Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing of Mycoplasma genitalium by TaqMan 5′ Nuclease Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma genitalium is an important pathogen in male nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). Isolation of M. genitalium from clinical specimens by axenic culture is very difficult and time-consuming, and very few strains are available for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Primary isolation of M. genitalium by coculture with Vero cells improves the isolation rate significantly. However, some strains cannot be adapted to axenic culture. In this study, we determined the antibiotic susceptibility of M. genitalium strains grown in Vero cell culture with dilutions of antibiotics. Growth of M. genitalium was monitored by a quantitative PCR assay detecting a single-copy region of the mgpB adhesin gene. Growth inhibition in the presence of antibiotics was expressed as a percentage of the DNA load of controls grown in the absence of antibiotics. Eighteen strains were examined, including 6 new strains isolated from urethral swab specimens and 4 new strains isolated from urine specimens collected from Japanese men. Eight strains adapted to axenic culture were also tested by the conventional broth dilution method. The two methods had an acceptable correlation. Azithromycin was the most active drug against M. genitalium. Among the fluoroquinolones, moxifloxacin had the highest activity, with MICs ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 mg/liter, whereas ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were considerably less active, with MICs ranging from 0.5 to 16 mg/liter and 0.25 to 4 mg/liter, respectively. MICs for tetracycline ranged from 0.125 to 4 mg/liter. This new method could increase the number of M. genitalium strains available for antibiotic susceptibility testing and significantly shorten the time from sampling to MIC results.
Core technological competence and knowledge accumulation in the functional food industry: An empirical study of Japanese food firms

Technological competence, an important factor for competitive advantage in several industries, was seldom studied in the food industry. While being called low-tech and largely dependent on markets and suppliers, the food industry has continuously adapted and innovated products responding to changing market and technological opportunities. The flourishing functional food industry in Japan (FOSHU), regardless of existing complex systematic regulation, is one of a proof that food firms have capabilities to perceive the market opportunity and technological changes, seek for knowledge and learn to efficiently integrate acquired knowledge in their core competences. The study on technological profiles and patent analysis allows understanding in firms' technological strategies such as positioning and dynamics of technological competences. The findings on six Japanese food firms that have FOSHU product activities have confirmed the role of core technological competence as a foundation of new creations under uncertainties, and imply the strategic importance of organizational flexibility in knowledge accumulation and learning process that facilitate firms in creating competitive advantage and responding to the new opportunities.
Hydralazine prevents nitroglycerin tolerance by inhibiting activation of a membrane-bound NADH oxidase. A new action for an old drug.

Hydralazine has been shown to reduce mortality in patients with congestive heart failure when given concomitantly with isosorbide dinitrate. Recently, we demonstrated that nitrate tolerance is in part due to enhanced vascular superoxide . O2- production. We sought to determine mechanisms whereby hydralazine may prevent tolerance. Rabbits either received no treatment, nitroglycerin patches (1.5 micrograms/kg/min x 3 d), hydralazine alone (10 mg/kg/d in drinking water), or hydralazine and nitroglycerin. Aortic segments were studied in organ chambers and relative rates of vascular . O2- production were determined using lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. Nitroglycerin treatment markedly inhibited relaxations to nitroglycerin (maximum relaxations in untreated: 92 +/- 1 vs. 64 +/- 3% in nitroglycerin-treated patients and increased vascular .O2- production by over two-fold (P < 0.05). Treatment with hydralazine in rabbits not receiving nitroglycerin significantly decreased . O2- production in intact rabbit aorta and increased sensitivity to nitroglycerin. When given concomitantly with nitroglycerin, hydralazine completely prevented the development of nitrate tolerance and normalized endogenous rates of vascular . O2- production. Studies of vessel homogenates demonstrated that the major source of . O2- was an NADH-dependent membrane-associated oxidase displaying activities of 67 +/- 12 vs. 28 +/- 2 nmol . O2-. min-1.mg protein-1 in nitroglycerin-treated vs. untreated aortic homogenates. In additional studies, we found that acute addition of hydralazine (10 microM) to nitroglycerin-tolerant vessels immediately inhibited . O2- production and NADH oxidase activity in vascular homogenates. The chemiluminescence signal was inhibited by a recombinant heparin-binding superoxide dismutase (HBSOD) demonstrating the specificity of this assay for . O2-. These observations suggest that a specific membrane-associated oxidase is activated by chronic nitroglycerin treatment, and the activity of this oxidase is inhibited by hydralazine, providing a mechanism whereby hydralazine may prevent tolerance. The ability of hydralazine to inhibit vascular . O2- anion production represents a novel mechanism of action for this drug.
The role of deformed wing virus in the initial collapse of varroa infested honey bee colonies in the UK

