Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Amplicor, in-house PCR, and conventional culture for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples

Five hundred four clinical specimens (337 sputum and 167 bronchial samples) from 340 patients were tested for the presence of M. tuberculosis complex by the Amplicor M. tuberculosis test and by an in-house PCR. The results were compared with those obtained by conventional culture and by direct microscopy. Thirty specimens (from 14 patients) were positive by in-house PCR, 25 (from 13 patients) were positive by the Amplicor M. tuberculosis test, and 24 (from 10 patients) were positive by culture. Cultures from 16 specimens were contaminated with other bacteria. Strong inhibition of in-house PCR was found with three samples. After discordancy analyses, with clinical data as supportive evidence for tuberculosis, 27 true-positive and 458 true-negative samples were defined. On the basis of these figures, the sensitivities of the Amplicor M. tuberculosis test, in-house PCR, culture, and microscopy were 70.4, 92.6, 88.9, and 52.4%, respectively. The specificities of all four tests were higher than 98%. The good performance of the in-house PCR for detection of M. tuberculosis makes it a very useful additional tool in M. tuberculosis diagnostics. In contrast, the Amplicor test needs to be improved. Twenty-three of the Amplicor-negative samples were further tested for inhibition of the Amplicor system by retesting the DNA extracts after the addition of M. tuberculosis DNA. In 15 of these samples, 5 true positives and 10 true negatives, inhibition of the Amplicor test was demonstrated. This might explain the lack of sensitivity of the Amplicor test. If the inhibition problem can be solved, the Amplicor M. tuberculosis test, which is already rapid, very user-friendly, and reasonably priced, may certainly become very useful in microbiological laboratories.
Reshaping of Human Macrophage Polarization through Modulation of Glucose Catabolic Pathways

Macrophages integrate information from the tissue microenvironment and adjust their effector functions according to the prevalent extracellular stimuli. Therefore, macrophages can acquire a variety of activation (polarization) states, and this functional plasticity allows the adequate initiation, regulation, and resolution of inflammatory responses. Modulation of the glucose metabolism contributes to the macrophage adaptation to the surrounding cytokine milieu, as exemplified by the distinct glucose catabolism of macrophages exposed to LPS/IFN-γ or IL-4. To dissect the acquisition of macrophage effector functions in the absence of activating cytokines, we assessed the bioenergetic profile of macrophages generated in the presence of GM-CSF (GM-MØ) or M-CSF (M-MØ), which do not release pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines unless subjected to additional activating stimuli. Compared to M-MØ, GM-MØ displayed higher oxygen consumption rate and aerobic glycolysis (extracellular acidification rate [ECAR]), as well as higher expression of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes. However, M-MØ exhibited a significantly higher oxygen consumption rate/ECAR ratio. Surprisingly, whereas aerobic glycolysis positively regulated IL1B, TNF, and INHBA mRNA expression in both macrophage subtypes, mitochondrial respiration negatively affected IL6, IL1B, TNF, and CXCL10 mRNA expression in M-MØ. The physiological significance of these results became evident under low oxygen tensions, as hypoxia enhanced ECAR in M-MØ via HIF-1α and HIF-2α, increased expression of glycolytic enzymes and GM-MØ–specific genes, and diminished expression of M-MØ–associated genes. Therefore, our data indicate that GM-MØ and M-MØ display distinct bioenergetic profiles, and that hypoxia triggers a transcriptomic switch in macrophages by promoting a HIF-1α/HIF-2α-dependent increase in ECAR.
Relationship of nitric oxide and protein carbonyl in tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacilli replicate within the macrophages and can remain dormant for years; activated macrophages show immunity against these bacilli. MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective study was carried out in newly diagnosed TB patients (n = 70) before their antituberculosis treatment and in normal control subjects (n = 35). Serum level of nitric oxide was estimated by Moshage method, 1995 and Bories and Bories method, 1995 and protein carbonyl by Levine method, 1990. Pearson's correlation (r) and Fisher's 'z' test was performed on the obtained results. RESULTS In our study, serum nitric oxide and protein carbonyl levels were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in TB patients as compared to normal control group. Positive correlation was seen in pulmonary TB (r = 0.8892, p < 0.001) [Fisher's 'z' transformed = 0.7901 to 0.9430] and extra-pulmonary TB (r = 0.8330, p < 0.001) [Fisher's 'z' transformed = 0.6918 to 0.9128]; 'r' and Fisher's 'Z' was significantly different from zero (two sided p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The mean serum nitric oxide and protein carbonyl levels were concomitantly increased and positively correlated with each other in patients with pulmonary TB and extra-pulmonary TB. The changes in the level of nitric oxide and protein carbonyl are a reflection of increased defence mechanism and free radical activity in tuberculosis.
Calcium, Sodium, and the Calcium Paradox

