Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosomal Dynamism in Progeny of Outbreak-Related Sorbitol-Fermenting Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:NM

ABSTRACT Sorbitol-fermenting (SF) enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:NM (nonmotile) is a unique clone that causes outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. In well-defined clusters of cases, we have observed significant variability in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns which could indicate coinfection by different strains. An analysis of randomly selected progeny colonies of an outbreak strain after subcultivation demonstrated that they displayed either the cognate PFGE outbreak pattern or one of four additional patterns and were <89% similar. These profound alterations were associated with changes in the genomic position of one of two Shiga toxin 2-encoding genes (stx2) in the outbreak strain or with the loss of this gene. The two stx2 alleles in the outbreak strain were identical but were flanked with phage-related sequences with only 77% sequence identity. Neither of these phages produced plaques, but one lysogenized E. coli K-12 and integrated in yecE in the lysogens and the wild-type strain. The presence of two stx2 genes which correlated with increased production of Stx2 in vitro but not with the clinical outcome of infection was also found in 14 (21%) of 67 SF EHEC O157:NM isolates from sporadic cases of human disease. The variability of PFGE patterns for the progeny of a single colony must be considered when interpreting PFGE patterns in SF EHEC O157-associated outbreaks.
A Highly Planar Fluorinated Benzothiadiazole‐Based Conjugated Polymer for High‐Performance Organic Thin‐Film Transistors

High-mobility and low-voltage-operated organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are demonstrated by the design of a new fluorinated benzothiadiazole-based conjugated polymer with fluorinated high-k polymer dielectrics. A record-breaking high hole mobility of 9.0 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for benzothiadiazole-based semiconducting polymers is achieved by the excellent planarity of the semiconducting polymer.
GABAB receptors-mediated tonic inhibition of glutamate release from Aβ fibers in rat laminae III/IV of the spinal cord dorsal horn

Presynaptic GABAB receptors (GABABRs) are highly expressed in dorsal root ganglion neurons and spinal cord dorsal horn. GABABRs located in superficial dorsal horn play an important antinociceptive role, by acting at both pre- and postsynaptic sites. GABABRs expressed in deep dorsal horn could be involved in the processing of touch sensation and possibly in the generation of tactile allodynia in chronic pain. The objective of this study was to characterize the morphological and functional properties of GABABRs expressed on Aβ fibers projecting to lamina III/IV and to understand their role in modulating excitatory synaptic transmission. We performed high-resolution electron microscopic analysis, showing that GABAB2 subunit is expressed on 71.9% of terminals in rat lamina III-IV. These terminals were engaged in axodendritic synapses and, for the 46%, also expressed glutamate immunoreactivity. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents, evoked by Aβ fiber stimulation and recorded from lamina III/IV neurons in spinal cord slices, were strongly depressed by application of baclofen (0.1–2.5 µM), acting as a presynaptic modulator. Application of the GABABR antagonist CGP 55845 caused, in a subpopulation of neurons, the potentiation of the first of two excitatory postsynaptic currents recorded with the paired-pulse protocol, showing that GABABRs are endogenously activated. A decrease in the paired-pulse ratio accompanied the effect of CGP 55845, implying the involvement of presynaptic GABABRs. CGP 55845 facilitated only the first excitatory postsynaptic current also during a train of four consecutive stimuli applied to Aβ fibers. These results suggest that GABABRs tonically inhibit glutamate release from Aβ fibers at a subset of synapses in deep dorsal horn. This modulation specifically affects only the early phase of synaptic excitation in lamina III-IV neurons.
Evaluation of the Practicum Trainee Librarians at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

Trainee librarians at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, were surveyed about their library practicum experience. A questionnaire and observation elicited information to find out if the Industrial Training Programme has bridged the existing gap between theory and practice in librarianship. The population of the study were all the 17 trainee librarians and 12 out of the 19 practicing librarians were randomly sampled for a better representative of the population understudy. The major questions were put into table and they were analyzed accordingly.The trainee librarians made suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of the programme. The article makes further recommendations for improvement.
[Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for visual detection of hepatitis B virus].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the method of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) using boiled serum for visual detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV). METHODS Specific LAMP primers were designed according to the conservative region compared with the sequence of S genes in GenBank, and DNA of the samples was extracted by kit and boiling methods. The reaction conditions of LAMP were optimized, and HBV standard strains and clinical samples were examined to evaluate the specificity, sensitivity, and anti-interference ability of LAMP. Visual detection was performed for the results of LAMP, and SPSS 17.0 was used for consistency test. RESULTS The optimal reaction conditions of LAMP were established. LAMP had a high specificity, and there was no nonspecific amplification. The sensitivity of LAMP was 10 copies/tube, regardless of the method for nucleic acid extraction. Hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) had a comparable sensitivity to electrophoresis and SYBR Green I, and, unlike SYBR Green I, did not cause aerosol pollution easily. In addition, with fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) as the gold standard, LAMP using the boiling method and FQ-PCR were in good consistency (Kappa = 0.762, P > 0.05). However, PCR using boiling method was not well consistent with FQ-PCR (Kappa = 0.186, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION LAMP has certain advantages over PCR in detecting HBV infection, and LAMP can be used to detect HBV in the field or primary hospitals.
RRT-blossom: RRT with a local flood-fill behavior

