxylase 1 or 2 cannot compensate for the lack of its function.
SHORT COMMUNICATION: Use of Serum‐Free, Compositionally Defined Medium for Analysis of Macrophage Differentiation In Vitro

Macrophage differentiation is mediated by the action of a variety of environmental signals, such as cytokines and endotoxin. For in vitro analysis of macrophage differentiation, most studies utilize a basal tissue culture medium supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS). As the composition of specific components within FCS varies enormously from lot to lot, one can never be certain that the differentiative effects observed in vitro are attributable solely to the exogenous signals provided to the cultures. In this study, primary macrophages were cultured in a basal medium supplemented either with FCS or a compositionally defined supplement, HL‐1™, and a spectrum of differentiative functions (i.e., induction of antiviral activity, Fc receptor‐mediated phagocytosis, Ia antigen expression, and tumoricidal activity) were measured following stimulation with exogenous signals. The results indicate that the use of serum‐free, defined media may provide an important approach to dissect and characterize the differentiative signals which are operative in macrophage activation.
Research in occupational therapy.

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The contribution of bacterial hypermutators to mutation in stationary phase.

IN their discussion of mutation in stationary populations of Escherichia coli , Bull et al. ([2000][1]) conclude that all the mutations are arising in a small fraction of the population. They give as their reason the fact that they could fit the data of Torkelson et al. ([1997][2]) on multiple
Responses of neurones in motor cortex and in area 3A to controlled stretches of forelimb muscles in cebus monkeys.

1. The experiments were designed to investigate the effects of longitudinal muscle displacements on neurones of the motor cortex of anaesthetized Cebus monkeys and thus test the hypothesis that signals from muscle spindles may modify motor cortical output. The effects of sinusoidal stretching of the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) at frequencies varying from 6 to 300 Hz and of step and rhomboidal stretches were studied in neurones of the motor cortex. For comparison, neurones of the primary receiving area for low‐threshold muscle afferents, cortical area 3a, were also included in this study. Neurones of the motor cortex were subdivided into corticospinal (PT) neurones and non‐corticospinal (non‐PT) neurones. 2. Threshold stretch amplitudes were clearly higher for neurones of area 4 (PT and non‐PT) than for 3a neurones. However, a conspicuous fall in threshold stretch amplitude was observed for all three neurone populations when the frequency of sinusoidal stretching was increased (highest frequency: 300 Hz). A small number of non‐PT and PT neurones responded to vibration amplitudes of less than 100 mum and some of these low‐threshold cells of area 4 also responded to rhomboidal stretches of 8 mm/sec ramp velocity and 80 mum plateau amplitude. Increasing the stretch amplitude to twice threshold nearly doubled the output magnitude in all three cell types. Neurones of area 3a and non‐PT neurones of area 4 had similar latencies, and these were significantly shorter than the latencies of PT neurones tested with trains of high frequency vibration. Dynamic response patterns were observed in all three cell types, but most frequently in 3a neurones. 3. It is concluded that, in Cebus monkeys, signals from both primary and secondary muscle spindle endings from forelimb muscles reach the motor cortex. Under the present experimental conditions, the input from the primaries to the motor cortex was effective only if these spindle receptors were driven maximally by vibratory stimuli. The particularly low probability of stretch‐evoked discharges of cortico‐spinal neurones in the anaesthetized preparation may be explained by a low gain in transmission from input to output cells of the motor cortex.
On-chip active guard band filters to suppress substrate-coupling noise in analog and digital mixed-signal integrated circuits

An AC coupling configuration of active guard band filters can supply a substrate-coupling-noise cancellation signal to a ground-level substrate by using a single 3 V supply to on-chip circuits. Noise was suppressed to a maximum of less than 0.05 from 100 Hz to 2 MHz in a 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS test chip. Experiments and a simulation based on the substrate model showed that the noise-suppression effect depends on the guard-band arrangement. The simulation is thus effective for optimizing the arrangement to strongly suppress noise effects.
The Shapes and Sizes of Closed, Pressurized Random Walks