The effect of “sodium loading,” of verapamil and of nifedipine on the gain in calcium and sodium, and on the loss of myoglobin, during the calcium paradox in adult rat hearts was examined. Raising cell sodium from 56.5 ± 2.6 to 129.5 ± 10.2 jtmol sodium/gram dry weight did not alter the degree or rate of calcium gain or myoglobin release during calcium repletion after long periods (>2 minutes) of calcium-free perfusion; under these conditions, and in the presence of 10 μgHer verapamil, calcium gain was enhanced. However, after shorter periods (0.5–1.5 minutes), of calcium-free perfusion, calcium gain was enhanced in “sodium-loaded” hearts, even in the absence of verapamil, and particularly during the early stages of repletion. The presence of 1 and 10 μmol/liter dl-verapamil and 1 //mol/liter nifedipine before, during, and after 10 minutes of calcium-free perfusion significantly (P < 0.01) slowed the early (up to 1 minute for verapamil and 2 minutes for nifedipine) but not the late gain in calcium. When verapamil was present, the late gain in calcium was actually enhanced. These agents also abolished the early (45 seconds) but not the late (>2 minutes) gain in sodium that occurs during repletion. We propose that the gain in calcium that occurs during calcium repletion after a period of calcium-free perfusion can be divided into at least two phases (early and late), and that the early phase contains a verapamil/nifedipine-sensitive component and a verapamil/nifedipine-insensitive component, the latter probably involving sodium-calcium exchange.
Pubertal timing and self-esteem in adolescents: The mediating role of body-image and social relations

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pubertal timing and self-esteem, and the mediating role of body-image, parent–adolescent interaction and peer support within this relationship. The sample comprised 526 adolescents, aged 10–13. Two measures of pubertal timing were used: perceived pubertal timing and pubertal timing based on Pubertal Development Scale (PDS). There were no differences in self-esteem between groups of adolescents with different pubertal timing based on PDS. Perceived early maturation was related to lower self-esteem in girls, and higher self-esteem in boys. We found evidence that the relationship between girls' perceived pubertal timing and self-esteem is mediated through the following variables: closeness to mother and father, and conflict with mother. In boys, mediators of the relationship between perceived pubertal timing and self-esteem are body-image and excessive control by mother. The results imply that interventions aiming to improve early maturing girls' self-esteem should focus on the interaction with their parents.
The Therapeutic Bond Scales: Psychometric Characteristics and Relationship to Treatment Effectiveness

The Therapeutic Bond Scales assess the quality of the therapeutic relationship from the patient's perspective. The therapeutic bond is composed of 3 aspects: working alliance, empathic resonance, and mutual affirmation. Scales were developed to measure these aspects and the therapeutic bond as a whole. The correlations between these scales and 2 measures of outcome (session quality assessed by the patient and termination outcome evaluated by nonparticipan t raters) were examined. All scales were significantly correlated with session quality. Therapeutic bond was significantly correlated with termination outcome in both a linear and a curvilinear fashion, suggesting that, at least in the initial phase of therapy, the therapeutic bond can be too high as well as too low. A substantial accumulation of empirical findings exists relating psychotherapy process variables to treatment outcome (cf. Orlinsky & Howard, 1986a). One of the most consistent findings in the psychotherapy research literature is that the quality of the relationship between the patient and the therapist is a major determinant of psychotherapeutic effectiveness (e.g., the therapeutic alliance literature: Alexander & Luborsky, 1986; Marmar, Horowitz, Weiss, & Marziali, 1986). Reviews (Gurman, 1977; Lambert, Shapiro, & Bergin, 1986; Orlinsky & Howard, 1986a; Patterson, 1984) consistently demonstrate that (a) a good therapeutic relationship is at least a major contributing factor, if not a necessary and sufficient condition (Rogers, 1957), for successful treatment, and (b) that the patient's perception of the quality of the relationship is most consistently positively related to outcome. Yet most systems for measuring this aspect of the therapeutic relationship are based on the nonparticipant observer perspective. The primary goal of the present study was to develop a reliable measure of the quality of the therapeutic relationship, from the patient's perspective, based on a theoretical model of the therapeutic bond. We also investigated the relationship between the quality of the bond, measured in this way in the early stage of therapy, and two measures of therapeutic effectiveness: an
Longitudinal Tracking of Human Fetal Cells Labeled with Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Brain of Mice with Motor Neuron Disease

