Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome Analysis of Streptococcus pyogenes Associated with Pharyngitis and Skin Infections

Streptococcus pyogenes is a very important human pathogen, commonly associated with skin or throat infections but can also cause life-threatening situations including sepsis, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis. Various studies involving typing and molecular characterization of S. pyogenes have been published to date; however next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies provide a comprehensive collection of an organism’s genetic variation. In this study, the genomes of nine S. pyogenes isolates associated with pharyngitis and skin infection were sequenced and studied for the presence of virulence genes, resistance elements, prophages, genomic recombination, and other genomic features. Additionally, a comparative phylogenetic analysis of the isolates with global clones highlighted their possible evolutionary lineage and their site of infection. The genomes were found to also house a multitude of features including gene regulation systems, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.
The placental transport of [3H] vitamin K1 in rats

In this paper we describe the placental transport of [3H]vitamin K1 in pregnant rats during the first 24 h after the oral administration of the vitamin. Vitamin K1 in the fetal livers ranged from 0.13% (3 h) to 2% (24 h) of the values found in the corresponding maternal livers. In spite of the low placental transfer of vitamin K, we found no accumulation of coagulation factor precursors in the fetal rat liver microsomes as could be expected in vitamin K deficiency. Moreover, we could not demonstrate any difference between adult and fetal rat liver microsomes with regard to the sensitivity for warfarin. From these results we conclude that a substantial placental barrier exists for the transport of pharmacological amounts of vitamin K1 but that under physiological conditions sufficient vitamin K1 appears to be present in the fetal liver to ensure a full carboxylation reaction. The vitamin K‐dependent carboxylase activity rate of adult and fetal rat liver microsomes was comparable, indicating that the newborn rat has an adequate carboxylating system.
Construction of Sensory Transfer Model of Gustatory and Olfactory-Synaesthetic Metaphor (GO-STM) and English-Chinese Comparative Study

This paper aims to explore the synaesthetic truth of taste and smell in particular. Based on the corpus of gustatory and olfactory-synaesthetic cases, classification and statistical tasks are undertaken, in which four main characters are discovered: 1) the particular sorts of gustatory and olfactory-synaesthetic metaphors; 2) the bi-directional transfer in specific pairs; 3) the hierarchical distribution among sensory modes; 4) the transfer frequencies of sensory transfer tendencies. Thus, GO-STM of both English and Chinese is constructed. What’s more, the comparison of English and Chinese has been conducted for the first time. According to the statistic results, the percentage of English-Chinese gustatory and olfactory-synaesthetic dead metaphors is 48.1% and 48.3% respectively, and that’s why we always ignore them. Furthermore, the embodiment basis of synaesthetic metaphors is analyzed in light of recent neurological research and Cognitive Linguistics.
Regional differences in injury incidence in European professional football

The objective of this study was to investigate regional differences in injury incidence in men's professional football in Europe. A nine‐season prospective cohort study was carried out between 2001–2002 and 2009–2010 involving 1357 players in 25 teams from nine countries. Teams were categorized into different regions according to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system. Teams from the northern parts of Europe (n = 20) had higher incidences of injury overall [rate ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06 to 1.20], training injury (rate ratio 1.16, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.27), and severe injury (rate ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.52), all statistically significant, compared to teams from more southern parts (n = 5). In contrast, the anterior cruciate ligament injury incidence was lower in the northern European teams with a statistically significant difference (rate ratio 0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.77), especially for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury (rate ratio 0.19, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.39). In conclusion, this study suggests that there are regional differences in injury incidence of European professional football. However, further studies are needed to identify the underlying causes.
An evaluation of mass absorption cross-section for optical carbon analysis on Teflon filter media

