Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surveillance of childhood blood lead levels in Chengdu, China in 2010-2011.

INTRODUCTION Lead poisoning has been receiving great attention around the world. The Child Hygiene Cooperation Center of the World Health Organization in China has been conducting investigations to monitor blood lead levels (BLLs) from as early as 2004. However, only several lead poisoning studies have been conducted in China since August 2009. The aim of the present study was to investigate the BLLs in children aged < 7 years and to analyse the risk factors of high BLLs in Chengdu, China. METHODS Questionnaires were distributed to children in Chengdu from 2010 to 2011. A total of 2,271 children were included in this study - 1,157 received BLL tests in 2010 and the remaining received the tests in 2011. BLL was measured using a tungsten atomiser absorption spectrophotometer. RESULTS The mean BLL of the 2,271 children was 6.2 µg/dL and 2.03% of the children had BLLs ≥ 10 µg/dL. Mean BLL seemed to increase with age. Unhygienic habits (e.g. not washing hands frequently, biting of toys and pencils), history of pica, use of coal and residence in an industrial zone were found to be the main risk factors contributing to high BLL (p < 0.05). Children with high BLLs have a higher risk of manifesting anorexia and/or abdominal pain as compared to those with low BLLs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The mean BLL of children in Chengdu (i.e. 6.2 µg/dL) was found to be higher than that of children in developed countries. Childhood lead poisoning remains a public health problem.
High-sensitivity CMUT with interlayer metal architecture for medical ultrasonic systems

This paper presents an integration of the capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) and the transimpedance amplifier in medical ultrasound systems. The proposed CMUT and the sensing circuits are both fabricated on the same chip in a 0. 18μm CMOS MEMS technology. Two interlayer metal structures are proposed to improve the sensitivity. The CMUTs are designed with 2MHz cells for medical diagnosis. The conversion efficiency of the CMUTs is 4 times and 1.8 times higher than that in the published structures.
Efficient Algorithms for Mining Frequent Itemsets with Constraint

An important problem of interactive data mining is "to find frequent item sets contained in a subset C of set of all items on a given database". Reducing the database on C or incorporating it into an algorithm for mining frequent item sets (such as Charm-L, Eclat) and resolving the problem are very time consuming, especially when C is often changed. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach for mining them as follows. Firstly, it is necessary to mine only one time from database the class LGA containing the closed item sets together their generators. After that, when C is changed, the class of all frequent closed item sets and their generators on C is determined quickly from LGA by our algorithm MINE_CG_CONS. We obtain the algorithm MINE_FS_CONS to mine and classify efficiently all frequent item sets with constraint from that class. Theoretical results and the experiments proved the efficiency of our approach.
Assessment of loci for DNA barcoding in the genus Thrips (Thysanoptera:Thripidae)

Identification of the juveniles of economically important thrips species on imports by morphology alone can be challenging and culturing is usually required. In the case of EU quarantine species such as Thrips palmi, rapid and accurate identification is essential. DNA barcoding using the Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene has become a popular technique for species identification; however, in some invertebrate genera COI has been shown to provide insufficient variability for species discrimination. This study presents a comparison of five different loci to investigate their ability to discriminate a small number of Thrips species. All five loci discriminated the species by neighbour‐joining tree and varying degrees of discrimination were determined upon further investigation of the intraspecific and interspecific distances. Two distinct COI clades were observed for T. Palmi and judged to be COI haplotypes when data from the other four additional loci and geographical collection data were taken into consideration. COI was shown to provide sufficient variation to be used in future DNA barcoding efforts within the genus Thrips.
Transfer of human globin genes to erythroleukemic mouse cells.