Stem Cell (SC) therapy is one of the most promising approaches for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Here we employed Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide nanoparticles (SPIOn) and Hoechst 33258 to track human Amniotic Fluid Cells (hAFCs) after transplantation in the lateral ventricles of wobbler (a murine model of ALS) and healthy mice. By in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo approaches we found that: 1) the main physical parameters of SPIOn were maintained over time; 2) hAFCs efficiently internalized SPIOn into the cytoplasm while Hoechst 33258 labeled nuclei; 3) SPIOn internalization did not alter survival, cell cycle, proliferation, metabolism and phenotype of hAFCs; 4) after transplantation hAFCs rapidly spread to the whole ventricular system, but did not migrate into the brain parenchyma; 5) hAFCs survived for a long time in the ventricles of both wobbler and healthy mice; 6) the transplantation of double-labeled hAFCs did not influence mice survival.
Expatriate Utilization and Foreign Direct Investment Performance: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Transfer†

Multinational corporations (MNCs) often assign expatriate executives overseas to transfer knowledge, yet prior research has not specifically examined the utilization of expatriates as a strategic resource to facilitate knowledge transfer and enhance foreign direct investment performance. Drawing from the resource-based view of the firm and the international strategy literature, the authors argue that assignment of particular expatriates to the subsidiary will enhance subsidiary performance and that the knowledge transferred into the subsidiary through expatriates will mediate this relationship. Results based on MNCs’ subsidiaries in China showed that using expatriates with motivation and adaptability for knowledge transfer enhanced subsidiary performance and that this relationship was mediated by knowledge transferred into the subsidiary; using expatriates with technical skills did not directly affect subsidiary performance but had an indirect effect on performance via knowledge transferred into the subsidiary. They also discuss the implications of their findings for the resource-based view of the firm and international strategy research.
The Role of Local Ancestry Adjustment in Association Studies Using Admixed Populations

Association analysis using admixed populations imposes challenges and opportunities for disease mapping. By developing some explicit results for the variance of an allele of interest conditional on either local or global ancestry and by simulation of recently admixed genomes we evaluate power and false‐positive rates under a variety of scenarios concerning linkage disequilibrium (LD) and the presence of unmeasured variants. Pairwise LD patterns were compared between admixed and nonadmixed populations using the HapMap phase 3 data. Based on the above, we showed that as follows:
Activated Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein-2 Suppresses Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-4-Mediated Cyp3a11 Expression in Mouse Liver

