Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene Expression After Transformation in Bacillus subtilis

Sensitive assays of histidase activity were used to follow the production of this enzyme as directed by a gene newly introduced into cells of Bacillus subtilis by transformation. Histidase activity can be detected in histidase-negative recipient cells within 1 hr after the addition of deoxyribonucleic acid extracted from histidase-positive donors. Enzyme production continues for one to two additional hours and then ceases. Histidase production in the transformed cells is fully sensitive to catabolite repression. Catabolite repression is rapidly established after transformation of recipient cells that are resistant to this form of regulation.
Reproducibility and relative validity of food group intake in a food frequency questionnaire developed for the German part of the EPIC project. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

BACKGROUND For the German part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a self-administered, optically-readable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), including 158 food items and 87 coloured portion size photographs, was developed to assess the usual food and nutrient intake of individuals during the past year. In 1991/1992, the reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire measurements were studied according to the EPIC protocol. This article reports the results on reproducibility and relative validity of measurement of food group intake. METHODS A total of 104 men and women aged 35-64 years, who are members of the local health insurance institution, AOK Heidelberg, participated in this study. Reproducibility of the questionnaire measurements was obtained by a repeated administration of the FFQ to the same study subjects at a 6-month interval. The mean of 12 24-hour dietary recalls applied at monthly intervals served as reference method for the estimation of the relative validity of questionnaire measurements. A second version of the FFQ that integrated questions on general food consumption patterns was also investigated. RESULTS Spearman test-retest correlations of food group intake ranged from 0.49 for bread to 0.89 for alcoholic beverages (median = 0.70). Spearman correlations between food group intake values derived from the 24-hour diet recalls and the FFQ completed in the summer of 1992 varied from 0.14 for legumes to 0.90 for alcoholic beverages (median = 0.45). Correction for attenuation due to within-person error in the reference method as well as the correction for general consumption patterns improved the correlations. CONCLUSION The results indicate that our newly developed FFQ gives reproducible estimates of food group intake. Large day-to-day variation in food group intake complicated the evaluation of FFQ validity. Overall, moderate levels of relative validity were observed for estimates of food group intake.
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Functioning Pituitary Adenomas

Transsphenoidal microsurgery remains the treatment of choice for pituitary microadenomas One hundred and six patients were treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for pituitary adenomas, and of these, 23 patients (1 male, 22 female) had microadenomas. Twenty-two of these patients were followed up and endocrinological tests were available for 15 of these 22. Thirteen of these 15 had prolactinomas, while the remaining 2 had acromegaly. The follow-up period was from 3 to 26 months (median 12 months). The mean age was 33.6 years (range 21 to 60 years). The mean maximum tumor dose was 35.7 Gy and the mean margin dose was 22 Gy. Serum prolactin (PRL) was normalized in three patients, decreased in eight and unchanged in two. The growth hormone (GH) secretion in the acromegalic patients has remained unchanged through the follow-up period. Thus, GKRS is a valuable adjuvant to transsphenoidal microsurgery for patients with pituitary microadenomas.
Hierarchical Coding Vectors for Scene Level Land-Use Classification

Land-use classification from remote sensing images has become an important but challenging task. This paper proposes Hierarchical Coding Vectors (HCV), a novel representation based on hierarchically coding structures, for scene level land-use classification. We stack multiple Bag of Visual Words (BOVW) coding layers and one Fisher coding layer to develop the hierarchical feature learning structure. In BOVW coding layers, we extract local descriptors from a geographical image with densely sampled interest points, and encode them using soft assignment (SA). The Fisher coding layer encodes those semi-local features with Fisher vectors (FV) and aggregates them to develop a final global representation. The graphical semantic information is refined by feeding the output of one layer into the next computation layer. HCV describes the geographical images through a high-level representation of richer semantic information by using a hierarchical coding structure. The experimental results on the 21-Class Land Use (LU) and RSSCN7 image databases indicate the effectiveness of the proposed HCV. Combined with the standard FV, our method (FV + HCV) achieves superior performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods on the two databases, obtaining the average classification accuracy of 91.5% on the LU database and 86.4% on the RSSCN7 database.
Sparing of orexin‐A and orexin‐B neurons in the hypothalamus and of orexin fibers in the substantia nigra of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine‐treated macaques

