Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans grows by enlargement of polysaccharide molecules

The human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans has a distinctive polysaccharide (PS) capsule that enlarges during infection. The capsule is essential for virulence, but the mechanism for capsular growth is unknown. In the present study, we used dynamic light scattering (LS) analysis of capsular PS and optical tweezers (OT) to explore the architecture of the capsule. Analysis of capsular PS from cells with small and large capsules by dynamic LS revealed a linear correlation between PS effective diameter and microscopic capsular diameter. This result implied that capsule growth was achieved by the addition of molecules with larger effective diameter, such that some molecules can span the entire diameter of the capsule. Measurement of polystyrene bead penetration of C. neoformans capsules by using OT techniques revealed that the outer regions were penetrable, but not the inner regions. Our results provide a mechanism for capsular enlargement based on the axial lengthening of PS molecules and suggest a model for the architecture of a eukaryotic microbial capsule.
SET8-Mediated Methylations of Histone H4 Lysine 20 Mark Silent Heterochromatic Domains in Apicomplexan Genomes

ABSTRACT Posttranslational histone modifications modulate chromatin-templated processes in various biological systems. H4K20 methylation is considered to have an evolutionarily ancient role in DNA repair and genome integrity, while its function in heterochromatin function and gene expression is thought to have arisen later during evolution. Here, we identify and characterize H4K20 methylases of the Set8 family in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, two medically important members of the protozoan phylum Apicomplexa. Remarkably, parasite Set8-related proteins display H4K20 mono-, di-, and trimethylase activities, in striking contrast to the monomethylase-restricted human Set8. Structurally, few residues forming the substrate-specific channel dictate enzyme methylation multiplicity. These enzymes are cell cycle regulated and focally enriched at pericentric and telomeric heterochromatin in both parasites. Collectively, our findings provide new insights into the evolution of Set8-mediated biochemical pathways, suggesting that the heterochromatic function of the marker is not restricted to metazoans. Thus, these lower eukaryotes have developed a diverse panel of biological stages through their high capacity to differentiate, and epigenetics only begins to emerge as a strong determinant of their biology.
Denying the technology: middle management resistance in business process re-engineering

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) as a methodology for organizational transformation has been around since the early 1990s. There are however, some serious issues of concern surrounding the success of BPR as a methodology for organizational change. This paper attempts to highlight the issues surrounding the BPR approach to change management that remain implicit within the re-engineering literature. The research presented in this paper specifically investigates BPR in practice and concentrates on the issues of power and control that underlie many of the re-engineering methodologies and how these conflict with the prerequisites of the flattened, empowered workforce that BPR envisions. The research presented here was conducted using the interpretive approach of ethnography to investigate how middle management were able to deny the technology of BPR and disable a change project. In order to maintain their hold on power in the organization they needed to revolt against the technology of re-engineering imposed on them by senior management. In using the clinical metaphor, middle management were able to create a reality around technology that portrayed it almost as a function of biological warfare, denying it being seen as a positive social tool. This paper highlights how they were able to manipulate the technology and turn its power around to reinforce their position and power in the process.
Low-Cost Visual Feature Representations For Image Retrieval

This master’s theses addressed two research issues in order to investigate and to propose effective solutions for image retrieval on mobile devices: 1) low-cost representation for mobile image search and 2) spatial visual feature extraction. First, we have tested twenty mid-level representations of binary descriptors, ten color descriptors, five texture descriptors and two shape descriptors in ten datasets, considering the trade-off configuration regarding effectiveness, efficiency, and compactness of visual features. Finally, we propose two approaches of spatial bags of visual words called BOBGrid (spatial Bag Of BIC Grid) and BOBSlic (spatial Bag Of Slic) and compare them with our baselines. In statistical analyzes, BOBGrid and BOBSlic achieved processing results and performed better than our baselines WSA and BOSSANova. Keywords-Mobile Image Search; Global Descriptors; Binary Descriptors; Bag of Visual Words; Spatial Bag of Visual Words.
An implantable encased microstrip ring rectenna for wireless biomedical applications

In this paper the performance of an implantable encased miniature microstrip ring rectenna is investigated for wireless biomedical applications. Using a conventional transmitting mode approach, the physical and geometrical characteristics of the encased antenna are optimized to maintain acceptable performance when implanted in tissue mimicking gel. A receiving mode approach with an external plane wave excitation and a rectifier circuit is applied to investigate into the feasibility of the encased rectenna for wireless power transmission in biological tissue at ~2.4 GHz. It is shown that an appropriate selection of the orientation of the electric field polarization vector of the plane wave and the load resistance value of the rectifier circuit provides an output voltage value that can be used for wireless biomedical applications such as nerve stimulation and biomedical telemetry.
Imaging Methods for Inflammatory Macular Edema

