Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Campylobacter jejuni on the basis of a species-specific gene that encodes a membrane protein

To facilitate discrimination between the closely related enteropathogens Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli, unique differences in antigenic surface structure were examined. A genomic library of C. jejuni 81116 was constructed in plasmid pBluescriptIISK- and expressed in Escherichia coli K-12. Rabbit hyperimmune serum raised against C. jejuni ATCC 29428 recognized a clone expressing a C. jejuni 24-kDa membrane-associated protein. Antiserum raised against sonicated recombinant E. coli expressing the 24-kDa protein reacted with C. jejuni, whereas C. coli did not react specifically. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the DNA insert of this recombinant plasmid revealed an open reading frame encoding 214 amino acids; the gene was designated mapA; and its gene product was designated MAPA. The 18 N-terminal amino acid residues constitute a signal sequence characteristic of prokaryotic membrane lipoproteins. In a dot blot hybridization assay with a mapA probe, 120 clinical isolates of C. jejuni were unequivocally discriminated from 126 other campylobacters, including 34 C. coli isolates. A PCR test based on the mapA sequence was developed for identification of C. jejuni. A PCR product was obtained with all of the clinical isolates of C. jejuni tested from human, dog, cat, bovine calf, and chicken sources. Recombinant MAPA with an added C-terminal six-histidine tail was affinity purified and used to immunize rabbits. The rabbit anti-MAPA serum specifically recognized the protein in whole cells of C. jejuni on Western blots (immunoblots). The MAPA protein was present in all of the C. jejuni strains tested and was absent in C. coli and related campylobacters.
Cerebral dicarboxylate transport and metabolism studied with isotopically labelled fumarate, malate and malonate

Transport and metabolism of dicarboxylates may be important in the glial‐neuronal metabolic interplay. Further, exogenous dicarboxylates have been suggested as cerebral energy substrates. After intrastriatal injection of [14C]fumarate or [14C]malate, glutamine attained a specific activity 4.1 and 2.6 times higher than that of glutamate, respectively, indicating predominantly glial uptake of these four‐carbon dicarboxylates. In contrast, the three‐carbon dicarboxylate [14C]malonate gave a specific activity in glutamate which was approximately five times higher than that of glutamine, indicating neuronal uptake of malonate. Therefore, neurones and glia take up different types of dicarboxylates, probably by different transport mechanisms. Labelling of alanine from [14C]fumarate and [14C]malate demonstrated extensive malate decarboxylation, presumably in glia. Intravenous injection of 75 µmol [U‐13C]fumarate rapidly led to high concentrations of [U‐13C]fumarate and [U‐13C]malate in serum, but neither substrate labelled cerebral metabolites as determined by 13C NMR spectroscopy. Only after conversion of [U‐13C]fumarate into serum glucose was there 13C‐labelling of cerebral metabolites, and only at <10% of that obtained with 75 µmol [3‐13C]lactate or [2‐13C]acetate. These findings suggest a very low transport capacity for four‐carbon dicarboxylates across the blood–brain barrier and rule out a role for exogenous fumarate as a cerebral energy substrate.
FOCUSING ON SUCCESS: PATHWAYS OUT OF CHILDHOOD POVERTY Final Report to the Ford Foundation of Research Conducted Under Grants 1000-2027 and 1000-2027-1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the generous financial support provided by the Ford Foundation. The valuable research assistance of Jackie Cutsinger and Ying Wang is gratefully acknowledged as well. The project also benefitted greatly from the very thoughtful input provided by members of the advisory panel for this The opinions expressed herein are the authors', and do not necessarily reflect those of the Boards of Trustees of the Ford Foundation, members of the project advisory panel, or our respective Universities.
Irrigation adoption by orange producers of the state of São Paulo-Brazil: determinants and barriers.

