Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
General Strain Theory

General strain theory (GST) is considered the most recent theoretical framework to emerge from traditional strain perspectives. GST focuses strictly on negative relationships and assumes that delinquency and crime are forms of coping mechanisms that result from strain and stressful events. While GST is considered an overall micro-level perspective, recent research has emerged which argues that GST can also be applicable at the macro-level and also has the potential to explain group differences (e.g., age, gender, race) in delinquent and criminal behavior. The theory also suggests policy implications to decrease deviant coping through the reduction of strain and stress exposure. Keywords: Causation; Crime; Criminology; Sociology; Sociology of Crime
Production of a monoclonal antibody against oxytetracycline and its application for oxytetracycline residue detection in shrimp

A novel monoclonal antibody (MAb) against oxytetracycline (OTC) was generated and characterized. The MAb was used in the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA)-based detection system. An OTC-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate was prepared and used in the immunization of mice. A conventional somatic cell fusion technique was used to generate MAb-secreting hybridomas denoted 2-4F, 7-3G, and 11-11A. An indirect competitive ELISA (icELISA) was applied to measure the sensitivity and specificity of each MAb in terms of its 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and percentage of cross-reactivity, respectively. MAb 2-4F exhibited the highest sensitivity, with an IC50 of 7.01 ng/ml. This MAb showed strong cross-reactivity to rolitetracycline, but no cross-reactivity to other unrelated antibiotics. When MAb 2-4F was used to detect OTC from shrimp samples, the recoveries were in the range of 82%–118% for an intra-assay and 96%–113% for an inter-assay. The coefficients of variation of the assays were 3.9%–13.9% and 5.5%–14.9%, respectively.
Links between Genetic Groups, Indole Alkaloid Profiles and Ecology within the Grass-Parasitic Claviceps purpurea Species Complex

The grass parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea sensu lato produces sclerotia with toxic indole alkaloids. It constitutes several genetic groups with divergent habitat preferences that recently were delimited into separate proposed species. We aimed to 1) analyze genetic variation of C. purpurea sensu lato in Norway, 2) characterize the associated indole alkaloid profiles, and 3) explore relationships between genetics, alkaloid chemistry and ecology. Approximately 600 sclerotia from 14 different grass species were subjected to various analyses including DNA sequencing and HPLC-MS. Molecular results, supported by chemical and ecological data, revealed one new genetic group (G4) in addition to two of the three known; G1 (C. purpurea sensu stricto) and G2 (C. humidiphila). G3 (C. spartinae) was not found. G4, which was apparently con-specific with the recently described C. arundinis sp. nov, was predominantly found in very wet habitats on Molinia caerulea and infrequently in saline habitats on Leymus arenarius. Its indole-diterpene profile resembled G2, while its ergot alkaloid profile differed from G2 in high amounts of ergosedmam. In contrast to G1, indole-diterpenes were consistently present in G2 and G4. Our study supports and complements the newly proposed species delimitation of the C. purpurea complex, but challenges some species characteristics including host spectrum, habitat preferences and sclerotial floating ability.
Transgalactosylation / Hydrolysis Ratios of Various b-Galactosidases Catalyzing Alkyl-b-Galactoside Synthesis in Single-Phased Alcohol Media

Three microbial galactosidases, Aspergillus oryzae, Escherichia coli and Klyveromyces marxianus b-galactosidase, were used as catalysts for transgalactosylation synthesis of alkyl-b-galactosides in single-phased alcohol media. Their selectivity towards different alcohol nucleophiles was quantified by determining the transgalactosylation/hydrolysis ratio in the water/alcohol mixtures containing water in concentrations below the level of saturation. p-Nitrophenyl-b-galactoside was used as a glycosyl donor at a concentration of 10 mM. Both the total reaction rate (transgalactosylation+hydrolysis) and the ratio between the transgalactosylation (alcoholysis) and hydrolysis increased with the increase of water activity. Although the A. oryzae b-galactosidase showed relatively low total activity (3.13 mmol/(min·mg protein)), it exhibited the highest selectivity towards the hexanol nucleophile among the examined enzymes (0.65). The selectivity values in all the examined cases were below one, which implies that the hydrolysis, and not the synthesis, was the dominating reaction. The total reaction rate (transgalactosylation+hydrolysis) was strongly affected by the water activity, and for the specific water activity in the different alcohols, it increased in the following order: n-octanol<n-hexanol<n-butanol.
Disclosure of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: caregivers' opinions in a Brazilian sample.

