Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accumulation of Poly[(R)-3-Hydroxyalkanoates] in Pseudomonas oleovorans during Growth with Octanoate in Continuous Culture at Different Dilution Rates

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas oleovorans ATCC 29347 was grown in chemostat culture at different dilution rates with mineral media varying in their ratios of octanoate to ammonia (C0/N0 ratio). At all dilution rates tested, three distinct growth regimes were observed: (i) carbon limitation with NH4+ in excess at low C0/N0 ratios, (ii) purely nitrogen-limited growth conditions at high C0/N0 ratios with residual octanoate in the culture supernatant, and (iii) an intermediate zone of dual-nutrient-limited growth conditions where both the concentration of octanoate and that of ammonia were very low. The dual-nutrient-limited growth zone shifted to higher C0/N0 ratios with decreasing dilution rates, and the extension of the dual-nutrient-limited growth zone was inversely proportional to the growth rate. The cells accumulated the storage compound medium-chain-length poly[(R)-3-hydroxyalkanoate] (mcl-PHA) during dual (C and N)-nutrient-limited and N-limited growth conditions. Within the dual-nutrient-limited growth zone, the cellular mcl-PHA contents increased when the C0/N0 ratio in the feed was increased, whereas the cellular mcl-PHA level was independent from the feed C0/N0 ratio during N-limited growth. The monomeric composition of the accumulated mcl-PHA was independent of both the dilution rate and the feed C0/N0 ratio and consisted of 12 mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoic acid and 88 mol% 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid. Accumulation of mcl-PHA led to an increase in the cellular C/N ratio and to changes in elemental growth yields for nitrogen and carbon.
Wax-Impregnated Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Mercuric Oxalate for the Simultaneous Determination of Heavy Metal Ions in Medicinal Plants and Ayurvedic Tablets

A wax-impregnated carbon paste electrode with mercury oxalate as the bulk modifier is found to be suitable for the determination of heavy metal ions by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The contents of binder and modifier have been optimized, until they showed low background current and easy renewability. The bulk-modified electrode is applied for the simultaneous determination of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu in medicinal plants and Ayurvedic tablets (Liv 52). The results obtained have been validated with HMDE and AAS and are found to be comparable. Jnana Sahyadri, c]Shankaraghatta-o]577 451, s]Shimoga, Karnataka, p]India
The Effect of CYP3A4 Inhibition or Induction on the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Orally Administered Ruxolitinib (INCB018424 Phosphate) in Healthy Volunteers

Ruxolitinib, a selective Janus kinase (JAK) 1&2 inhibitor in development for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms, is primarily metabolized by CYP3A4. The effects of inhibition or induction of CYP3A4 on single oral dose ruxolitinib pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) were evaluated in healthy volunteers. Coadministration of ketoconazole (a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor) and erythromycin (a moderate CYP3A4 inhibitor) increased total ruxolitinib plasma exposure (AUC0‐∞) by 91% and 27%, respectively, and ruxolitinib PD, as measured by the inhibition of interleukin (IL)–6‐stimulated STAT3 phosphorylation in whole blood, was generally consistent with the PK observed. Pretreatment with rifampin, a potent CYP3A4 inducer, decreased ruxolitinib AUC0‐∞ by 71% while resulting in only a 10% decrease in the overall PD activity. This apparent PK/PD discrepancy may be explained, in part, by an increase in the relative abundance of ruxolitinib active metabolites with the rifampin coadministration. The collective PK/PD data suggest that starting doses of ruxolitinib should be reduced by 50% if coadministered with a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor, whereas adjustments in ruxolitinib starting doses may not be needed when coadministered with inducers or mild/moderate inhibitors of CYP3A4. All study doses of ruxolitinib were generally safe and well tolerated when given alone and in combination with ketoconazole, erythromycin, or rifampin.
The assessment of atherosclerosis on vascular structures in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION Endothelial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the process of atherosclerotic diseases and has been accepted as an early stage of atherosclerosis. Carotid intima-media-thickness (CIMT) and flow-mediated-dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery have been recommended as noninvasive methods to assess endothelial structure and function. Angiographic properties of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are closely associated with cardiovascular events. In this study, we investigated the relation of atherosclerotic properties of coronary, brachial and carotid arteries with CIMT, FMD and coronary angiography in patients with ACS. METHODS We enrolled 133 patients who were diagnosed with ACS into this study. Exclusion criteria were known coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Coronary angiography, CIMT and FMD were measured in all patients. The numbers of major stenotic coronary vessels with > or = 50% or > or = 70% were defined as diseased vessel. Gensini score was used to evaluate the severity of atherosclerosis. Morphologic properties of stenotic lesion were defined. Cutoff levels were 7% for FMD and 0.9 mm for CIMT. RESULTS Mean age was 59.7 + or - 11.8 years. FMD, CIMT and Gensini score were 8.3 + or - 5.9%, 0.80 + or - 0.19 mm and 7.8 + or - 3.5, respectively. Only 44% of patients with ACS had impaired FMD. Gensini score, number of diseased vessels and number of critical lesions were higher in patients with impaired FMD. (Gensini: 8.7 + or - 3.6 vs. 7.0 + or - 3.1, p = 0.009, diseased vessels: 2.7 + or - 0.4 vs. 2.3 + or - 0.7, p < 0.0001, critical lesions: 3.0 + or - 2.1 vs. 2.2 + or - 1.4, p = 0.02). Increased CIMT was found in only 33% of patients. Gensini score and number of diseased vessels were significantly higher in patients with increased CIMT. Significant but weak correlations were found between CIMT, FMD and angiographic severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Angiographic properties and lesion morphology were similar between CIMT and FMD groups. CONCLUSION There appears to be a relationship between CIMT, FMD and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with ACS. However, in patients with ACS, morphologic properties of stenotic lesions are not associated with CIMT and FMD in brachial artery.
Test–Retest Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Implicit Association Test in Children

