Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enrichment of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Oscillating Ciprofloxacin Concentrations Simulated at the Upper and Lower Portions of the Mutant Selection Window

ABSTRACT The time inside the mutant selection window (MSW), TMSW, appears to be less predictive of the selection of fluoroquinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus than is the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to the MIC. This observation might be attributed to the fact that TMSW does not consider the actual position of simulated antibiotic concentrations inside the MSW, which also might influence the amplification of resistant mutants. To test this hypothesis, the enrichment of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. aureus was studied at ciprofloxacin (CIP) concentrations that oscillate near the mutant prevention concentration (MPC), i.e., closer to the top of the MSW (“upper case”), and closer to the MIC, i.e., at the lower limit of the MSW (“lower case”) at the same TMSW. Two methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus, ATCC 6538 and ATCC 43300 (MICs of 0.25 and 0.5 mg/liter, respectively, and MPCs of 4 and 2 mg/liter, respectively), were exposed to twice-daily CIP treatments for three consecutive days. With S. aureus ATCC 6538, the simulated ratios of the AUC at 24 h (AUC24) to the MIC were 50 and 260 h (TMSW 75% of the dosing interval). With S. aureus ATCC 43300, the simulated AUC24/MICs were 30 and 100 h (TMSW 56%). With each organism, mutants resistant to CIP were enriched in an AUC24/MIC-dependent manner: the higher the AUC24/MIC ratio, the lower the growth on CIP-containing plates. For example, the area under the time-kill curve of mutants resistant to 4× MIC of CIP in the upper case was three times smaller than that in the lower case for both S. aureus strains. Similar differences were seen at the higher (8× MIC) and lower (2× MIC) CIP concentrations. These data highlight differences in the selection of resistant S. aureus, depending on the position of simulated concentrations inside the MSW at a given TMSW. This explains why TMSW-based predictions of resistance are less accurate than those based on AUC/MIC and AUC/MPC.
Vitamin K Status of Canadian Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

1. Blacher J, Guerin AP, Pannier B, Marchais SJ, Safar ME, London GM. Impact of aortic stiffness on survival in endstage renal disease. Circulation 1999; 99:2434–9. 2. USRDS. United States Renal Data System. Causes of death. Am J Kidney Dis 1997; 30(2 Suppl 1): S107–17. 3. Konings CJ, Kooman JP, Schonck M, Dammers R, Cheriex E, Palmans Meulemans AP, et al. Fluid status, blood pressure, and cardiovascular abnormalities in patients on peritoneal dialysis. Perit Dial Int 2002; 22:477–87. 4. Lin YP, Yu WC, Hsu TL, Ding PY, Yang WC, Chen CH. The extracellular fluid-to-intracellular fluid volume ratio is associated with large-artery structure and function in hemodialysis patients. Am J Kidney Dis 2003; 42:990–9. 5. Cheng LT, Tang W, Wang T. Strong association between volume status and nutritional status in peritoneal dialysis patients. Am J Kidney Dis 2005; 45:891–902. 6. Jabary NS, Herrero AM, Gonzalez JA. The use of antihypertensive therapy in Spain (1986-1994). Am J Hypertens 2000; 13:607–10. 7. Asmar R, Benetos A, Topouchian J, Laurent P, Pannier B, Brisac AM, et al. Assessment of arterial distensibility by automatic pulse wave velocity measurement. Validation and clinical application studies. Hypertension 1995; 26: 485–90. 8. Young GA, Kopple JD, Lindholm B, Vonesh EF, De Vecchi A, Scalamogna A, et al. Nutritional assessment of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients: an international study. Am J Kidney Dis 1991; 17:462–71. 9. Chen W, Guo LJ, Wang T. Extracellular water/intracellular water is a strong predictor of patient survival in incident peritoneal dialysis patients. Blood Purif 2007; 25:260–6. 10. Faisy C, Rabbat A, Kouchakji B, Laaban JP. Bioelectrical impedance analysis in estimating nutritional status and outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute respiratory failure. Intensive Care Med 2000; 26:518–25. 11. Gunal AI, Duman S, Ozkahya M, Toz H, Asci G, Akcicek F, et al. Strict volume control normalizes hypertension in peritoneal dialysis patients. Am J Kidney Dis 2001; 37: 588–93.
Further observations on the relationships between gramnegative rods and staphylococci grown in the presence of penicillin.