BACKGROUND Disclosure of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a contentious issue, and has been little studied in developing countries. OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors and the experience of being a caregiver on opinion about disclosing AD diagnosis to the patient in a Brazilian sample. METHOD Caregivers of 50 AD patients together with 50 control participants that did not have the experience of being a caregiver of AD patient were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS Most of the participants (73.0%) endorsed disclosure of the diagnosis, while caregivers were less prone to disclose (58.0%) than controls (88.0%; p=0.0007). Logistic regression confirmed that only the experience of being a caregiver was associated with a lesser tendency for disclosure endorsement. CONCLUSION The majority of participants was in favor of disclosing the diagnosis, but caregivers were less willing to disclose the diagnosis to the AD patient.
Life with Chronic Illness

Many healthcare professionals are focusing their concerns on controlling symptoms and minimizing physical distress while failing to deal with the social and psychological factors related to living with long-term chronic illness. Ariela Royer makes an important contribution to the study of health and illness behavior by showing the various strategies chronically ill people use to manage their symptoms and overcome the consequences of their particular illness, so they can live the most normal life possible and maintain their self-esteem. In spite of a popular belief linking chronic illness mainly to aging, most chronic problems extend across the life span. One of every seven men and one of every eight women between the ages of 17 and 44 are limited in their major activity, their ability to work, keep house or go to school, because of a chronic condition. At ages 65 and over, nearly three-fifths of men and two-fifths of women are handicapped. Dr. Royer shows various strategies the chronically ill may use to live with the uncertainty inherent in chronic illness. She also discusses how one might try to overcome or to minimize the salient social consequences of chronic illness, such as stigma and social isolation, in order to get on with their lives.
Organelles Contribute Differentially to Reactive Oxygen Species-Related Events during Extended Darkness1[C][W][OA]

Treatment of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves by extended darkness generates a genetically activated senescence program that culminates in cell death. The transcriptome of leaves subjected to extended darkness was found to contain a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-specific signatures. The levels of transcripts constituting the transcriptome footprints of chloroplasts and cytoplasm ROS stresses decreased in leaves, as early as the second day of darkness. In contrast, an increase was detected in transcripts associated with mitochondrial and peroxisomal ROS stresses. The sequential changes in the redox state of the organelles during darkness were examined by redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein probes (roGFP) that were targeted to specific organelles. In plastids, roGFP showed a decreased level of oxidation as early as the first day of darkness, followed by a gradual increase to starting levels. However, in mitochondria, the level of oxidation of roGFP rapidly increased as early as the first day of darkness, followed by an increase in the peroxisomal level of oxidation of roGFP on the second day. No changes in the probe oxidation were observed in the cytoplasm until the third day. The increase in mitochondrial roGFP degree of oxidation was abolished by sucrose treatment, implying that oxidation is caused by energy deprivation. The dynamic redox state visualized by roGFP probes and the analysis of microarray results are consistent with a scenario in which ROS stresses emanating from the mitochondria and peroxisomes occur early during darkness at a presymptomatic stage and jointly contribute to the senescence program.
Loss of Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT-3 Expression in Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors: Implications for STAT-3 Activation and Gene Expression

