Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radiologic determination of intravascular volume status using portable, digital chest radiography: A prospective investigation in 100 patients

ObjectiveTo answer the following questions: Can the digital chest roentgenogram (CXR) be used to differentiate patients’ volume status? Do clinical data alter radiologists’ accuracy in interpreting the digital CXR? DesignProspective cohort study. SettingNine adult intensive care units of a tertiary care medical center. PatientsOne hundred thirty-five consecutive patients with pulmonary artery catheters, of whom 35 were excluded because of unacceptable pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) tracings. MethodsEach patient had a portable, anteroposterior, supine digital CXR. Clinicians evaluated volume status and then measured hemodynamic data within 1 hr of the CXR. Digital CXRs were independently interpreted on two separate occasions (with and without clinical information) by three experienced chest radiologists, and these interpretations were compared with hemodynamic data. ResultsOf the 100 patients, 39 had PAOP >18 mm Hg, whereas 61 had PAOP <18 mm Hg. Radiologists’ accuracy in differentiating volume status increased with incorporation of clinical data (56% without vs. 65% with clinical data, p = .009). Using objective receiver operating characteristic–derived cutoffs of 70 mm for vascular pedicle width and 0.55 for cardiothoracic ratio, radiologists’ accuracy in differentiating PAOP >18 mm Hg from PAOP <18 mm Hg was 70%. The intrareader and the inter-reader correlation coefficients were very high. The likelihood ratio of the CXR in determining volume status using the objective vascular pedicle width and cardiothoracic ratio measures was 3.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.9–6.0), significantly higher than subjective CXR interpretations with and without clinical data (p < .001). ConclusionsDifferentiating intravascular volume status with portable, supine, digital CXRs may be improved by using objective cutoffs of vascular pedicle width >70 mm and cardiothoracic ratio >0.55 or by incorporating clinical data.
In-Vitro efficacy of antimicrobial agents used in the treatment of bacterial eye infections in Ibadan, Nigeria

Failure to cure eye infections, and reduced potency in topical antimicrobials had been observed in South Western Nigeria, this study sought to evaluate in vitro, the efficacy of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of ocular infections. A total of 46 ocular bacterial isolates were recovered from the diagnostic laboratory of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, from conjunctival swabs of patients having underlying eye diseases (Cataracts, glaucoma and esotrapia), and from patients presenting with other symptoms of eye infections. The pathogens incriminated were Staphylococcus aureus (73.5%), Coagulase negative Staphylococci (13.3%), Klebsiella species (10.3%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.0%). Disc diffusion tests (Bauer-Kirby method) were carried out using ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, augmentin, cefuroxime and levofloxacin. Broth dilution techniques were thereafter performed using gentamicin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. The microlide- erythromycin was 63.0% efficacious, augmentin and cefuroxime showed 71.1% and 76% efficacy. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of commonly used topical antibiotics however showed different levels of resistance. Resistance to the aminoglycosides was marked, yielding 53.4% with MIC50= 8, MIC90 > 256, Resistance to chloramphenicol was even more marked 69.6% with MIC50= 16, MIC90= 64, the fluoroquinolones showed high efficacy- levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin showed 93.4% and 82.6% susceptibility respectively with MIC50 doi: 10.4314/ajcem.v12i3. 7
Altered brain lipid composition in cyclooxygenase-2 knockout mouse Published, JLR Papers in Press, January 3, 2007.

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 plays an important role in brain arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) metabolism, and its expression is upregulated in animal models of neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity. Our hypothesis was that brain lipid composition would be altered in COX-2 knockout (COX-2−/−) compared with wild-type (COX-2+/+) mice, reflecting the important role of COX-2 in brain lipid metabolism. Concentrations of different lipids were measured in high-energy microwaved brain from COX-2−/− and COX-2+/+ mice. Compared with the COX-2+/+ mouse brain, the brain of the COX-2−/− mouse had a statistically significant 15% increase in phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and significant 37, 27, and 32% reductions in triacylglycerol and cholesterol concentrations and in the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio, respectively. The normalized concentration of palmitic acid (16:0) was increased in PtdSer, as was the brain concentration of unesterified arachidic acid (20:0). A lifetime absence of COX-2 produces multiple changes in brain lipid composition. These changes may be related to reported changes in fatty acid kinetics and in resistance to neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity in the COX-2−/− mouse.
Combining Seemingly Incompatible Corpora for Implicit Semantic Role Labeling

