Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Susceptibility of Invasive Isolates of Candida spp. to Anidulafungin, Caspofungin, and Micafungin: Six Years of Global Surveillance

ABSTRACT The echinocandins are being used increasingly as therapy for invasive candidiasis. Prospective sentinel surveillance for the emergence of in vitro resistance to the echinocandins among invasive Candida sp. isolates is indicated. We determined the in vitro activities of anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin against 5,346 invasive (bloodstream or sterile-site) isolates of Candida spp. collected from over 90 medical centers worldwide from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006. We performed susceptibility testing according to the CLSI M27-A2 method and used RPMI 1640 broth, 24-h incubation, and a prominent inhibition endpoint for determination of the MICs. Of 5,346 invasive Candida sp. isolates, species distribution was 54% C. albicans, 14% C. parapsilosis, 14% C. glabrata, 12% C. tropicalis, 3% C. krusei, 1% C. guilliermondii, and 2% other Candida spp. Overall, all three echinocandins were very active against Candida: anidulafungin (MIC50, 0.06 μg/ml; MIC90, 2 μg/ml), caspofungin (MIC50, 0.03 μg/ml; MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml), micafungin (MIC50, 0.015 μg/ml; MIC90, 1 μg/ml). More than 99% of isolates were inhibited by ≤2 μg/ml of all three agents. Results by species (expressed as the percentages of isolates inhibited by ≤2 μg/ml of anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin, respectively) were as follows: for C. albicans, 99.6%, 100%, and 100%; for C. parapsilosis, 92.5%, 99.9%, and 100%; for C. glabrata, 99.9%, 99.9%, and 100%; for C. tropicalis, 100%, 99.8%, and 100%; for C. krusei, 100%, 100%, and 100%; and for C. guilliermondii, 90.2%, 95.1%, and 100%. There was no significant change in the activities of the three echinocandins over the 6-year study period and no difference in activity by geographic region. All three echinocandins have excellent in vitro activities against invasive strains of Candida isolated from centers worldwide. Our prospective sentinel surveillance reveals no evidence of emerging echinocandin resistance among invasive clinical isolates of Candida spp.
Modeling Aspects in Requirements using SysML Extensions

Aspects in software have been proposed and widely studied for the implementation phase of software development to solve modularization issues. Software requirements may also contain scattered and tangled concerns which needs special treatment. The separation of crosscutting concerns at the level of requirements contributes to improve the process of software development, to detect initial conflicts of interest and to improve the modularity of requirements. The purpose of this article is to use SysML to model aspects at the requirements level. This choice was made based on SysML’s specific diagram for requirements modeling. Extensions to the metamodel of the SysML Requirements diagram were proposed in order to include aspects during activities of requirements modeling. As a result, for the implementation phase of software development, aspects would have already been identified and modeled during the requirements phase.
■ REVIEW : Stress and Sex Effects on Associative Learning: For Better or for Worse

It is clear that male and female animals have distinct cognitive capacities and emotional responses. For instance, exposure to a fearful and stressful event of restraint and intermittent tail-shocks impairs instru mental learning in male rats, but has minimal consequence in female rats. Conversely, exposure to a similar stressor facilitates classical conditioning in male rats and dramatically impairs conditioning in female rats. Many such sex differences in learning and responses to stress are attributable to the effects of sex hormones on brain morphology and physiology. Indeed, the stress-induced facilitation of classical conditioning in male rats is dependent on activation of the NMDA type of glutamate receptor in the amygdala, whereas the impaired conditioning in female rats is dependent on activational influences of the ovarian hormone estrogen. The role of estrogen and progesterone in the diametrically opposed effects of stress on learning are dis cussed, as are neuronal mechanisms that underlie sex differences in memory formation. NEUROSCIENTIST 4:353-364, 1998
Specialized Postsynaptic Morphology Enhances Neurotransmitter Dilution and High-Frequency Signaling at an Auditory Synapse