Brazil is the larger producer of fresh oranges contributing with 55% of the world´s production. The state of Sao Paulo-Brazil produces more than 70% of Brazilian´s national fresh oranges production. In spite of the importance of the orange activity to the economy of Brazil, more than 70% of the orange producers abandoned the activity in Sao Paulo between 1995 and 2014 due mainly to considerable reduction in their profits. Adopting irrigation can lead to an increase in the production factor yields and, consequently, to a reduction on the production costs per orange box, restoring the producers’ profitability. This paper aims to identify and analyze the factors that influence the adoption of irrigation systems in orange orchards in Sao Paulo-Brazil by using descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing and a probit model. We identified that the number of oranges varieties grown in the property, the percentage of the total agricultural income obtained with the orange activity, the number of management tools used in the production system, the risk preference of the producer with respect to the orange commercialization, the experience of the producer in the agricultural activity and the amount of money spent with technical assistance impacted significantly the irrigation adoption.
Forkhead Box F2 Regulation of Platelet-derived Growth Factor and Myocardin/Serum Response Factor Signaling Is Essential for Intestinal Development*

Background: Transcriptional regulation of smooth muscle cells is an understudied component of intestinal development and physiology. Results: Foxf2 deletion from smooth muscle causes intestinal malformations and colon remodeling. Conclusion: Foxf2 regulation of PDGF and myocardin/SRF signaling is essential for intestinal development and homeostasis. Significance: Better understanding of transcriptional mechanisms regulating postnatal intestine development and homeostasis may provide therapeutic approaches for congenital and acquired gastrointestinal diseases. Alterations in the forkhead box F2 gene expression have been reported in numerous pathologies, and Foxf2−/− mice are perinatal lethal with multiple malformations; however, molecular mechanisms pertaining to Foxf2 signaling are severely lacking. In this study, Foxf2 requirements in murine smooth muscle cells were examined using a conditional knock-out approach. We generated novel Foxf2-floxed mice, which we bred to smMHC-Cre-eGFP mice to generate a mouse line with Foxf2 deleted specifically from smooth muscle. These mice exhibited growth retardation due to reduced intestinal length as well as inflammation and remodeling of the small intestine. Colons of Tg(smMHC-Cre-eGFP+/−);Foxf2−/− mice had expansion of the myenteric nerve plexus and increased proliferation of smooth muscle cells leading to thickening of the longitudinal smooth muscle layer. Foxf2 deficiency in colonic smooth muscle was associated with increased expression of Foxf1, PDGFa, PDGFb, PDGF receptor α, and myocardin. FOXF2 bound to promoter regions of these genes indicating direct transcriptional regulation. Foxf2 repressed Foxf1 promoter activity in co-transfection experiments. We also show that knockdown of Foxf2 in colonic smooth muscle cells in vitro and in transgenic mice increased myocardin/serum response factor signaling and increased expression of contractile proteins. Foxf2 attenuated myocardin/serum response factor signaling in smooth muscle cells through direct binding to the N-terminal region of myocardin. Our results indicate that Foxf2 signaling in smooth muscle cells is essential for intestinal development and serum response factor signaling.
An evaluation of lifestyle changes in cancer patients after diagnosis.

PURPOSE Cancer is an increasingly important health problem, and is second only to cardiovascular disease as cause of death. Cancer diagnosis causes significant changes in patients and their families, and social relationships are affected. For this reason, we examined the lives of patients subsequent to their diagnosis and sought to determine any changes in their lifestyles. METHODS Between March 16th and September 30th, 2011, a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was distributed via a face-to-face interview to 150 patients at the Marmara University Hospital Oncology Unit. Each patient was queried during the administration of his/her chemotherapy. Six of the questions were independent choices, and 14 were dependent (multiple choice). A Local Ethics Committee approval was obtained. RESULTS Of the 150 patients, 70 (46%) were male and 80 female, and their median age was 55 years (range: 22-82). Following their diagnosis, 71% of males and 50% of females reported that they were complying with guidelines for a healthy lifestyle, and 19% of the patients said that they were eating healthier food. At the time they filled in the questionnaire, 61% said that they were hopeful; however, close to 10% said that they felt hopeless. Approximately 53% of the participants said that following their diagnosis they had a more sympathetic view of the underserved and underprivileged. CONCLUSIONS It was surprising that an unexpectedly high percentage of the respondents reported that they did not make any changes in their lifestyles after their diagnosis of cancer, including eating healthier food. It appears Turkish cancer patients are coping with cancer in different means and ways than we expected of them.
Effect of Ack1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor on ligand‐independent androgen receptor activity

Androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in the progression of both androgen‐dependent and androgen‐independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Ligand‐independent activation of AR in AIPC or castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is often associated with poor prognosis. Recently, tyrosine kinase Ack1 has been shown to regulate AR activity by phosphorylating it at tyrosine 267 and this event was shown to be critical for AIPC growth. However, whether a small molecule inhibitor that can mitigate Ack1 activation is sufficient to abrogate AR activity on AR regulated promoters in androgen‐depleted environment is not known.
Amino acid deprivation and central carbon metabolism regulate the production of outer membrane vesicles and tubes by Francisella

Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent Gram‐negative bacterial pathogen that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. F. novicida, a model tularemia strain, produces spherical outer membrane vesicles (OMV), as well as novel tubular vesicles and extensions of the cell surface. These OMV and tubes (OMV/T) are produced in a regulated manner and contain known virulence factors. Mechanisms by which bacterial vesicles are produced and regulated are not well understood. We performed a genetic screen in F. novicida to decipher the molecular basis for regulated OMV/T formation, and identified both hypo‐ and hyper‐vesiculating mutants. Mutations in fumA and tktA, involved in central carbon metabolism, and in FTN_0908 and FTN_1037, of unknown function, resulted in severe defects in OMV/T production. Cysteine deprivation was identified as the signal that triggers OMV/T formation in F. novicida during growth in rich medium. We also found that fully virulent F. tularensis produces OMV/T in a similarly regulated manner. Further analysis revealed that OMV/T production is responsive to deprivation of essential amino acids in addition to cysteine, and that the hypo‐vesiculating mutants are defective in responding to this signal. Thus, amino acid starvation, such as encountered by Francisella during host cell invasion, regulates the production of membrane‐derived structures.
Ambient Electrosynthesis of Ammonia: Electrode Porosity and Composition Engineering.

Ammonia, a key precursor for fertilizer production, convenient hydrogen carrier, and emerging clean fuel, plays a pivotal role in sustaining life on Earth. Currently, the main route for NH3 synthesis is by the heterogeneous catalytic Haber-Bosch process (N2 +3 H2 →2 NH3 ), which proceeds under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure with a very large carbon footprint. Herein we report that a pristine nitrogen-doped nanoporous graphitic carbon membrane (NCM) can electrochemically convert N2 into NH3 in an acidic aqueous solution under ambient conditions. The Faradaic efficiency and rate of production of NH3 on the NCM electrode reach 5.2 % and 0.08 g m-2 h-1 , respectively. Functionalization of the NCM with Au nanoparticles dramatically enhances these performance metrics to 22 % and 0.36 g m-2 h-1 , respectively. As this system offers the potential to be scaled to industrial levels it is highly likely that it might displace the century-old Haber-Bosch process.
Modafinil's effects on simulator performance and mood in pilots during 37 h without sleep.

INTRODUCTION Modafinil is a relatively new alertness-enhancing compound of interest to the military aviation community. Although modafinil has been well-tested in clinical settings, additional studies are required to establish its safety and efficacy for use in pilots. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether modafinil (100 mg after 17, 22, and 27 h without sleep) would attenuate the effects of fatigue on fighter-pilot mood and performance during 37 h of continuous wakefulness. METHODS A quasi-experimental, single-blind, counterbalanced design tested the effects of modafinil in 10 Air Force F-117 pilots. RESULTS Modafinil attenuated flight performance decrements on six of eight simulator maneuvers. Overall, modafinil maintained flight accuracy within approximately 15-30% of baseline levels, whereas performance under the no-treatment/placebo condition declined by as much as 60-100%. Modafinil decreased self-ratings of depression and anger, while improving ratings of vigor, alertness, and confidence. Benefits were most noticeable after 24 to 32 h of continuous wakefulness. One potential drawback of modafinil was that, at least at the 100-mg dose level, the drug's effects were not subjectively salient. Since this may lead personnel to escalate the dose without flight surgeon approval, personnel should be cautioned regarding this particular drug characteristic. CONCLUSION Although modafinil did not sustain performance at predeprivation levels, the present study suggests that modafinil should be considered for the military's armament of short-term fatigue countermeasures. Future research will evaluate whether 200-mg doses are more beneficial than the 100-mg doses used here.
The Impact and Effectiveness of Entrepreneurship Policy

