Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxins via miniaturized electrochemical assemblies

The production of pyocyanin from the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa was probed using a variety of miniaturized electrochemical systems. Goal 1 used disposable screen printed carbon electrodes to measure pyocyanin in medically relevant samples showing for the first time that pyocyanin can be detected at medically relevant concentrations (1-100 µM) without sample processing. Goal 2 coupled these same electrodes with Polydimethylsiloxane growth chambers to expose P. aeruginosa biofilms to varying concentrations of colistin sulphate. A reduction in electrochemical signal from pyocyanin, of approximately 80% at 100 mg/L colistin sulphate, highlights this molecules relation to biofilm health. Goal 3 addresses the question of detecting P. aeruginosa in patient samples if the concentration of pyocyanin is initially low/non-existent in patient samples. Disposable screen printed carbon electrodes were embedded within King's A agar to determine whether electrochemical detection of pyocyanin could decrease the positive time to detection of P. aeruginosa. Measurements using bacterial loads of PA14 from 10 2-10 8 cells showed a load dependence on the electrochemical time to detection. Importantly the positive identification of P. aeruginosa was reduced approximately by 14-18 hours. Goal 4 looks at the miniaturization of the reference electrode using palladium as a novel pseudo reference material. The reference electrode was fabricated in a nanofluidic chamber housing a gold working electrode. The palladium electrode showed promise as it maintained a stable reference during testing and was sensitive to changes in pH only. The miniaturized two electrode system was capable of discerning pyocyanin production from the wild type and three mutants of P. aeruginosa. Goal 5 combines all of the necessary components for a three electrode electrochemical cell, within a nanofluidic channel. This was done to monitor the production of pyocyanin from small concentrations of P. aeruginosa confined in microfluidic channels to address whether pyocyanin production was indeed controlled by quorum sensing. Results suggest that the production and measurement of pyocyanin in this system is indeed dependent on quorum sensing. However the utilized system requires a 100 fold increase in the number of cells present to approach similar bacterial concentrations of other reported single cell quorum sensing platforms, indicating the results are inconclusive. Future research should be aimed at simplifying the fabrication and characterization processes of the three electrode nanofluidic sensors along with the miniaturization of the sensors. Decreasing sensor and growth chamber size will help to address the question of whether or not P. aeruginosa can successfully detect …
On the occurrence of Obelia medusa blooms and empirical evidence of unusual massive accumulations of Obelia and Amphisbetia hydroids on the Argentina shoreline

Medusa blooms are a scarcely known phenomenon. For temperate, southwestern Atlantic wa- ters, reports of such events are almost nonexistent. This research reports the analysis of a total of 1043 plank- ton samples taken from 1993 to 2006 and benthic samples collected by seasonal SCUBA diving since 1997 along the Buenos Aires coast. The medusa Obelia longissima was observed in very low densities and frequen- cies, except in October 2003, when a bloom of this species was detected. Soon afterward, two consecutive mas- sive accumulations of O. longissima and Amphisbetia operculata colonies were detected on the coast by the inhabitants of Mar del Plata (38o00´S-57o32´W) and the coastal Mar Chiquita Lagoon (37o32´S-57o19´W) be- tween March and April 2004. The colonies of both species were collected from the shoreline at low tide at both sites. The environmental factors of that period seemed to be particularly appropriate for promoting optimum growth conditions for these hydroid species. This paper reports and describes the mentioned abnormal phe- nomena, providing baseline information on these little-understood events.
The Splicing Factor SRSF1 as a Marker for Endothelial Senescence

Aging is the major risk factor per se for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The senescence of the endothelial cells (ECs) that line the lumen of blood vessels is the cellular basis for these age-dependent vascular pathologies, including atherosclerosis and hypertension. During their lifespan, ECs may reach a stage of senescence by two different pathways; a replicative one derived from their preprogrammed finite number of cell divisions; and one induced by stress stimuli. Also, certain physiological stimuli, such as transforming growth factor-β, are able to modulate cellular senescence. Currently, the cellular aging process is being widely studied to identify novel molecular markers whose changes correlate with senescence. This review focuses on the regulation of alternative splicing mediated by the serine–arginine splicing factor 1 (SRSF1, or ASF/SF2) during endothelial senescence, a process that is associated with a differential subcellular localization of SRSF1, which typically exhibits a scattered distribution throughout the cytoplasm. Based on its senescence-dependent involvement in alternative splicing, we postulate that SRSF1 is a key marker of EC senescence, regulating the expression of alternative isoforms of target genes such as endoglin (ENG), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), tissue factor (T3), or lamin A (LMNA) that integrate in a common molecular senescence program.
A novel Gymnema sylvestre extract stimulates insulin secretion from human islets in vivo and in vitro