OCT has become the most common way to image ME. It represents morphologic characteristics of ME in detail, allows the quantitative measurements of ME, and depicts the integrity of the photoreceptor layer important for the visual prognosis and further evaluates the otherwise invisible changes of the vitreoretinal interface. Normative data for the different devices are scarce and data from different devices cannot be compared. FA retains its crucial role in determining the activity of the uveitis and also forms an important diagnostic tool. OCT and FA imaging in inflammatory ME are complementary methods, each with its specific indications and outcomes. Ultrahigh-resolution OCT's will bring a further understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory ME.
Valproate Enhances Neuropeptide Y Expression: Modulating the Modulators

Chronic Valproic Acid Treatment Triggers Increased Neuropeptide Y Expression and Signaling in Rat Nucleus Reticularis Thalami. Brill J, Lee M, Zhao S, Fernald RD, Huguenard JR. J Neurosci 2006;26:6813–6822. Valproate (VPA) can suppress absence and other seizures, but its precise mechanisms of action are not completely understood. We investigated whether VPA influences the expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY), an endogenous anticonvulsant. Chronic VPA administration to young rats (300–600 mg · kg–1 · d–1 in divided doses over 4 d) resulted in a 30–50% increase in NPY mRNA and protein expression in the nucleus reticularis thalami (nRt) and hippocampus, but not in the neocortex, as shown by real-time PCR, radioimmunoassay, and immunohistochemistry. No increased expression was observed after a single acute dose of VPA. Chronic treatment with the pharmacologically inactive VPA analog octanoic acid did not elicit changes in NPY expression. No significant expression changes could be shown for the mRNAs of the Y1 receptor or of the neuropeptides somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and choleocystokinin. Fewer synchronous spontaneous epileptiform oscillations were recorded in thalamic slices from VPA-treated animals, and oscillation duration as well as the period of spontaneous and evoked oscillations were decreased. Application of the Y1 receptor inhibitor N2-(diphenylacetyl)-N-[(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-d-arginine-amide (BIBP3226) enhanced thalamic oscillations, indicating that NPY is released during those oscillations and acts to downregulate oscillatory strength. Chronic VPA treatment significantly potentiated the effect of BIBP3226 on oscillation duration but not on oscillation period. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism for the antiepileptic actions of chronic VPA therapy.
REVISITING THE COMBINATORICS OF THE 2 D ISING MODEL

We provide a concise exposition with original proofs of combinatorial formulas for the 2D Ising model partition function, multi-point fermionic observables, spin and energy density correlations, for general graphs and interaction constants, using the language of Kac–Ward matrices. We also give a brief account of the relations between various alternative formalisms which have been used in the combinatorial study of the planar Ising model: dimers and Grassmann variables, spin and disorder operators, and, more recently, s-holomorphic observables. In addition, we point out that these formulas can be extended to the doubleIsing model, defined as a pointwise product of two Ising spin configurations on the same discrete domain, coupled along the boundary.
Influence of photoperiod on the accumulation of allantoin in comfrey plants

In order to evaluate the influence of photoperiod on the accumulation of allantoin in comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.), a well known medicinal plant, an experiment was conducted during July and August, 1998. Cuttings obtained from 90 day old plants were submitted to four photoperiods (8, 12, 16 and 20 hours). After 60 days, allantoin content in roots and rhizomes was evaluated. The results showed that increases in photoperiod promoted an increment in the average content of allantoin in roots (0.06%, 0.303%, 1.213% and 4.78%). On the other hand, in rhizomes, allantoin accumulation decreased (9.65%, 7.14%, 0.55%) when the photoperiod was increased from 8 to 12 and 16 hours, respectively, stabilizing on a 20-hour photoperiod (0.53%). Plants cultivated under field conditions presented 2.55% and 2.63% allantoin content in rhizomes and roots, respectively. Based on the fact that in comfrey the roots are considered to be sites of allantoin synthesis, the results demonstrated that photoperiod could influence both the synthesis of allantoin in these organs as well as its accumulation in the rhizomes.
Epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated with Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) between August 2012 and March 2014