Summary The mite Varroa destructor has been associated with the collapse of millions of Apis mellifera honey bee colonies world-wide. During the past decade, a large body of research has revealed various interactions between varroa, the honey bee and various viral pathogens. One pathogen in particular, deformed wing virus (DWV), has emerged as the key pathogen involved in colony collapse. As varroa has permanently changed the viral landscape in which honey bees exist, we present a large body of data on the effects of DWV during the initial phase of varroa infestation in the UK during 1998. This provides baseline data for further comparative studies. We carried out DWV transmission studies, and observed the effects of DWV on bee longevity. As the ELISA technique used in these studies had a detection limit of ~107 viral particles per bee, only high viral (overt) titres were detected. During the initial phase of varroa establishment, DWV was detected in 0.6% of non-infested sealed brood, but in 89% of sealed brood invaded by varroa. Once DWV was introduced into the bee's haemolymph via mite feeding on either pupae or adults, an overt virus infection was rapidly produced in 3–4 days. In sealed brood the presence of varroa was fatal for 21% of the brood, caused wing deformity in some emerging adults and significantly reduced longevity as an adult. However, adult bees that became infected after they had emerged, did not develop wing deformity nor show any reduced longevity, but acted as reservoirs of DWV infection.
Normalized Transgressions: Legitimizing the Transsexual Body as Productive

In 1966, Gene Compton’s eatery in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district was the site of the first recorded incident of transgender resistance to police harassment.1 The Compton Cafeteria riot broke out after police assaulted a drag queen inside the establishment; she responded by throwing coffee at them. This incident sparked an immediate reaction from other gender-variant, gay and lesbian people who frequented the restaurant. Rioters smashed windows, destroyed furniture, and set fire to a car.2 This act of resistance to the state regulation of lived expressions of sex/ gender identity lasted for the entire day, and picketing followed for another week. Those subjugated by norms regulating their sex, gender, sexuality, and occupation (many were sex workers) fought back against the disciplining of their lives. The wellknown Stonewall Riots in New York three years later were also led by trans people, as well as by butch lesbians and drag queens, fighting diligently against the police for the right to transgress sex/gender binaries in public spaces free from discrimination and violence.
Neighborhood and School Factors in the School Performance of Immigrants' Children 1

This article examines the effects of neighborhoods and schools on the achievement gaps between adolescents of different nativities and ethnicities. We show that neighborhood and school conditions are better for natives' than for immigrants' children, and they are the worst for Hispanic immigrants. Using cross-classified hierarchical models, we find that introducing neighborhood and school characteristics helps to account for the disadvantage of Mexican immigrants' children but to reveal the advantage of Filipino immigrants' children, compared to native non-Hispanic Whites. Neighborhood and school effects are not universal: they influence school performance of immigrants' children more than that of natives' children.
The Influence Of Social Self-Efficacy And Learned Resourcefulness On Loneliness

purpose of this study was to determine whether there are significant relationships among social self-efficacy, learned resourcefulness and loneliness. Descriptive method was used in this study. The study group is composed of 473 (247 females, 226 males) randomly selected high school students studying in different high schools in Mugla, Turkey. The data collection tools used in this study included the Social Self-Efficacy Expectation Scale for Adolescents (Bilgin, 1999), Rosenbaum's Learned Resourcefulness Scale (Rosenbaum, 1980) and University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale-R (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980). Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed. Social self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness were found to be significantly correlated to loneliness. A significant relationship was also found between social self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness. A significant effect of social self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness on loneliness was detected.
Forced-Choice Versus Open-Ended Versions of the Field of Bachelor's Degree Question in the 2007 ACS Content Test

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS) Content Test from July through September 2007. As part of the test, the Census Bureau tested two versions, a forced-choice version and an openended version, of a new question proposed for inclusion in the ACS. The question collects information from respondents about the field(s) of study of their bachelor’s degree. In the open-ended version of the question, the respondent lists the specific field(s) of degree. The forced-choice version consists of eight categories for the respondent to indicate whether or not a person’s field of degree could be classified into each of the categories listed. Half of the selected sample addresses were randomly assigned the openended version, while the other half received the forced-choice version. Standard ACS data collection procedures were used to collect data for the 2007 ACS Content Test. Additionally, to test the reliability and consistency of respondents’ answers to the field of degree questions, a Content Follow-Up reinterview was conducted by telephone during which respondents were asked both versions of the question. Respondents were asked the same version they received in the original interview first, followed by the other version. This paper will present a comparison of the two versions of the field of degree question including overall response distributions, item nonresponse rates, comparability with existing data sources, response consistency, and reliability measures.
Sparse Autoregressive Networks