Purpose: STATs activate transcription in response to numerous cytokines, controlling proliferation, gene expression, and apoptosis. Aberrant activation of STAT proteins, particularly STAT-3, is implicated in the pathogenesis of many cancers, including GBM, by promoting cell cycle progression, stimulating angiogenesis, and impairing tumor immune surveillance. Little is known about the endogenous STAT inhibitors, the PIAS proteins, in human malignancies. The objective of this study was to examine the expression of STAT-3 and its negative regulator, PIAS3, in human tissue samples from control and GBM brains. Experimental Design: Control and GBM human tissues were analyzed by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry to determine the activation status of STAT-3 and expression of the PIAS3 protein. The functional consequence of PIAS3 inhibition by small interfering RNA or PIAS3 overexpression in GBM cells was determined by examining cell proliferation, STAT-3 transcriptional activity, and STAT-3 target gene expression. This was accomplished using [3H]TdR incorporation, STAT-3 dominant-negative constructs, reverse transcription-PCR, and immunoblotting. Results and Conclusions: STAT-3 activation, as assessed by tyrosine and serine phosphorylation, was elevated in GBM tissue compared with control tissue. Interestingly, we observed expression of PIAS3 in control tissue, whereas PIAS3 protein expression in GBM tissue was greatly reduced. Inhibition of PIAS3 resulted in enhanced glioblastoma cellular proliferation. Conversely, PIAS3 overexpression inhibited STAT-3 transcriptional activity, expression of STAT-3–regulated genes, and cell proliferation. We propose that the loss of PIAS3 in GBM contributes to enhanced STAT-3 transcriptional activity and subsequent cell proliferation.
Identification and Quantification of Fumonisin A1, A2, and A3 in Corn by High-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

Three compounds, hypothesized as fumonisin A1 (FA1), fumonisin A2 (FA2), and fumonisin A3 (FA3), were detected in a corn sample contaminated with mycotoxins by high-resolution liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC-Orbitrap MS). One of them has been identified as FA1 synthesized by the acetylation of fumonisin B1 (FB1), and established a method for its quantification. Herein, we identified the two remaining compounds as FA2 and FA3, which were acetylated fumonisin B2 (FB2) and fumonisin B3 (FB3), respectively. Moreover, we examined a method for the simultaneous analysis of FA1, FA2, FA3, FB1, FB2, and FB3. The corn samples were prepared by extraction using a QuEChERS kit and purification using a multifunctional cartridge. The linearity, recovery, repeatability, limit of detection, and limit of quantification of the method were >0.99, 82.9%–104.6%, 3.7%–9.5%, 0.02–0.60 μg/kg, and 0.05–1.98 μg/kg, respectively. The simultaneous analysis of the six fumonisins revealed that FA1, FA2, and FA3 were present in all corn samples contaminated with FB1, FB2, and FB3. The results suggested that corn marketed for consumption can be considered as being contaminated with both the fumonisin B-series and with fumonisin A-series. This report presents the first identification and quantification of FA1, FA2, and FA3 in corn samples.
Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureushas emerged as one of the most important nosocomial pathogens. It invokes a tremendous financial burden and enhanced morbidity and mortality due to difficult to treat systemic infections.Aim of this study was to determine antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Materials and Methods: Different clinical specimens were collected and processed for routine culture and antibiotic sensitivity test by standard microbiology techniques. Results: Out of 1173 samples received for microbiological examination, 100 were found to be S. aureus with 19% cases were Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Fourteen MRSA were found from inpatient and 5 were from outpatient. MRSA was found higher in female than male and maximum number (31.5%) was found in age group 0-10 years. Staphylococcus aureus was 100% sensitive to Vancomycin followed by Amikacin (90%), Gentamycin (83%), and tetracycline (81%). On urine isolates Nitrofurantoin(91.6%) was drug of choice. All the isolates were resistant to Penicillin G. In case of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus showed 100% sensitive to Vancomycin followed by Amikacin (84.2%), Tetracycline (63.1%), Ciprofloxacin (42%) and Gentamycin (36.8%). Among urine isolates Nitrofutantoin showed 87.5% sensitive followed by Norfloxacin (75%). Conclusion: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found 19% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. It was most common in females, hospitalized patients and young age group. Vancomycin seems to be drug of choice followed by Amikacin. It would be helpful to formulating and monitoring the antibiotic policy and ensure proper empiric treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/jpn.v4i7. 10297 Journal of Pathology of Nepal (2014) Vol. 4 , 548-551
Linköping University Post Print Prevalence and Diversity of Borrelia Species in Ticks That Have Bitten Humans in Sweden Prevalence and Diversity of Borrelia Species in Ticks That Have Bitten Humans in Sweden