ABSTRACT Black carbon (BC) or elemental carbon (EC) is a by-product of incomplete fuel combustion, and contributes adversely to human health, visibility, and climate impacts. Previous studies have examined nondestructive techniques for particle light attenuation measurements on Teflon® filters to estimate BC. The incorporation of an inline Magee Scientific OT21 transmissometer into the MTL AH-225 robotic weighing system provides the opportunity to perform optical transmission measurements on Teflon filters at the same time as the gravimetric mass measurement. In this study, we characterize the performance of the inline OT21, and apply it to determine the mass absorption cross-section (MAC) of PM2.5 BC across the United States. We analyzed 5393 archived Teflon® filters from the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) collected during 2010–2011 and determined MAC by comparing light attenuation on Teflon® filters to corresponding thermal EC on quartz-fiber filters. Results demonstrated the importance of the initial transmission (I0) value used in light attenuation calculations. While light transmission varied greatly within filter lots, the average I0 of filter blanks during the sampling period provided an estimate for archived filters. For newly collected samples, it is recommended that filter-specific I0 measurements be made (i.e., same filter before sample collection). The estimated MAC ranged from 6.9 to 9.4 m2/g and varied by region and season across the United States, indicating that using a default value may lead to under- or overestimated BC concentrations. An analysis of the chemical composition of these samples indicated good correlation with EC for samples with higher EC content as a fraction of total PM2.5 mass, while the presence of light-scattering species such as crustal elements impacted the correlation affecting the MAC estimate. Overall, the method is demonstrated to be a quick, cost-effective approach to estimate BC from archived and newly sampled Teflon® filters by combining both gravimetric and BC measurements. Implications: Robotic optical analysis is a valid, cost-effective means to obtain a vast amount of BC data from archived and current routine filters. A tailored mass absorption cross-section by region and season is necessary for a more representative estimate of BC. Initial light transmission measurements play an important role due to the variability in blank filter transmission. Combining gravimetric mass and BC analysis on a single Teflon® filter reduces costs for monitoring agencies and maximizes data collection.
Design of a nanostructured lipid carrier intended to improve the treatment of tuberculosis

This work aimed to design, develop, and characterize a lipid nanocarrier system for the selective delivery of rifabutin (RFB) to alveolar macrophages. Lipid nanoparticles, specifically nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), were synthetized by the high-shear homogenization and ultrasonication techniques. These nanoparticles were designed to exhibit both passive and active targeting strategies to be efficiently internalized by the alveolar macrophages, traffic to the acidified phagosomes and phagolysosomes, and release bactericidal concentrations of the antituberculosis drug intracellularly. NLC that could entrap RFB were prepared, characterized, and further functionalized with mannose. Particles’ diameter, zeta potential, morphology, drug% entrapping efficiency, and drug release kinetics were evaluated. The mannose coating process was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared. Further, the cytotoxicity of the formulations was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in A549, Calu-3, and Raw 264.7 cells. The diameter of NLC formulations was found to be in the range of 175–213 nm, and drug entrapping efficiency was found to be above 80%. In addition, high storage stability for the formulations was expected since they maintained the initial characteristics for 6 months. Moreover, the drug release was pH-sensitive, with a faster drug release at acidic pH than at neutral pH. These results pose a strong argument that the developed nanocarrier can be explored as a promising carrier for safer and more efficient management of tuberculosis by exploiting the pulmonary route of administration.
Childhood victimization and prostitution. A developmental victimology perspective

The relationship between childhood victimization and subsequent entry into the sex industry is one of the most controversial topics in the field of victimology. Views on this issue tend to explain prostitution either as a free choice that has been made after weighing up the potential financial rewards compared with those of other employment options or, alternatively, as the result of structural forces of male dominance. However, the decision-making capacity of the individual who enters into sex work can be classified along a continuum ranging from prostitution as a choice to prostitution as the result of coercion. Decisions made in this so-called ‘grey area’ are strongly influenced by childhood victimization. The aim of the present study is to conduct a critical review of the empirical research on the relationship between childhood victimization and prostitution. Based on the studies reviewed it can be concluded that childhood violence is a key variable to take into account when attempting to understand a person’s decision to enter the world of prostitution and sexual commerce. This review shows that – despite the notable rates of victimization that are consistently reported and which need to be acknowledged once and for all – the issue of childhood victimization in prostitutes remains one of the most controversial topics within the discipline.
The Majority Fallacy Reconsidered

The so-called majority fallacy implies that deviant norms and behaviours are attributed to a majority when this is in fact not justified Based on the fallacy, a fictitious norm pressure develops In particular, young people in loosely integrated groups are thought to be at nsk The importance of friendships and of own and friends norms in respect of drug-use development was investigated in a longitudinal study of Norwegian adolescents. Contrary to theory, friendships were found to be positively correlated with drug use. The reason may be that, at an experimental and recreational level, drug use is typically a collective, social activity The findings were more ambiguous regarding the significance of friends' norms The respondents assessed their friends' norms as more non-conformist than their own, but the perception of friends' norms did not explain future drug use, while own norms did. In addition to the majority fallacy, the following two pnnciples are suggested to help explain this finding. 'false consensus', which implies that own norms and experiences are regarded as more common m the reference groups than is warranted, and 'asymmetric ties', which implies that certain individuals with more deviant norms than average are to be found in many people's reference groups. The conclusion is therefore that the majority fallacy concept may represent an over implification of these situations, and that the causal significance of the principle has been overestimated.
A Broadband High-Efficiency Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antenna Using Mechanically Rotational Elements

