Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural and immunochemical homogeneity of Aeromonas salmonicida lipopolysaccharide

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the lipopolysaccharides of typical and atypical strains of the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida. 32P intrinsically radiolabeled lipopolysaccharide in sarcosinate-extracted outer membrane preparations, lipopolysaccharide stained by silver in proteinase K-digested outer membrane preparations and whole cell lysates, as well as purified lipopolysaccharide, displayed O-polysaccharide chains which were unusually homogeneous with respect to chain length. Chemical analysis further revealed that the sugar composition of the smooth lipopolysaccharide purified from three typical strains was very similar. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescent staining with both polyclonal and monoclonal antibody showed that the O-polysaccharide chains were strongly immunogenic and were antigenically cross-reactive on typical and atypical strains from diverse origins. Immunofluorescence analysis and phage binding studies demonstrated that a number of these O-polysaccharide chains traversed the surface protein array of virulent strains of A. salmonicida and were exposed on the cell surface.
Relative Incidence of Phlebitis Caused by Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Cephapirin and Cephalothin

In a single-blinded study, two groups of 10 healthy subjects were given cephapirin or cephalothin by continuous intravenous infusion for 5 days, 0.5 g every 6 hr for the first day and then 1.0 g every 6 hr for 4 days. Eight of the cephalothin subjects and two of the cephapirin subjects developed phlebitis. Phlebitis was more severe in the cephalothin group and developed more rapidly, necessitating vein changes six times more often than in the cephapirin group. The less irritating properties of cephapirin demonstrated in this study indicate it may be the more useful cephalosporin analogue for intravenous therapy.
Nitric Oxide and Pancreatic Islet Blood Flow After Induced Portal Hypertension in Rats

Portal hypertension (PH) is associated with a hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation, partially mediated by nitric oxide-dependent mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of PH and nitric oxide on pancreatic islet blood flow. PH was induced by a calibrated stenosis of the portal vein in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Control rats were sham-operated. Ten days later pancreatic, duodenal, colonic, and arterial hepatic blood flows were measured with micro-spheres. All splanchnic blood flow values were markedly increased in the PH rats. The fraction of whole pancreatic blood flow diverted through the islets increased from ∼5 to 15%. Intravenous administration of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (25 mg/kg body weight) in rats with PH 10 min before blood flow measurements decreased pancreatic, duodenal, colonic, and arterial hepatic blood flow to control values. Pancreatic islet blood flow was also decreased, but more markedly than that of the whole pancreas. Pancreatic islet morphology was normal, and the rate of islet cell replication was not influenced. PH induced a preferential increase in pancreatic islet blood flow, which is likely to be associated with an increased production of nitric oxide.
Impact of acute tryptophan depletion on mood and eating-related urges in bulimic and nonbulimic women.

BACKGROUND Previous research has shown that many people experience a temporary worsening of mood following acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) and that concurrent use of serotonergic medications may influence such mood responses. We investigated mood and other consequences of ATD in women with bulimia nervosa who were or were not using concurrent serotonergic medications compared with women without bulimia. METHODS Women self-referred for treatment of bulimia who were either not currently using psychoactive medications (n = 26) or who were using serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications exclusively (n = 13), as well as medication-free normal-eater control women (n = 25) completed interviews and questionnaires assessing eating and comorbid psychopathology and then participated in an ATD procedure involving balanced and tryptophan-depleted conditions. RESULTS In the tryptophan-depleted condition, the groups displayed similar and significant decrements in plasma tryptophan levels and mood. Women with bulimia who were using serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but not the other groups, also reported an increased urge to binge eat in the tryptophan-depleted condition. LIMITATIONS Application of medication in participants with bulimia was not random. CONCLUSION Acute reductions in serotonin availability produced similar mood-reducing effects in bulimic and nonbulimic women. To the extent that ATD affected subjective experiences pertinent to eating (i.e., urge to binge eat), such effects appeared to depend upon ATD-induced competition with the therapeutic effects of serotonergic medications.
Dynamic changes in seagrass assemblages under eutrophication and implications for recovery