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is increasingly used in developmental research despite minimal evidence of whether children’s IAT scores are reliable across time or predictive of behavior. When test–retest reliability and predictive validity have been assessed, the results have been mixed, and because these studies have differed on many factors simultaneously (lag-time between testing administrations, domain, etc.), it is difficult to discern what factors may explain variability in existing test–retest reliability and predictive validity estimates. Across five studies (total N = 519; ages 6- to 11-years-old), we manipulated two factors that have varied in previous developmental research—lag-time and domain. An internal meta-analysis of these studies revealed that, across three different methods of analyzing the data, mean test–retest (rs of .48, .38, and .34) and predictive validity (rs of .46, .20, and .10) effect sizes were significantly greater than zero. While lag-time did not moderate the magnitude of test–retest coefficients, whether we observed domain differences in test–retest reliability and predictive validity estimates was contingent on other factors, such as how we scored the IAT or whether we included estimates from a unique sample (i.e., a sample containing gender typical and gender diverse children). Recommendations are made for developmental researchers that utilize the IAT in their research.
Self‐reported sleep duration is associated with reduced glomerular filtration rate among adults with hypertension: a population‐based study from rural northeast China

Short sleep duration has been found recently to be a predictor of proteinuria. However, population‐based investigations addressing the association between self‐reported sleep duration and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) among hypertensive patients are lacking. We therefore sought to investigate the extent to which self‐reported sleep duration might be associated with reduced GFR in a large hypertensive population in rural northeast China. A total of 5555 hypertensive participants, aged ≥35 years, in rural areas of Liaoning Province, China, were screened between January 2012 and August 2013, using a stratified, cluster multi‐stage sampling scheme. Anthropometric measurements, self‐reported sleep duration, blood biochemical indexes and other health‐related variables were collected by medically trained personnel. Reduced GFR was defined as the estimated GFR (eGFR) < 60 mL min−1 1.73 m2. On average, participants slept for 6.9 ± 1.6 h per night. Mean self‐reported sleep duration decreased with eGFR (P < 0.001). For both genders, a lower prevalence of reduced GFR was observed among participants who slept ≤6 h per night in total. In the multivariable regression model, after adjustments for age, gender, ethnicity, lifestyle factors, clinical correlates, depressive symptoms and general quality of life, participants who slept for 6 h or less per night were associated with a higher risk of reduced GFR [odds ratio (OR: 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05–2.73] compared with the reference group (self‐reported sleep duration >7 and ≤8 h day−1). We concluded that short self‐reported sleep duration (≤6 h per night) was related significantly to an increased risk of reduced GFR in a hypertensive population. This novel risk factor should be taken into consideration during daily management of hypertension to prevent chronic kidney disease.
The Rank Ordering of Genotypic Fitness Values Predicts Genetic Constraint on Natural Selection on Landscapes Lacking Sign Epistasis

Sewall Wright's genotypic fitness landscape makes explicit one mechanism by which epistasis for fitness can constrain evolution by natural selection. Wright distinguished between landscapes possessing multiple fitness peaks and those with only a single peak and emphasized that the former class imposes substantially greater constraint on natural selection. Here I present novel formalism that more finely partitions the universe of possible fitness landscapes on the basis of the rank ordering of their genotypic fitness values. In this report I focus on fitness landscapes lacking sign epistasis (i.e., landscapes that lack mutations the sign of whose fitness effect varies epistatically), which constitute a subset of Wright's single peaked landscapes. More than one fitness rank ordering lacking sign epistasis exists for L > 2 (where L is the number of interacting loci), and I find that a highly statistically significant effect exists between landscape membership in fitness rank-ordering partition and two different proxies for genetic constraint, even within this subset of landscapes. This statistical association is robust to population size, permitting general inferences about some of the characteristics of fitness rank orderings responsible for genetic constraint on natural selection.
Changes in the Proteome of Functional and Regressing Corpus Luteum During Pregnancy and Lactation in the Rat1