Abstract AIMS: To describe the epidemiology of the epidemic of bovine anaemia associated with Theileria orientalis infection (TABA) in New Zealand between 30 August 2012 and 4 March 2014. METHODS: Blood samples and associated data were obtained from cases of TABA. The case definition for TABA was met when piroplasms were present on blood smears and the haematocrit was ≤0.24 L/L. Samples were analysed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for the detection of T. orientalis Ikeda type. Only cases that were positive in the qPCR assays were included in the analysis. A case herd was defined as a herd that had ≥1 animal positive for T. orientalis Ikeda. Movement records for farms were accessed through the national animal identification and tracing scheme. The OR for cattle movements onto a case farm compared to a non-case farm was estimated using a generalised estimating equation model and the geodesic distance for movements onto case and non-case farms compared using Student's t-test. The kernel-smoothed risk of disease at the farm level was calculated using an extraction map and the clustering of diseased farms in time and space was measured using the spatial temporal inhomogeneous pair correlation function. RESULTS: In the first 18 months there were 496 case herds; 392 (79%) were dairy and 104 (21%) beef herds. Of 882 individual cases, 820 (93.0%) were positive for T. orientalis Ikeda in the qPCR assays. Case herds were initially clustered in the Northland, then the Waikato regions. The OR for a case farm compared to a non-case farm having ≥1 inward cattle movements was 2.03 (95% CI=1.52–2.71) and the distance moved was 26 (95% CI=20.8–31.3) km greater for case farms. The risk of disease was highest in a north, north-eastern to south, south-western belt across the Waikato region. The spatial-temporal analysis showed significant clustering of infected herds within 20–30 days and up to 15 km distant from a case farm. CONCLUSIONS: Theileria orientalis Ikeda type is likely to have been introduced into regions populated with naïve cattle by the movement of parasitaemic cattle from affected areas. Local spread through dispersed ticks then probably became more important for disease transmission between herds once the disease established in a new area. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dairy and beef farming in the North Island of New Zealand will be significantly changed in the coming years by the incursion of this new disease.
Moving on? Predictors of intent to leave among rural and remote RNs in Canada.

CONTEXT Examination of factors related to the retention or voluntary turnover of Registered Nurses (RNs) has mainly focused on urban, acute care settings. PURPOSE This paper explored predictors of intent to leave (ITL) a nursing position in all rural and remote practice settings in Canada. Based on the conceptual framework developed for this project, potential predictors of ITL were related to the individual RN worker, the workplace, the community context, and satisfaction related to both the workplace and the community(s) within which the RN lived and worked. METHODS A national cross-sectional mail survey of RNs in rural and remote Canada provided the data (n = 3,051) for the logistic regression analysis of predictors of ITL. FINDINGS We found that RNs were more likely to plan to leave their nursing position within the next 12 months if they: were male, reported higher perceived stress, did not have dependent children or relatives, had higher education, were employed by their primary agency for a shorter time, had lower community satisfaction, had greater dissatisfaction with job scheduling, had lower satisfaction with their autonomy in the workplace, were required to be on call, performed advanced decisions or practice, and worked in a remote setting. CONCLUSIONS The statistical evidence for predictors of ITL supported our framework with determinants related to the individual, the workplace, the community, and satisfaction levels. The importance of community makes this framework uniquely relevant to the rural health context. Our findings should guide policy makers and employers in developing retention strategies.
The Dimensionality of Customer Satisfaction Survey Responses and Implications for Driver Analysis

The canonical design of customer satisfaction surveys asks for global satisfaction with a product or service and for evaluations of its distinct attributes. Users of these surveys are often interested in the relationship between global satisfaction and attributes; regression analysis is commonly used to measure the conditional associations. Regression analysis is only appropriate when the global satisfaction measure results from the attribute evaluations and is not appropriate when the covariance of the items lie in a low-dimensional subspace, such as in a factor model. Potential reasons for low-dimensional responses are that responses may be haloed from overall satisfaction and there may be an unintended lack of item specificity. In this paper we develop a Bayesian mixture model that facilitates the empirical distinction between regression models and relatively much lower-dimensional factor models. The model uses the dimensionality of the covariance among items in a survey as the primary classification criterion while accounting for the heterogeneous usage of rating scales. We apply the model to four different customer satisfaction surveys that evaluate hospitals, an academic program, smartphones, and theme parks, respectively. We show that correctly assessing the heterogeneous dimensionality of responses is critical for meaningful inferences by comparing our results to those from regression models.
Fostering Cultural Competency, Clinical Reasoning, and Leadership Through International Outreach

ABSTRACT The Centennial Vision of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has called for occupational therapy to be globally connected. Students can gain cultural competency, clinical reasoning, and leadership from attending didactic coursework and participating in discussions and clinical simulations. Immersing oneself in international settings, however, tends to have a greater impact on learning. The authors describe the outcomes of two international outreach programs: China Honors Immersion Program (CHIP) and Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC). The outcomes of these programs indicate that students believe that such international experiences greatly affect their development, both professionally and personally. Implications of the program outcomes to current professional education are discussed. Future research directions are also proposed.
A cascade framework for masked face detection

Accurately and efficiently detecting masked faces is increasingly meaningful, since it can be applied on tracking and identifying criminals or terrorists. As a unique face detection task, masked face detection is much more difficult because of extreme occlusions which leads to the loss of face details. Besides, there is almost no existing large-scale accurately labeled masked face dataset, which increase the difficulty of masked face detection. The CNN-based deep learning algorithms has made great breakthroughs in many computer vision areas including face detection. In this paper, we propose a new CNN-based cascade framework, which consists of three carefully designed convolutional neural networks to detect masked faces. Besides, because of the shortage of masked face training samples, we propose a new dataset called "MASKED FACE dataset" to fine-tune our CNN models. We evaluate our proposed masked face detection algorithm on the MASKED FACE testing set, and it achieves satisfactory performance.
Determination of pineal melatonin by precolumn derivatization reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and its application to the study of circadian rhythm in rats and mice.