Implicit semantic role labeling, the task of retrieving locally unrealized arguments from wider discourse context, is a knowledgeintensive task. At the same time, the annotated corpora that exist are all small and scattered across different annotation frameworks, genres, and classes of predicates. Previous work has treated these corpora as incompatible with one another, and has concentrated on optimizing the exploitation of single corpora. In this paper, we show that corpus combination is effective after all when the differences between corpora are bridged with domain adaptation methods. When we combine the SemEval-2010 Task 10 and Gerber and Chai noun corpora, we obtain substantially improved performance on both corpora, for all roles and parts of speech. We also present new insights into the properties of the implicit semantic role labeling task.
Function and Localization of the Arabidopsis thaliana Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase DGAT2 Expressed in Yeast

Diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGATs) catalyze the final and only committed step of triacylglycerol synthesis. DGAT activity is rate limiting for triacylglycerol accumulation in mammals, plants and microbes. DGATs belong to three different evolutionary classes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DGAT1, encoded by At2g19450, is the major DGAT enzyme involved in triacylglycerol accumulation in seeds. Until recently, the function of DGAT2 (At3g51520) has remained elusive. Previous attempts to characterize its enzymatic function by heterologous expression in yeast were unsuccessful. In the present report we demonstrate that expression of a codon-optimized version of the DGAT2 gene is able to restore neutral lipid accumulation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain (H1246), which is defective in triacylglycerol biosynthesis. Heterologous expression of codon-optimized DGAT2 and DGAT1 induced the biogenesis of subcellular lipid droplets containing triacylglycerols and squalene. Both DGAT proteins were found to be associated with these lipid droplets. The fatty acid composition was affected by the nature of the acyltransferase expressed. DGAT2 preferentially incorporated C16:1 fatty acids whereas DGAT1 displayed preference for C16:0, strongly suggesting that these enzymes have contrasting substrate specificities.
Modelling parasite drug resistance: lessons for management and control strategies

Mathematical models of the evolution of drug resistance in infectious diseases are predominantly concentrated in three main areas: antimalarial, antibiotic and anthelmintic resistance. There appears to be little or no cross‐reference between them. This literature was examined to identify factors that influence the evolution of drug resistance irrespective of the species and drug under study. The aim is to provide non‐technical readers with a basic qualitative understanding of the issues and pitfalls involved in designing drug treatment regimens to minimize the evolution of resistance. The principal factors determining the rate at which resistance evolves appear to be (i) the starting frequency of resistance, (ii) the level and pattern of drug use, (iii) the drug’s pharmacokinetic properties, (iv) the number of genes required to encode resistance, (v) the level of sexual recombination in the parasite population, (vi) intrahost dynamics and, in particular, whether ‘crowding’ effects are present, (vii) the genetic basis of resistance and (viii) the number of individual parasites in an infection. The relative importance of these factors depends on the biology of the organisms under consideration and external factors such as the extent to which the infrastructure of health care delivery constrains the practicalities of drug regimens.
Aerobic characteristics of red kangaroo skeletal muscles: is a high aerobic capacity matched by muscle mitochondrial and capillary morphology as in placental mammals?

SUMMARY Marsupials and placentals together comprise the Theria, the advanced mammals, but they have had long independent evolutionary histories, with the last common ancestor occurring more than 125 million years ago. Although in the past the marsupials were considered to be metabolically `primitive', the red kangaroo Macropus rufus has been reported to have an aerobic capacity (V̇O2max) comparable to that of the most `athletic' of placentals such as dogs. However, kangaroos travel at moderate speeds with lower relative cost than quadrupedal placentals. Given the long independent evolution of the two therian groups, and their unusual locomotor energetics, do kangaroos achieve their high aerobic capacity using the same structural and functional mechanisms used by (athletic) placentals? Red kangaroo skeletal muscle morphometry matched closely the general aerobic characteristics of placental mammals. The relationship between total mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle and V̇O2max during exercise was identical to that in quadrupedal placentals, and differed from that in bipedal humans. As for placentals generally, red kangaroo mitochondrial oxygen consumption at V̇O2max was 4.7 ml O2 min–1 ml–1 of mitochondria. Also, the inner mitochondrial membrane densities were 35.8±0.7 m2 ml–1 of mitochondria, which is the same as for placental mammals, and the same pattern of similarity was seen for capillary densities and volumes. The overall data for kangaroos was equivalent to that seen in athletic placentals such as dogs and pronghorns. Total skeletal muscle mass was high, being around 50% of body mass, and was concentrated around the pelvis and lower back. The majority of the muscles sampled had relatively high mitochondrial volume densities, in the range 8.8–10.6% in the major locomotor muscles. Again, capillary densities and capillary blood volumes followed the pattern seen for mitochondria. Our results indicate that the red kangaroo, despite its locomotion and extreme body form, shows fundamental aerobic/muscular relationships that appear common to both marsupials and placentals. The evolution of such metabolic relationships apparently predates the divergence of the therian groups in the early Cretaceous, and perhaps evolved in the mammal-like reptiles during the Triassic (220 million years ago) before the actual evolution of the mammals.
Melatonin Effects on the Cytoskeletal Organization of MDCK and Neuroblastoma N1E‐115 Cells

