Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Outer Surface Lipoprotein Expression Generate Population Heterogeneity and Antigenic Diversity in the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi differentially expresses many of the OspE/F/Elp paralogs during tick feeding. These findings, combined with the recent report that stable B. burgdorferi infection of mammals occurs only after 53 h of tick attachment, prompted us to further analyze the expression of the OspE/F/Elp paralogs during this critical period of transmission. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis revealed that OspE, p21, ElpB1, ElpB2, and OspF/BbK2.11 are expressed in the salivary glands of ticks allowed to feed on mice for 53 to 58 h. Interestingly, many of the spirochetes in the salivary glands that expressed abundant amounts of these antigens were negative for OspA and OspC. Although prior reports have indicated that OspE/F/Elp orthologs are surface exposed, none of the individual lipoproteins or combinations of the lipoproteins protected mice from challenge infections. To examine why these apparently surface-exposed lipoproteins were not protective, we analyzed their genetic stability during infection and their cellular locations after cultivation in vitro and within dialysis membrane chambers, mimicking a mammalian host-adapted state. Combined restriction fragment length polymorphism and nucleotide sequence analyses revealed that the genes encoding these lipoproteins are stable for at least 8 months postinfection. Interestingly, cellular localization experiments revealed that while all of these proteins can be surface localized, there were significant populations of spirochetes that expressed these lipoproteins only in the periplasm. Furthermore, host-specific signals were found to alter the expression patterns and final cellular location of these lipoproteins. The combined data revealed a remarkable heterogeneity in populations of B. burgdorferi during tick transmission and mammalian infection. The diversity is generated not only by temporal changes in antigen expression but also by modulation of the surface lipoproteins during infection. The ability to regulate the temporal and spatial expression patterns of lipoproteins throughout infection likely contributes to persistent infection of mammals by B. burgdorferi.
Effects of metal ions on simultaneous production of glucose oxidase and catalase by Aspergillus niger

J.‐Z. LIU, Y. ‐Y. HUANG, J. LIU, L. ‐P. WENG AND L. ‐N. JI. 2001. The effects of various metal ions on the simultaneous production of glucose oxidase and catalase by Aspergillus niger were investigated. Calcium carbonate induced synthesis of both enzymes. The induction of calcium carbonate was accompanied by a metabolic shift from the glycolytic pathway (EMP, Embden‐Meyerhof‐Parnas) to direct oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase. The time course of the biosynthesis of both enzymes is reported. The logistic model was in good agreement with the experimental growth results. The production of both enzymes was growth‐associated. Finally, a model of growth and product formation was also proposed.
Does the Dearth of Anticompetitive Mergers Mean More Competition in Imperfectly Competitive Industries

We study mergers in a duopoly with differentiated products and noisy observations of firms' actions. Firms select dynamically optimal actions that are not static best responses and merger incentives arise endogenously when firms sufficiently deviate from their collusive actions. The incentive to merge trades off the gains from avoiding price wars against the gains from a monopoly net of the fixed cost of merging. Depending on the merger cost, there are three merger outcomes: if the cost is low, firms merge immediately, if it is high, they never merge, and, in an intermediate cost range, there are endogenous mergers for which we derive a number of novel results. First, we characterize the firms' shares in the merged firm as a function of firm and product market characteristics. Second, we show that long periods of pre-merger collusion are supported, because collusion is dynamically stable and merging is unstable, with mergers occurring only when collusion has failed, and hence the dearth of mergers need not mean more product market competition. Third, the acquiring firm's pre-merger returns are first positive and then become negative just before the merger occurs, while the target firm's returns follow the opposite pattern. Fourth, there are no announcement returns when industry concentration changes due to mergers.
Adverse Exposures and Universal Precautions Practices Among a Group of Highly Exposed Health Professionals

Abstract An anonymous national survey of a representative population of healthcare workers who were thought likely to have frequent and intensive exposures to blood and other body fluids (certified nurse-midwives [CNMs]), was conducted to assess the type and frequency of self-reported occupational exposures to blood and body fluids experienced, the extent to which barrier precautions and other infection control measures were used, whether or not reported use of barriers was associated with a lower perceived rate of exposures and factors that influenced the use of infection control procedures. Of those responding, 74% had soiled their hands with blood at least one time in the preceding six months, 51% had splashed blood or amniotic fluid in their faces and 24% reported one or more needlestick injuries during that same period. Our study also found evidence of an association between the practice of needle recapping and the occurrence of needlestick injury (p = .003). Despite a high level of training and knowledge, only 55% reported routinely practicing universal precautions (UPs). Several factors that potentially influenced the use of UPS were studied, including healthcare worker perceptions of risk of occupational bloodborne infection, knowledge of routes of transmission of bloodborne pathogens and rationale for not using appropriate barriers. Our data suggest that occupational exposures occur frequently and that healthcare workers' (HCWs') perceptions of risk for occupational infection play an important role in influencing use of UPS. This study emphasizes the importance of developing new strategies for UP training.
[Effects of yiqi huoxue method on cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure].