Thymidine kinase negative (TK‐) Friend cells were transformed with recombinant molecules carrying human globin genes and the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA. Transformation frequencies of 1 transformant/microgram donor DNA/1 x 10(6) cells were obtained by standard procedures and this was increased 20‐ to 30‐fold by treating recipient cells with dimethyl sulfoxide or glycerol. Transformed cell lines expressed thymidine kinase activity of viral origin as determined by its insensitivity to 0.2 mM dTTP and electrophoretic mobility in polyacrylamide gels. The physical status of donor DNA in the transformed cells was examined in Hirt precipitates and supernatants by Southern blot hybridization and spot hybridization techniques. This analysis showed that most donor sequences were present in a circular or concatenate configuration, but also was suggestive of some donor sequences being integrated into high molecular weight DNA. Expression of human globin genes and particularly the epsilon‐globin gene in the transformed Friend cells was studied by Northern blot hybridization analysis.
GRIM-19, a Cell Death Regulatory Gene Product, Is a Subunit of Bovine Mitochondrial NADH:Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase (Complex I)*

The sequences of 42 subunits of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from bovine heart mitochondria have been described previously. Seven are encoded by mitochondrial DNA, whereas the remaining 35 are nuclear gene products imported into the organelle from the cytoplasm. An additional protein, which does not correspond to any previously known subunit of the complex I assembly, has now been detected. Denaturing gels of subcomplex Iλ, the hydrophilic arm of complex I, clearly show a hitherto unidentified band, which was digested with trypsin and subjected to mass-spectrometric analysis to provide several peptide sequences, used in cDNA cloning and sequencing. Measurement of the intact protein mass indicated that the N terminus is acetylated. The new complex I subunit (B16.6) is the bovine homolog of GRIM-19, the product of a cell death regulatory gene induced by interferon-β and retinoic acid, thus providing a new link between the mitochondrion and its electron-transport chain and apoptotic cell death.
Dendritic cell counts in the peripheral blood of healthy adults

The normal range for adult blood dendritic cells (DC) has not been established. Blood DC counts were assayed directly from blood for 16 female and 11 male healthy adults with an age range of 22–60 years old (median, 46 years). DC were defined as lineage 1‐negative/dim, CD34‐negative/dim, and HLA‐DR‐positive within the total peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) population. Impedance counter complete blood counts were used with flow cytometry percentages to calculate the absolute DC count and DC percentage of mononuclear cells (MNC). The normal adult ranges for DC calculated as the mean ± 2SD were 0.16–0.68% PBL, 0.55–1.63% MNC, and 13–37 DC/μL of blood. Am. J. Hematol. 78:314–315, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Strategies for continued successful treatment of Alzheimer's disease: switching cholinesterase inhibitors

SUMMARY Cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors represent the standard therapeutic approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, a proportion of patients experience lack or loss of therapeutic benefit with an initial agent, or discontinue due to safety/tolerability issues. In many instances, no alternative treatment is offered once the initial agent has been stopped. Thus, for many patients, the total duration of treatment is relatively short in comparison with the chronic nature of AD. Switching medications is a common therapeutic strategy within many drug classes across many clinical areas following a lack/loss of efficacy or safety/tolerability problems, and is also an increasingly important concept in the management of AD with ChE inhibitors. A number of open-label studies, where patients were switched from donepezil to rivastigmine, have indicated that approximately 50% of patients experiencing a lack/loss of efficacy with donepezil (a selective acetylcholinesterase [AChE] inhibitor) respond to subsequent treatment with rivastigmine (a dual AChE and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor). In these studies, rivastigmine was well tolerated, and the occurrence of safety/tolerability problems with donepezil was not predictive of similar problems with rivastigmine. In the summer of 2002, leading neurologists and psychiatrists attended a medical experts meeting to discuss the clinical importance of switching ChE inhibitors in AD. The expert panel examined available clinical data, shared clinical experiences, and discussed current clinical guidelines for switching. The panel also aimed to reach consensus on 'whom to switch', 'when to switch' and 'how to switch'. The key findings from that meeting are reported in this review.
New peptide conjugates with 9‐aminoacridine: synthesis and binding to DNA