Several studies conducted in patients with Parkinson's disease have reported that the degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons, which are essential for motor control, is associated with the loss of hypothalamic orexin neurons, which are involved in sleep regulation. In order to better explore the mutual interactions between these two systems, we wished to determine in macaques: (i) if the two orexin peptides, orexin‐A and orexin‐B, are distributed in the same hypothalamic cells and if they are localized in nerve terminals that project onto nigral dopaminergic neurons, and (ii) if there is a loss of orexin neurons in the hypothalamus and of orexin fibers innervating nigral dopaminergic neurons in macaques rendered parkinsonian by 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) intoxication. We showed that virtually all cells stained for orexin‐A in the hypothalamus co‐expressed orexin‐B. Numerous terminals stained for both orexin‐A and orexin‐B immunoreactivity that innervated the whole extent of the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta were found in close proximity to tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive dendrites. These data indicate that orexin‐A and orexin‐B peptides are in a position to play a role in controlling the activity of nigral dopaminergic neurons. However, no loss of orexin‐A or orexin‐B neurons in the hypothalamus and no loss of orexin fibers in the substantia nigra pars compacta was found in MPTP‐treated macaques when compared with control macaques. We conclude that a relatively selective dopaminergic lesion, such as that performed in MPTP‐treated macaques, is not sufficient to induce a loss of hypothalamic orexin neurons.
The respiratory burst is not required for killing of intracellular and extracellular parasites by a lymphokine‐activated macrophage cell line

The macrophage cell line, IC‐21, was found to be incapable of producing the oxygen products associated with the respiratory burst. However, IC‐21 cells were activated by lymphokine (LK) to kill intracellular (Leishmania donovani amastigotes) and extracellular (Schistosoma mansoni larvae) parasites, as well as tumor cells. In each case, the cytotoxicity exhibited by activated IC‐21 cells and activated peritoneal mac‐ rophages was indistinguishable. However, nonactivated IC‐21 cells were unable to kill L. donovani log‐growth phase promastigotes, while nonactivated peritoneal mac‐ rophages destroyed > 90% of the initial infection. These results indicate that amasti‐ gotes and schistosome larvae are susceptible to killing by nonoxidative cytotoxic mechanism induced by lymphokine activation but, on the other hand, support the concept that the killing of log‐growth phase promastigotes by nonactivated cells is dependent upon the respiratory burst. We propose that the IC‐21 cell line may be a useful model for studying nonoxidative killing functions of activated macrophages.
Falling stars: celebrity, infamy, and the fall from (and return to) grace

Celebrity firms are firms that attract a high level of public attention and generate positive affective responses from stakeholder audiences (Rindova, Pollock, and Hayward 2006). Recent research has explored how and why firms become celebrities (Rindova et al. 2006; Zavyalova and Pfarrer 2015) and how celebrity creates value for firms (Pfarrer, Pollock, and Rindova 2010). Celebrity firms are more likely to have unexpectedly high performance – and gain additional benefits when they do so – while suffering fewer penalties when their performance is lower than expected (Pfarrer et al. 2010). Rindova and colleagues have also argued that firms can engender “infamy,” which results from generating a high level of public attention and negative affective responses from stakeholder audiences. Central to both celebrity and infamy is that firms must engage in “deviant” or non-conforming behaviors. When viewed positively, these behaviors create a “rebel” celebrity persona attractive to at least some stakeholders; however, if the non-conforming behaviors are viewed negatively they can lead to an “outlaw” persona that at a minimum results in a loss of celebrity and possibly increases infamy. Although researchers have begun to explore the causes and consequences of firm celebrity, little research (for a recent exception, see Zavyalova and Pfarrer [2015]) has considered how firms become infamous. Building on Rindova and colleagues (2006), Zavyalova and Pfarrer (2015) argued that celebrity occurs through audience members’ identification with a firm's values and beliefs as presented in media-created narratives, and that infamy results from dis-identification with the organization's values and beliefs. Because firms face a plethora of stakeholder audiences with differing priorities and values, they further argued that the same firm can possess both celebrity and infamy simultaneously, as the same set of organizational values and beliefs can be the cause for identification with the firm by one stakeholder audience and dis-identification by another. Consequently, firms can lose celebrity in their quest to maintain it by eventually engaging in behaviors or revealing information that is inconsistent with audience members’ bases for identification. Fundamental to the process of becoming infamous is the belief by a stakeholder group or groups that the firm is engaging in deviant behaviors that they consider wrongdoing.
Full-dose gemcitabine with concurrent radiation therapy in patients with nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer: a multicenter phase II trial.