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical effect of three TCM therapeutic methods, Yiqi (YQ, supplementing Qi), Huoxue (HX, activating blood circulation) and Yiqi Huoxue (YQHX) method on congestive heart failure and heart function. METHODS Eighty patients were divided into 3 groups randomly, they were treated by conventional therapy and with the additional TCM drugs for YQHX to group A (n = 36), drugs for YQ to group B (n = 24), and drugs for HX to group C (n = 20). After 2 weeks' treatment, clinical effect was observed and cardiac function was detected and compared. RESULTS The total effective rate was 91.7% in group A, which was superior to that in group B (66.7%) and group C (65.0%) respectively. Cardiac function was improved remarkably after treatment in all groups, the optimal effect was shown in group A. CONCLUSION All the 3 methods could improve clinical symptoms and cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure, among which YQHX method has the optimal effect.
Investigation of h -BN/Rh(111) Nanomesh Interacting with Water and Atomic Hydrogen.

Recent STM experiments show that by exposing h-BN/Rh(111) nanomesh to water or atomic hydrogen interesting phenomena can be observed. We investigated by Density Functional Theory (DFT) the structure of bare nanomesh as well as in the presence of water clusters and atomic hydrogen. Our simulations allow the correct interpretation of the observed modifications of the STM topography under different tested conditions. For example, we could determine that the frequently observed three protrusions within the pore appearing in STM images obtained after dosing small amounts of water, are most likely determined by water hexamers. We also could confirm that the flattening of the h-BN overlayer after dosing atomic hydrogen is determined by the intercalation of the latter between BN and metal, which prevents the effective binding between N and Rh.
Content of plant nutrients in vegetables depending on various lime materials used for neutralising bog peat

The trials were performed in the years 1998-2000 in Saku (59°18'N, 24o39'E) in greenhouse conditions. The aim was to establish how lime materials used for the neutralisation of bog peat acidity (oil shale ash, clinker dust, limestone meal, dolomite meal and their mixtures), which changed significantly the contents of available Ca, K and Mg in the peat substrata, affect the mineral composition of vegetable leaves (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, paprika) and the mutual relationships between elements (K, Ca, Mg, P). In the case of all vegetables, a strong Ca and Mg antagonism occurred. The Mg content of plants was very sensitive to the Ca:Mg ratio in the lime material used for peat neutralisation. In the case of limestone meal, the tomato plants contained Mg 0.18-0.24% and cucumber plants 0.36-0.40%; in the case of dolomite meal, 0.66-0.71% and 0.78-0.90, respectively. The Ca and K contents of vegetables were somewhat less affected by the difference of lime materials than the Mg content. Abundant Mg in lime material increased P content in plants, a synergism between Mg and P occurred. Lettuce grown on substrata neutralised with mixtures of limestone and dolomite meal contained less nitrates than that grown on substrata with clinker dust and oil shale ash. Too high K content in the substrate neutralised with clinker dust had a negative effect on the carotene content of lettuce.
Toward Realizing Operational Excellence through e-Procurement Adoption: A Resource based view

-This study examines a conceptual framework that investigates the determining factors affecting the e-procurement adoption by SMEs in Jordan. It extends to discover how e-procurement adoption contributes to the enhancement of operational excellence. The proposed conceptual framework was examined by distributing a structured questionnaire to a group of Jordan SMEs. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling technique were used to test the research hypotheses. The study results reveal that the IT infrastructure, top management support, and IT staff readiness have strong influences on e-procurement adoption. It was also found that e-procurement adoption is a powerful business tool to reach operational excellence. This implies that organizations with similar contextual settings can potentially utilize this study's findings and promote further implementation of e-procurement systems. This study gives deeper attention to the internal resources that decision makers should emphasize to adopt e-procurement successfully and consequently obtain its potential desired outcomes.
Long‐term epilepsy surgery outcomes in patients with MRI‐negative temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: The outcome of surgery in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and normal high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been significantly worse than in patients with unilateral hippocampal damage upon MRI. The purpose of this study was to determine the long‐term outcomes of consecutive true MRI‐negative TLE patients who all underwent standardized preoperative evaluation with intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes.
Current&#8212;Voltage and capacitance&#8212;Voltage characteristics of modulation-doped field-effect transistors

