Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the effect of CaCl2 and alginate concentrations and hardening time on the characteristics of Lactobacillus acidophilus loaded alginate beads using response surface analysis.

PURPOSE This article describes preparation and characterization of beads of alginate containing probiotic bacteria of Lactobacillus acidophilus DMSZ20079. METHODS Fourteen formulations using different alginate (ALG) and CaCl2 concentrations as well as hardening times were prepared using extrusion technique. The prepared beads were characterized in terms of size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency and bacterial viabilities in acid (pH 1.8, 2 hours) condition. RESULTS The results showed that spherical beads with narrow size distribution ranging from 1.32±0.04 to 1.70±0.07 mm were achieved with encapsulation efficiency higher than 98%. Surface response analysis revealed that alginate concentration was the important factor for the size, shape and encapsulation efficiency of prepared beads. Furthermore, survived bacteria after acid exposure in all prepared beads (63-83%) were significantly higher than those of untreated cells (39%) and enhanced by increasing alginate concentration. Surface response analysis revealed that the effect of all three factors of alginate and CaCl2 concentrations as well as hardening times were significant in acid viability, however alginate concentration played the most important role according to its regression coefficient. CONCLUSION Among alginate and CaCl2 concentrations as well as hardening times, alginate concentration was the most variable in the characteristics of Alginate beads.
Crop Residue Removal for Biomass Energy Production: Effects on Soils and Recommendations

Concerns about the security and sustainability of fossil fuel use, coupled with advances in biomass conversion technology, have renewed interest in crop residue as a biofuel to partially meet our energy needs (Glassner et al., 1999). In light of the renewed interest in domestic production of biofuels and other biomass energy, can a portion of the more than 500 million tons of crop residue produced each year be used to meet some of our energy needs? The answer is not straightforward since crop residues perform many positive functions for agricultural soils that reduce erosion and promote sustainable production.
All Together Now: Integration, Delegation and Management ∗

Little is known theoretically, and even less empirically, about the relationship between ﬁrm boundary choices and the allocation of decision rights within ﬁrms. We develop a model in which ﬁrms choose which suppliers to integrate, whether to delegate decisions to integrated suppliers or keep them centralized, and the quality of central management. The ﬁnal good producer discovers the productivity of a supplier only after integration. Thus, integration has an option value, since it allows the ﬁnal good producer to choose whether to delegate decisions to the suppliers or to keep control. We test the predictions of this model using a matched dataset that combines measures of vertical integration, delegation, and management practices for a large set of ﬁrms operating in many countries and industries. In line with the model’s predictions, we ﬁnd that integration and delegation co-vary, that this effect vanishes once management is controlled for, and that suppliers from sectors with greater productivity variation are more likely to be integrated with their downstream customers.
Fumagillin for Treatment of Intestinal Microsporidiosis in Renal Transplant Recipients

We report 10 cases of intestinal microsporidiosis due to Enterocytozoon bieneusi in renal transplant (RT) recipients who were treated with fumagillin. All patients presented with afebrile subacute diarrhea (median of 2 weeks), associated with abdominal cramps (n = 5), and weight loss (n = 6), a mean of 68 months after RT. The diagnosis was made by the identification of microsporidial spores in stools with the use of appropriate staining and confirmed by a specific polymerase chain reaction assay for E. bieneusi in 7 patients. Median CD4 cell count was 292 cells/mm3. All patients received a median of 14 days of oral fumagillin (20 mg tid), and four patients also discontinued or tapered their immunosuppressive regimen (mycophenolate mofetil in 3, and azathioprine in 2). Clinical symptoms resolved rapidly with the clearance of microsporidial spores from stools in all patients. A severe but reversible thrombocytopenia was observed in one patient during fumagillin therapy, and another patient presented with abdominal cramps. Trough levels of tacrolimus measured in seven patients dropped below 5 ng/mL in six of them after 7–14 days of fumagillin. Intestinal microsporidiosis can cause subacute diarrhea in RT recipients. Fumagillin is an effective treatment with an acceptable safety profile, but monitoring of tacrolimus levels is warranted.
DNA Alkylation Damage as a Sensor of Nitrosative Stress in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT One of the cellular consequences of nitrosative stress is alkylation damage to DNA. To assess whether nitrosative stress is registered on the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mutants lacking an alkylation damage repair and reversal operon were constructed. Although hypersensitive to the genotoxic effects of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in vitro, the mutants displayed no phenotype in vivo, suggesting that permeation of nitrosative stress to the level of cytotoxic DNA damage is restricted.
The influence of users' attitudes regarding trust, privacy and control on the adoption of mobile advertising

