Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Lipid profile in newborns with intrauterine growth retardation].

BACKGROUND The X syndrome, related to coronary disease in adults, could be possibly programmed priory to delivery, in children with intrauterine growth retardation. AIM To measure serum lipids in newborns with symmetrical or asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred thirty-five newborns with intrauterine growth retardation and 116 normal term newborns, with 38 to 41 gestational weeks, were studied. Total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and apoproteins. A1 and B were measured in umbilical cord blood samples. RESULTS No differences in total, HDL, LDL cholesterol, apoproteins A1 and B were observed between the study groups. Triglycerides were higher in newborns with intrauterine growth retardation, compared to normal term newborns (45 +/- 27 and 36 +/- 19 mg/dl respectively, p < 0.001). Differences in serum triglyceride levels respect to controls were observed in both male and female newborns with asymmetrical growth retardation. Likewise the differences respect to controls were observed in newborns with mild or severe but not with moderate growth retardation. CONCLUSIONS Newborns with intrauterine growth retardation have higher triglyceride levels than normal term newborns.
Suppression of the immune response.

The notion of suppressing the immune response emerged with the realization that its expression could have deleterious effects. For example, immune reactions against tissue antigens have been implicated in the pathogenesis of auto-immune diseases. Similarly, the reactions between cytotrophic antibodies of the immunoglobulin E type and antigens such as grass pollens have been established as the initiators of immediate hypersensitivity states. In other circumstances the normal functioning of the immune response may be undesirable. Thus, the penetrating work of Levine and his coworkers showed that Rh haemolytic disease of the new born was the result of maternal anti-Rh antibodies crossing the placenta and damaging fetal erythrocytes. However, the current interest in immunosuppression derives its principal impetus from the barrier which the immune response imposes on the therapeutic transplantation of tissues and organs between histo-incompatible individuals. The prime function of the immune response is to reject foreign material such as bacteria, viruses, and tumours. Consequently its overall suppression is fraught with the danger of infection and possibly the failure to reject neoplastic cells unless it can be made selective. The purpose of this article is to review the progress which has been made towards the goal of selective suppression of the immune response. As immunosuppression depends on how the immune response is contrived the one cannot be considered in isolation from the other. Accordingly, immunosuppression is discussed in terms of the current concepts of afferent, central, and efferent phases of the immune response (see Fig. 1). In this review immunosuppression is considered in two parts (1) nonspecific suppression and (2) antigen-specific suppression of the immune response.
Attacks on NHS staff increasing, MPs say

The British government is failing to meet self imposed targets on reducing attacks on NHS staff, a report published this week by the Parliamentary committee has said. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said that the number of reported incidents is “clearly going in the wrong direction,” with nurses at particularly high risk. According to the British crime survey 2000, nurses run a 5% risk of being violently assaulted at work in a given year, compared with 1.2% for the average worker. The risk for other healthcare workers, including doctors, …
Responses of foraging hedgehogs to badger odour

Enclosure and field trials were used to investigate the responses of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus, to predator (badger,Meles meles) and non-predator odours. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) hedgehogs are capable of responding to badger odour; and (2) hedgehogs prefer not to forage in areas tainted with badger odour. In enclosure trials, hedgehogs almost exclusively avoided feeding at sites tainted with badger faeces in favour of sites tainted with non-predator faeces, and continued to avoid the previously badger-tainted site after 2 days, but not after 4. Field experiments with free-ranging hedgehogs showed a reduction in foraging eVort in response to badger odour over periods of 5 and 30 min, but no evidence of site avoidance over a 24-h period. Lack of persistent avoidance of badger odour in the field was probably due to the costs of predator avoidance, which were negligible in the enclosure owing to the presence of an alternative superabundant food source. 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
The GABAergic system in the retina of neonate and adult Octodon degus, studied by immunohistochemistry and electroretinography