Sensory processing in the auditory system requires that synapses, neurons, and circuits encode information with particularly high temporal and spectral precision. In the amphibian papillia, sound frequencies up to 1 kHz are encoded along a tonotopic array of hair cells and transmitted to afferent fibers via fast, repetitive synaptic transmission, thereby promoting phase locking between the presynaptic and postsynaptic cells. Here, we have combined serial section electron microscopy, paired electrophysiological recordings, and Monte Carlo diffusion simulations to examine novel mechanisms that facilitate fast synaptic transmission in the inner ear of frogs (Rana catesbeiana and Rana pipiens). Three-dimensional anatomical reconstructions reveal specialized spine-like contacts between individual afferent fibers and hair cells that are surrounded by large, open regions of extracellular space. Morphologically realistic diffusion simulations suggest that these local enlargements in extracellular space speed transmitter clearance and reduce spillover between neighboring synapses, thereby minimizing postsynaptic receptor desensitization and improving sensitivity during prolonged signal transmission. Additionally, evoked EPSCs in afferent fibers are unaffected by glutamate transporter blockade, suggesting that transmitter diffusion and dilution, and not uptake, play a primary role in speeding neurotransmission and ensuring fidelity at these synapses.
Head-direction cells recorded from the postsubiculum in freely moving rats. II. Effects of environmental manipulations

The discharge characteristics of postsubicular head-direction cells in a fixed environment were described in the previous paper (Taube et al., 1990). This paper reports changes in the firing properties of head- direction cells following changes in the animal's environment. Head- direction cells were recorded from rats as they moved freely in a 76-cm- diameter gray cylinder. A white card, occupying 100 degrees of arc, was taped to the inside wall of the cylinder and served as the major orienting spatial cue in the animal's environment. Rotation of the cue card produced near-equal rotation in the preferred firing direction of head-direction cells, with minimal changes in peak firing rate, directional firing range, or asymmetry of the firing-rate/head- direction function. Card removal had no effect on peak firing rate or range of firing, but in 8/13 cells the preferred direction rotated by at least 24 degrees. Similarly, changing the shape of the environment to a rectangular or square enclosure caused the preferred firing direction to rotate by at least 48 degrees for 8/10 cells in the rectangle and 3/8 cells in the square, with minimal changes in the peak firing rate or directional firing range. Hand holding the animals and moving them around the cylinder had no effect on the preferred direction or firing range of the cell, but decreased the maximal firing rate in 7/9 cells. On 2 occasions, 2 head-direction cells were recorded simultaneously. The rotation of the preferred firing direction for one cell was the same as the rotation of the preferred direction for the second cell after each environmental manipulation. These results demonstrate that specific visual cues in the environment can exert control over the preferred firing direction and indicate that head- direction cell firing is not a simple sensory response to visual cues, but rather represents more abstract information concerning the animal's spatial relationship with its environment. The constancy of the angle between the preferred firing directions of pairs of simultaneously recorded head-direction cells suggests that there is a fixed mapping of the population onto direction within the environment. Thus, environmental manipulations appear to cause only a change in the reference direction, but leave all other discharge characteristics of directional cells unchanged. In the discussion, comparisons are drawn between the responses of head-direction cells and hippocampal place cells to similar environmental manipulations (Muller and Kubie, 1987), and ways in which these 2 spatial systems interact in navigation are discussed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Nonrandom Clusters of Palindromes in Herpesvirus Genomes

Palindromes are symmetrical words of DNA in the sense that they read exactly the same as their reverse complementary sequences. Representing the occurrences of palindromes in a DNA molecule as points on the unit interval, the scan statistics can be used to identify regions of unusually high concentration of palindromes. These regions have been associated with the replication origins on a few herpesviruses in previous studies. However, the use of scan statistics requires the assumption that the points representing the palindromes are independently and uniformly distributed on the unit interval. In this paper, we provide a mathematical basis for this assumption by showing that in randomly generated DNA sequences, the occurrences of palindromes can be approximated by a Poisson process. An easily computable upper bound on the Wasserstein distance between the palindrome process and the Poisson process is obtained. This bound is then used as a guide to choose an optimal palindrome length in the analysis of a collection of 16 herpesvirus genomes. Regions harboring significant palindrome clusters are identified and compared to known locations of replication origins. This analysis brings out a few interesting extensions of the scan statistics that can help formulate an algorithm for more accurate prediction of replication origins.
Logical types for untyped languages

Programmers reason about their programs using a wide variety of formal and informal methods. Programmers in untyped languages such as Scheme or Erlang are able to use any such method to reason about the type behavior of their programs. Our type system for Scheme accommodates common reasoning methods by assigning variable occurrences a subtype of their declared type based on the predicates prior to the occurrence, a discipline dubbed occurrence typing. It thus enables programmers to enrich existing Scheme code with types, while requiring few changes to the code itself. Three years of practical experience has revealed serious shortcomings of our type system. In particular, it relied on a system of ad-hoc rules to relate combinations of predicates, it could not reason about subcomponents of data structures, and it could not follow sophisticated reasoning about the relationship among predicate tests, all of which are used in existing code. In this paper, we reformulate occurrence typing to eliminate these shortcomings. The new formulation derives propositional logic formulas that hold when an expression evaluates to true or false, respectively. A simple proof system is then used to determine types of variable occurrences from these propositions. Our implementation of this revised occurrence type system thus copes with many more untyped programming idioms than the original system.
Determination of brand personality dimensions for a laptop computer using AAKER’s brand personality scale