New peptides—9‐aminoacridine conjugates with an ethylene diamine linker—have been synthesized (both solution and solid phase methods were used) and their interactions with DNA have been studied. The affinity of H‐Phe‐Gln‐Gly‐Ile2‐NHCH2CH2NH‐Acr conjugate and of its extended analogue containing 6‐aminohexanoic acid to DNA were lower than that of a standard H‐Gly‐NHCH2CH2NH‐Acr conjugate. The results fit well into our concept of peptide conjugates with lowered binding activity to DNA, which could be capable of unlimited extravascular distribution. Moreover, new structures could be potentially useful as the mild tuners of DNA interaction with strong bis‐acridine binders. Copyright © 2006 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shape-Color Differential Moment Invariants under Affine Transformations

We propose the general construction formula of shape-color primitives by using partial differentials of each color channel in this paper. By using all kinds of shape-color primitives, shape-color differential moment invariants can be constructed very easily, which are invariant to the shape affine and color affine transforms. 50 instances of SCDMIs are obtained finally. In experiments, several commonly used color descriptors and SCDMIs are used in image classification and retrieval of color images, respectively. By comparing the experimental results, we find that SCDMIs get better results.
Spermatogenesis alterations during protracted irradiation in man.

A total of 72 persons with long-term occupational exposure to ionizing radiations were subjected to an andrologic examination including semen analyses. The investigated subjects had not had any gonadic disease or other diseases which could induce Spermatogenesis troubles. Semen specimens were compared with those of 42 controls of a similar mean age. The examination of spermatic liquid revealed hypospermia in 45.8 %, asthenospermia in 68 % and teratospermia in 75 % of the investigated subjects. The incidence of these spermatogenesis alterations significantly differed from those of the controls. Parvisemia was not different between the exposed and control group even at a 5 % threshold. Using the present day accepted criteria for defining hypofertility and infertility, there are significant differences between the exposed and control groups as regards the incidence of hypofertility and infertility ( P < 0.05). The spermatogenesis alterations-especially hypospermia and teratospermia-noticed in protracted irradiation can account for lowering of fertility of men occupationally exposed to ionizing radiations, previously proved by epidemiologic researches carried out in various countries. As semen of poor quality is known to be associated with spontaneous abortions and stillbirths, and because these were also more frequentIy found in families of men occupationally exposed to ionizing radiations, our data bring supplementary and direct evidence in favour of a relationship between these dominant lethalities and long-term exposure to ionizing radiations.
Acute effects after occupational endotoxin exposure at a spa.

OBJECTIVES Two spa workers reported such symptoms as fever, shivering, palpitation, arthralgia, and diarrhea after performing seaweed massages on clients at a spa center. This study was carried out to determine whether the symptoms were related to exposure to endotoxin. METHODS Personal and stationary air sampling for the measurement of airborne endotoxin was carried out at the spa during the preparation of a bath and the following seaweed massage. In addition, the impact of storage time on the concentration of endotoxin in the seaweed was investigated. RESULTS The measurements confirmed exposure to aerosolized endotoxin at the spa (11 ng/m (2)and 22 ng/m (3)). The endotoxin concentration in the stored seaweed increased as the storage time increased, from 360 ng/g seaweed for fresh seaweed to 33100 ng/g seaweed for seaweed stored for >20 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Organic dust toxic syndrome was diagnosed for two workers who performed seaweed massages at a spa center at which aerosolized endotoxin was measured. In order to minimize entotoxin exposure during massages, it is important to use fresh seaweed or seaweed kept well cooled for no more than 2-3 weeks.
Future Directions for Incontinence Research With Frail Elders

Background: The most vulnerable older adults are often referred to as the frail elderly. There is a high prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in this population, yet there is little research to guide nurses in providing effective continence care to this vulnerable group of elders. Objectives: To summarize current knowledge on UI in frail older adults and suggest future areas for research in this population. Methods: Existing literature about UI in the frail elderly was analyzed to generate a plan for future research. Results: Gaps exist in the knowledge base needed to guide the nursing care of incontinent frail elders in the following areas: effectiveness of interventions, caregiver characteristics and management models, prevalence, risk factors, and reliability and validity of outcome measures. There are barriers to conducting research in long-term care settings. Conclusions: Despite the challenges inherent in doing research with incontinent frail elders, there is an urgent need for research to guide the nursing care of this population in all healthcare settings.
The molecular basis of UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (GALE) deficiency galactosemia in Korean patients