SUMMARY: It has not been found possible to repeat the work of Briggs et al. (1957) in which Gram-negative rods were isolated from cultures of staphylococci treated with penicillin, and staphylococci were subsequently recovered from cultures of these rods when the latter were grown in the absensce of penicillin. No flaw in technique has been revealed which would enable the earlier results to be readily explained in terms of contamination.
Mechanism of vasodilation induced by alpha‐human atrial natriuretic polypeptide in rabbit and guinea‐pig renal arteries.

Effects of alpha‐human atrial natriuretic polypeptide (alpha‐HANP) on electrical and mechanical properties of smooth muscle cells of the guinea‐pig and rabbit renal arteries and of the guinea‐pig mesenteric artery were investigated. alpha‐HANP (up to 10 nM) modified neither the membrane potential nor resistance of smooth muscle cells of the guinea‐pig and rabbit renal arteries. In the guinea‐pig mesenteric and renal arteries, alpha‐HANP (up to 10 nM) had no effect on the amplitude and facilitation (mesenteric artery) or depression (renal artery) of excitatory junction potentials nor on action potentials. In the guinea‐pig renal artery, alpha‐HANP (up to 10 nM) had no effect on the depolarization induced by noradrenaline (NA) (up to 10 microM) but markedly inhibited NA‐induced contraction. alpha‐HANP (10 nM) slightly inhibited the K‐induced contraction. In the rabbit renal artery, alpha‐HANP (10 nM) inhibited the NA‐induced contraction and to a lesser extent the K‐induced contraction. In the rabbit renal artery, the effects of alpha‐HANP on the release of Ca from the cellular storage by two applications of NA, and its re‐storage, were investigated in Ca‐free solution containing 2 mM‐EGTA. When 5 nM‐alpha‐HANP was applied before and during the first application of 0.5 microM‐NA, the contraction was markedly inhibited but the contraction to a second application of 10 microM‐NA was potentiated. If the first dose of NA was 10 microM the effect was very small. Under the same experimental procedures, nitroglycerine (10 microM) showed almost the same effects as alpha‐HANP on the NA‐induced contractions. When both the first (3 mM) and second (10 mM) contractions were evoked by caffeine in Ca‐free solution, alpha‐HANP (5 nM) and nitroglycerine (10 microM) inhibited both contractions to the same extent. In the rabbit renal artery, applications of alpha‐HANP or nitroglycerine increased the amount of guanosine 3',5'‐phosphate (cyclic GMP) in a dose‐dependent manner. However, a much higher concentration of nitroglycerine was required (2 X 10(3) times). In the rabbit renal artery, hydrolysis of phosphatidyl inositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PI‐P2) activated by 0.5 microM‐NA was inhibited by alpha‐HANP, in a dose‐dependent manner, but activation by 10 microM‐NA was not inhibited by alpha‐HANP (up to 100 nM). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Molecular Weight Dependence of Phase Structures and Transitions of Mesogen-Jacketed Liquid Crystalline Polymers Based on 2-Vinylterephthalic Acids

The phase structures and transition behaviors of a series of mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline (LC) polymers, poly{2,5-bis[(4-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrenes} (PMPCS), with different molecular weights (MW) and narrow MW distributions were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and one- and two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction experiments. The LC phase structures of this series of PMPCS samples were found to be strongly MW dependent. The PMPCS samples were amorphous when the MW is lower than a critical MW of approximately 1.0 × 104 g/mol (an apparent MW, Mna, measured by gel permeation chromatography calibrated with the polystyrene standards). For the PMPCS samples with MWs higher than this critical value, the amorphous samples cast from solution developed into a LC phase above the glass transition temperature upon the first heating. In between 1.0 × 104 g/mol < Mna < 1.6 × 104 g/mol, a columnar nematic (ΦN) phase w.
Evaluate the Relationship between Company Performance and Stock Market Liquidity