The mobile device (cellular phone, smartphone, PDA phone) is considered as a primary personal mass media channel that, from the marketing perspective, considerably differs from traditional media like television and the press. For most users, the mobile device is an interactive channel that is always open to receive messages, is carried almost everywhere with the user, and receives their considerable attention regarding incoming messages. The main research goal of this paper was to investigate the potential of the mobile medium as a marketing channel with the focus on the use of the Short Message Service (SMS). A synthesis of recent research on the adoption of mobile and SMS marketing was performed to develop a theoretical model that is presented in the paper, along with the results of an empirical evaluation of this model on a group of 129 college students. The theoretical model was used to create a comprehensive survey that was applied before and after a two-week SMS marketing campaign among the subjects in our study. The data collected in the survey was analyzed with factor analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Finally, an empirically tested model is proposed that is based on the impact of users' attitudes regarding trust, privacy and control on the adoption of SMS/mobile advertising.
Body mass index (BMI): The case for condition‐specific cut‐offs for overweight and obesity in skeletal dysplasias

Body Mass Index (BMI): The Case for Condition-Specific Cut-Offs for Overweight and Obesity in Skeletal Dysplasias Kerry J. Schulze, Yewande Adekemi Alade, John McGready, and Julie E. Hoover-Fong* Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland Greenberg Center for Skeletal Dysplasias, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland Department of Biostatistics, Baltimore, Maryland
Upregulation of keratinocyte growth factor in cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth.

BACKGROUND Drug-induced gingival overgrowth (GO) is a frequent and adverse side-effect associated principally with the administration of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA) and also certain anti-epileptic and anti-hypertensive drugs. It is characterized by a marked increase in the thickness of the epithelial layer and the accumulation of excessive amounts of connective tissue. Although the mechanism by which the drugs cause GO is not yet understood, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), which is a potent epithelial cell mitogen, has been implicated in other hyperplastic conditions, including mammary and prostatic hyperplasia, and could also be involved in the molecular pathology of GO. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of KGF in normal gingiva (NG) and GO tissue sections. The relative level of KGF mRNA in GO tissue and cells was compared with that of NG tissue and fibroblast cells using the semi-quantitative reverse transcribed-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing was carried out to confirm the identity of the PCR product. RESULTS KGF antigen and mRNA were readily detected in the GO tissue immunohistochemically and by RT-PCR, respectively, but were not expressed in the NG tissue. Moreover, KGF transcripts were found to be approximately 2 times higher in the GO than in the NG fibroblasts in vitro, although the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS This study has shown, for the first time, that the level of KGF is elevated in GO and suggests that KGF may have an important role in the enhanced epithelial proliferation associated with GO.
Substitutions due to antiretroviral toxicity or contraindication in the first 3 years of antiretroviral therapy in a large South African cohort.

INTRODUCTION The patterns and reasons for antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug substitutions are poorly described in resource-limited settings. METHODS Time to and reason for drug substitution were recorded in treatment-naive adults receiving ART in two primary care treatment programmes in Cape Town. The cumulative proportion of patients having therapy changed because of toxicity was described for each drug, and associations with these changes were explored in multivariate models. RESULTS Analysis included 2,679 individuals followed for a median of 11 months. Median CD4+ T-cell count at baseline was 85 cells/microl. Mean weight was 59 kg, mean age was 32 years and 71% were women. All started non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based ART (60% on efavrienz) and 75% started on stavudine (d4T). After 3 years, 75% remained in care on-site, of whom 72% remained on their initial regimen. Substitutions due to toxicity of nevirapine (8% by 3 years), efavirenz (2%) and zidovudine (8%) occurred early. Substitutions on d4T occurred in 21% of patients by 3 years, due to symptomatic hyperlactataemia (5%), lipodystrophy (9%) or peripheral neuropathy (6%), and continued to accumulate over time. Those at greatest risk of hyperlactataemia or lipodystrophy were women on ART > or =6 months, weighing > or =75 kg at baseline. DISCUSSION A high proportion of adult patients are able to tolerate their initial ART regimen for up to 3 years. In most instances treatment-limiting toxicities occur early, but continue to accumulate over time in patients on d4T. Whilst awaiting other treatment options, the risks of known toxicities could be minimized through early identification of patients at the highest risk.
Identification of the variations in the CPT1B and CHKB genes along with the HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele in Turkish narcolepsy patients and healthy persons.