In the vertebrate retina, gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) mediates inhibitory processes that shape the visual response and is also thought to have neurotrophic functions during retinal development. To investigate the role of GABAergic signaling at the beginning of visual experience, we used immunohistochemistry to compare the distribution of GABA, the two isoforms of glutamic acid decarboxylase GAD65/67, and the GABA receptor types A, B, and C, in neonate versus adult Octodon degus, a native South American rodent with diurnal‐crepuscular activity and a high cone‐to‐rod ratio. In parallel, we used electroretinography to evaluate retinal functionality and to test the contribution of fast GABAergic transmission to light responses at both developmental stages. Neonate O. degus opened their eyes on postnatal day (P)0 and displayed an adult‐like retinal morphology at this time. GABA, its biosynthetic sources, and receptors had a similar cellular distribution in neonates and adults, but labeling of the outer plexiform layer and of certain amacrine and ganglion cells was more conspicuous at P0. In neonates, retinal sensitivity was 10 times lower than in adults, responses to ultraviolet light could not be detected, and oscillatory potentials were reduced or absent. Blockade of GABAA/C receptors by bicuculline and TPMPA had no noticeable effect in neonates, while it significantly altered the electroretinogram response in adults. Conclusion: In spite of modest differences regarding retinal morphology and GABAergic expression, overall light response properties and GABAergic signaling are undeveloped in neonate O. degus compared to adults, suggesting that full retinal functionality requires a period of neural refinement under visual experience. J. Comp. Neurol. 514:459–472, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High-overtone bulk acoustic wave resonator on galliumnitride

In our previous research we already demonstrated micro acoustic devices, such as membrane based thin film bulk acoustic shear wave resonators and surface acoustic shear wave resonators, based on Metal-Organic-Vapour-Phase-Epitaxial (MOVPE) grown highly oriented a-plane piezoelectric material. Although MOVPE is a well established process for compound semiconductor layer growth especially of III–V semiconductors as InP, GaAs, and the nitrides GaN or AlN as also design and simulation of micro acoustic devices is nowadays a well established knowledge, the linkage between both is quite a technological challenge. Using an adapted MOVPE growth process for a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire with a process linked improved surface quality; the challenge to build up high-overtone bulk acoustic wave resonators (HBAR) with a shear polarization of the acoustic wave was risen within this research. Different designs of MEMS-based prototypes of HBARs were processed on a-plane GaN after intensive simulations, their acoustic electrical behaviour analyzed and the temperature coefficient of frequency determined.
Evaluation of Obstructive Lung Disease with Vibration Response Imaging

As optimal treatment and prognosis differ between asthma and COPD, a new diagnostic approach to differentiating between the two disorders would be clinically desirable. We evaluated the utility of vibration response imaging in differentiating between asthma and COPD. Sixty-six subjects with asthma or COPD were recorded, before and after the administration of a short-acting bronchodilator, using a computerized lung sound analysis device. Gray-scale images of breath sound distribution in the lungs, quantitative data in breath sound graphs (timing, amplitude) and automatic crackle and wheeze detection programs were used to differentiate between asthma and COPD subjects. Imaging data were compared with the clinical diagnosis, made by the standard methods (medical history, physical examination, and spirometric indices). Blinded evaluation of images demonstrated a significantly higher rate of improvement in image dynamics, shape and overall improvement following bronchodilator in subjects with asthma compared with those with COPD. Quantitative data showed distinct patterns in timing and amplitude for these two pathologies. Combined analyses based on qualitative image evaluation and quantitative data demonstrated an overall 85% accuracy (84% for asthma, 86% for COPD) in differentiating between asthma and COPD. Combined qualitative and quantitative evaluations of lung sounds are quite sensitive in distinguishing between lung sound recordings of COPD and asthma individuals. Lung sound features of synchronization in timing and intensity provide objective data that may further differentiate these two airway disorders.
FACIAL ECZEMA - PROBLEMS AND SUCCESSES IN CONTROL

Facial eczema is the most Important mycotoxin affecting New Zealand lIvestock. I t is a partrcular problem in the lower lying warmer and morster areas of the northern North Island where conditions are favourable to rapid fungal growth and sporulat ion during autumn. In severe years animal deaths and depressed production can lead to losses exceeding $60mlllion, average losses are estimated to exceed $20 million anually. Production losses. especial ly despressions in ewe fertility, can occur in the absence of clinical symptoms so most farmers grossly underestimate the financial losses Inflicted by this disease. Research has led to a number of control methods includmg the identification and awldance of toxic pastures, fungicides, zinc dosing and selection for more resistant stock. However these are not widely accepted by the farming industry because of costs, high labour requirements and a disinclination to disturb normal management practices.
Genome of Rice Cluster I Archaeathe Key Methane Producers in the Rice Rhizosphere

Rice fields are a global source of the greenhouse gas methane, which is produced by methanogenic archaea, and by methanogens of Rice Cluster I (RC-I) in particular. RC-I methanogens are not yet available in pure culture, and the mechanistic reasons for their prevalence in rice fields are unknown. We reconstructed a complete RC-I genome (3.18 megabases) using a metagenomic approach. Sequence analysis demonstrated an aerotolerant, H2/CO2-dependent lifestyle and enzymatic capacities for carbohydrate metabolism and assimilatory sulfate reduction, hitherto unknown among methanogens. These capacities and a unique set of antioxidant enzymes and DNA repair mechanisms as well as oxygen-insensitive enzymes provide RC-I with a selective advantage over other methanogens in its habitats, thereby explaining the prevalence of RC-I methanogens in the rice rhizosphere.
[Factors associated to complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in a third-level hospital].