Despite the fact that many physiological and pharmacological actions of melatonin (MEL) have been described, its mechanism of action at the subcellular level remains unclear. It has been suggested that MEL has effects on cellular processes that involve microfilaments and microtubules. In the present study MEL effects on the cytoskel‐eton were evaluated in MDCK and N1E‐115 cells in which the microfilaments have been shown to participate in cell morphology and dome formation (MDCK) and the microtubules in neurite outgrowths.
Conceptions of mental illness: attitudes of mental health professionals and the general public.

OBJECTIVES The authors compared attitudes of the U.S. general public and of mental health professionals about the competence and perceived dangerousness of people with mental health problems and the desire for social distance from them. Factors related to negative attitudes and the desire for social distance also were examined. METHODS Vignettes describing individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression and schizophrenia were included in the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS) and a 2009 study of mental health professionals, and responses were descriptively compared (GSS, N=397 responses to depression vignette, N=373 responses to schizophrenia vignette; 731 mental health professionals responded to both vignettes). Regression analyses examined whether demographic and provider characteristics were associated with perceptions of less competence and perceived dangerousness of the vignette character and with respondents' desire for social distance. RESULTS Compared with the American public, mental health professionals had significantly more positive attitudes toward people with mental health problems. However, some providers' conceptions about the dangerousness of people with schizophrenia and provider desire for social distance from clients in work and personal situations were concerning. Younger age, self-identifying as non-Hispanic white, being female, having at least a four-year college degree, being familiar with mental illness, and certain job titles and more years of experience in the mental health field were predictive of more positive conceptions. CONCLUSIONS Although mental health professionals held more positive attitudes than the general public about people with mental health problems, strong stereotypes persisted in both groups, especially concerning schizophrenia. This study identified several demographic and provider characteristics that can inform intervention strategies in both groups.
Advanced care nurse practitioners can safely provide sole resident cover for level three patients: impact on outcomes, cost and work patterns in a cardiac surgery programme.

OBJECTIVES There are significant pressures on resident medical rotas on intensive care. We have evaluated the safety and feasibility of nurse practitioners (NPs) delivering first-line care on an intensive care unit with all doctors becoming non-resident. Previously, resident doctors on a 1:8 full-shift rota supported by NPs delivered first-line care to patients after cardiac surgery. Subsequently, junior doctors changed to a 1:5 non-resident rota and NPs onto a 1:7 full-shift rota provided first-line care. METHODS A single centre before-and-after service evaluation on cardiac intensive care. KEY MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT mortality rates, surgical trainee attendance in theatre and cost before and after the change. After-hour calls by NPs to doctors and subsequent actions were also audited after the change. RESULTS The overall mortality rates in the 12 months before the change were 2.8 and 2.2% in the 12 months after (P = 0.43). The median [range] logistic EuroSCORE was 5.3 [0.9-84] before and 5.0 [0.9-85] after the change (P = 0.16). After accounting for the risk profile, the odds ratio for death after the change relative to before was 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.41-1.69. Before the change, a surgical trainee attended theatre 467 of 702 (68%) cases. This increased to 539 of 677 (80%) cases after the change (P < 0.001). The annual cost of staffing the junior doctor and NP programme before the change was £933 344 and £764 691 after. In the year after the change, 192 after-hour calls were made to doctors. In 57% of cases telephone advice sufficed and doctors attended in 43%. CONCLUSIONS With adequate training and appropriate support, resident NPs can provide a safe, sustainable alternative to traditional staffing models of cardiac intensive care. Training opportunities for junior surgeons increased and costs were reduced.
Coagulase‐negative staphylococci are the most common bacteria found in cultures from the deep portions of hidradenitis suppurativa lesions, as obtained by carbon dioxide laser surgery