Design of a circularly polarized reconfigurable reflectarray antenna (RRA) at X band is presented. The RRA element employs concentric dual split rings, and can be mechanically rotated to obtain continuous 360° phase coverage with negligible element loss. A prototype with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$15\times15$ </tex-math></inline-formula> manually rotated elements is first computed, simulated, and measured. Full-wave simulations show that the gain of the beam focused in (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\theta =20^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varphi = 0^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) direction is 25.8 dB and the 1-dB gain bandwidth is over 28.6%. The measured results show that the beam at (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\theta = 20^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varphi = 0^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) direction achieves the maximum gain of 25.6 dB, corresponding to an aperture efficiency of 51.8%. The beam-steering capability of the RRA is measured within ±60° angular range, and well-defined scanned beams are obtained with maximum scan loss of 3.7 dB. The versatile beam-forming capability of the RRA is also verified by synthesizing a square shaped beam and a cosecant shaped beam. Another micromotor-controlled prototype with 756 elements on an octagonal aperture is fabricated and its measured radiation performance validates the feasibility of the proposed design as well.
Investigating Gender Differences in Adolescent Self-concept: A Look Beneath the Surface

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which construct validity related to four self-concept (SC) traits (general, academic, English, mathematics), as measured by three different measurement scales (Likert, semantic differential, Guttman), was equivalent across gender for adolescent boys (n = 412) and girls (n = 420). Data were analyzed within a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) framework using a confirmatory factor analytic approach. Tests for invariance revealed some gender differences related to convergent validity, discriminant validity, and SC structure. The findings of this study precipitate caveats that bear importance on research involving multigroup comparisons.
Teachers' Perceptions of Primary School Children's Learning and Behaviour Problems: The Interaction Effects of Teaching Experience, Sex and Contact with Inspectors of Psychological Services

To determine the effects and interaction effects of teachers' characteristics on perceptions of pupils' learning and behavioural problems, the Devereux Elementary School Behaviour Rating Scale (DESB) was used in this study. The data obtained on the variables of teacher's sex, teaching experience and teacher's contact with inspectors of psychological services, were analysed by means of a three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the unbalanced design. Results indicated significant interaction effects for Factors 4, 6, 10 and 11. These Factors are external blame, external reliance, creative initiative and need for closeness to the teacher, respectively. Non-significant interaction effects were recorded for Factors 1 (classroom disturbance), 2 (impatience), 5 (achievement anxiety), 8 (inattentive-withdrawn), 9 (irrelevant-responsiveness), and Nonfactor items 27 (inability to change from one task to another) and 41 (slow to complete work). The variables of sex, contact and experience had significant influence on perceptions of Factors 3 (disrespect-defiance), 7 (comprehension) and Nonfactor Item 40 (desire to quit or give up), respectively.
Fecal Bacterial Community Changes Associated with Isoflavone Metabolites in Postmenopausal Women after Soy Bar Consumption

Soy isoflavones and their metabolism by intestinal microbiota have gained attention because of potential health benefits, such as the alleviation of estrogen/hormone-related conditions in postmenopausal women, associated with some of these compounds. However, overall changes in gut bacterial community structure and composition in response to addition of soy isoflavones to diets and their association with excreted isoflavone metabolites in postmenopausal women has not been studied. The aim of this study was to determine fecal bacterial community changes in 17 postmenopausal women after a week of diet supplementation with soy bars containing isoflavones, and to determine correlations between microbial community changes and excreted isoflavone metabolites. Using DGGE profiles of PCR amplified 16S rRNA genes (V3 region) to compare microbial communities in fecal samples collected one week before and one week during soy supplementation revealed significant differences (ANOSIM p<0.03) before and after soy supplementation in all subjects. However, between subjects comparisons showed high inter-individual variation that resulted in clustering of profiles by subjects. Urinary excretion of isoflavone (daidzein) metabolites indicated four subjects were equol producers and all subjects produced O-desmethylangolensin (ODMA). Comparison of relative proportions of 16S rRNA genes from 454 pyrosequencing of the last fecal samples of each treatment session revealed significant increases in average proportions of Bifidobacterium after soy consumption, and Bifidobacterium and Eubacterium were significantly greater in equol vs non-S-(-)equol producers. This is the first in vivo study using pyrosequencing to characterize significant differences in fecal community structure and composition in postmenopausal women after a week of soy diet-supplementation, and relate these changes to differences in soy isoflavones and isoflavone metabolites. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00244907
Super-Resolution Dynamic Imaging of Dendritic Spines Using a Low-Affinity Photoconvertible Actin Probe