In this paper, the relationship between performance and liquidity of shares listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange investigated. In countries where the capital market is one of the main sources of financing units their business, a lot of research is in this field, that the rapid growth of the capital market in Iran, the necessity of such research is more evident. The present study with examined data from 154 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange between 1383 and 1388 with the combinational methods, the relationship between business performance and liquidity has been studied. This study supports the theory of representation and feedback between performance scales and stock Liquidity, using by multiple regressions has been evaluated and compared. The results of investigation show that between the liquidity and performance scales a strong correlation was observed. By comparing the two performance measures (return on assets and Q Tobin index) indicators that Q Tobin index is better to use of market values,because that more suitable for studying the relationship between performance and the company's liquidity.
Recursive scaling design for robust global nonlinear stabilization via output feedback

This paper proposes a novel approach to robust backstepping for global stabilization of uncertain nonlinear systems via output feedback. The design procedure developed in this paper is based on the concept of state-dependent scaling, which handles output-feedback stabilization problems of strict-feedback systems with various structures of uncertainties in a unified way. The proposed method is suitable for numerical computation. The theory of the method employs the Schur complements formula instead of Young's inequality and completing the squares. This paper shows a condition of allowable uncertainty size under which an uncertain system is globally stabilized by output feedback. A class of systems is shown to be always globally stabilizable for arbitrarily large nonlinear size of uncertainties. A recursive procedure of robust observer design for such a class of uncertain systems is presented. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Applying Two Different Methods to Extend Restricted Dissimilarity Functions

Based on previous investigations, we have proposed two different methods to extend lattice-valued fuzzy connectives (t-norms, t-conorms, negations and implications) and other related operators, considering a generalized notion of sublattices. Taking into account the obtained results that we have obtained and seeking to analyze the behavior of both extension methods in face of fuzzy operators related to image processing, we have applied these methods so as to extend restricted dissimilarity functions.
Outcomes of prenatal antidepressant exposure.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effects of prenatal antidepressant exposure on perinatal outcomes, congenital malformations, and early growth and development. METHOD Within a group-model health maintenance organization, all infants with apparent prenatal exposure to tricyclic or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants were frequency matched to an unexposed comparison group by year of birth, maternal age, and mother's lifetime use of antidepressant drugs and mental health care. A structured blind review of mothers' and infants' medical records examined perinatal outcomes, congenital malformations, and developmental delay. RESULTS Tricyclic antidepressant exposure was not associated with any significant difference in perinatal outcomes. Exposure to SSRIs was associated with a 0.9-week decrease in mean gestational age, a 175-g decrease in mean birth weight, and a 0.29 decrease in mean Apgar score at 5 minutes, but differences in birth weights and Apgar scores were not significant after adjustment for gestational age. Differences in gestational age and birth weights were unrelated to length of exposure, but differences in Apgar scores were limited to those with third-trimester exposure. Neither tricyclic antidepressant nor SSRI exposure was significantly associated with congenital malformations or developmental delay. CONCLUSIONS The authors found no association between tricyclic antidepressant or SSRI exposure and either congenital malformations or developmental delay. SSRI exposure during pregnancy was associated with earlier delivery and consequent lower birth weight. Third-trimester SSRI exposure was also associated with lower Apgar scores. Women considering taking SSRIs during pregnancy may balance any higher fetal risk against the risk of persistent or recurrent depression.
Raising the Bar: Further Improvement is Required to Make More Test Accuracy Research Fit for Decision-making.