Many plant‐based products have been suggested as potential antidiabetic agents, but few have been shown to be effective in treating the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in human studies, and little is known of their mechanisms of action. Extracts of Gymnema sylvestre (GS) have been used for the treatment of T2DM in India for centuries. The effects of a novel high molecular weight GS extract, Om Santal Adivasi, (OSA®) on plasma insulin, C‐peptide and glucose in a small cohort of patients with T2DM are reported here. Oral administration of OSA® (1 g/day, 60 days) induced significant increases in circulating insulin and C‐peptide, which were associated with significant reductions in fasting and post‐prandial blood glucose. In vitro measurements using isolated human islets of Langerhans demonstrated direct stimulatory effects of OSA® on insulin secretion from human ? ‐cells, consistent with an in vivo mode of action through enhancing insulin secretion. These in vivo and in vitro observations suggest that OSA® may provide a potential alternative therapy for the hyperglycemia associated with T2DM. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biodegradable Polymers Influence the Effect of Atorvastatin on Human Coronary Artery Cells

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have reduced in-stent-restenosis drastically. Yet, the stent surface material directly interacts with cascades of biological processes leading to an activation of cellular defense mechanisms. To prevent adverse clinical implications, to date almost every patient with a coronary artery disease is treated with statins. Besides their clinical benefit, statins exert a number of pleiotropic effects on endothelial cells (ECs). Since maintenance of EC function and reduction of uncontrolled smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation represents a challenge for new generation DES, we investigated the effect of atorvastatin (ATOR) on human coronary artery cells grown on biodegradable polymers. Our results show a cell type-dependent effect of ATOR on ECs and SMCs. We observed polymer-dependent changes in IC50 values and an altered ATOR-uptake leading to an attenuation of statin-mediated effects on SMC growth. We conclude that the selected biodegradable polymers negatively influence the anti-proliferative effect of ATOR on SMCs. Hence, the process of developing new polymers for DES coating should involve the characterization of material-related changes in mechanisms of drug actions.
Integrated treatment modality of cathodal-transcranial direct current stimulation with peripheral sensory stimulation affords neuroprotection in a rat stroke model

Abstract. Cathodal-transcranial direct current stimulation induces therapeutic effects in animal ischemia models by preventing the expansion of ischemic injury during the hyperacute phase of ischemia. However, its efficacy is limited by an accompanying decrease in cerebral blood flow. On the other hand, peripheral sensory stimulation can increase blood flow to specific brain areas resulting in rescue of neurovascular functions from ischemic damage. Therefore, the two modalities appear to complement each other to form an integrated treatment modality. Our results showed that hemodynamics was improved in a photothrombotic ischemia model, as cerebral blood volume and hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO2) recovered to 71% and 76% of the baseline values, respectively. Furthermore, neural activities, including somatosensory-evoked potentials (110% increase), the alpha-to-delta ratio (27% increase), and the (delta+theta)/(alpha+beta) ratio (27% decrease), were also restored. Infarct volume was reduced by 50% with a 2-fold preservation in the number of neurons and a 6-fold reduction in the number of active microglia in the infarct region compared with the untreated group. Grip strength was also better preserved (28% higher) compared with the untreated group. Overall, this nonpharmacological, nonintrusive approach could be prospectively developed into a clinical treatment modality.
The Danish Dependency Treebank and the DTAG Treebank Tool

The Danish Dependency Treebank (DDT) is a dependency treeba nk with 5,540 sentences totalling 100,200 tokens. DDT consists of 536 ran domly selected texts from the morphosyntactically tagged Danish PAROLE corpus [ 5]. 1 The principles behind DDT are described in an 110 page annotation manual dra ft [7]. A research assistant has created the annotations manually and verified them once (at a rate of 1,000 words/day), and approximately 25% of the texts have be en double-checked by a linguist. The treebank is freely available for research and can be obtained from the author.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids, cognition and literacy in children with ADHD with and without learning difficulties

Suboptimal omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) levels may contribute to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related developmental problems. Associations between n-3 and omega-6 (n-6) PUFA levels in red blood cells (erythrocytes) and learning and behaviour were investigated in 75 children aged 7–12 with ADHD. Children provided blood samples and underwent cognitive assessments. Parents completed questionnaires and Conners’ Rating Scales. Controlling for covariates, higher n-3 PUFA predicted lower anxiety/shyness (β = -.27), higher docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) better word reading (β = .22), and higher n-6 PUFA poorer reading (β = -.34), vocabulary (β = .-.26), spelling (β = -.30) and attention (β = -.30). Thirty-six per cent of the sample with learning difficulties had lower DHA than those without (M = 3.26 ± 0.54 vs M = 3.68 ± 0.76, p = .02). This study is the first to compare erythrocyte PUFAs (a measure of PUFA status) in children who have ADHD with and without learning difficulties, and supports emerging indications that the former may be more likely responders to n-3 PUFAs.
The deformation of metals under small stresses during phase transformations