This research was conducted to (i) identify brand personality dimensions of a laptop computer amongst computer science students; (ii) examine significant differences in the brand personality dimensions of the laptop according to the students’ background of gender, brand owned, year of study and programs; and (iii) examine the relationship between perceived brand personality of the laptop and its quality rating. The measurement of brand personality was based on the Aaker’s Brand Personality Scale. A total of 268 questionnaires were gathered from computer science students in a Malaysian public university using Stratified Random Sampling method. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to validate the measurement. The findings revealed that sincerity was ‘the human characteristic’ that users of the laptop associated themselves with the brand. Ruggedness was a brand personality that non-users associated themselves with the laptop. Significant means differences were observed in the brand personality dimensions of the laptop according to the students’ gender, present year of study and academic program. For users of the laptop, sincerity and modern of the brand personality dimensions were positively correlated with the brand quality rating. For non-users, a positive correlation existed between ruggedness, diligent and modern of the brand personality with the brand quality rating. Several implications were drawn based on the results of the research to enhance branding strategies of the laptop and for future researches.
Examination of the roles of transcription factor Sp1-binding sites and an octamer motif in trans induction of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene

Herpes simplex virus mutants with both Sp1-binding sites in the thymidine kinase (tk) promoter inactivated or an octamer motif deleted were at most modestly impaired for tk expression. Thus, no cellular transcription factor that binds upstream of the tk TATA box is solely required for trans induction of this gene.
Thyroid disorders in pregnancy

Thyroid disorders are common in pregnancy and the most common disorder is subclinical hypothyroidism. Due to the complex hormonal changes during pregnancy, it is important to remember that thyroxine requirements are higher in pregnancy. According to recent American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, the recommended reference ranges for TSH are 0.1 to 2.5 mIU/L in the first trimester, 0.2 to 3.0 mIU/L in the second trimester, and 0.3 to 3.0 mIU/L in the third trimester. Maternal hypothyroidism is an easily treatable condition that has been associated with increased risk of low birth weight, fetal distress, and impaired neuropsychological development. Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is less common as conception is a problem. Majority of them are due to Graves’ disease, though gestational hyperthyroidism is to be excluded. Preferred drug is propylthiouracil (PTU) with the target to maintain free T4 in upper normal range. Doses can be reduced in third trimester due to the immune-suppressant effects of pregnancy. Early and effective treatment of thyroid disorder ensures a safe pregnancy with minimal maternal and neonatal complications.
Tuning In to Vocabulary Frequency in Coursebooks

For second language learners vocabulary growth is of major importance, and for many learners commercially published coursebooks will be the source of this vocabulary learning. In this preliminary study, input from three levels of the coursebook series New English File (Oxenden and Latham-Koenig, 2006; Oxenden, Latham-Koenig, and Seligson, 2004, 2005) was analyzed using the computer program VocabProfile (Cobb, 2009). The results suggest that learners who complete three coursebook levels will receive exposure to fewer than the first 1,500 most frequent words in English. This has important pedagogical implications for learners, teachers and materials writers. Supplementary sources of suitable reading input are recommended, as is instruction in effective vocabulary learning strategies, if learners are to have regular opportunities to meet the most frequent 2,000 words of English.
Multiple Predictors of Contribution by Women to Agriculture

Multiple regression was used to test the hypothesis that several cultural customs are each separately associated with contribution by women to agriculture. The test was applied to a world sample of 108 societies where agriculture is the principal source of food. Six predictors of female contribution to agriculture are residence not patrilocal, polygynous marriage, no written language, use of money, low density of population, and no milk obtained from domestic animals. Women are more likely to contribute to agriculture in societies where they have a public rather than secluded role, where their work is necessary to obtain sufficient food, where their work is valuable for polygynous husbands, or where their work does not require the superior mobility and strength of men. Causes and effects of contribution by women to agriculture cannot be determined because the associated cultural customs adjust to each other during many generations.
Using a Behavioral Approach to Decrease Self-Injurious Behavior in an Adolescent With Severe Autism: A Data-Based Case Study