A model describingI-VandC-Vcharacteristics of modulation doped FET's is developed and used to predict the performance of AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs FET's in good agreement with our experimental results. It is shown that the change in the Fermi energy with the gate voltage changes the effective separation between the gate and the two-dimensional electron gas by about 80 Å. Current-voltage characteristics were calculated using a two piece as well as a three piece linear approximation for the electron velocity and compared with experimental results. At 300 K, the two piece model overestimates the current predicted by the three piece model only by approximately 10-20 percent. At 77 K, however, the three piece linear approximation for the velocity field characteristic should be used since the electron mobility decreases very abruptly at about 200 V/cm. The effect of the nonlinear source resistance is also discussed along with the gate-to-source and gate-to-drain capacitances, parameters of paramount importance in determining device performance. These capacitances are calculated as functions of gate-to-source and drain-to-source voltages below saturation.
Low-Speed and Standstill Operation of a Sensorless Direct Torque and Flux Controlled IPM Synchronous Motor Drive

This paper investigates a sensorless direct torque and flux control scheme for interior permanent magnet synchronous motor drives at low speeds, including standstill. Closed-loop control of both torque and stator flux linkage are achieved by using two proportional-integral controllers. The reference voltage vectors are generated by a space vector modulation unit. A high-frequency signal injection technique is adopted at low speeds to obtain the rotor position information. A hybrid current-voltage model flux observer with a smooth handover algorithm estimates the stator flux linkage over the whole speed range. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
What Is New After 40 Years of Glaucoma Implants

Forty years ago, Molteno introduced the prototype of the present day long tube implant. Since then, modifications in size and shape and introduction of valve system have taken place. Aqueous has been shown to contain proinflammatory substances that have been shown to influence the thickness of the bleb wall, and the hypertensive phase has been seen with the implants. The effect of the aqueous may be modified by the use of systemic antiinflammatory medication or by surgical modification, namely supra-Tenon insertion of the implant. Recent studies have shown that tube implantation is as efficacious as trabeculectomy in patients who were either pseudophakic or earlier had failed filters. Newer nontube implants, such as the Express shunt, have been introduced along with others, such as the gold micro shunt implant and the iStent, presently in clinical trials.
Just in time and place: NOS/NO system assembly in neuromuscular junction formation

Recent advances in the molecular, biochemical, and anatomical aspects of postsynaptic membrane components at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) are briefly reviewed focussing on assembly, architecture, and function of the multi‐subunit dystrophin‐protein complex (DPC) and its associated nitric oxide (NO)‐signaling complex. Elucidation of unique structural binding motifs of NO‐synthases (NOS), and microscopical codistribution of neuronal NOS (nNOS), the major isoform of NOS expressed at the NMJ, with known synaptic proteins, i.e., family members of the DPC, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), NMDA‐receptor, type‐1 sodium and Shaker K+‐channel proteins, and linker proteins (e.g., PSD‐95, 43K‐rapsyn), suggests targeting and assembly of the NO‐signaling pathway at postsynaptic membrane components. NO mediates agrin‐induced AChR‐aggregation and downstream signal transduction in C2 skeletal myotubes while administration of L‐arginine, the limiting substrate for NO‐biosynthesis, enhances aggregation of synapse‐specific components such as utrophin. At the NMJ, NO appears to be a mediator of (1) early synaptic protein clustering, (2) synaptic receptor activity and transmitter release, or (3) downstream signaling for transcriptional control. Multidisciplinary data obtained from cellular and molecular studies and from immunolocalization investigations have led us to propose a working model for step‐by‐step binding of nNOS, e.g., to subunit domains of targeted and/or preexisting membrane components. Formation of NOS‐membrane complexes appears to be governed by agrin‐signaling as well as by NO‐signaling, supporting the idea that parallel signaling pathways may account for the spatiotemporally defined postsynaptic assembly thereby linking the NOS/NO‐signaling cascade to early membrane aggregations and at the right places nearby preexisting targets (e.g., juxtaposition of NO source and target) in synapse formation. Microsc. Res. Tech. 55:171–180, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validation of a Detailed Scoring Checklist for Use During Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification

Introduction: Defining valid, reliable, defensible, and generalizable standards for the evaluation of learner performance is a key issue in assessing both baseline competence and mastery in medical education. However, before setting these standards of performance, the reliability of the scores yielding from a grading tool must be assessed. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of scores generated from a set of grading checklists used by nonexpert raters during simulations of American Heart Association (AHA) Megacodes. Methods: The reliability of scores generated from a detailed set of checklists, when used by 4 nonexpert raters, was tested by grading team leader performance in 8 Megacode scenarios. Videos of the scenarios were reviewed and rated by trained faculty facilitators and a group of nonexpert raters. The videos were reviewed “continuously” and “with pauses. ” The grading made by 2 content experts served as the reference standard, and 4 nonexpert raters were used to test the reliability of the checklists. Results: Our results demonstrate that nonexpert raters are able to produce reliable grades when using the checklists under consideration, demonstrating excellent intrarater reliability and agreement with a reference standard. The results also demonstrate that nonexpert raters can be trained in the proper use of the checklist in a short amount of time, with no discernible learning curve thereafter. Finally, our results show that a single trained rater can achieve reliable scores of team leader performance during AHA Megacodes when using our checklist in a continuous mode because measures of agreement in total scoring were very strong [Lin’s (Biometrics 1989;45:255–268) concordance correlation coefficient, 0.96; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.97]. Conclusions: We have shown that our checklists can yield reliable scores, are appropriate for use by nonexpert raters, and are able to be used during continuous assessment of team leader performance during the review of a simulated Megacode. This checklist may be more appropriate for use by advanced cardiac life support instructors during Megacode assessments than the current tools provided by the AHA.
Comparative Scanning Electron Microscopy of Platelets and Fibrin Networks of Human and Differents Animals Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido Comparativa de Plaquetas y Redes de Fibrina de Humano y de Diferentes Animales

SUMMARY : The purpose of the present study was to compare the platelet and fibrin network ultrastructure of humans to eightdifferent animal species in order to determine the differences between human and animal platelet and fibrin morphology, and to determi-ne whether the animals studied differ in their platelet and fibrin morphology, and whether these differences can be observed by scanningelectron microscopy. Platelets and fibrin networks play an important role both in the coagulation process as well as physiologically inallergic processes and immunological mechanisms. The thickness of human fibrin networks were compared to mouse ( Mus musculus ),equine ( Equus caballus ), vervet monkey ( Chlorocebus aethiops previously Cercopithecus aethiops ), oryx ( Oryx gazella ), ovine ( Ovisaries ), penguin ( Spheniscus demersus ), rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) and sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ). Fibers were measured and dividedinto thin (minor) fibers, intermediate fibers and thick (major) fibers. The results obtained indicated that for each of the three fibrin classes,the size ranges of the monkey, oryx and equine were not significantly different to one another, and the human, penguin, oryx and ovinenot significantly different to one other. From these results it can be concluded that mammals and aves possess a distinct tri-modal fibrinfiber distribution, different from that of the studied reptilian species where the sea turtle possesses a distinct bimodal fibrin fiber distributionand it can be suggested that the utilization of mammalian and avian models, in terms of fibrin fiber distribution patterns, might be asuitable alternative for ultrastructural studies.
A Review of Patient and Provider Satisfaction with Telemedicine

Advances in technology constantly change the state of telemedicine services. These changes can impact user perceptions and views of satisfaction. To examine these changes a systematic literature review of telemedicine satisfaction is being conducted. This review follows recommendations provided by the PRISMA guidelines and uses an instrument developed in previous research to collect and quantify results. In total 984 papers on telemedicine satisfaction were extracted from the PubMed database. Of these 621 have met the current selection criteria and 231 have currently been successfully coded. The study overview, rationale and some preliminary findings are discussed.
Effects of cereal fiber on bowel function: A systematic review of intervention trials.

AIM To comprehensively review and quantitatively summarize results from intervention studies that examined the effects of intact cereal dietary fiber on parameters of bowel function. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE. Supplementary literature searches included screening reference lists from relevant studies and reviews. Eligible outcomes were stool wet and dry weight, percentage water in stools, stool frequency and consistency, and total transit time. Weighted regression analyses generated mean change (± SD) in these measures per g/d of dietary fiber. RESULTS Sixty-five intervention studies among generally healthy populations were identified. A quantitative examination of the effects of non-wheat sources of intact cereal dietary fibers was not possible due to an insufficient number of studies. Weighted regression analyses demonstrated that each extra g/d of wheat fiber increased total stool weight by 3.7 ± 0.09 g/d (P < 0.0001; 95%CI: 3.50-3.84), dry stool weight by 0.75 ± 0.03 g/d (P < 0.0001; 95%CI: 0.69-0.82), and stool frequency by 0.004 ± 0.002 times/d (P = 0.0346; 95%CI: 0.0003-0.0078). Transit time decreased by 0.78 ± 0.13 h per additional g/d (P < 0.0001; 95%CI: 0.53-1.04) of wheat fiber among those with an initial transit time greater than 48 h. CONCLUSION Wheat dietary fiber, and predominately wheat bran dietary fiber, improves measures of bowel function.