Two-dimensional cell-like membranes acted on by osmotic pressure differentials are represented by closed, unrestricted random walks. The treatment omits excluded-volume effects, and the pressure that is imposed thus favors an oriented area, so that the shriveled configuration of a vesicle with excess external pressure is inaccessible in this model. Nevertheless, the approach has the decided advantage of yielding analytic expressions in a complete statistical analysis. Results are presented for the average square of the radius of gyration, the asphericity, and the probability distribution of the principal components of the radius of gyration tensor. The analysis is done in both the constant-pressure and constant-area ensembles.
In vivo replication of pathogenic and attenuated strains of Junin virus in different cell populations of lymphatic tissue

Lymphatic tissue is one of the main sites for replication of Junin virus. To characterize which cells are involved in that replication, the presence of Junin virus in purified populations of macrophages and dendritic cells from the spleens of guinea pigs infected with pathogenic and attenuated strains was investigated by immunofluorescence and intracerebral inoculation into newborn mice. The pathogenic strain was present both in macrophages and in dendritic cells, but the attenuated strain selectively infected dendritic cells. These observations suggest that the pathogenic behavior and replication efficiency of these two strains of Junin virus may be related to a difference in cell targets.
Sistema de recomendaÃ§Ã£o hÃ­drido para bibliotecas digitais que suportam o protocolo OAI PMH.

O crescimento acelerado das tecnologias Web tem beneficiado pesquisadores e acadAamicos, pois as publicaA§Aµes de pesquisa podem ser acessadas eletronicamente tA£o logo elas tenham sido finalizadas e publicadas. Nesse contexto, surgem as Bibliotecas Digitais como um sistema de informaA§A£o complexo que possui uma sA©rie de atividades que integram coleA§Aµes, serviA§os e pessoas em suporte ao completo ciclo de criaA§A£o, disseminaA§A£o, acesso e preservaA§A£o de dados, informaA§A£o e conhecimento. No entanto, devido a enorme quantidade de conteAodo presente na Web, em particular nas Bibliotecas Digitais, usuAirios acabam se deparando com uma diversidade muito grande de opA§Aµes, o que leva ao fenA´meno conhecido como sobrecarga de informaA§A£o. Com o objetivo de contribuir para amenizar ou atA© mesmo eliminar essas dificuldades, sistemas de recomendaA§A£o para Bibliotecas Digitais tAam sido propostos e desenvolvidos. Este trabalho segue essa direA§A£o, investigando soluA§Aµes alternativas para alcanA§ar mais qualidade nas indicaA§Aµes geradas por um sistema de recomendaA§A£o na sua tarefa de ajudar os seus usuAirios. Para isso estudou-se as abordagens tratadas na literatura especializada sobre tais sistemas, propondo-se em seguida, um sistema de recomendaA§A£o personalizada de artigos cientA­ficos para Bibliotecas Digitais. Tal sistema seguiu uma abordagem hA­brida, procurando tirar proveito das caracterA­sticas interessantes identificadas nas tA©cnicas de filtragem e recomendaA§A£o baseadas em conteAodo e colaborativa. Nesse sentido desenvolveu-se um engenho de recomendaA§A£o hA­brido que se utiliza de tecnologias padrA£o para a descriA§A£o de conteAodo (PadrA£o Dublin Core), comunicaA§A£o com Bibliotecas Digitais (Protocolo OAI-PMH) e perfil do pesquisador (CurrA­culo Lattes). Finalmente, avaliou-se o sistema proposto sobre uma base de dados do CiteSeer contendo artigos no formato Dublin Core, tendo os resultados preliminares mostrado-se satisfatA³rios melhorando a precisA£o na recomendaA§A£o e a cobertura quando comparado com sistemas que implementam abordagens baseada em conteAodo e colaborativa isoladamente
U‐500 insulin: why, when and how to use in clinical practice

Some patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have severe insulin resistance. Their insulin requirements are significantly greater. These patients need to take 2–3 injections at the same time to take the correct insulin dose or to redial the insulin pen. When daily insulin requirements are in excess of 300 units/day, the volume of the injected insulin becomes an issue. Large‐volume injection can cause discomfort and lead to poor concordance with treatment. Using high‐strength insulin e.g. U‐500 insulin can reduce the volume of the injected insulin. Despite publications of small case reports or case series, no universal guidelines exist on the use of U‐500 insulin. We discuss common sense approaches when considering the use of U‐500 insulin in clinical practice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.