Members of the genus Borrelia are among the most common infectious agents causing tick-borne disease in humans worldwide. Here, we developed a Light Upon eXtension™ (LUX) real-time PCR assay that can detect and quantify Borrelia species in ticks that have fed on humans, and we applied the assay to 399 such ticks. Borrelia PCR-positive ticks were identified to species by sequencing the products of conventional PCR performed using Borrelia group-specific primers. There was a 19% prevalence of Borrelia spp. in the detached ticks, and the number of spirochetes per Borrelia PCR-positive tick ranged from 2.0 × 10 2 to 4.9 × 10 5 with a median of 7.8 × 10 3 spirochetes. Adult ticks had a significantly larger number of spirochetes with a median of 8.4 × 10 3 compared to the median of nymphs 4.4 × 10 3. Adult ticks also exhibited higher prevalence of Borrelia (33%) compared to nymphs (14%). Among the identified species, Borrelia afzelii was found to predominate (61%), followed by B. garinii (23%), B. valaisiana (13%), B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (1%), B. lusitaniae (1%), and B. miyamotoi-like (1%). Also, 3% of the ticks were co-infected with multiple strains of B. afzelii. Notably, this is the first report of B. lusitaniae being detected in ticks in Sweden. Our LUX real-time PCR assay proved to be more sensitive than a corresponding TaqMan assay. In conclusion, the novel LUX real-time PCR method is a rapid and sensitive tool for detection and quantification of Borrelia spp. in ticks.
Ultra-wide band vivaldi antenna array using low loss SIW power divider and GCPW wide band transition

A compact antipodal Vivaldi antenna array fed by a waveguide feed network is optimized to significantly reduce feed loss and achieve a wide band performance. It is implemented using SIW technology, and has eight antipodal Vivaldi antenna elements. The feed network utilizes a novel low-loss wide band GCPW transition to get a good input match and prevent the excitation of higher order modes. The array demonstrated a broadband performance from 8 to 12 GHz, a 12 dB gain, 13° BW, and -14dB SLL at the center frequency of 10 GHz and occupies only 10cm×5.7cm.
Conceptions about the nature of accounts in history : an explorarory study of students ideas and teachers assumptions about students understandings in Singapore

This thesis is an exploratory study of students' understandings about the nature of accounts in history, and teachers' assumptions about those ideas. The study was designed to achieve two related objectives: first, to explore and map out the range of ideas students in Singapore may hold about the nature of historical accounts, and second, to examine the assumptions teachers in Singapore may have about their students' understandings. Sixty-nine students (fifty in Year 9 and nineteen in Year 12) across nine institutions completed two written task-sets designed to generate data on students' ideas about accounts. Group interviews were conducted with all students. 93 teachers responded to a questionnaire survey designed to explore teachers' ideas about students' understanding of accounts. In-depth interviews with nine teachers were carried out to supplement questionnaire data. Data analysis of students' ideas pointed to a broad range of student conceptions about accounts, and to the possibility of viewing these conceptions progressively across a 'factual-multiple-criterial' continuum. Analysis of data that focused on teachers' assumptions about students' ideas revealed the possibility of viewing students' conceptions in 'simple' to 'complex' terms, ranging progressively from (i) static and binary, to (ii) subjective and perspectiveful, and to (iii) dynamic and multi-dimensional. This thesis makes the argument that approaching the teaching of school history in a responsive way requires that Singapore teachers recognize the range of preconceptions that students hold about accounts. Specifically, this is done by engaging students' ideas to help them make sense of new knowledge and develop their disciplinary understandings about history. The implications these findings have on planning, research, assessment and practice are discussed in the context of a history pedagogy that is both receptive to an understanding of the methodological underpinnings of the discipline, and responsive to the notion of developing students' understandings of historical knowledge.
Improved dihedral-angle restraints for protein structure refinement