Over the last 20 years, loss of seagrass beds, often related with increased eutrophication, became a common problem worldwide. In the Mondego estuary (Portugal), eutrophication has triggered serious biological changes, which led to an overall increase in primary production and to a progressive replacement of seagrass Zostera noltii beds by coarser sediments and opportunistic macroalgae. The effects of this eutrophication on benthic assemblages were studied along a spatial gradient in the Mondego estuary from 1993 to 1995. Over these short temporal and small spatial scales, distinct changes in the structure of the macrobenthic communities were observed. One of the main structural modifications was the decrease in species diversity along the eutrophication gradient and over time, with a marked impoverishment of the most disturbed inner area. Other changes included an increase in detritivores and a decline in herbivores together with a significant increase in small depositfeeding polychaetes. In the long term, sustained eutrophication of this estuary is expected to lead to complete replacement of seagrass habitat by unvegetated coarser sediments, occasionally covered by green macroalgal blooms and dominated by opportunistic invertebrate taxa. Recovery from this situation may not only require reduction in nutrient loadings to the estuary, but also active seagrass restoration programmes to reverse the positive feedback processes thought to be presently taking place. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dynamic multi-state ultra-wideband mm-wave frequency selection for 5G communication

Recent works have brought down the curtain on the best solutions to meet the requirements of the future cellular communication (5G) which so-called Millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies that are expected to offer an excellent opportunity to increase data capacity and channel capacity due to the enormous amount of available raw bandwidth. However, the limited coverage range of mm-wave (100m-200m) necessitate the presence of suitable techniques to reduce the outage probability due to propagation impairments. In this paper a dynamic multi state ultra-wideband millimeter wave frequency selection (DMSUWMF-S) is presented based on maximum SINR value at the user equipment (UE's). Two mmWave cellular cell deployment scenarios have been implemented with 2.2km × 2.2km and 3km × 3km based on cell range (150m and 200m) respectively. Three classes of millimeter wave base station according to the three frequencies 73, 38 and 28GHz have been simulated. The UE's have been uniformly generated throughout the simulation area. Based on the evaluation of our proposed scheme, the results have shown an enhancement of overall system performance with an increase in system capacity and reduced outage probability.
EFFECT OF FLUORIDE AND SALICYLIC ACID ON SEEDLING GROWTH AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERMELON ( CITRULLUS LANATUS )

The effect of sodium fluoride (NaF) on seed germination and biochemical parameters were studied in in vitro grown seedlings of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) under salicylic acid (SA) treatment. After seven days of NaF treatment, reductions were observed in percentage of seed germination, root and shoot length, vigor index, pigment content, chlorophyll stability index (CSI), and membrane stability index (MSI) with increasing concentrations of NaF (1 and 10 mM). Seedlings treated with SA, both alone and in with combination of NaF, showed an increase in seed germination as well as other growth parameters. NaF-treated seedlings were found to accumulate more soluble sugars and phenolics, which were further increased by SA treatment thereby indicating a synergistic effect of SA and NaF on the accumulation of sugars and phenols. Therefore, these parameters are not directly related to a higher vigor index, membrane stability, and seedling growth. Treatment with SA reduced the adverse effects of NaF by increasing seed germination, root and shoot length, vigor index, pigment content, CSI, and MSI by some mechanism other than the accumulation of sugars and phenols. The possible reasons for the ameliorative effects of SA in seedlings of watermelon growing under F stress are discussed.
H. pylori and gastric cancer: the Asian enigma