The actin cytoskeleton of dendritic spines plays a key role in morphological aspects of synaptic plasticity. The detailed analysis of the spine structure and dynamics in live neurons, however, has been hampered by the diffraction-limited resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopy. The advent of nanoscopic imaging techniques thus holds great promise for the study of these processes. We implemented a strategy for the visualization of morphological changes of dendritic spines over tens of minutes at a lateral resolution of 25 to 65 nm. We have generated a low-affinity photoconvertible probe, capable of reversibly binding to actin and thus allowing long-term photoactivated localization microscopy of the spine cytoskeleton. Using this approach, we resolve structural parameters of spines and record their long-term dynamics at a temporal resolution below one minute. Furthermore, we have determined changes in the spine morphology in response to pharmacologically induced synaptic activity and quantified the actin redistribution underlying these changes. By combining PALM imaging with quantum dot tracking, we could also simultaneously visualize the cytoskeleton and the spine membrane, allowing us to record complementary information on the morphological changes of the spines at super-resolution.
Effects of temperature on the carbonation of flue gas desulphurization gypsum using a CO2/N2 gas mixture

The carbonation of flue gas desulphurization (FGD) gypsum using a CO2/N2 gas mixture was investigated to study the feasibility of using the flue gas directly in the gypsum carbonation. The effect of the reaction temperature on the carbonation reaction and the carbonation conversion efficiency of the samples were considered. In this study, the carbonation conversion efficiency was calculated using a new method for decreasing the error range from a sample containing unreacted gypsum. The carbonation reaction at 40°C was nearly twice as fast as the reaction at room temperature. In addition, the carbonation conversion efficiency at 40°C (96%) was nearly the same as that at room temperature. However, the efficiency decreased significantly with temperature, especially above 60°C. It can, therefore, be concluded that the direct use of flue gas in gypsum carbonation is most feasible at 40°C. The temperature of carbonation strongly affected the CaCO3 polymorphs and the morphological characteristics. Calcite with various shapes was the dominant (40–90%) phase at all temperatures. At temperatures below 40°C, spherical-shaped vaterite was pronounced, while needle-flower-shaped aragonite was dominant at temperatures above 80°C.
Choice, Empowerment, and Involvement: What Satisfies Parents?

School choice advocates maintain that parents who choose their schools will be satisfied with those schools. This study examines the nature of the interrelationships between parents’ satisfaction with public schools of choice and (a) parents’ empowerment, (b) parental involvement, and (c) the congruence between what parents expected of the school when deciding to enroll their child and the actual school program. Findings from a study of school choice in Israel reveal that socioeconomic status is a major factor in understanding the relationships between parent satisfaction and choice.
THE ATACAMA COSMOLOGY TELESCOPE: COSMOLOGY FROM GALAXY CLUSTERS DETECTED VIA THE SUNYAEV–ZEL'DOVICH EFFECT

We present constraints on cosmological parameters based on a sample of Sunyaev–Zel'dovich-selected (SZ-selected) galaxy clusters detected in a millimeter-wave survey by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. The cluster sample used in this analysis consists of nine optically confirmed high-mass clusters comprising the high-significance end of the total cluster sample identified in 455 deg2 of sky surveyed during 2008 at 148 GHz. We focus on the most massive systems to reduce the degeneracy between unknown cluster astrophysics and cosmology derived from SZ surveys. We describe the scaling relation between cluster mass and SZ signal with a four-parameter fit. Marginalizing over the values of the parameters in this fit with conservative priors gives σ8 = 0.851 ± 0.115 and w = −1.14 ± 0.35 for a spatially flat wCDM cosmological model with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) seven-year priors on cosmological parameters. This gives a modest improvement in statistical uncertainty over WMAP seven-year constraints alone. Fixing the scaling relation between the cluster mass and SZ signal to a fiducial relation obtained from numerical simulations and calibrated by X-ray observations, we find σ8 = 0.821 ± 0.044 and w = −1.05 ± 0.20. These results are consistent with constraints from WMAP7 plus baryon acoustic oscillations plus Type Ia supernova which give σ8 = 0.802 ± 0.038 and w = −0.98 ± 0.053. A stacking analysis of the clusters in this sample compared to clusters simulated assuming the fiducial model also shows good agreement. These results suggest that, given the sample of clusters used here, both the astrophysics of massive clusters and the cosmological parameters derived from them are broadly consistent with current models.
Representational models of relationships: Links between caregiving and attachment

According to attachment theory, the child's attachment behavioral system is complemented by a reciprocal caregiving system in the parent. Going beyond current descriptions of caregiving as a set of discrete parental behaviors and attitudes that are related to attachment, we have sought to describe caregiving as a behavioral system that is organized in its own right. Examination interviews of 32 mothers of 6-year-old children, we found a significant correspondence between maternal internal working models of caregiving on the dimensions of secure base, rejection, uncertainty, and helplessness and their children's attachment classification. A significant concordance between caregiving classification and adult attachment classification and between adult attachment classification and child attachment classification was also found. The relation between child attachment, adult attachment, and the caregiving system is discussed.