UNLABELLED Endoscopic treatment of the bile duct diseases is possible thanks to the ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography), nevertheless, it is not free of complications. OBJECTIVES To describe the characteristics and indications of the ERCP and determine the factors associated to the development of complications after performing the procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS An observational retrospective study was done in the Gastroenterology Department of the Hospital Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen in Lima, Peru, from March 2002 to June 2005. RESULTS 294 registers on 280 patients were evaluated, the median age was 58 and 155 (52.7%) were women, five procedures we done in the intensive care unit (ICU). The most frequent indication was choledochus litiasis in 67.3% cases. 205 (69.7%) procedures were successful, only 33 presented complications. The most frequent complications were acute pancreatitis and hemorrhage, in 16 and 13 patients respectively. There were no cases of perforation or death. Pancreatic duct cannulation more than once was an associated factor (OR=2.01; 95%CI: 1.11-5.92; p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS 11.2% of cases presented complications, being acute pancreatitis and mild hemorrhage the most frequent complications. Only pancreatic duct cannulation more than once is an associated factor for having complications.
The association between cigarette smoking and back pain in adults.

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. A comparison group of persons without scoliosis was also selected randomly from the general population. OBJECTIVES To estimate the association between level of cigarette smoking and the prevalence and severity of back pain. METHODS A postal questionnaire was used to elicit information on smoking histories, a variety of indices of low back pain, and potential confounding factors. The association between smoking and back pain was estimated separately for men and women in the cohort and in the comparison group using ordinal regression models. RESULTS The questionnaire was completed by 1287 women and 184 men who had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and by 1130 women and 621 men in the comparison population who did not have scoliosis. Statistically significant associations between back pain and current cigarette smoking were found in the two groups of women and men with scoliosis, but not among men selected from the general population. In the three former groups, proportional odds ratios comparing current smokers to persons who never smoked ranged from 1.4 to 1.9. Among current smokers, the prevalence of back pain increased with cigarette consumption, and the proportional odds ratios ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 per 10 pack-years (no. of cigarettes smoked per day x no. of years/20). In these three groups, intensity, frequency, and duration of episodes of back pain also were found to increase with smoking consumption. CONCLUSION The finding that smokers have more frequent episodes of back pain may imply that smoking exacerbates back pain, and the observation that stronger associations between back pain and smoking were found in the scoliosis cohort suggests that smoking may have a greater impact on persons with damaged spines.
Enabling Association of the GINS Protein Tetramer with the Mini Chromosome Maintenance (Mcm)2–7 Protein Complex by Phosphorylated Sld2 Protein and Single-stranded Origin DNA*

Background: Sld2 is required for the initiation of DNA replication. Results: Sld2 inhibits assembly of replication fork helicase, but this inhibition is alleviated by origin single-stranded DNA and phosphorylation of Sld2. Conclusion: Phosphorylation of Sld2 and origin single-stranded DNA may be important for assembly of the replication fork helicase. Significance: We propose a new model for the assembly of the replication fork helicase. The Cdc45-Mcm2–7-GINS (CMG) complex is the replication fork helicase in eukaryotes. Synthetic lethal with Dpb11-1 (Sld2) is required for the initiation of DNA replication, and the S phase cyclin-dependent kinase (S-CDK) phosphorylates Sld2 in vivo. We purified components of the replication initiation machinery and studied their interactions in vitro. We found that unphosphorylated or CDK-phosphorylated Sld2 binds to the mini chromosome maintenance (Mcm)2–7 complex with similar efficiency. Sld2 interaction with Mcm2–7 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7. The interaction between CDK-phosphorylated Sld2 and Mcm2–7 is substantially inhibited by origin single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Furthermore, origin ssDNA allows GINS to bind to Mcm2–7 in the presence of CDK-phosphorylated Sld2. However, unphosphorylated Sld2 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 even in the presence of origin ssDNA. We identified a mutant of Sld2 that does not bind to DNA. When this mutant is expressed in yeast cells, cell growth is severely inhibited with very slow progression into S phase. We propose a model wherein Sld2 blocks the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 in vivo. Once origin ssDNA is extruded from the Mcm2–7 ring and CDK phosphorylates Sld2, the origin ssDNA binds to CDK-phosphorylated Sld2. This event may allow the interaction between GINS and Mcm2–7 in vivo. Thus, CDK phosphorylation of Sld2 may be important to release Sld2 from Mcm2–7, thereby allowing GINS to bind Mcm2–7. Furthermore, origin ssDNA may stimulate the formation of the CMG complex by alleviating inhibitory interactions between Sld2 with Mcm2–7.
The effect of a single neonatal treatment (hormonal imprinting) with the antihormones, tamoxifen and mifepristone on the sexual behavior of adult rats.