The actual distribution of Helicobacter pylori infection and its related diseases in various Asian countries is controversial. Only limited information is available regarding this issue. We discuss the etiological role of H. pylori in gastric cancer through the Asian experience. Seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in asymptomatic subjects and the annual incidence rate of gastric cancer per 100,000 in various Asian countries are summarized from literature reviews and World Health Organization statistics, respectively. There is a large intercountry variation in incidence of gastric cancer and H. pylori seroprevalence among Asian countries. There is a strong link between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer in many countries, such as Japan. By contrast, the prevalence of H. pylori infection is high in some countries, including India and Bangladesh, but low gastric cancer rates have been reported. These disparate observations represent the Asian enigma. Factors that may influence the etiology of gastric cancer include the genetic diversity of the infecting H. pylori strains and differences in the host genetic background in various ethnic groups, including gastric acid secretion and genetic polymorphisms in proinflammatory cytokines. These factors, in addition to environmental factors, such as personal hygiene and dietary habits, reflect the multifactorial etiology of gastric cancer.
Future Lock-In: Future Implementation Increases Selection of 'Should' Choices

People often experience tension over certain choices (e.g., they should reduce their gas consumption or increase their savings, but they do not want to). Some posit that this tension arises from the competing interests of a deliberative "should" self and an affective "want" self. We show that people are more likely to select choices that serve the should self (should-choices) when the choices will be implemented in the distant rather than the near future. This "future lock-in" is demonstrated in four experiments for should-choices involving donation, public policy, and self-improvement. Additionally, we show that future lock-in can arise without changing the structure of a should-choice, but by just changing people's temporal focus. Finally, we provide evidence that the should self operates at a higher construal level (abstract, superordinate) than the want self, and that this difference in construal partly underlies future lock-in.
Infrared-absorption spectrum of the electron bubble in liquid helium.

The energy of the electronic transition from the ground state to the first excited state in the electron bubble in liquid helium has been measured by direct infrared absorption at pressures from zero to the solidification pressure and at temperatures from 1.3 to 4.2 K. At 1.3 K the 1{ital s}-1{ital p} splitting varies from 0.102 eV at {ital P}=0 to 0.227 eV at {ital P}=25 atm. At intermediate pressures a simple spherical-square-well model calculation fits the measured splittings within a few percent if the surface tension is taken to be independent of pressure. This model, when extended to allow for dilation and elongation of bubbles trapped on vorticity and dilation of rapidly drifting bubbles, agrees well with the observed transition energies at all pressures. The measured linewidths are larger by at least a factor of 2 than those calculated, which may indicate heating of rapidly drifting bubbles.
Effect of salt concentration and temperature on survival of Legionella pneumophila

The effects of various concentrations of sodium chloride solutions (0·1%–3%) and different temperatures (4, 10, 20, 30 and 37 °C) on survival of Legionella pneumophila were investigated. It was found that at temperatures between 4 °C and 20 °C, Legionella organisms survived in salt solutions up to 3% NaCl. Only the combination of high temperatures, i. e. 30 °C and 37 °C, with NaCl concentrations over 1·5%, reduced cell numbers significantly. It was interesting to note that the addition of small amounts of NaCl (0·1%–0·5%) enhanced survival of Leg. pneumophila, suggesting a protective effect of NaCl. In order to obtain information about conditions encountered in the environment, the survival experiments were repeated in sterile sea water from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. The marked bacterial die‐off, especially at higher temperatures, was not observed in natural sea water. All these results indicate that Leg. pneumophila can survive in the marine environment.
Tumorigenesis and Neoplastic Progression Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Is Present in the Cell Nucleus and Is Involved in Apoptosis

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 is a protease involved in cancer progression and tissue remodeling. Using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, we identified nuclear localization of MMP-3 in several cultured cell types and in human liver tissue sections. Western blot analysis of nuclear extracts revealed two immunoreactive forms of MMP-3 at 35 and 45 kd, with the 35-kd form exhibiting caseinolytic activity. By transient transfection, we expressed active MMP-3 fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP/aMMP-3) in Chinese hamster ovary cells. We showed that EGFP/aMMP-3 translocates into the nucleus. A functional nuclear localization signal was demonstrated by the loss of nuclear translocation after site-directed mutagenesis of a putative nuclear localization signal and by the ability of the MMP-3 nuclear localization signal to drive a heterologous protein into the
DRYING BEHAVIOUR OF SECOND-GROWTH NOTHOFAGUS ALPINA

Wood drying quality and transversal permeability of Chilean second-growth Nothofagus alpina (rauli) were evaluated. Two charges of rauli sawnwood were dried in a experimental kiln. One of the charges was prepared with sawnwood from Pinto the second one was prepared with sawnwood from Collipulli. The transverse permeability to air of the material after drying was determined. The results showed that the drying rate was 25% higher and drying time was about 18% shorter for Collipulli sawnwood (from green to 12%) due to the extent of heartwood. The shrinkage, collapse and drying stress were less in the wood dried from Collipulli, while the transverse permeability was lower in the samples from Pinto.
Prediction of the Number of Tuberculosis Cases and Estimation of Its Treatment Cost in Saudi Arabia Using Proxy Information

It is well known that the number of people with Tuberculosis (TB) and those who develop multidrug resistance (MDR) are the fundamental components that affect the total cost of treatment of TB. This paper has two-fold objectives. Firstly, we use the Generalized Linear Regression Models (GLM) to predict the future count of persons with TB and MDR. Due to the fact that assessment of TB cost is methodologically difficult, and compounded with the lack of concrete information about the treatment cost in Saudi Arabia, our second objective is to use cost information from the EU countries as proxy to estimate the cost of treating TB. The cost predictions provide essential information that is part of the evidence needed for budgeting and financing the health care facilities of TB services, especially with respect to avoiding under-estimation of the cost of TB-MDR treatment.
High-Content Imaging Analysis of the Knockdown Effects of Validated siRNAs and Antisense Oligonucleotides

High-content imaging (HCI) provides researchers with a powerful tool for understanding cellular processes. Although phenotypic analysis generated through HCI is a potent technique to determine the overall cellular effects of a given treatment, it frequently produces complex data sets requiring extensive interpretation. The authors developed statistical analyses to decrease the time spent to determine the outcome of each HCI assay and to better understand complex phenotypic changes. To test these tools, the authors performed a comparison experiment between 2 types of oligonucleotide-mediated gene silencing (OMGS), antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and short, double-stranded RNAs (siRNAs). Although similar in chemical structure, these 2 methods differ in cellular mechanism of action and off-target effects. Using a library of 50 validated ASOs and siRNAs to the same targets, the authors characterized the differential effects of these 2 technologies using a HeLa cell G2-M cell cycle assay. Although knockdown of a variety of targets by ASOs or siRNAs affected the cell cycle profile, few of those targets were affected by both ASOs and siRNAs. Distribution analysis of population changes induced through target knockdown led to the identification of targets that, when inhibited, could affect the G2-M transition in the cell cycle in a statistically significant manner. The distinctly different mechanisms of action of these 2 forms of gene silencing may help define the use of these treatments in both clinical and research environments. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2007:775-788)
Effects of reverberation on acceptable noise level measurements in younger and older adults

Abstract Acceptable noise level (ANL) test materials were digitally modified to create five reverberant conditions by applying different values of reverberation time (RT) to a non-reverberant condition (RT = 0, 0.4, 0.7, 1.2, and 2 s). Two groups of 12 subjects participated: younger individuals (22–29 years, M = 24.3) and older adults (50–69 years, M = 57.5). Mean hearing threshold levels (250 to 8000 Hz) for both groups were 30 dB HL or better. Most comfortable listening level (MCL) and background noise level (BNL) measurements were completed in each reverberant condition, and from these measurements, ANLs were calculated. Significant main effects for age and reverberation were not found for ANL or MCL. These results suggest that reverberation does not affect the amount of background noise individuals are willing to accept, or the level of speech individuals choose as the MCL. These results can be used by clinical audiologists to counsel patients regarding the use of communication strategies. Additionally, these results can be used to support previous findings that ANL is not related to the intelligibility of the speech signal. Sumario Se modificaron digitalmente materiales de prueba de niveles aceptables de ruido (ANL) para crear cinco condiciones de reverberación, aplicando diferentes valores de tiempo de reverberación (RT) a una condición no reverberante (RT = 0, 0.4, 0.7, 1.2, y 2 s). Participaron dos grupos de 12 sujetos: jóvenes (22–29 años, M = 24.3) y adultos mayores (50–69 años, M = 57.5). La media de los umbrales auditivos (250 a 8000 Hz) en ambos grupos fue de 30 dB HL o mejor. El mejor nivel confortable de audición (MCL) y las mediciones del nivel de ruido de fondo (BNL) se completaron en cada condición de reverberación y de estas mediciones, se calcularon los ANL. No se encontraron efectos significativos por edad y reverberación para el ANL o el MCL. Estos resultados sugieren que la reverberación no afecta la cantidad de ruido de fondo que los individuos stán dispuestos a aceptar ni el nivel de lenguaje que seleccionan como el MCL. Estos resultados pueden ser usados por los audiólogos clínicos para aconsejar a los pacientes en relación con el uso de estrategias comunicativas. Adicionalmente, pueden usarse para apoyar hallazgos previos en cuanto a que los ANL no se relacionan con la inteligibilidad de las señales del habla.
Antiviral prophylaxis may prevent human herpesvirus‐6 reactivation in bone marrow transplant recipients

Abstract: Human herpesvirus‐6 (HHV‐6) infects the majority of children under the age of 2 years causing roseola infantum. Following short self‐limited disease, the virus enters into a latency phase in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). It has been previously reported that HHV‐6 reactivation from latency, in immunocompromised patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT), could result in febrile illness, pneumonitis, meningitis, and/or encephalitis. In our study, 14 BMT patients received two different antiviral prophylactic therapies: 8 patients received acyclovir, whereas 6 patients received ganciclovir. Clinical manifestations and virus recovery were monitored pre‐ and post‐BMT by polymerase chain reaction tests of cord blood cells cultured with the patients' PBL. No HHV‐6 recovery was shown in the 6 patients treated with ganciclovir, whereas 3 of the 8 acyclovir‐treated patients experienced virus reactivation 20–21 days post‐BMT. One of the 3 patients was asymptomatic but had late engraftment; the second patient had prolonged fever, skin rash, and hemorrhage; the third patient experienced prolonged fever, pneumonitis, marrow rejection, and fatal encephalitis. It is concluded that viral reactivation may be prevented by prophylactic treatment with ganciclovir. Our observation awaits further documentation in prospective randomized trials in high‐risk BMT recipients.
Comparison of computed tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and radiculopathy.

STUDY DESIGN A cross-sectional retrospective radiologic study. OBJECTIVES To establish concordance rates between interpretations of computed tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with degenerative cervical spine disease. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Observed discrepancies in interpretation of computed tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging question the reliability of comparisons between these two methods. METHODS This study blindly and randomly evaluated cervical computed tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging in 20 patients referred for clinically diagnosed cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, myelopathy, or both. The discovertebral joints, facet joints, lateral recesses, cord size, spinal canal, and neural foramina also were evaluated with graded scales. All results were subjected to the kappa statistic for strength of agreement. RESULTS Agreement for interpretation of the discovertebral junction occurred in 144 of 240 sites (60%), indicating only moderately good intermethod concordance (kappa = 0.44). Intermethod agreement on the characterization of facet joint disease was only moderately good (143 of 160 sites; 89.4%; kappa = 0.52), and on characterization of lateral recess disease was poor (125 of 160 sites; 78.1%; kappa = 0.20). On degree of spinal canal compromise, there was agreement within one grade in 199 of 240 sites (82.9%; kappa = 0.42). Intermethod agreement on neural foraminal encroachment and cord size was only moderately good (kappa = 0.42 and 0.46, respectively). Computed tomography myelography tended to upgrade the spinal canal narrowing and neural foraminal encroachment. CONCLUSIONS For most parameters of interpretation, the degree of concordance between computed tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging is only moderately good, with discrepancies noted especially in the differentiation of disc and bony pathology. These methods should be viewed as complementary studies.