Purpose: UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (GALE) deficiency galactosemia is an autosomal recessive disorder and the prevalence of the disease varies among ethnic groups. We aimed to investigate molecular characteristics of the Korean patients with attenuated GALE activity and elevated galactose-1-phosphate levels in blood.Methods: In order to characterize the molecular defects underlying GALE deficiency, the GALE gene of 7 patients showing severe activity decreases was sequenced. PCR-RFLP was performed to confirm the presence of the mutations identified by sequencing.Results: Nine mutations were identified: 8 missense mutations (p.A25V, p.R40C, p.D69E, p.E165K, p.R169W, p.R239W, p.G302D, and p.R335H) and one nonsense mutation (p.W336X). Except for p.R335H, all of these mutations are novel. Six patients were compound heterozygotes (p.D69E/p.G302D, p.R40C/p.R169W, p.D69E/p.E165K, p.R239W/p.R335H, p.A25V/p.R169W, and p.G302D/p.R335H) and the remaining patient had only one mutation (p.W336X/not detected). Thirty patients with moderately reduced GALE activity were also tested by PCR-RFLP for the presence of the above mutation, and mutations were detected in 17 of these 30 patients. The frequency of p.G302D (9/30), p.R239W (6/30) and p.R169W (5/30) in our Korean patients with GALE deficiency galactosemia was relatively high.Conclusions: We detected 9 mutations of the GALE gene in Korean galactosemia patients, and confirmed allelic heterogeneity in this disease.
Effectiveness of Self Instructional Module on Knowledge of Primary School Teachers Regarding Learning Disorders Among Children in Selected Schools at Karad City

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Self instructional module on knowledge regarding learning disorders among primary school teachers. Objectives- To assess the knowledge among primary school teachers on learning disorders before and after administration Self instructional module. To find the association between knowledge with selected socio demographic variables. Methods An evaluative research approach with 60 cares takers and convenient sampling technique was used. Results-Majority of primary school teachers 55(58.3%) were females. 33 (55%) have diploma in education (D.Ed.) most of primary school teachers 21 (35%) have 1-5 years of experience The Mean posttest knowledge 21.13 was higher than Mean pre-test knowledge score 13.48. The computed 't' value is more than 0.05. Conclusion - the findings of the study concluded that primary school teachers had adequate knowledge regarding learning disorders among children. The Self instructional module was highly effective in improving the knowledge.
Preparation of powdered egg yolk using a mini spray dryer

Powdered egg is used as an emulsifying agent in emulsion formulations. It is an excellent source of high quality protein, of which the yolk contains 44% and the egg white 56%. Spray drying is a widely applied method for drying aqueous or organic solutions and emulsions in the chemical and food industries. Spray drying can be used to preserve food or simply as a rapid drying method. The objective of this work was to study the viability of obtaining powdered egg yolk powder using a Buchi B-190 Mini Spray Dryer. The egg yolk protein was evaluated by the semi-micro Kjeldahl method. It was concluded that the use of the Buchi B-190 Mini Spray Dryer to produce powdered egg yolk is perfectly feasible.
[A successful case of tanshinone II A treatment for relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia after maintainance therapy of all-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide].

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of Tanshinone II A (Tan II A) on acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) characterized by resistance to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO). METHODS A 21-year-old male patient with relapsed APL, who previously received the maintenance therapy with ATRA,ATO, 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) and Methotrexate (MTX) for 1 year, was given Tan II A 80 mg intravenously once a day, and the changes of hematological parameters and side effects of Tan II A were observed. RESULTS The patient reached morphologically complete remission after using Tan II A intravenously for 54 days. During Tan II A treatment, obvious side effect was not observed. CONCLUSION Tan II A treatment may be effective in relapsed APL cases with ATRA and ATO resistance.
Complex odontoma: A clinical case report