In the current era of alternative facts and fake news, spin and counter-spin, journals must continue to strive to ensure that research reports uphold the highest standards of transparency and accuracy. Our readers' trust depends on it. Many journals (including Clinical Chemistry ) have joined initiatives to implement research reporting guidelines, such as STARD (1, 2), to ensure that published reports contain adequate detail and facts to enable readers to make informed judgments about the validity and findings of each study. However, even when adhering to reporting guidelines, investigators have substantial latitude in the language and emphasis that they use when interpreting findings and drawing conclusions (3). In recent years, the phenomenon of research spin has been identified and investigated (4). Conclusions incompatible with the observed data such as positive interpretation of statistically nonsignificant findings (5, 6), selective reporting of positive findings, distraction from nonsupportive results, and subtle linguistic choices are all devices that create spin. Although the facts contained in the paper are correct, the abstract and text of the article give a misleading interpretation of those facts whether through word choice, emphasis, or omission. For test accuracy studies, issues of statistical significance are rarely raised (studies typically focus on estimation and not hypothesis testing), but other forms of spin have been noted. Lumbrerus et al. reported that 56% of studies of molecular diagnostic tests overinterpreted the applicability of study findings for healthy-control or alternative diagnosis-control designs, considering them representative of typical populations (7). For test accuracy studies published in high-impact journals, Ochodo et al. found that 31% introduced spin through overoptimistic reporting in abstracts, discrepancies between aims and conclusions, and conclusions being based on selected subgroups (8). Investigators are often inherently optimistic about the value of the technologies they evaluate, and their prior beliefs may subconsciously …
THE CALTECH-NRAO STRIPE 82 SURVEY (CNSS) PAPER. I. THE PILOT RADIO TRANSIENT SURVEY IN 50 DEG2

We have commenced a multiyear program, the Caltech-NRAO Stripe 82 Survey (CNSS), to search for radio transients with the Jansky VLA in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 region. The CNSS will deliver five epochs over the entire ∼270 deg2 of Stripe 82, an eventual deep combined map with an rms noise of ∼40 μJy and catalogs at a frequency of 3 GHz, and having a spatial resolution of 3″. This first paper presents the results from an initial pilot survey of a 50 deg2 region of Stripe 82, involving four epochs spanning logarithmic timescales between 1 week and 1.5 yr, with the combined map having a median rms noise of 35 μJy. This pilot survey enabled the development of the hardware and software for rapid data processing, as well as transient detection and follow-up, necessary for the full 270 deg2 survey. Data editing, calibration, imaging, source extraction, cataloging, and transient identification were completed in a semi-automated fashion within 6 hr of completion of each epoch of observations, using dedicated computational hardware at the NRAO in Socorro and custom-developed data reduction and transient detection pipelines. Classification of variable and transient sources relied heavily on the wealth of multiwavelength legacy survey data in the Stripe 82 region, supplemented by repeated mapping of the region by the Palomar Transient Factory. A total of 3.9 − 0.9 + 0.5 ? > % of the few thousand detected point sources were found to vary by greater than 30%, consistent with similar studies at 1.4 and 5 GHz. Multiwavelength photometric data and light curves suggest that the variability is mostly due to shock-induced flaring in the jets of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Although this was only a pilot survey, we detected two bona fide transients, associated with an RS CVn binary and a dKe star. Comparison with existing legacy survey data (FIRST, VLA-Stripe 82) revealed additional highly variable and transient sources on timescales between 5 and 20 yr, largely associated with renewed AGN activity. The rates of such AGNs possibly imply episodes of enhanced accretion and jet activity occurring once every ∼40,000 yr in these galaxies. We compile the revised radio transient rates and make recommendations for future transient surveys and joint radio-optical experiments.
Comparison of Epitope Structures of H3HAs through Protein Modeling of Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinin: Mechanism for Selection of Antigenic Variants in the Presence of a Monoclonal Antibody