BACKGROUND The HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele across all ethnic groups and the rs5770917 variation between CPT1B and CHKB genes in Japanese and Koreans are common genetic susceptibility factors for narcolepsy. This comprehensive genetic study sought to assess variations in CHKB and CPT1B susceptibility genes and HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele status in Turkish patients with narcolepsy and healthy persons. METHODS CHKB/CPT1B genes were sequenced in patients with narcolepsy (n=37) and healthy persons (n=100) to detect variations. The HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele status was determined by sequence specific polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS The HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele was significantly more frequent in narcoleptic patients than in healthy persons (p=2×10(-7)) and in patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy than in those without (p=0.018). The mean of the multiple sleep latency test, sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods, and frequency of sleep paralysis significantly differed in the HLA-DQB1*06:02-positive patients. rs5770917, rs5770911, rs2269381, and rs2269382 were detected together as a haplotype in three patients and 11 healthy persons. In addition to this haplotype, the indel variation (rs144647670) was detected in the 5' upstream region of the human CHKB gene in the patients and healthy persons carrying four variants together. CONCLUSION This study identified a novel haplotype consisting of the indel variation, which had not been detected in previous studies in Japanese and Korean populations, and observed four single-nucleotide polymorphisms in CHKB/CPT1B. The study confirmed the association of the HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele with narcolepsy and cataplexy susceptibility. The findings suggest that the presence of HLA-DQB1*06:02 may be a predictor of cataplexy in narcoleptic patients and could therefore be used as an additional diagnostic marker alongside hypocretin.
A Large Panel of Drosophila simulans Reveals an Abundance of Common Variants

Abstract The rapidly expanding availability of large NGS data sets provides an opportunity to investigate population genetics at an unprecedented scale. Drosophila simulans is the sister species of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, and is often presumed to share similar demographic history. However, previous population genetic and ecological work suggests very different signatures of selection and demography. Here, we sequence a new panel of 170 inbred genotypes of a North American population of D. simulans, a valuable complement to the DGRP and other D. melanogaster panels. We find some unexpected signatures of demography, in the form of excess intermediate frequency polymorphisms. Simulations suggest that this is possibly due to a recent population contraction and selection. We examine the outliers in the D. simulans genome determined by a haplotype test to attempt to parse the contribution of demography and selection to the patterns observed in this population. Untangling the relative contribution of demography and selection to genomic patterns of variation is challenging, however, it is clear that although D. melanogaster was thought to share demographic history with D. simulans different forces are at work in shaping genomic variation in this population of D. simulans.
Properties of murine embryonic stem cells maintained on human foreskin fibroblasts without LIF

In embryonic stem (ES) cells, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)/STAT3, wnt and nodal/activin signaling are mainly active to control pluripotency during expansion. To maintain pluripotency, ES cells are typically cultured on feeder cells of varying origins. Murine ES cells are commonly cultured on murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), which senesce early and must be frequently prepared. This process is laborious and leads to batch variation presenting a challenge for high‐throughput ES cell expansion. Although some cell lines can be sustained by exogenous LIF, this method is costly. We present here a novel and inexpensive culture method for expanding murine ES cells on human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) feeders. After 20 passages on HFFs without LIF, ES cell lines showed normal expression levels of pluripotency markers, maintained a normal karyotype and retained the ability to contribute to the germline. As HFFs do not senesce for at least 62 passages, they present a vast supply of feeders. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 614–622, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On the relative efficiencies of gradient methods

Summary. A comparison is made among various gradient methods for maximizing a function, based on a characterization by Crockett and Chernoff of the class of these methods. By defining the "efficiency" of a gradient step in a certain way, it becomes easy to compare the efficiencies of different schemes with that of Newton's method, which can be regarded as a particular gradient scheme. For quadratic functions, it is shown that Newton's method is the most efficient (a conclusion which may be approximately true for nonquadratic functions). For functions which are not concave (downward), it is shown that the Newton direction may be just the opposite of the most desirable one. A simple way of correcting this is explained. In trying to maximize a function f of the N variables {X1, X2, * XN , iterative techniques of the class known as gradient methods have proved of great utility [1], [2]. For general functions, the analysis usually begins with an expansion of f in a
Strange alliance: Pygmies in the colonial imaginary