Odontomas are mixed odontogenic tumors, composed by mineralized tissue of ectomesenchymal origin. According to the World Health Organization, odontomas are classifi ed into two main types: Complex and compound. They are generally found in routine radiographic exams and may be related to several causes. However, they are rarely associated with impacted teeth. This article aims to demonstrate the clinical and histopathological characteristics of this tumor through a clinical case report. The 18-year-old female patient sought dental assistance and reported pain, edema, and bleeding in the area around the impacted tooth 48, being submitted to biopsy after an injury was found on the imaging exam. After the result of the biopsy, the patient was diagnosed with complex odontoma, in the posterior region of the mandible, which was later removed by curettage.
ESTUDO TERAPEUTICO E GEOECOLÓGICO DO STRYPHNODENDRON ADSTRINGENS (MART.) COVILLE : uma revisão integrativa

A Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.). Coville, uma especie nativa da regiao do cerrado brasileiro, e rica em substâncias terapeuticas que pode contribuir muito para a area da medicina. Seus compostos como taninos, saponinas, galactomananas e flavonoides podem contribuir no tratamento de cicatrizacao de feridas, ulceras de pressao, demonstrando acao antiinflamatoria, antibacteriana, aos microorganismos bucais, alem de outras enfermidades. Porem, nos tempos atuais, esta especie esta sendo ameacada, principalmente na regiao de Campo Mourao – PR, onde ocorrem areas na regiao com caracteristicas de cerrado. Assim, este estudo visa demonstrar um pouco sobre esta especie, suas caracteristicas morfologicas, seu habitat, e conscientizar o plantio de mudas para a sobrevivencia da planta.
Electrochemical detection of As3+ and As5+ by anodic stripping voltammetry at a gold electrode

In this article, electrochemical detection of arsenite (As3+) and arsenate (As5+) by stripping voltammetry at a gold electrode has been investigated. As3+ and As5· are reduced to arsine (AsH3) in 0.1 M sodium borohydride before deposition on the electrode surface. 0.1 M HCl was used as the supporting electrolyte, where Cl- ions act as an ionic bridge, facilitating reduction at the working electrode. As3+ and As5+ can be deposited as arsine by simple electrochemical reduction at −0.5 V (versus Ag/AgCl). Anodic stripping voltammograms of arsine at a gold electrode showed similar peak potentials for As° oxidation (≈0.31 V versus Ag/AgCl) under the optimum conditions (deposition potential, deposition time, and scan rate of −0.5 V, 60 s, and 200 mV/s, respectively). The stripping voltammograms for As3+ and As5+ presented similar peak shapes and current intensities. A reaction mechanism involving reduction to As0 at a mild potential in a strong acid, followed by oxidation of As° to As3+ at the gold electrode, was proposed. The method developed offers a wide linear concentration range for As3+ (0−5 ppm) and As5+ (0−20 ppm) and very low limits of detection for As3+ (0.85 ppm) and As5+ (6.07 ppm).
A rule-based speech morphing for verifying a expressive speech perception model

This paper describes a rule-based approach for verifying a three-layer model that was proposed for modeling expressive speech perception. The three layers are expressive speech, semantic primitives, and acoustic features. In our previous work we built the model. In the current work, the built model is verified by creating rules with parameters that morph the acoustic characteristics of a neutral utterance to the perception of certain semantic primitives or expressive speech categories. There are two types of rules. Base rules verify the validity of the analytic results. Intensity rules verify the perceived intensity of expressive speech and semantic primitives. The experiments results show the significant relationships of expressive speech, semantic primitives, and acoustic features. This model will help to develop tools such as a synthesizer to produce utterances that could give listeners the perception of different categories and intensity-levels of expressive speech.
Micro-additive fabrication of 38 GHz resonators and filters

A new additive micro fabrication process for cavity resonator and band-pass filters is presented. 195 μm thick 3D air-filled components are fabricated operating at 38 GHz cavity resonator and two-pole band-pass filter. This paper presents a complete characterization of these components, with accurate simulation models. These models can be used to compute the losses in the component, and next improve them.