PURPOSE Gemcitabine is effective in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and is a potent radiosensitizer. This study assessed safety and efficacy of full-dose gemcitabine administered before and during concurrent three-dimensional conformal radiation (3D-CRT) in patients with nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS During cycles 1 and 3, patients received gemcitabine at 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. Cycle 2 included the same dose of gemcitabine on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle with concurrent 3D-CRT at 36 Gy, administered in 15 fractions of 2.4 Gy, over 3 weeks. Resectable patients underwent surgery 4 to 6 weeks after treatment. The primary objective was evaluation of toxicity. Tumor response, CA 19-9, and 1-year survival were also assessed. RESULTS Forty-one patients enrolled at six institutions between April 2002 and October 2003. Among the 39 treated patients, the most common toxicities were grade 3 neutropenia (12.8%), grade 3 nausea (10.3%), and grade 3 vomiting (10.3%). The response rate was 5.1% and disease control rate was 84.6%. Mean post-treatment CA 19-9 levels (228 +/- 347 U/mL) were significantly (P = .006) reduced compared with pretreatment levels (1,241 +/- 2,124 U/mL). Thirteen (81%) of 16 patients initially judged resectable, three (33%) of nine borderline-resectable patients, and one (7%) of 14 unresectable patients underwent resection after therapy. One-year survival rates were 73% for all patients, 94% for resectable patients, 76% for borderline-resectable patients, and 47% for unresectable patients. CONCLUSION Full-dose gemcitabine with concurrent radiotherapy was well tolerated and active. Evaluation of this regimen in a larger, randomized trial for patients with resectable or borderline-resectable disease may be warranted.
Effect of extended-term estrogen on voiding in a postpartum ovariectomized rat model.

INTRODUCTION We tested the hypothesis that extended-term (5-week) estrogen therapy would negatively impact voiding function in a postpartum, ovariectomized rat model. METHODS Immediately after delivery, 30 primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats underwent intravaginal balloon dilation, followed by ovariectomy 1 week later. Cystometry at postpartum week 2 determined normal or abnormal voiding patterns. After randomization, one-half the normal and abnormal voiding rats received 5 weeks of estrogen therapy, while the remainder received placebo. Estrogen effect was determined by repeat cystometry and immunohistochemical analysis of the urethra and vagina. RESULTS Abnormal voiding increased from 60.0% to 73.3% in the estrogen- treated group and declined from 60% to 33% for the placebo group. Rats were then divided into 4 groups for comparison: normal voiding versus placebo (group 1), abnormal voiding versus placebo (group 2), normal voiding versus estrogen (group 3) and abnormal voiding versus estrogen (group 4). Bladder capacity, leak point pressure and maximum voiding pressure were most depressed in group 4. Estrogen treatment was associated with a significant downregulation of alpha(1A) and alpha(1D)-adrenoceptors in the urethral submucosa but an upregulation of nNOS in the urethral smooth muscle. CONCLUSION Extended-term estrogen therapy in a rat model of simulated birth trauma and ovariectomy resulted in a higher rate of incontinence. Immunohistochemical examination demonstrated significant downregulation of urethral alpha(1A)- and alpha(1D)-adrenoceptors and upregulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the urethra of estrogen-treated groups. These studies question the use of hormone replacement therapy in the treatment of postmenopausal incontinence.
K+ and Cl‐ currents in enterocytes isolated from guinea‐pig small intestinal villi.

1. The whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique has been used to investigate the conductance properties of villus enterocytes isolated from guinea‐pig small intestinal epithelium. 2. With near physiological ionic gradients inward and outward rectification was observed in the hyperpolarizing and depolarizing voltage domains respectively. 3. Replacement of intra‐ and extracellular K+ with N‐methyl‐D‐glucamine (NMG) eliminated inward rectification but did not alter outward currents. In symmetrical low Cl‐ solutions outward currents were reduced but inward rectification was not affected. Under these conditions increases in extracellular K+ shifted both the current‐voltage relation and the extrapolated reversal potential as expected for a K(+)‐selective current. 4. The inwardly rectifying nature of the K+ current observed here remained unaltered after chelation of internal Mg2+ with ATP or EDTA. 5. Extracellular application of 5 mM‐Ba2+ or 50 micrograms ml‐1 of the venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus abolished the inward K+ current, while 5 mM‐extracellular tetraethylammonium (TEA) had little effect. 6. The current remaining in the presence of symmetrical Cl‐ solutions and in the complete absence of K+ rectified outwardly and reversed at 0 mV. The anionic nature of this current was confirmed by replacing Cl‐ with different anions. SCN‐ and Br‐ carried more current than Cl‐, while F‐ and gluconate were less permeant. 7. Anionic currents of villus guinea‐pig enterocytes were not stimulated by cyclic AMP and were strongly and reversibly inhibited by the Cl‐ channel blocker 5‐nitro‐2‐(3‐phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB, 10(‐5) M). 8. The inwardly rectifying K+ current described here shares some, but not all, characteristics with others previously described. It is postulated that this conductance might function to couple K+ permeability and the Na(+)‐K+ pump rate in enterocytes. Absorption of chloride may be mediated by the Cl‐ channels.
A Cry from the Darkness: Women with Severe Mental Illness in India Reveal Their Experiences with Sexual Coercion