Because of the relatively low-resolution diffraction of typical protein crystals, structure refinement is usually carried out employing stereochemical restraints to increase the effective number of observations. Well defined values for bond lengths and angles are available from small-molecule crystal structures. Such values do not exist for dihedral angles because of the concern that the strong crystal contacts in small-molecule crystal structures could distort the dihedral angles. This paper examines the dihedral-angle distributions in ultra-high-resolution protein structures (1.2 A or better) as a means of analysing the population frequencies of dihedral angles in proteins and compares these with the stereochemical restraints currently used in one of the more widely used molecular-dynamics refinement packages, X-PLOR, and its successor, CNS. Discrepancies between the restraints used in these programs and what is actually seen in high-resolution protein structures are examined and an improved set of dihedral-angle restraint parameters are derived from these inspections.
[Apolipoprotein(a) and cortical cerebral infarction].

OBJECTIVE To elucidate the correlation of apolipoprotein(a)[apo(a)] with cerebral infarction at the level of molecule and protein. METHODS The serum Lp(a) level, by means of ELISA, the polymorphism of apo(a) protein, by SDS-PAGE/Western blotting combined with silver staining assays, and the sequence polymorphism in 5' control region, the first exon and intron of apo(a) gene, by PCR-SSCP/AFLP assays, were detected in 85 healthy controls and 42 cases of cortical cerebral infarction. RESULTS The serum Lp(a) level was remarkadly higher in the patients (153 +/- 3 mg/L) than that in the controls(56 +/- 4 mg/L) (t = 4.15, P < 0.001), even in the subjects with the same apo(a) phenotype. The allele frequency of low molecular weight phenotype containing B, S1 and S2 isoforms was also significantly higher in the patients than that in the controls (0.5238 vs. 0.2941). There were 2 sites of sequence variance in the 5' control region of apo(a) gene in the studied population, which were of significant difference between the patients and controls, and were related to the variation of serum Lp(a) level. CONCLUSION On the basis of proving further the risk of high serum Lp(a) level for AS event, we found that the low molecular weight phenotype of apo(a) is closely associated with cerebral infarction. The variation of serum Lp(a) level is also related to the sequence of apo(a) gene, indicating that both the size and sequence of apo(a) are associated with the susceptibility to cerebral infarction due to its impact on serum Lp(a) level.
Maternal traces of deep common ancestry and asymmetric gene flow between Pygmy hunter–gatherers and Bantu-speaking farmers

Two groups of populations with completely different lifestyles—the Pygmy hunter–gatherers and the Bantu-speaking farmers—coexist in Central Africa. We investigated the origins of these two groups and the interactions between them, by analyzing mtDNA variation in 1,404 individuals from 20 farming populations and 9 Pygmy populations from Central Africa, with the aim of shedding light on one of the most fascinating cultural transitions in human evolution (the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture). Our data indicate that this region was colonized gradually, with an initial L1c-rich ancestral population ultimately giving rise to current-day farmers, who display various L1c clades, and to Pygmies, in whom L1c1a is the only surviving clade. Detailed phylogenetic analysis of complete mtDNA sequences for L1c1a showed this clade to be autochthonous to Central Africa, with its most recent branches shared between farmers and Pygmies. Coalescence analyses revealed that these two groups arose through a complex evolutionary process characterized by (i) initial divergence of the ancestors of contemporary Pygmies from an ancestral Central African population no more than ≈70,000 years ago, (ii) a period of isolation between the two groups, accounting for their phenotypic differences, (iii) long-standing asymmetric maternal gene flow from Pygmies to the ancestors of the farming populations, beginning no more than ≈40,000 years ago and persisting until a few thousand years ago, and (iv) enrichment of the maternal gene pool of the ancestors of the farming populations by the arrival and/or subsequent demographic expansion of L0a, L2, and L3 carriers.
Material Classification Using Raw Time-of-Flight Measurements

We propose a material classification method using raw time-of-flight (ToF) measurements. ToF cameras capture the correlation between a reference signal and the temporal response of material to incident illumination. Such measurements encode unique signatures of the material, i.e. the degree of subsurface scattering inside a volume. Subsequently, it offers an orthogonal domain of feature representation compared to conventional spatial and angular reflectance-based approaches. We demonstrate the effectiveness, robustness, and efficiency of our method through experiments and comparisons of real-world materials.