This paper proposes a new variation of the RRT planner which demonstrates good performance on both loosely-constrained and highly-constrained environments. The key to the planner is an implicit flood-fill-like mechanism, a technique that is well suited to escaping local minima in highly constrained problems. We show sample results for a variety of problems and environments, and discuss future improvements
Capacity Scaling of Wireless Networks with Inhomogeneous Node Density: Lower Bounds

We consider static ad hoc wireless networks comprising significant inhomogeneities in the node spatial distribution over the area and analyze the scaling laws of their transport capacity as the number of nodes increases. In particular, we consider nodes placed according to a shot-noise Cox process (SNCP), which allows to model the clustering behavior usually recognized in large-scale systems. For this class of networks, we propose novel scheduling and routing schemes that approach previously computed upper bounds to the per-flow throughput as the number of nodes tends to infinity.
An Improved Network Model for Transmission Expansion Planning Considering Reactive Power and Network Losses

The expansion plan obtained from a DC model based transmission expansion planning (TEP) model could be problematic in the AC network because the DC model is potentially inaccurate. However, solving TEP problems using the AC model is still extremely challenging. The motivation for this work is to develop a less relaxed network model, based on which more realistic TEP solutions are obtained. The proposed TEP model includes a linear representation of reactive power, off-nominal bus voltage magnitudes and network losses. Binary variables are added to avoid fictitious losses. Garver's 6-bus system is used to compare the proposed TEP model with the existing models. An iterative approach for considering the N -1 criterion during the planning process is developed and demonstrated on the IEEE 118-bus system. Simulation results indicate that the proposed TEP model provides a better approximation to the AC network and is applicable to large power system planning problems.
Effects of age, size, and mating history on sex role decision of a simultaneous hermaphrodite

Lay summary Quite a few animals are male and female at the same time, so they can choose to mate either as male or female on copulation. The decision to perform either sex role was known to be highly flexible depending on various, but often confounding, factors. For the pond snail, we report that young and small snails tend to mate as males first, though old and large snails do not seem to be better females.
ROLE OF HUMAN CYCLOOXYGENASE-2 IN THE BIOACTIVATION OF DAPSONE AND SULFAMETHOXAZOLE

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and dapsone (4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone, DDS) are believed to mediate their adverse effects subsequent to bioactivation to their respective arylhydroxylamine and arylnitroso metabolites, resulting in covalent adduct formation with intracellular proteins. Various bioactivating enzymes, such as cytochromes P450 and myeloperoxidase, have been shown to be capable of catalyzing the N-oxidation of these compounds. We assessed the role of human cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the metabolism and subsequent adduct formation of DDS and SMX using recombinant human COX-2. Using an adduct-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we found that the complete enzyme system gave rise to covalent adducts. However, the nonspecific COX inhibitor indomethacin did not reduce the amount of covalent adduct formed. Formation of the arylhydroxylamine metabolites was demonstrated via high performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV absorption. Metabolite formation was found to be secondary to the H2O2 in the incubation mixture and was not enzyme-mediated. Hence, COX-2 does not play a direct role in the bioactivation of these parent drugs to their arylhydroxylamine metabolites.
Phenolics Impart Au3+-Stress Tolerance to Cowpea by Generating Nanoparticles

While evaluating impact of Au nanoparticles on seed germination and early seedling growth of cowpea, HAuCl4 was used as control. Seedlings of cowpea raised in HAuCl4, even at concentration as high as 1 mM, did not show any suppression in growth. Accordingly, Au3+, despite being a heavy metal, did not alter levels of stress markers (viz. proline and malondialdehyde) in cowpea. Interestingly, cowpea turned clear pale yellow HAuCl4 solutions colloidal purple during the course of seed germination and seedling growth. These purple colloidal suspensions showed Au-nanoparticle specific surface plasmon resonance band in absorption spectra. Transmission electron microscopic and powder X-ray diffraction investigations confirmed presence of crystalline Au-nanoparticles in these purple suspensions. Each germinating seed of cowpea released ∼35 nmoles of GAE of phenolics and since phenolics promote generation of Au-nanoparticles, which are less/non toxic compared to Au3+, it was contemplated that potential of cowpea to withstand Au3+ is linked to phenolics. Of the different components of germinating seed of cowpea tested, seed coat possessed immense power to generate Au-nanoparticles, as it was the key source of phenolics. To establish role of phenolics in generation of Au-nanoparticles (i) seed coat and (ii) the incubation medium in which phenolics were released by germinating seeds, were tested for their efficacy to generate Au-nanoparticles. Interestingly, incubation of either of these components with Au3+ triggered increase in generation of Au-nanoparticles with concomitant decrease in phenolics. Accordingly, with increase in concentration of Au3+, a proportionate increase in generation of Au-nanoparticles and decrease in phenolics was recorded. In summary, our findings clearly established that cowpea possessed potential to withstand Au3+-stress as the phenolics released by seed coat of germinating seeds possess potential to reduce toxic Au3+ to form non/less toxic Au-nanoparticles. Our investigations also pave a novel, simple, green and economically viable protocol for generation of Au-nanoparticles.
The missing step of the l-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis in plants, an l-galactose guanyltransferase, increases leaf ascorbate content