Abstract The corpus luteum (CL) is an exquisitely regulated transitory endocrine gland necessary for the onset and maintenance of pregnancy in mammals. Most of the data on the mechanisms of CL differentiation at the molecular level come from genomic studies, but direct protein data are scarce. Here we have undertaken a differential expression proteomic approach to identify, in an unbiased way, those proteins whose levels change significantly in the rat CL as it evolves from functionality during pregnancy to regression after parturition. Moreover, we have compared the regressing CL with the newly formed functional CL that coexist during lactation under the same endocrine environment. We have defined a “proteomic signature” of CL functionality, which is constituted by a set of 24 proteins with a few differences between pregnancy and lactation. Most of these markers are new and are involved in microtubule assembly, retinoic acid transport, and Raf kinase signaling cascade; 10 are enzymes that define a ketogenic metabolic landscape, demonstrating, for the first time, the prevalence of de novo cholesterol synthesis in luteal cells. The “proteomic signature of regression,” on the other hand, is composed of nine proteins, one of which is 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and two, ferritin and gamma-actin, are new. The discovery of unpredictable new actors in the differentiation process of CL reported here will contribute to new hypotheses that explain the complex female reproductive function at the protein level. It will also open new doors to research on each identified protein by relating them to cellular differentiation.
Predictors of postoperative mortality after mitral valve repair: Analysis of a series of 164 patients

Background. Mitral valve repair (MVR) has been shown to achieve good long-term results. However, this procedure is associated with relevant immediate postoperative mortality. The aim of this study is to identify those preoperative variables associated with an increased risk of 30-d postoperative death. Methods. One hundred and sixty-four patients underwent MVR at our institution from January 1993 to December 2000. Results. Eleven patients (6.7%) died during the immediate postoperative outcome, a median of 14 d after surgery (range, 1–29 d). One patient (1.3%) out of 80 who underwent MVR as lone procedure died on postoperative day 14 of cardiac tamponade. The mortality rate in those who underwent MVR associated with other procedures was 11.9%. Multivariable analysis (154 patients included in the analysis) showed that patients’ age (p=0.006, for an increase of 10 units: OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.53–12.27), history of prior cardiac surgery (p=0.006, OR 118.56, 95% CI 4.03–3491.14) and NYHA functional class (p=0.011, OR 5.66, 95% CI 1.49–21.49) were significantly associated with an increased risk of postoperative death. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve showed that patients’ age had an area under the curve of 0.762 (95% CI 0.622–0.901, p=0.004), its best cut-off value being 65 years (mortality, 13.4% vs 2.1%, p=0.008, sensitivity 81.8%, specificity 62.1%, accuracy 63.4%). None of the patients older than 65 and with a history of prior cardiac surgery survived the operation. Conclusions. MVR is associated with a relevant 30-d mortality risk in patients older than 65 years, with advanced NYHA functional class and a history of prior cardiac surgery.
Assessing sustainability of farming systems in mountain agroecosystems of Western Himalaya, India

ABSTRACT This paper examines sustainability of cash crops production systems as compared to traditional cereal cropping patterns in terms of their energy efficiency, ecological suitability, economic profitability, and social acceptability. The consistent supply of labor and energy are the most significant requirements for substantial growth of agricultural productivity in Himalayan region. For output–input ratio in terms of monetary efficiency, cash crops performed better (3.16–3.56) as compared to traditional crops (1.57–3.31), whereas the energy output–input ratio of traditional crops was found more efficient (1.63–4.72) as compared to cash crops (1.26–2.36). The monetary input and output analysis of Rabi crops was estimated to be 23.39% and 25.3% of Kharif crops, respectively; Similarly, variance in energy input (27.3%) and output (32.44%) analysis was observed between Rabi and Kharif crops, respectively. Energy input in the form of manure accounted >90% of total energy input, while other inputs (<10%) are contributed in the form of seeds, and animal and human power for all the crops. The study also highlighted the significance of traditional crops and factors responsible for their declining cultivation in the mountain region.
In vitro pharmacological characterization of a novel unbiased NOP receptor‐selective nonpeptide agonist AT‐403