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) is a key transcription factor for the cholesterol homeostasis. Recent studies have suggested the association of CYP3A enzymes, major drug-metabolizing enzymes, with cholesterol metabolism. In the present study, we have investigated a possible involvement of SREBP-2 in hepatic Cyp3a11 expression. Feeding a low-cholesterol diet (LCD) to mice activated hepatic SREBP-2 whereas it attenuated hepatic Cyp3a11 expression. These phenomena were reversed by cholesterol supplementation to LCD. In reporter assays, the overexpression of constitutively active SREBP-2 reduced Cyp3a11 reporter activity through the region from −1581 to −1570 of Cyp3a11. This region contained a putative hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α) binding motif, and HNF-4α, but not SREBP-2, bound to the motif in in vitro binding assays. With the mutation or deletion of this motif, the SREBP-2-dependent suppression of Cyp3a11 expression disappeared in reporter assays. In pull-down assays and coimmunoprecipitation assays, SREBP-2 bound to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), a major coactivator for HNF-4α, via its transactivation domain and inhibited the interaction between HNF-4α and PGC-1α in vitro. A mutant SREBP-2 lacking the transactivation domain consistently failed to reduce Cyp3a11 reporter activity. Furthermore, PGC-1α overexpression relieved the SREBP-2-mediated reduction of Cyp3a11 reporter activity. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the extent of PGC-1α binding to the Cyp3a11 promoter was reduced by LCD-feeding in mouse livers. In conclusion, activated SREBP-2 interacts with PGC-1α in mouse livers at reduced cholesterol intake. This results in the reduced PGC-1α recruitment to HNF-4α on the Cyp3a11 promoter and the subsequent down-regulation of Cyp3a11 expression.
SMTp: an architecture for next-generation scalable multi-threading

We introduce the SMTp architecture - an SMT processor augmented with a coherence protocol thread context, that together with a standard integrated memory controller can enable the design of (among other possibilities) scalable cache-coherent hardware distributed shared memory (DSM) machines from commodity nodes. We describe the minor changes needed to a conventional out-of-order multi-threaded core to realize SMTp, discussing issues related to both deadlock avoidance and performance. We then compare SMTp performance to that of various conventional DSM machines with normal SMT processors both with and without integrated memory controllers. On configurations from 1 to 32 nodes, with 1 to 4 application threads per node, we find that SMTp delivers performance comparable to, and sometimes better than, machines with more complex integrated DSM-specific memory controllers. Our results also show that the protocol thread has extremely low pipeline overhead. Given the simplicity and the flexibility of the SMTp mechanism, we argue that next-generation multi-threaded processors with integrated memory controllers should adopt this mechanism as a way of building less complex high-performance DSM multiprocessors.
A Study on Change Detection Methods

In the real word, the environment is often dynamic instead of stable. Usually the underlying data of a problem changes with time, which enhances the diﬃculties when learning a model from data. In this paper, diﬀerent methods capable to detect changes from high-speed time changing data streams are compared. These methods are appropriated to be embedded inside learning models, allowing the adaptation to a non-stationary problem. The experimental evaluation considers diﬀerent types of concept drift and data streams with diﬀerent properties. As-sessing measures such as: false alarm rates, number of samples until a change is detected and miss detections rates, a comparison between the algorithms’ capability of consistent detection is given. The choice on the best detection algorithm relies on a trade-oﬀ between the rate of false alarms and miss detections and the delay time until detection.
THE EMPIRICAL STATUS OF GOTTFREDSON AND HIRSCHI'S GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME: A META‐ANALYSIS

To determine the empirical status of Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) “general theory of crime,” we conducted a meta-analysis on existing empirical studies. The results indicate that, regardless of measurement differences, low self-control is an important predictor of crime and of “analogous behaviors. ” Also, low self-control has general effects across different types of samples. Contrary to Gottfredson and Hirschi's position, however, the effect of low self-control is weaker in longitudinal studies, and variables from social learning theory still receive support in studies that include a measure of low self-control. Finally, we argue that meta-analysis is an underutilized tool in discerning the relative empirical merits of criminological theories.
Gender, monarchy, and national identity in Saudi Arabia

The heading on a broadside posted in public places in Riyadh read, 'here are the names of the sluts who advocate vice and corruption on the earth'. The broadside had been circulated by the mutawwi'in, the morals policemen of Saudi Arabia, in the wake of the women's driving demonstration of 6 November 1990. Listed under the heading were the names and ages of 49 women from well-known families, and prominently displayed at the top were the names of five women with the title 'doctor'. 1
The priority toxicant reference range study: interim report.