Determination of minute amounts of endogenous melatonin in rat and mouse pineal gland was performed using an RP-HPLC system. Melatonin was separated following precolumn derivatization and determined with a fluorescence detector at the emission wavelength of 380 nm with the excitation at 245 nm. The calibration curve of melatonin constructed by adding known amounts of melatonin to the homogenates of mouse pineal gland was linear over the range of 1-500 fmol (injection amount/20 microl). The detection limit of added melatonin was 1 fmol (S/N = 5). Repeatability and day-to-day precision for the melatonin spiked sample of mouse pineal gland was 4.0 and 3.8% (RSD), respectively. Using the present method, circadian changes of melatonin content in rat (Wistar) and mouse (C3H) pineal gland were determined. In addition, a minute amount of melatonin in ddY mouse pineal gland was determined, because pineal melatonin of many inbred mouse strains has been reported to be lower than the detection limit.
Role of azathioprine in severe ulcerative colitis: one-year, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of azathioprine in treating patients with severe ulcerative colitis. DESIGN One-year, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. SUBJECTS 83 patients with severe ulcerative colitis were enrolled. Fifty patients who relapsed within two months on corticosteroid withdrawal were randomized into two groups. The azathioprine group received oral sulfasalazine (6-8 g/day), oral prednisolone (1 mg/Kg/day) and oral azathioprine (2 mg/Kg/day). The placebo group received oral sulfasalazine (6-8 g/day), oral prednisolone (1 mg/Kg/day) and placebo. Corticosteroids were tapered over 12-16 weeks. RESULTS Five patients (2 in azathioprine group, 3 in placebo group) dropped out of the study. Three patients in the azathioprine group had side effects. The number of patients going into complete remission and partial remission was not significantly different in the two groups. The proportion of relapses in the azathioprine group was lower than in the placebo group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In patients with ulcerative colitis, azathioprine had no effect in achieving remission, when given in combination with prednisolone; however, it lowers the proportion of relapses. Side effects like pancreatitis and hepatitis are mild and respond promptly to drug withdrawal.
Prevalence of cryptococcal meningitis among people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Southern Odisha, India

Objective: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) caused by encapsulated opportunistic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (PLHAs). Early diagnosis of such patients is the key to their therapeutic success. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the clinical features, laboratory findings, and prevalence of CM among hospitalized PLHAs in a tertiary care setting. Materials and Methods: A total of 112 clinically diagnosed CM patients were subjected to cerebrospinal fluid analysis and tests for human immunodeficiency virus antibodies by the standard laboratory operating procedures. Results: Out of 112, 16 showed a definite diagnosis of C. neoformans with the prevalence of 14.3%. Males in the age group of 21-40 years were most commonly affected than females. The clinical manifestations observed were fever and headache (100%), followed by altered sensorium (93.7%), neck stiffness (75%), and vomiting (62.5%). Overall, Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) T-lymphocytes count was <100 cells/μl except 1 case in which the CD4 T-lymphocytes count was 137 cells/μl. No concomitant cryptococcal and tubercular meningitis case was detected. All 16 patients responded initially to induction therapy of IV amphotericin B 1 mg/kg and fluconazole 800 mg daily for 2 weeks. Subsequently, 4 (25%) patients were lost for follow-up and 2 (12.5%) patients expired during their hospital stay. Conclusion: As the clinical and radiological pictures of CM are often non-pointing, routine mycological evaluation is necessary for early definite diagnosis and subsequent initiation of appropriate therapy as the majority of patients respond well to treatment if started early.
Effect of Calorie Restriction on Skeletal Muscle and Liver Insulin Binding in Growing Rat

The effect of specific calorie deprivation was studied in meal-fed growing rats. It resulted in a 50% decrease in growth rate. Blood glucose and most non-essential blood free amino acid levels were depressed. Postprandial plasma insulin was decreased. With insulin ranging from 0.01 to 100 nM, insulin binding to crude Triton X-100 solubilized membranes from liver was higher in calorie restricted rats when compared with control rats. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) purified receptor preparations also exhibited higher insulin binding in liver from experimental group but the significance (P less than 0.05) was only visible with low insulin levels; both basal and insulin-stimulated tyrosine-kinase activity were left unchanged. In contrast, whatever the skeletal muscle insulin receptor preparation (enriched plasma membranes, crude Triton X-100 solubilized or wheat-germ agglutinin purified extracts) insulin binding was similar in control and calorie-restricted rats.