Stresses are developed internally in metals when a change in density and strength arises from a phase transformation. It is shown that plastic flow, generally confined to the weaker phase, results from the accommodation of strain due to the transformation front. The form of the plastic flow is considered in terms of the extreme cases of yield and creep behaviour. It is deduced that, for a complete cycle both ways through the transformation temperature, the resultant deformation varies linearly with the applied stress (provided this is small), the fractional volume change on transformation and inversely as the flow stress of the weaker phase. The deformation is not zero in the absence of external stress except where the phase transformation front has random orientation and movement. The theoretically deduced relations are examined experimentally by observing the deformation of specimens with attached weights, giving small tensile stresses, while their temperature was cycled through a transformation point. Phase transformations were examined in a number of metals involving a variety of crystal structures: reasonable agreement between theory and experiment was obtained in all cases.
A Comparison of Two Different Approaches to Morphological Analysis of Dutch

This paper compares two systems for computational morphological analysis of Dutch. Both systems have been independently designed as separate modules in the context of the FLa-VoR project, which aims to develop a modular architecture for automatic speech recognition. The systems are trained and tested on the same Dutch morphological database (CELEX), and can thus be objectively compared as morphological analyzers in their own right.
Characterisation of Al–Ti dissimilar material joints fabricated using ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is a solid state manufacturing process for joining thin metal tapes using principles of ultrasonic metal welding. The process operates at low temperatures, enabling dissimilar material welds without generating harmful intermetallic compounds. In this study, a 9 kW UAM system was used to create joints of Al 1100 and commercially pure titanium. Viable process parameters were identified through pilot weld studies via controlled variation of weld force, amplitude and weld speed. Push-pin delamination tests and shear tests were performed, comparing as-built, heat treated and spark plasma sintering treated samples. Heat treated and spark plasma sintering treated samples yielded mechanical strengths over twice that of as-built samples. Electron backscatter diffraction measurements show that deformation and grain refinement only take place in the aluminium layers. Heat treated samples exhibit a thin intermetallic layer, which is hypothesised as constraining the interface, leading to the improved strength.
Three-Party Energy Management With Distributed Energy Resources in Smart Grid

In this paper, the benefits of distributed energy resources are considered in an energy management scheme for a smart community consisting of a large number of residential units (RUs) and a shared facility controller (SFC). A noncooperative Stackelberg game between the RUs and the SFC is proposed in order to explore how both entities can benefit, in terms of achieved utility and minimizing total cost respectively, from their energy trading with each other and the grid. From the properties of the game, it is shown that the maximum benefit to the SFC, in terms of reduction in total cost, is obtained at the unique and strategy-proof Stackelberg equilibrium (SE). It is further shown that the SE is guaranteed to be reached by the SFC and RUs by executing the proposed algorithm in a distributed fashion, where participating RUs comply with their best strategies in response to the action chosen by the SFC. In addition, a charging-discharging scheme is introduced for the SFC's storage device that can further lower the SFC's total cost if the proposed game is implemented. Numerical experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Physician job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia: insights from a tertiary hospital survey

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Job satisfaction refers to the extent to which people like or dislike their job. Job satisfaction varies across professions. Few studies have explored this issue among physicians in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study is to determine the level and factors associated with job satisfaction among Saudi and non-Saudi physicians. METHODS In this cross-sectional study conducted in a major tertiary hospital in Riyadh, a 5-point Likert scale structured questionnaire was used to collect data on a wide range of socio-demographic, practice environment characteristics and level and consequences of job satisfaction from practicing physicians (consultants or residents) across different medical specialties. Logistic regression models were fitted to determine factors associated with job satisfaction. RESULTS Of 344 participants, 300 (87.2%) were Saudis, 252 (73%) males, 255 (74%) married, 188 (54.7%) consultants and age [median (IQR)] was 32 (27–42.7) years. Overall, 104 (30%) respondents were dissatisfied with their jobs. Intensive care physicians were the most dissatisfied physicians (50%). In a multiple logistic regression model, income satisfaction (odds ratio [OR]=0.448 95% CI 0.278–0.723, P<.001) was the only factor independently associated with dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION Factors adversely associated with physicians job satisfaction identified in this study should be addressed in governmental strategic planning aimed at improving the healthcare system and patient care.
A group of permutations that commute with the discrete Fourier transform

The authors characterize a potentially useful set of permutation matrices that commute with the Fourier matrix of order n. The set of all such permutation matrices is a group under matrix multiplication, and every element of the group is its own inverse. They study the number of these permutations as a function of the order n/spl lowbar/ of the Fourier matrix and conclude that it is a multiplicative function of n. >
Impact of Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Mortality After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