Abstract Pygmies have long served, both in Western imagination and in Western science, as a sheet anchor for racial hierarchies and for putative sequences of human physical and social evolution. In the course of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Western exploration in Africa, Asia and the Pacific generated what might broadly be termed a colonial ‘Pygmy mythology’, composed of a set of characteristics deemed diagnostic of this diminutive ‘race’, articulated with an exceptional degree of confidence by travellers and metropolitan scientists alike. This paper charts the manner in which the three central tropes of racist denigration – the primordial, the infantile and the bestial – have been applied to excess in the description of Pygmies. Yet Pygmies have also been enlisted by colonial observers in an unlikely alliance, as third-party foils in arguments that seek to naturalize the conditions of colonial subjugation of non-Pygmy others. The impetus for this strange alliance is considered through reference to the recent re-discovery by the revisionist historian, Keith Windschuttle, of a Pygmy past in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia.
Possible Role of Nitric Oxide in Catecholamine Secretion by Chromaffin Cells in the Presence and Absence of Cultured Endothelial Cells

Abstract: We studied the effect of cultured endothelial cells on the secretion of catecholamines by cultured bovine chromaffin cells. Chromaffin cell catecholamine secretion was stimulated by either boluses of potassium (K+) or the nicotinic agonist 1,1‐dimethyl‐4‐phenylpiperazinium (DMPP). Endothelial cells inhibited the catecholamine release and stimulatory effects of K+ and DMPP. This inhibition increased with time, and in 25 min the initial stimulated secretory response (100%) to 30 mM K+ or 25 μM DMPP dropped to 45 ± 3% and 53.5 ± 2.3%, respectively. This endothelial cell‐induced inhibition was blocked by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors N‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (l‐NAME) and N‐monoethyl‐l‐arginine (l‐NMMA), and by the guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue, indicating that the l‐arginine/nitric oxide/ cyclic GMP pathway is involved in this endothelial cell‐chromaffin cell interaction. In the absence of endothelial cells, incubation of chromaffin cells with l‐NAME, l‐NMMA, or methylene blue also augmented the secretagogue‐induced catecholamine secretion, indicating that nitric oxide from chromaffin cells could be implicated in an autoinhibitory process of catecholamine release. These results provide indirect evidence for the presence of nitric oxide synthase in bovine adrenomedullary chromaffin cells. Our results show that there is an autoinhibitory mechanism of catecholamine release in chromaffin cells and that an additional level of inhibition is observed when cultured vascular endothelial cells are present. These two inhibitory processes may have different origins, but they appear to converge into a common pathway, the l‐arginine/nitric oxide synthase/guanylate cyclase pathway.
Delayed‐type hypersensitivity to low molecular weight heparins and heparinoids: cross‐reactivity does not depend on molecular weight

Background Cross‐reactivity is a widespread phenomenon in patients who develop cutaneous delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions to low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). As molecular weight is believed to be a key determinant of sensitization to heparins, the recently developed LMWH bemiparin, with the lowest molecular weight of all LMWHs, appeared to be a significant improvement.
Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Loop Circuits of the Orbitofrontal Cortex: Promising Therapeutic Targets in Psychiatric Illness

Corticostriatal circuits through the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) play key roles in complex human behaviors such as evaluation, affect regulation and reward-based decision-making. Importantly, the medial and lateral OFC (mOFC and lOFC) circuits have functionally and anatomically distinct connectivity profiles which differentially contribute to the various aspects of goal-directed behavior. OFC corticostriatal circuits have been consistently implicated across a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorders (SUDs). Furthermore, psychiatric disorders related to OFC corticostriatal dysfunction can be addressed via conventional and novel neurostimulatory techniques, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Such techniques elicit changes in OFC corticostriatal activity, resulting in changes in clinical symptomatology. Here we review the available literature regarding how disturbances in mOFC and lOFC corticostriatal functioning may lead to psychiatric symptomatology in the aforementioned disorders, and how psychiatric treatments may exert their therapeutic effect by rectifying abnormal OFC corticostriatal activity. First, we review the role of OFC corticostriatal circuits in reward-guided learning, decision-making, affect regulation and reappraisal. Second, we discuss the role of OFC corticostriatal circuit dysfunction across a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Third, we review available evidence that the therapeutic mechanisms of various neuromodulation techniques may directly involve rectifying abnormal activity in mOFC and lOFC corticostriatal circuits. Finally, we examine the potential of future applications of therapeutic brain stimulation targeted at OFC circuitry; specifically, the role of OFC brain stimulation in the growing field of individually-tailored therapies and personalized medicine in psychiatry.