We consider high-dimensional distribution estimation through autoregressive networks. By combining the concepts of sparsity, mixtures and parameter sharing we obtain a simple model which is fast to train and which achieves state-of-the-art or better results on several standard benchmark datasets. Specifically, we use an L1-penalty to regularize the conditional distributions and introduce a procedure for automatic parameter sharing between mixture components. Moreover, we propose a simple distributed representation which permits exact likelihood evaluations since the latent variables are interleaved with the observable variables and can be easily integrated out. Our model achieves excellent generalization performance and scales well to extremely high dimensions.
Experience of Solidarity

The more nonprofits become challenged by resource shortages, the higher the demand for highly skilled executive directors. Nevertheless, we do not yet fully understand what motivates executive directors to work in nonprofits challenged by market forces. This article explores the career context and individual biographies of executive directors. Introducing a career field and career capital approach to the study of careers in nonprofits, we analyze what influences the career of executive directors of German faith-based social service organizations. The results of 23 interviews and four focus groups with 60 participants are twofold. First, four types of career capital influenced the executive directors’ career: Experience of solidarity, orientation to social service, skills for executive function, and leadership by appointment. Second, all careers were highly influenced by the experience of solidarity. The article ends by explaining why experience of solidarity is important for training and selecting nonprofit executive directors.
Influence of spatial cues on the identification and the localization of objects in the auditory foreground

The ability to form auditory objects is important in the natural environment where sounds arriving at our ears are a resultant of all spectro-temporal components that may have arisen from different auditory events. It has been shown that auditory spatial cues are effective for grouping acoustical energy across time or across frequency. However, little is known about the effect of spatial cues on scene analysis when more than one auditory object is being presented. In this thesis dissertation, a novel two-object paradigm was used to investigate how spatial cues influence the identification and the localization of object in the auditory foreground. Specifically, the effect of both spatial and non-spatial cues on auditory grouping and object identification was ascertained. Using an acoustic pointer and the same stimuli for the object identification task, the apparent spatial location of these objects was measured to test the hypothesis that only the spatial attributes of the components grouped to form an object influences the localization of the same object. A conceptual model was generated to highlight the role of spatial cues in object formation, and the dissociation between the auditory computation of "what" and "where" was further investigated. In current technology, object segregation presents a fundamental challenge for the hearing impaired, hearing aid design and speech recognition algorithms. It is hopeful that the findings in this dissertation will inspire new biologically-based algorithms for auditory scene analysis and in turn, influence designs in assistive hearing devices and other technological development that is dependent on multisource segregation. Thesis Supervisor: Barbara G Shinn-Cunningham Title: Associate Professor of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University Lecturer, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Decrease in Infection Rate Following Use of Povidone-Iodine During Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Biopsy of the Prostate: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Infection after transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy of the prostate is a major and potentially life-threatening problem. Using antibiotic premedication can not completely eliminate infection after biopsy. Objectives We performed this study to determine the value of using povidone-iodine in prevention of post biopsy infection. Patients and Methods Totally, 280 patients who were referred for TRUS guided biopsy of the prostate were divided randomly into two equal groups. The case group received an intrarectal mixture of povidone-iodine and lidocaine gel before performing biopsy, while the control group received only lidocaine gel. Patients were followed up for 30 days for possible signs of infection including fever, chills and dysuria. Results The mean age in the case group was 68.7 ± 7 years and 68.1 ± 7 years in the control group (P = 0.78). Overall, there were signs and symptoms of infection in 78 patients (27.9%), of which 27 (19.3%) were in the case group, while 51 (36.4%) were in the control group (P = 0.001, OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.4-4.1). Conclusion Simple use of widely available povidone-iodine for cleaning the rectum before TRUS guided prostate biopsy can reduce the infection rate.
The Common Ancestor of Archaea and Eukarya Was Not an Archaeon

It is often assumed that eukarya originated from archaea. This view has been recently supported by phylogenetic analyses in which eukarya are nested within archaea. Here, I argue that these analyses are not reliable, and I critically discuss archaeal ancestor scenarios, as well as fusion scenarios for the origin of eukaryotes. Based on recognized evolutionary trends toward reduction in archaea and toward complexity in eukarya, I suggest that their last common ancestor was more complex than modern archaea but simpler than modern eukaryotes (the bug in-between scenario). I propose that the ancestors of archaea (and bacteria) escaped protoeukaryotic predators by invading high temperature biotopes, triggering their reductive evolution toward the “prokaryotic” phenotype (the thermoreduction hypothesis). Intriguingly, whereas archaea and eukarya share many basic features at the molecular level, the archaeal mobilome resembles more the bacterial than the eukaryotic one. I suggest that selection of different parts of the ancestral virosphere at the onset of the three domains played a critical role in shaping their respective biology. Eukarya probably evolved toward complexity with the help of retroviruses and large DNA viruses, whereas similar selection pressure (thermoreduction) could explain why the archaeal and bacterial mobilomes somehow resemble each other.
The Concept of Role in Disaster Research