The gene for one postulated enzyme that converts GDP-l-galactose to l-galactose-1-phosphate is unknown in the l-galactose pathway of ascorbic acid biosynthesis and a possible candidate identified through map-based cloning is the uncharacterized gene At4g26850. We identified a putative function for At4g26850 using PSI-Blast and motif searching to show it was a member of the histidine triad superfamily, which includes d-galactose uridyltransferase. We cloned and expressed this Arabidopsis gene and the homologous gene from Actinidia chinensis in Escherichia coli and assayed the expressed protein for activities related to converting GDP-l-galactose to l-galactose-1-P. The expressed protein is best described as a GDP-l-galactose-hexose-1-phosphate guanyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.), catalyzing the transfer of GMP from GDP-l-galactose to a hexose-1-P, most likely d-mannose-1-phosphate in vivo. Transient expression of this A. chinensis gene in tobacco leaves resulted in a >3-fold increase in leaf ascorbate as well as a 50-fold increase in GDP-l-galactose-d-mannose-1-phosphate guanyltransferase activity.
Agent Based Modelling Helps in Understanding the Rules by Which Fibroblasts Support Keratinocyte Colony Formation

Background Autologous keratincoytes are routinely expanded using irradiated mouse fibroblasts and bovine serum for clinical use. With growing concerns about the safety of these xenobiotic materials, it is desirable to culture keratinocytes in media without animal derived products. An improved understanding of epithelial/mesenchymal interactions could assist in this. Methodology/Principal Findings A keratincyte/fibroblast o-culture model was developed by extending an agent-based keratinocyte colony formation model to include the response of keratinocytes to both fibroblasts and serum. The model was validated by comparison of the in virtuo and in vitro multicellular behaviour of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in single and co-culture in Greens medium. To test the robustness of the model, several properties of the fibroblasts were changed to investigate their influence on the multicellular morphogenesis of keratinocyes and fibroblasts. The model was then used to generate hypotheses to explore the interactions of both proliferative and growth arrested fibroblasts with keratinocytes. The key predictions arising from the model which were confirmed by in vitro experiments were that 1) the ratio of fibroblasts to keratinocytes would critically influence keratinocyte colony expansion, 2) this ratio needed to be optimum at the beginning of the co-culture, 3) proliferative fibroblasts would be more effective than irradiated cells in expanding keratinocytes and 4) in the presence of an adequate number of fibroblasts, keratinocyte expansion would be independent of serum. Conclusions A closely associated computational and biological approach is a powerful tool for understanding complex biological systems such as the interactions between keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The key outcome of this study is the finding that the early addition of a critical ratio of proliferative fibroblasts can give rapid keratinocyte expansion without the use of irradiated mouse fibroblasts and bovine serum.
Pediatric Adverse Drug Events in the Outpatient Setting: An 11-Year National Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a common complication of medical care, but few pediatric data are available describing the frequency or epidemiology of these events. We estimated the national incidence of pediatric ADEs requiring medical treatment, described the pediatric population seeking care for ADEs, and characterized the events in terms of patient symptoms and medications implicated. METHODS: Data were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics, which collects information on patient visits to outpatient clinics and emergency departments throughout the United States. We analyzed data for children 0 to 18 years of age seeking medical treatment for an ADE between 1995 and 2005. RESULTS: The mean annual number of ADE-related visits was 585922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 503687–668156) of which 78% occurred in outpatient clinics and 12% occurred in emergency departments. Children 0 to 4 years of age had the highest incidence of ADE-related visits, accounting for 43.2% (95% CI: 35.6%–51.2%) of visits. The most common symptom manifestations were dermatologic conditions (45.4% [95% CI: 36.9%–54.1%]) and gastrointestinal symptoms (16.5% [95% CI: 11.1%–23.8%]). The medication classes most frequently implicated in an ADE were antimicrobial agents (27.5% [95% CI: 21.5%–34.5%]), central nervous system agents (6.5% [95% CI: 4.0%–10.5%]), and hormones (6.1% [95% CI: 3.1%–11.6%]). While ADEs related to antimicrobial agents were most common among children 0 to 4 years old and decreased in frequency among older children, ADEs resulting from central nervous system agents and hormones increased in frequency among children 5 to 11 and 12 to 18 years old. CONCLUSIONS: ADEs result in a substantial number of health care visits, particularly in outpatient clinics. The incidence of ADEs and medications implicated vary by age, indicating that age-specific approaches for monitoring and preventing ADEs may be most effective.
Peripheral neuroblastic tumours in eastern Denmark 1972–2002