AbstractModifiable cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome can easily give rise to coronary heart disease (CHD). However, due to the existence of the so-called “obesity paradox” and “smoking paradox,” the impact of these modifiable cardiovascular risk factors on mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still not clear.Therefore, in order to solve this issue, we aim to compare mortality between patients with low and high modifiable cardiovascular risk factors after PCI.Medline and EMBASE were searched for studies related to these modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Reported outcome was all-cause mortality after PCI. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and the pooled analyses were performed with RevMan 5.3 software.A total of 100 studies consisting of 884,190 patients (330,068 and 514,122 with high and low cardiovascular risk factors respectively) have been included in this meta-analysis. Diabetes mellitus was associated with a significantly higher short and long-term mortality with RR 2.11; 95% CI: (1.91–2.33) and 1.85; 95% CI: (1.66–2.06), respectively, after PCI. A significantly higher long-term mortality in the hypertensive and metabolic syndrome patients with RR 1.45; 95% CI: (1.24–1.69) and RR 1.29; 95% CI: (1.11–1.51), respectively, has also been observed. However, an unexpectedly, significantly lower mortality risk was observed among the smokers and obese patients.Certain modifiable cardiovascular risk subgroups had a significantly higher impact on mortality after PCI. However, mortality among the obese patients and the smokers showed an unexpected paradox after coronary intervention.
Limit theorems for additive functionals of a Markov chain

Consider a Markov chain $\{X_n\}_{n\ge 0}$ with an ergodic probability measure $\pi$. Let $\Psi$ a function on the state space of the chain, with $\alpha$-tails with respect to $\pi$, $\alpha\in (0,2)$. We find sufficient conditions on the probability transition to prove convergence in law of $N^{1/\alpha}\sum_n^N \Psi(X_n)$ to a $\alpha$-stable law. ``Martingale approximation'' approach and ``coupling'' approach give two different sets of conditions. We extend these results to continuous time Markov jump processes $X_t$, whose skeleton chain satisfies our assumptions. If waiting time between jumps has finite expectation, we prove convergence of $N^{-1/\alpha}\int_0^{Nt} V(X_s) ds$ to a stable process. In the case of waiting times with infinite average, we prove convergence to a Mittag-Leffler process.
A Rationale for Parsimonious Laboratory Term Mapping by Frequency

Mapping local observation codes to a standard vocabulary provides a bridge across the many islands of data that reside in isolated systems, but mapping is resource intensive. To help prioritize the mapping effort, we analyzed laboratory results reported over a thirteen month period from five institutions in the Indiana Network for Patient Care. Overall, more than 4,000 laboratory observation codes accounted for almost 49 million results. Of the observations reported in the thirteen months, 80 codes (2%) accounted for 80% of the total volume from all institutions and 784 codes (19%) accounted for 99% of the volume from all institutions. The 244 to 517 observation codes that represented 99% of the volume at each institution also captured all results for more than 99% of the patients at that institution. Our findings suggest that focusing the mapping effort on this modest set of high-yield codes can reduce the barriers to interoperability.
Striatal origin of the pathologic beta oscillations in Parkinson's disease

Enhanced oscillations at beta frequencies (8–30 Hz) are a signature neural dynamic pathology in the basal ganglia and cortex of Parkinson's disease patients. The mechanisms underlying these pathological beta oscillations remain elusive. Here, using mathematical models, we find that robust beta oscillations can emerge from inhibitory interactions between striatal medium spiny neurons. The interaction of the synaptic GABAa currents and the intrinsic membrane M-current promotes population oscillations in the beta frequency range. Increased levels of cholinergic drive, a condition relevant to the parkinsonian striatum, lead to enhanced beta oscillations in the striatal model. We show experimentally that direct infusion of the cholinergic agonist carbachol into the striatum, but not into the neighboring cortex, of the awake, normal rodent induces prominent beta frequency oscillations in the local field potential. These results provide evidence for amplification of normal striatal network dynamics as a mechanism responsible for the enhanced beta frequency oscillations in Parkinson's disease.
Men Fear Other Men Most: Gender Specific Brain Activations in Perceiving Threat from Dynamic Faces and Bodies – An fMRI Study

Gender differences are an important factor regulating our daily interactions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we show that brain areas involved in processing social signals are activated differently by threatening signals send from male and female facial and bodily expressions and that their activation patterns are different for male and female observers. Male participants pay more attention to the female face as shown by increased amygdala activity. But a host of other areas show selective sensitivity for male observers attending to male threatening bodily expressions (extrastriate body area, superior temporal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, pre-supplementary motor area, and premotor cortex). This is the first study investigating gender differences in processing dynamic female and male facial and bodily expressions and it illustrates the importance of gender differences in affective communication.