The concern here starts with a confused sociological concept - role - and examines its application in a confusing social situation - disaster. Out of that compound confusion, the goal here is to provide a review of the concept as it has been used in the sociological approaches to disaster. The result may develop a greater degree of conceptual clarity.
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia with Iron Deficiency Anemia

We report a rare case of anemia and thrombocytopenia as a result of uterine fibroid and adenomyosis, complicated by immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Symptoms were presented as menorrhagia and metrorrhagia in a 34-year-old African American woman, who was later treated with blood and platelet transfusion and iron therapy with steroids. Uterine fibroids are commonly found to cause hematologic disturbances such as anemia and reactive thrombocytosis and, less commonly, thrombocytopenia. Moreover, such hematologic disturbances are secondary to heavy and irregular uterine bleeding, which is typically presented. A previous uterine fibroid diagnosis was made and reconfirmed by pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound to exclude other locoregional pathologies. ITP was suggested by Coombs test and several other serologies, leading to confirmation via bone marrow biopsy. In a previous case study, we reported positive responses in hemotecrit and platelet count after the introduction of iron therapy to an iron-depleted middle-aged female presenting severe anemia and thrombocytopenia. 1
External and Internal Reasons for Career Plateauing

Career plateauing has received little attention in the literature of late, even when employees are retaining their positions longer with little likelihood for advancement or increased job responsibilities. Relationships between reasons for structural and content plateauing and work outcomes are investigated among professional accounting association members. Contributing to the literature, our findings confirm existence of external and internal plateauing reasons and various relationships with outcomes. External reasons for structural plateauing were negatively related to job and career satisfaction, while content plateauing for external reasons was negatively related to job involvement and work motivation. Structural plateauing for internal reasons lowered job involvement, but increased job and career satisfaction, as well as intention to stay. Job involvement and work motivation mediated relationships between several reasons and job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and intention to stay. Managerial implications and future research opportunities are noted.
Comparison of the effect of storage media on hardness and shear punch strength of tooth-colored restorative materials.

PURPOSE To measure the surface hardness and shear punch strength of six tooth-colored restorative materials before and after immersion in acidic and alkaline solutions. METHODS Specimens were prepared from three resin composites; Ceram X, Filtek Supreme, Point 4, two polyacid-modified resin composites; Dyract, F2000, and one resin-modified glass-ionomer cement; Fuji II LC, immersed in distilled water for 24 hours at 60 degrees C, polished with silicon carbide papers up to 2000-grit and subjected to baseline measurement for Vickers hardness or shear punch strength. Further specimens were transferred to one of four aqueous media at 60 degrees C for a further 2 weeks; distilled water, 0.01 mol/L lactic acid, 0.1 N NaOH or coffee 15 g/500mL, washed, dried and tested for final hardness or shear punch strength. RESULTS Data analysis using ANOVA and Tukey's test showed that the hardness and shear punch strength values were material and solution dependent. Regardless of the solutions; the hardness of F2000 was the highest and Fuji II LC the lowest; Point 4 and Filtek Supreme had the highest shear punch strength; Fuji II LC and F2000 had lowest. NaOH significantly reduced the hardness of all materials and completely dissolved the structure of Fuji II LC. Lactic acid and coffee significantly increased shear punch strength compared to baseline.
Assessment Nurses Knowledge toward Anticoagulation Therapy for Patients at Blood Disease Ward in Teaching Hospital in Baghdad city

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of diseases that affect the cardiovascular system, specifically the heart and blood vessels. Their consequences are often sudden and unexpected, sometimes culminating in the death of the person. Objectives: to assess of nurses knowledge toward anticoagulation therapy for patient at blood disease ward and to find out a relationship between nurses knowledge and some variables such as (educational level, year of experience, training course). Methodology: A cross-sectional design study utilizing a stratified random sampling method. The sample consisted of (100) nurses who were systematically selected one by one. The data collected for each nurse during the period between February 7 th to the 9 th April 2017 . A questionnaire was developed and distributed to the respondents involved. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: the majority of the study were male who accounted for (57%) of the total participants while female constituted (43%). Most of the study participants (39%) were age over (26-30) years old. (44%) of the nurses were institutes graduate. Fifty eight percent of the nurses were married and fourthly seven percent were barely sufficient. Majority (68%) of nurses had training course. Conclusions: findings of study demonstrate that, nurses have good knowledge about anticoagulation therapy domains.