The peripheral neuroblastic tumour group includes neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma. Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour of childhood. We have evaluated the histological presentation, MYCN gene status, and clinical course of peripheral neuroblastic tumours diagnosed and treated in eastern Denmark from 1972–2002. 125 patients were diagnosed with peripheral neuroblastic tumour during this 30‐year period. The histological material was reviewed and classified into three categories in accordance with the Shimada system: unfavourable histology, favourable histology, and benign tumours. MYCN status was determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on paraffin sections from the primary tumour. Clinical information was obtained from hospital records. Diagnostic likelihood ratios in the two groups were calculated to compare the ability of MYCN status and histological classification to predict 5‐year outcome. 41 tumours showed unfavourable histology, 30 tumours showed favourable histology, 11 were benign, and 43 were unclassifiable due to limited amounts of primary tumour, bad preservation or inaccessibility of the primary tumour necessitating metastatic tumour biopsy for diagnosis. Unfavourable histology was associated with widespread disease (p<0.001). The overall 5‐year survival rate was 45%, which correlates well with the European survival rate reported for this time period. The 5‐year survival rate in the unfavourable group was 30% as compared to 100% in the favourable histology group (p<0.001). The survival rate in the unclassifiable group was 13%. 26% of the neuroblastomas were MYCN amplified. MYCN amplification was associated with undifferentiated histology, a histological subtype of the unfavourable histology group (p<0.001). For unfavourable histology the positive diagnostic likelihood ratio was 2.9 as compared to 4.7 for MYCN amplification. The study has confirmed the prognostic significance of the Shimada system in the peripheral neuroblastic tumour group in a retrospective material, and has also demonstrated the prognostic superiority of MYCN compared to histological classification, thus reducing the necessary amounts of tumour tissue.
Surgical management of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma.

AIM To study the behavior as well as optimal treatment of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma, we reviewed the results of treatment of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. METHODS From 1987 to 2005, six patients were diagnosed with gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma and treated at our institution. Tumor staging was based on 2002 revised tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging for gall bladder cancer from the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The clinical presentation, laboratory data and preoperative workup were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS Five patients were female and one was male. The age ranged from 51 to 66 years (median, 58 years). Surgical procedures included three curative resections, two palliative resections and one biopsy. There were two surgical complications (33.3%) and one case of surgical mortality (16.7%). The follow-up time ranged from 30 d to 5 mo. The median survival was 2.5 mo. The prognosis was extremely poor, even after curative resection and postoperative chemotherapy. CONCLUSION The prognosis of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma was not dependent on TNM stage and was always dismal. The clinicopathological features were different from those of gall bladder cancer.
The Significance of Muscular Strength in Dance

The physical demands placed on dancers make their physiology and fitness just as important as skill development. However, dancers’ muscular strength and bone and joint integrity seem to suffer as a result of the dance-only selection and training system. This partly reflects the unfounded view that exercise training that is not directly related to dance would diminish dancers’ aesthetic appearances and destroy muscle flexibility. Nevertheless, data on male and female dancers have demonstrated that supplemental strength training can lead to better dancing and reduced incidents of dance injuries without interfering with key artistic and aesthetic requirements. An awareness of these factors will assist dancers and their teachers in improving training techniques, employing more effective injury prevention program, and in determining better physical conditioning strategies.
Active estimation of mass properties for safe cooperative lifting

This work considers estimation of mass parameters for multi-robot coordinated lifting in the context of coordinated aerial manipulation, and develops strategies for active parameter estimation for cooperative manipulation tasks through an information-theoretic framework. The active sensing problem is formulated based on application of increasing forces to the object and detection of small motions that occur when the center of pressure exits the convex hull formed by existing contacts. In order to enable identification of informative actions, we develop and employ a closed-form solution of Cauchy-Schwarz quadratic mutual information (Ics) for non-parametric filters. The evaluation considers iterative selection from a finite set of measurements and demonstrates that choosing measurements to maximize Ics significantly improves the convergence rate of the parameter estimates compared to random and cyclic selection methods. This approach is extended to consider actuator constraints and feasible lifting configurations and achieves an 80% success rate in formation of feasible lifting configurations compared to a 53% baseline performance.