Unternehmerische Kompetenz wird weithin als Schlusselfaktor fur den Geschaftserfolg angesehen und die Innovationspolitik konzentriert sich daher verstarkt auf den Unternehmer, seine Fahigkeiten und Werte. Diese Entwicklung, wird auch als unternehmerische Wende genannt. Dieser Bericht untersucht offentlich Politiken fur unternehmerische Entwicklung. Politik zur unternehmerischen Initiative zielt darauf ab, sozial und wirtschaftlich produktive Tatigkeiten von Einzelpersonen, die unabhangig im Geschaftsverkehr tatig sind, zu fordern. Ihr Hauptziel ist die Erhohung des Levels von unternehmerischem Handeln dort, wo es unter dem sozialen Optimum liegt. Die Politik kann direkt auf die Bedurfnisse der Unternehmerhin umgesetzt werden, wie z.B. bei Business-Beratungsprogrammen oder durch Broadcast-Methoden wie Bildungspolitik.
FPGA technology mapping optimization by rewiring algorithms

Rewiring algorithms provide a new style of logic transformations by replacing a target wire with its alternative wire while maintaining the functionality of the circuit. In this paper, these algorithms are used to minimize the number of LUTs used to map a given circuit with Flowmap. The proposed approach is to evaluate each alternative wire with Flowmap and choose the first one which can reduce the number of LUTs by 1 or more. Despite its simplicity, it can efficiently transform the circuit to one suitable to be mapped with Flowmap and used in FPGA. Experimental result shows that the proposed approach can reduce up to 17% of the LUTs in a circuit without any depth increment.
Lipid Profile of Hypertensive Type 2 Diabetic over weight and Obese Patients in Bangladeshi Population

Diabetes mellitus, a major health concern throughout the world, is often coexisting with obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Several studies have shown that dyslipidemia and hypertension are the major two contributing risk factors of CVD. But interplay among them still to be elucidated. So the present study was aimed to evaluate the lipid abnormalities among hypertensive-overweight to obese type 2 diabetic Bangladeshi population. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic (DBP) ≥90 mmHg. Obese and overweight was defined as BMI (30.0-34.9 and 25.0-29.9). Demographic and clinical data, body mass index (BMI) and fasting blood samples were taken to estimate the lipid profile. Serum glucose was estimated by glucose oxidase, Serum total cholesterol(T Chol), Serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), Serum triglycerides(TG) by enzymatic colorimeter test and serum low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) was determined by using Friedwald’s formula. Appropriate statistical tools were used to calculate statistical difference using SPSS for windows Version 10. All the study subjects were aged matched. Body mass index (BMI) in all groups was significantly higher compared to the controls (P<0.001). Serum TG level were significantly higher in over weight hypertensive type 2 diabetics (HTDOW) and obese hypertensive type 2 diabetics (HTDOB) patients compared with their overweight and obese counterpart respectively (P <0.001, P=0.007). In over weight type 2 DM subjects, the mean TG level was higher (P = 0.041) in hypertensive male and female as compared to their normotensive counterpart. On the other hand, in Obese DM subjects, Mean TG level was significantly higher only in hypertensive females as compared to normotensive females and males (P = 0.001 and P = 0.049 respectively). Serum Total cholesterol level didn’t show any significant difference among the study subjects except obese –hypertensive type2 DM female subjects as compared to normotensive female counterpart (P=0.008). From the above study, it can be concluded that dyslipidemia especially hypertriglyceridemia exists in hypertensive overweight to obese type2 DM. Hypertriglyceridemia may be associated with hypertension.
Malignant Bladder Pheochromocytoma with SDHB Genetic Mutation