The relationship between human exposure to environmental toxicants and health effects is of utmost interest to public health scientists. To define this relationship, these scientists need accurate and precise methods for assessing human exposure and effects. One of the most accurate and precise means of assessing exposure is to measure the level of the toxicant or its primary metabolite in a biologic specimen; this has been defined as measuring the internal dose. This measurement must be quantitative to best study the dose-response relationship. Pertinent questions asked during an exposure assessment include "How do the levels of a given toxicant in a particular population compare with the levels of that toxicant in other populations? " and "What is the prevalence of exposure to that toxicant in other populations? " To answer these questions for two chemical classes of environmental toxicants, we developed state-of-the-art analytic methods and then applied them to measure the levels of 44 environmental toxicants in biologic specimens from 1000 United States residents who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). These 1000 people are a cross-sectional subset of the NHANES III population and were selected from urban and rural communities in four regions of the United States; all were between 20 and 59 years of age. This subset is not a probability-based sample. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Cowden syndrome: a clinical and genetic study in 21 patients

An analysis of the findings in 21 patients with the Cowden syndrome or the multiple hamartoma syndrome is presented. The Cowden syndrome is a cancer‐associated genodermatosis with characteristic mucocutaneous findings and a wide array of associated abnormalities including a high incidence of breast cancer in female patients. Genetic studies confirmed autosomal dominant inheritance with a high penetrance in both sexes and moderate interfamilial and intrafamilial differences in the expressivity of a number of symptoms. Familial occurrence was present in 4 of the 7 families. There was a strong predominance of female patients (6:1), which may be fortuitous. Mucocutaneous changes were the most constant (100% incidence) and characteristic findings; they almost invariably became manifest in the second decade. Four of our 18 female patients (22%) were treated for breast cancer, a lower incidence than reported previously. No increased incidence of other types of malignancies was found. Craniomegaly (high head circumference) was found to be the most common extracutaneous manifestation (80% incidence); craniomegaly appears to be an important early marker. We also found high incidences of gastrointestinal polyps (approximately 60%) and cutaneous fibromas (76%), while the incidence of thyroid abnormalities, thus far regarded as the most common extracutaneous finding, was similar to that reported previously (62%). G‐banded karyotype and preliminary DNA‐repair studies revealed no clear abnormalities. No linkage with the loci of HLA, and immunoglobulin haplotypes was found.
Nutritionally induced anovulation in beef heifers: ovarian and endocrine function preceding cessation of ovulation.

Angus x Hereford heifers were used to determine endocrine and ovarian function preceding nutritionally induced anovulation. Six heifers were fed to maintain body condition score (M), and 12 heifers were fed a restricted diet (R) until they became anovulatory. Starting on d 13 of an estrous cycle, heifers were given PGF2alpha every 16 d thereafter to synchronize and maintain 16 d estrous cycles. Ovarian structures of M and R heifers were monitored by ultrasonography daily from d 8 to ovulation (d 1 of the subsequent cycle) until R heifers became anovulatory. Concentrations of LH and FSH were quantified in serum samples collected every 10 min for 8 h on d 2 and 15 (48 h after PGF2alpha), and estradiol and IGF-I were quantified in daily plasma samples from d 8 to 16 during the last ovulatory cycle (Cycle -2) and the subsequent anovulatory cycle (Cycle -1). During the last two cycles before anovulation, M heifers had 50% larger (P < .0001) ovulatory follicles than R heifers and 61% greater (P < .0001) growth rate of the ovulatory follicles. There was a treatment x cycle x day effect (P < .001) for concentrations of estradiol. The preovulatory increase in estradiol occurred in the R and M heifers during Cycle -2 but only in M heifers during Cycle -1. A treatment x cycle x day effect (P < .05) influenced LH concentrations. During Cycle -2, LH concentrations were similar for M and R heifers, but during Cycle -1, M heifers had greater LH concentrations than did R heifers. Concentrations of FSH were greater (P < .05) in R than M heifers after induced luteolysis when R heifers failed to ovulate. There was a treatment x cycle interaction (P < .05) for IGF-I concentrations, and M heifers had 4.7- and 8.6-fold greater IGF-I concentrations than did R heifers during Cycle -2 and -1, respectively. We conclude that growth rate and diameter of the ovulatory follicle, and concentrations of LH, estradiol, and IGF-I are reduced before the onset of nutritionally induced anovulation in beef heifers.