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) regulates several biological functions via selective activation of the N/OFQ receptor (NOP), a member of the opioid receptor family. We recently identified a new high affinity and highly selective NOP agonist AT‐403. In this study, we characterized the functional profile of AT‐403 and compared it to other known nonpeptide NOP agonists Ro 65‐6570, Ro 2q, SCH‐221510, MCOPPB, AT‐202 and SCH‐486757, using the following assays: GTPγ[35S] stimulated binding, calcium mobilization assay in cells‐expressing human NOP or classical opioid receptors and chimeric G proteins, bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) based assay for studying NOP receptor interaction with G protein and arrestin, and the electrically stimulated mouse vas deferens bioassay. All compounds behaved as NOP full agonists consistently showing the following rank order of potency MCOPPB > AT‐403 > Ro 65‐6570 = Ro 2q > SCH‐221510 > AT‐202 > SCH‐486757. AT‐403 and MCOPPB displayed the highest NOP selectivity both at human and murine receptors. Interestingly, while all the other nonpeptide NOP agonists displayed bias toward G protein‐mediated signaling in the BRET assay, AT‐403, similar to the natural ligand N/OFQ, behaved as an unbiased agonist, activating G‐protein‐mediated function as well as arrestin recruitment. AT‐403 may be a useful nonpeptide tool compound to study the pharmacology of NOP activation in disease states.
An Empirical Study on Writer Identification and Verification From Intra-Variable Individual Handwriting

The handwriting of a person may vary substantially with factors, such as mood, time, space, writing speed, writing medium/tool, writing a topic, and so on. It becomes challenging to perform automated writer verification/identification on a particular set of handwritten patterns (e.g., speedy handwriting) of an individual, especially when the system is trained using a different set of writing patterns (e.g., normal speed) of that same person. However, it would be interesting to experimentally analyze if there exists any implicit characteristic of individuality which is insensitive to high intra-variable handwriting. In this paper, we study some handcrafted features and auto-derived features extracted from intra-variable writing. Here, we work on writer identification/verification from highly intra-variable offline Bengali writing. To this end, we use various models mainly based on handcrafted features with support vector machine and features auto-derived by the convolutional network. For experimentation, we have generated two handwritten databases from two different sets of 100 writers and enlarged the dataset by a data-augmentation technique. We have obtained some interesting results.
[Antibiotic Resistance and Serotype Pattern of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolated from Children in St. Petersburg in 2010-2013].

The surveillance of the serotype pattern and antibiotic resistance of S. pneumoniae in various geographical regions is required for the validity of rational etiotrophic therapy of pneumococcal infections and the choice of the optimal vaccines for their prophylaxis. 250 S. pneumoniae isolates from children with acute otitis or pneumonia and healthy carriers in St. Petersburg in 2010-2013 were investigated. The analysis of the serotype pattern of the pneumococci showed that 13-valent conjugate vaccine was the most active (86.1% of pneumococci causing pneumonia and 86.4% of pneumococci causing acute otitis). The isolates were higly resistant to beta-lactams and macrolides. By the EUCAST criteria, the decrease in the susceptibility to penicillin, cefotaxime, erythromycin and ceftarolin was observed in 32.4%, 14%, 33.2 and 6% of the isolates respectively. 22.4% of the isolates showed associate resistance to penicillin and erythromycin. No resistance to moxifloxacin was detected. The frequency of resistance to tetracycline, co-trimoxasole and chloramphenicol in various patients ranged within 30-50%. The prevalence of the antibiotic resistance was mainly characteristic of the isolates serotypes 19A, 19F, 14 and serogroup 6.
Mediators of a brief hypnosis intervention to control side effects in breast surgery patients: response expectancies and emotional distress.

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to test the hypotheses that response expectancies and emotional distress mediate the effects of an empirically validated presurgical hypnosis intervention on postsurgical side effects (i.e., pain, nausea, and fatigue). METHOD Women (n = 200) undergoing breast-conserving surgery (mean age = 48.50 years; 63% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% African American, and 9% other) were randomized to a hypnosis or to an attention control group. Prior to surgery, patients completed assessments of hypothesized mediators (response expectancies and emotional distress), and following surgery, patients completed assessments of outcome variables (pain, nausea, and fatigue). RESULTS Structural equation modeling revealed the following: (a) Hypnotic effects on postsurgical pain were partially mediated by pain expectancy (p < .0001) but not by distress (p = .12); (b) hypnotic effects on postsurgical nausea were partially mediated by presurgical distress (p = .02) but not by nausea expectancy (p = .10); and (c) hypnotic effects on postsurgical fatigue were partially mediated by both fatigue expectancy (p = .0001) and presurgical distress (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate the mediational roles of response expectancies and emotional distress in clinical benefits associated with a hypnotic intervention for breast cancer surgical patients. More broadly, the results improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for hypnotic phenomena and suggest that future hypnotic interventions target patient expectancies and distress to improve postsurgical recovery.