Starting with nine plaques of influenza A/Kamata/14/91(H3N2) virus, we selected mutants in the presence of monoclonal antibody 203 (mAb203). In total, amino acid substitutions were found at nine positions (77, 80, 131, 135, 141, 142, 143, 144 and 146), which localized in the antigenic site A of the hemagglutinin (HA). The escape mutants differed in the extent to which they had lost binding to mAb203. HA protein with substitutions of some amino acid residues created by site‐directed mutagenesis in the escape mutants retained the ability to bind to mAb203. Changes in the amino acid character affecting charge or hydrophobicity accounted for the binding capacity to the antibody of the HA with most of the substitutions in the escape mutants and binding‐positive mutants. However, the effect of some amino acid substitutions remained unexplained. A three‐dimensional model of the 1991 HA was constructed and used to analyze substituted amino acids in these mutants for the accessible surface hydrophobic and hydrophilic characters. One amino acid substitution in an escape mutant and another amino acid substitution in a binding‐positive mutant seemed to be explained by the changes noted on this model.
Electromagnetic navigation system for CT-guided biopsy of small lesions.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate an electromagnetic navigation system for CT-guided biopsy of small lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Standardized CT anthropomorphic phantoms were biopsied by two attending radiologists. CT scans of the phantom and surface electromagnetic fiducial markers were imported into the memory of the 3D electromagnetic navigation system. Each radiologist assessed the accuracy of biopsy using electromagnetic navigation alone by targeting sets of nine lesions (size range, 8-14 mm; skin to target distance, 5.7-12.8 cm) under eight different conditions of detector field strength and orientation (n = 117). As a control, each radiologist also biopsied two sets of five targets using conventional CT-guided technique. Biopsy accuracy, number of needle passes, procedure time, and radiation dose were compared. RESULTS Under optimal conditions (phantom perpendicular to the electromagnetic receiver at highest possible field strength), phantom accuracy to the center of the lesion was 2.6 ± 1.1 mm. This translated into hitting 84.4% (38/45) of targets in a single pass (1.1 ± 0.4 CT confirmations), which was significantly fewer than the 3.6 ± 1.3 CT checks required for conventional technique (p < 0.001). The mean targeting time was 38.8 ± 18.2 seconds per lesion. Including procedural planning (∼5.5 minutes) and final CT confirmation of placement (∼3.5 minutes), the full electromagnetic tracking procedure required significantly less time (551.6 ± 87.4 seconds [∼9 minutes]) than conventional CT (833.3 ± 283.8 seconds [∼14 minutes]) for successful targeting (p < 0.001). Less favorable conditions, including nonperpendicular relation between the axis of the machine and weaker field strength, resulted in statistically significant lower accuracy (3.7 ± 1 mm, p < 0.001). Nevertheless, first-pass biopsy accuracy was 58.3% (21/36) and second-pass (35/36) accuracy was 97.2%. Lesions farther from the skin than 20-25 cm were out of range for successful electromagnetic tracking. CONCLUSION Virtual electromagnetic tracking appears to have high accuracy in needle placement, potentially reducing time and radiation exposure compared with those of conventional CT techniques in the biopsy of small lesions.
SOUND ABSORPTION PROPERTIES OF RECYCLED POLYESTER FIBROUS ASSEMBLY ABSORBERS

Abstract Sound absorption materials are generally classified into three types, porous, resonator, and panel. All of these three types are based on the theory of energy transforming from sound energy to thermal energy. In this paper, we examined the sound absorption coefficient of recycled polyester nonwovens for the purpose of substituting the conventionally used materials such as glasswool and rockwool. The use of recycled polyester nonwovens has many advantages compared to conventional sound absorbers, including reduced product cost, good handling, and environmental protection. The sound absorption coefficient of the recycled polyester nonwovens was determined by a two-microphone impedance measurement tube; the determination of the noise absorption coefficient is nothing more than the absorption energy rate of the material against the incidence energy. We have determined the relationship between the acoustic absorption values measured and the nonwoven parameters including fibre properties and web properties.
Prevalence of depression among patients seen in community health centres and community mental health centres

Depression is a common disorder in the general population. However, its prevalence among patients attending various health‐care facilities is less well known. There have been very few Finnish studies of this topic. The Tampere Depression Project (TADEP) dealt with the prevalence of depression and factors associated with it in individuals seen in community health centres (CHC) and in psychiatric‐service (PS) patients. The diagnosis of depression was based on a standardized Present State Examination interview and a DSM‐III‐R assessment, carried out on 436 CHC patients and 428 PS patients. The severity of depression was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression. About 10% of CHC patients and 50% of PS patients suffered from clinical depression. In addition to these, some depressive symptoms were displayed by just under 10% of subjects. Similar prevalence rates were obtained by the various methods used. The 1–year prevalence rate of clinical depression was 20% for the CHC patients and almost 60% for the PS patients. Mild depression represented the largest group. In the CHC group, depression was found more often in middle‐aged and widowed subjects and in patients with a lower educational level and blue‐collar workers than in others. In the PS group, depression was found more often in women, the oldest subjects and the widowed than in others.