Abstract A 30-year-old man presented with micturition pain and was diagnosed with a submucosal tumor in the right wall of the bladder with metastasis to the right obturator lymph node. Transurethral resection led to a diagnosis of invasive malignant pheochromocytoma. Radical cystectomy, neobladder reconstruction and bilateral iliac lymph node dissection were performed. Genetic analysis revealed succinate dehydrogenase B-associated hereditary pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndrome. 10 months after the operation, he had no evidence of recurrence.
A 200-Channel Area-Power-Efficient Chemical and Electrical Dual-Mode Acquisition IC for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Microelectrode array (MEA) can be used in the study of neurodegenerative diseases by monitoring the chemical neurotransmitter release and the electrical potential simultaneously at the cellular level. Currently, the MEA technology is migrating to more electrodes and higher electrode density, which raises power and area constraints on the design of acquisition IC. In this paper, we report the design of a 200-channel dual-mode acquisition IC with highly efficient usage of power and area. Under the constraints of target noise and fast settling, the current channel design saves power by including a novel current buffer biased in discrete time (DT) before the TIA (transimpedance amplifier). The 200 channels are sampled at 20 kS/s and quantized by column-wise SAR ADCs. The prototype IC was fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Silicon measurements show the current channel has 21.6 pArms noise with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and 0.48 pArms noise with constant amperometry (CA) while consuming 12.1 μW. The voltage channel has 4.07 μVrms noise in the bandwidth of 100 kHz and 0.2% nonlinearity while consuming 9.1 μW. Each channel occupies 0.03 mm2 area, which is among the smallest.
Potentials and Pitfalls in Analytical Headache Epidemiological Studies—Lessons to be Learned from the Head-HUNT Study

The number of epidemiological headache studies is rapidly increasing, and has accentuated the need to improve the quality of the way studies are performed and how results are interpreted. The aims of this review were to summarize the main findings from the Head-HUNT study, to describe strengths and limitations of the Head-HUNT approach and to discuss the significance of some of our findings. Head-HUNT included a large sample size of 51 383 participants that gave the opportunity to make analyses also of relatively rare conditions. The wide range of health-related information made it possible to adjust for many potential confounding variables. Blood samples for future genetic headache studies are available for a non-selected large group of individuals. The data show that among several factors that have been evaluated, age and gender were the two most clearly related to migraine, whereas analgesic overuse and the presence of some comorbid conditions were most strongly associated with the prevalence of chronic headache. Interesting relationships to blood pressure and thyroidstimulating hormone levels were also found. Methodological problems in headache epidemiological studies are discussed and, in particular, problems with causal inferences. Despite the limitations of the head-HUNT study, we believe that the results so far have provided clues to causes and preventive factors of headache that should be explored in other populations and in prospective studies.
Effect of maternal iron restriction during pregnancy on renal morphology in the adult rat offspring

In rats, maternal anaemia during pregnancy causes hypertension in the adult offspring, although the mechanism is unknown. The present study investigated the renal morphology of adult rats born to mothers who were Fe-deficient during pregnancy. Rats were fed either a control (153 mg Fe/kg diet, n 7) or low-Fe (3 mg/kg diet, n 6) diet from 1 week before mating and throughout gestation. At delivery, the Fe-restricted (IR) mothers were anaemic; the IR pups were also anaemic and growth-retarded at 2 d of age. At 3 and 16 months, systolic blood pressure in the IR offspring (163 (sem 4) and 151 (sem 4) mmHg respectively, n 13) was greater than in control animals (145 (sem 3) and 119 (sem 4) mmHg respectively, n 15, P<0·05). At post mortem at 18 months, there was no difference in kidney weight between treatment groups, although relative kidney weight as a fraction of body weight in the IR offspring was greater than in control animals (P<0·05). Glomerular number was lower in the IR offspring (11·4 (sem 1·1) per 4mm2, n 13) compared with control rats (14·8 (sem 0·7), n 15, P<0·05). Maternal treatment had no effect on glomerular size, but overall, female rats had smaller and more numerous glomeruli per unit area than male rats. When all animals were considered, inverse relationships were observed between glomerular number and glomerular size (r−0·73, n 28, P<0·05), and glomerular number and systolic blood pressure at both 3 months (r−0·42, n 28, P<0·05) and 16 months of age (r−0·64, n 28, P<0·05). Therefore, in rats, maternal Fe restriction causes hypertension in the adult offspring that may be due, in part, to a deficit in nephron number.