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at higher risk for developing self-injurious behaviors (SIB) and other challenging behaviors than typically developing individuals. SIBs often occur owing to deficits in communicative ability and can have undesirable consequences in an individual’s environment. This study demonstrated the use of a behavioral training package that included functional communication training (FCT) and a delayed schedule of reinforcement to decrease SIB and another challenging behavior while increasing appropriate requesting for a 14-year-old adolescent male with severe autism. The results demonstrated that the intervention was successful in the child’s classroom; however, several limitations exist that practitioners should consider before using similar instructional techniques.
The Relationship Between Marital Status and Health

Based on census materials collected in Britain from 1921 to 1991 and using bed occupancy as a proxy for health, this study focuses on the relationship between marriage and physical health. The results confirm the positive association between marriage and physical health within this society. Married people consistently make less use of residential health and social care facilities than do nonmarried people, and this relationship holds across all census years. This is not to deny, however, some important health differences within the nonmarried population, such as the increasing vulnerability of widowed females aged 65 years and older and of never-married males of working age.
Hierarchical Linear Modeling to Explore the Influence of Satisfaction with Public Facilities on Housing Prices

This paper uses hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to explore the influence of satisfaction with public facilities on both individual residential and overall (or regional) levels on housing prices. The empirical results indicate that the average housing prices between local cities and counties exhibit significant variance. At the macro level, the explanatory power of the variable i§convenience of lifei¨ on the average housing prices of all counties and cities reaches the 5% significance level. The influence of the satisfaction with convenience of life in different counties and cities on housing prices exhibits significant variances.
Language and Culture Acquisition among Iranians in the United States

This interpretive analysis of Farsi and English language use among first-generation Iranian immigrants and exiles in the United States examines the relationship between language use and second culture acquisition. Based on samples of language data collected during fieldwork among Iranian professionals and high school students, the analysis focuses on the symbolic role of language in the cross-culture acquisition process. It suggests that although language played a role in cultural identity maintenance and in the expression of Iranian attitudes toward American culture, its most important function was to facilitate the acquisition of an intercultural frame of reference in which the meanings and values associated with particular American cultural domains could be incorporated within the Iranian worldview. By moving awayfrom simple dichotomous or linear models of the relationship between language and acculturation to consider how language functions to mediate cultural perspectives, the discussion attempts to provide insights into second culture acquisition process. CULTURE ACQUISITION, IRANIANS, LANGUAGE, ACCULTURATION, MINORITY GROUP It is a central assumption in anthropological studies of learning that language and culture, as symbolically construed meaning systems, are interdependent: the acquisition of language is tied to social and cultural context, and the acquisition of culture occurs at least in part through language. However, the nature of the acquisition process, and with it the nature of the relationship between language and culture, have remained key areas for debate and theory building. As noted by Schieffelin and Ochs (1986:172) in their review of recent research in the field of language socialization, ordinary discourse is "a powerful socializing medium," conveying crucial cultural information not only through content but through discourse form as well. In a similar vein, Fishman (1972) has noted that language has a symbolic function that goes beyond its role as vehicle for the communication of content meaning. This conceptualization of the role of language in culture acquisition has raised important questions concerning the use of macro- and microanalytical approaches: at what level of specificity can one discuss the language/culture interface? Moreover, how can we account for the often neglected aspects of cultural change deriving from the inherently dynamic and creative nature of both culture and language?
Popular Protest Music and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

Music and performance have been at the heart of the ongoing Egyptian revolution since its outbreak on January 25, 2011. In this paper, we argue that popular protest music in particular has helped to shape and articulate emerging desires and aspirations as well as participating in criticisms and grievances at the site of political change. We aim to demonstrate, through the analysis of popular protest songs, how the 2011 Egyptian revolution has been imagined, articulated, and defined in popular culture. We trace the links between older revolutionary songs and how they have impacted new ones, while engaging with a number of theoretical issues on the role of popular music during periods of revolutionary struggles, in order to contextualize the domain of protest songs representing the Egyptian revolution. The last section of the article maps out a number of key popular music bands, musicians, and singers who have emerged and gained momentum as the “voice” of the 2011 revolution.
Small High Schools on a Larger Scale: The Impact of School Conversions in Chicago

This study examines 4 years of small school reform in Chicago, focusing on schools formed by converting large traditional high schools into small autonomous ones. Analyzing systemwide survey and outcome data, the authors assess the assumptions embedded in the reform’s theory of change. They find that these schools are characterized by more collegial and committed teacher contexts and more academically and personally supportive student contexts. There is some evidence of decreased dropout rates and increased graduation rates for the first cohort of students but not for the second cohort. The authors do not find stronger instruction, nor do they find student achievement has improved. They discuss implications for reformers and policy makers who are interested in small schools in particular and high school reform in general.