Hormonal imprinting takes place perinatally during the first encounter between the hormone and its developing receptor. The presence of an excess of related molecules in that time provokes faulty (pathological) imprinting. In the present experiments single-neonatal treatment with 100 microg of tamoxifen completely abolished the adult male and female rats' sexual activity. Similar treatment with 100 microg of mifepristone (RU486) significantly enhanced the males sexual activity and non-significantly increased that of the females. The results demonstrate the importance of pathological imprinting during the perinatal development of sexual behavior. There are clear differences between the molecules having steroid (mifepristone) or non-steroid (tamoxifen) character, mediated through a ligand-receptor complex, and its effect in activating particular genes.
THE EFFECT OF SALT STRESS ON GROWTH , CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT , PROLINE AND NUTRIENT ACCUMULATION , AND K / NA RATIO IN WALNUT

The effects of irrigation water salinity on growth, chlorophyll contents, proline and nutrients accumulation and K/Na ratio in three walnut cultivars was investigated. Three irrigation water salinity levels with electrical conductivities of 1,5, 3, and 5.0 dS/m and tap water as a control treatment were used in a randomized design with four replications. Irrigation practices were realized by considering the weight of each pot. Sodium, clor, prolin, K/Na and Ca/Na ratio of leaf were increased under salinity conditions. But growth of plant and chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b content were decreased under saline condition. There were significant differences between in irrigation water salinity levels in proline and chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, Na content. But there were not any significant differences in LRWC (%). Results showed that, regarding fresh shoot weight, dry shoot and root weight, there were significant differences between cultivars, but chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, proline accumulation and leaf relative water content (LRWC) there weren’t any significant differences between cultivars. Kaman 1 and Bilecik walnut cultivars showed higher accumulation of proline than Kaman 5 but was not observed significant difference between them.
Abnormal Signal Detection in Gas Pipes Using Neural Networks

In this paper, we present a real-time system to detect abnormal events on gas pipes, based on the signals which are observed through the audio sensors attached on them. First, features are extracted from this signal so that they are robust to noise and invariant to the distance between a sensor and a spot at which an abnormal event like an attack on the gas pipes occurs. Then, a classifier is constructed to detect abnormal events using neural networks. It is a combination of two neural network models, a Gaussian mixture model and a multi-layer perceptron, for the reduction of miss and false alarms. The former works for miss alarm prevention and the latter for false alarm prevention. The experimental result with real data from the actual gas system shows that the propose system is effective in detecting the dangerous events in real-time having an accuracy of 92.9%.
Chaotic Interest Rate Rules ∗ ( PRELIMINARY )

A growing empirical and theoretical literature argues in favor of specifying monetary policy in the form of Taylor-type interest rate feedback rules. That is, rules whereby the nominal interest rate is set as an increasing function of inflation with a slope greater than one around an intended inflation target. This paper shows that because of the zero bound on nominal interest rates, such rules can easily lead to chaotic dynamics. The result is obtained in the context of standard and well-calibrated monetary environments. Furthermore, the battery of fiscal policies that have recently been advocated for avoiding liquidity traps are shown to be unlikely to provide a remedy for the kind of dynamics characterized in this paper. JEL Classification Numbers: E52, E31, E63.
Taking the Pulse of US College Campuses with Location-Based Anonymous Mobile Apps

We deploy GPS hacking in conjunction with location-based mobile apps to passively survey users in targeted geographical regions. Specifically, we investigate surveying students at different college campuses with Yik Yak, an anonymous mobile app that is popular on US college campuses. In addition to being campus centric, Yik Yak’s anonymity allows students to express themselves candidly without self-censorship. We collect nearly 1.6 million Yik Yak messages (“yaks”) from a diverse set of 45 college campuses in the United States. We use natural language processing to determine the sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) of all of the yaks. We employ supervised machine learning to predict the gender of the authors of the yaks and then analyze how sentiment differs among the two genders on college campuses. We also use supervised machine learning to classify all the yaks into nine topics and then investigate which topics are most popular throughout the US and how topic popularity varies on the different campuses. The results in this article provide significant insight into how campus culture and student’s thinking varies among US colleges and universities.