The significance of bacterial findings in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is controversial. Interpretation of the results of bacteriological examinations from the surface of HS lesions is obscured by the possible contamination of resident skin bacteria. Bacteriological analysis of aspirates from deeper parts of HS is liable to show low sensitivity. We used a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser method to evaporate the diseased tissue level by level from the surface downwards, allowing concurrent sampling of bacteriological cultures from each level and thereby minimizing contamination with bacteria from the level above. In this study, 22 women and three men with a mean age of 35.3 years and a mean HS duration of 10.6 years were treated with this CO2 laser surgical method. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures from superficial and deep levels were taken during surgery. The regions treated were axillary in eight and perineal in 17 cases. Bacterial cultures were positive for one or more specimens from at least one level in all cases and from deep levels in all but three cases. Sixteen different species or sub‐species were found. Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) were the species most frequently found. Peptostreptococcus species and Propionibacterium acnes were not uncommon. S. aureus was detected in a total of 14 cases, six of which were from the deep levels. S. aureus was the sole bacterium isolated in two deep cultures. CNS were found in 21 patients and 16 of these isolates were from the deep levels. In nine of the 16 deep samples CNS were the only bacteria detected. These findings motivate a re‐evaluation of the significance of bacteria in the progress of HS and in particular they suggest that CNS are true pathogens. It is known that foreign bodies aggravate the virulence of the CNS in surgical implants, and an environment which resembles that produced by a foreign body, as found in chronic HS tissue, serves to intensify the pathogenic properties of CNS in HS.
Bias-assisted atomic force microscope nanolithography on NbS 2 thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition

Niobium disulfide, one of the metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, has a high potential as an electrode material for electronic devices made of 2D materials. Here, we investigated the bias-assisted atomic force microscope nanolithography of NbS2 thin films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. We analyzed the lithographed pattern using Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and friction force microscopy. These analyses showed that lines having various widths and thicknesses could be generated using the lithography technique by simply varying the scan speed and applied voltage. These analyses also revealed that the NbS2 film transformed from a layered crystalline structure into an amorphous structure upon being lithographed. By generating four line segments forming a square and measuring I/V curves inside and outside of the square, the electrical properties of the lithographed material were characterized. These analyses indicate that NbS2 became hydrogenated and an insulator upon being lithographed.
Journal of Information Technology Education Group Performance in Information Systems Project Groups: an Empirical Study Group Performance in Information Systems Project Groups

Executive Summary The importance of teamwork in Information Systems Development (ISD) practice and education has been acknowledged but not studied extensively to date. This paper tests a model of how groups participating in ISD projects perform and examines the relationships between some antecedents of this performance based on group research theory well established in the organizational behavior literature. Most modern organizations require individuals to work in teams to perform their tasks. Information systems development teams, advertising teams, and new product development teams are only a few examples from the business community. The group work environment creates challenges for the group members that may affect the group's performance. The relevance and importance of group performance and its antecedents has been addressed in other areas of research: in Social For example, organizations are looking for products, such as groupware software and web portals, that allow for online collaborative work, in turn helping them to think more quickly, to reduce production costs, and to get those products to the market sooner. Another example are IS projects that involve group work is Information Systems Development (ISD) which often involve systems analysts and designers working in a group setting, either face-to-face or through electronic collaboration. As a result, organizations need to have an in-depth understanding of what encourages groups suggest that this issue needs to be incorporated into IS and business education. Therefore, the goal of this study is to identify, define and measure the determinants of group performance in ISD projects. To meet this need, a comprehensive research model is developed based on small-group research and IS literature. First, this Material published as part of this journal, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the publisher of the Journal of Information Technology Education. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and payment of a fee. Contact Editor@JITE.org to request redistribution permission. 98 98 research reviews the theoretical foundations …
Association of the amino‐terminal half of c‐Src with focal adhesions alters their properties and is regulated by phosphorylation of tyrosine 527.

We have characterized the mechanism by which the subcellular distribution of c‐Src is controlled by the phosphorylation of tyrosine 527. Mutation of this tyrosine dramatically redistributes c‐Src from endosomal membranes to focal adhesions. Redistribution to focal adhesions occurs independently of kinase activity and cellular transformation. In cells lacking the regulatory kinase (CSK) that phosphorylates tyrosine 527, c‐Src is also found predominantly in focal adhesions, confirming that phosphorylation of tyrosine 527 affects the location of c‐Src inside the cell. The first 251 amino acids of c‐Src are sufficient to allow association with focal adhesions, indicating that at least one signal for positioning c‐Src in focal adhesions resides in the amino‐terminal half. Point mutations and deletions in the first 251 amino acids of c‐Src reveal that association with focal adhesions requires the myristylation site needed for membrane attachment, as well as the SH3 domain. Expression of the amino‐terminal region alters both the structural and biochemical properties of focal adhesions. Focal adhesions containing this non‐catalytic portion of c‐Src are larger and exhibit increased levels of phosphotyrosine staining. Our results suggest that c‐Src may regulate focal adhesions and cellular adhesion by a kinase‐independent mechanism.