Abstract This study used qualitative research methods to investigate the problem of sexual coercion among female psychiatric patients in India. Consecutive female admissions (n = 146) to the inpatient unit of a psychiatric hospital in southern India were screened regarding coercive sexual experiences. Women who reported coercion (n = 50; 34%) participated in a semi-structured interview to learn more about their experiences. Among these women, 24 (48%) reported that the perpetrator was their spouse, 13 (26%) identified a friend or acquaintance, and 10 (20%) identified a relative such as an uncle or cousin. Most experiences occurred in the women's homes. Thirty of the 50 coerced women (60%) reported that they had not disclosed their experience to anyone, and that they had not sought help. Women revealed a sense of helplessness, fear, and secrecy related to their experiences. The problem of sexual coercion is seldom addressed in mental health care in India; the prevalence and severity of such experiences warrant immediate clinical attention and continued research.
Prophylaxis against Infection in Cataract Surgery: A Survey of Routine Practice

Purpose To survey the routine practice of consultant ophthalmic surgeons in the United Kingdom in preventing postoperative endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. Methods This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. A questionnaire was sent to consultant ophthalmic surgeons in university teaching hospital ophthalmology departments in the United Kingdom. Results Questionnaires were sent to 391 consultant ophthalmic surgeons in 36 ophthalmology departments. The response rate was 55.0% (215 responses). Eleven (5.1%) did not perform cataract surgery routinely. Of the remaining 204 respondents, all performed phacoemulsification as routine. A total of 28 (13.7%) reported a 0% rate of postoperative infective endophthalmitis. Preoperative topical antibiotics were routinely prescribed by 12 respondents (5.9%). The most common immediately preoperative measure was the usage of povidone iodine (203 respondents, 99.5%). A total of 19 (9.3%) used an antibiotic infusion during surgery. Postoperative subconjunctival antibiotics were given by 138 (67.6%), most commonly cefuroxime. A total of 33 (16.2%) administered postoperative intracameral antibiotics. A total of 141 (69.1%) prescribed topical antibiotics after surgery, most commonly neomycin. None gave systemic antibiotics routinely pre-or postoperatively. Conclusions The results show a wide variation of prophylactic measures used in the United Kingdom. The routine practices adopted reflect personal preferences, and were not necessarily evidence-based. Further prospective studies are required to provide evidence for the efficacy of these prophylaxis techniques.
Hemostasis in Pre-Eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia (P-EC) is a multisystem disorder exclusive to pregnancy. It complicates ~2 to 8% of all pregnancies and remains a major cause of maternal mortality. P-EC is characterized by a profound hypercoagulable state. The delicate hemostatic balance that must be maintained in the uteroplacental circulation during pregnancy makes this system vulnerable to perturbation. An abnormal hemostatic pattern occurs within the uteroplacental circulation in P-EC compared with normal pregnancy. Much recent research has focused on the epidemiological link between inherited thrombophilia and P-EC. The data suggest a weak statistical association, indicating an improbable primary role in the pathogenesis. Without clear evidence, low molecular weight heparins have been widely used to reduce recurrence of P-EC in thrombophilia-positive women. This practice now should be reviewed. Future research needs to focus on improving our basic scientific understanding of the role of the hemostatic system in human placentation.
Normalization of cell responses in cat striate cortex

Abstract Simple cells in the striate cortex have been depicted as half-wave-rectified linear operators. Complex cells have been depicted as energy mechanisms, constructed from the squared sum of the outputs of quadrature pairs of linear operators. However, the linear/energy model falls short of a complete explanation of striate cell responses. In this paper, a modified version of the linear/energy model is presented in which striate cells mutually inhibit one another, effectively normalizing their responses with respect to stimulus contrast. This paper reviews experimental measurements of striate cell responses, and shows that the new model explains a significantly larger body of physiological data.
Lipidomics reveals altered biosynthetic pathways of glycerophospholipids and cell signaling as biomarkers of the polycystic ovary syndrome

Purpose In this work, a non-targeted approach was used to unravel changes in the plasma lipidome of PCOS patients. The aim is to offer new insights in PCOS patients strictly selected in order to avoid confounding factors such as dyslipemia, obesity, altered glucose/insulin metabolism, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. Results Multivariate statistics revealed a specific lipidomic signature for PCOS patients without associated pathologies. This signature implies changes, mainly by down-regulation, in glycerolipid, glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism suggesting an altered biosynthetic pathway of glycerophospholipids and cell signaling as second messengers in women with PCOS. Conclusions Our study confirms that a lipidomic approach discriminates a specific phenotype from PCOS women without associated pathologies from healthy controls. Methods In a cross-sectional pilot study, data were obtained from 34 subjects, allocated to one of two groups: a) lean, healthy controls (n = 20), b) PCOS patients (n = 14) with diagnosis based on hyperandrogenaemia, oligo-anovulation and abnormal ovaries with small follicular cysts. A detailed biochemical characterization was made and lipidomic profiling was performed via an untargeted approach using LC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS.