Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and risk factors for colonization by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing or ST 131 Escherichia coli among asymptomatic adults in community settings in Southern Taiwan

Purpose: Fecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) is common in Asia, especially in China and Southeast Asia. There are no data about fecal carriage of ESBL-EC and mcr-1-positive E. coli in Taiwan, and few studies focusing on the risk factors of asymptomatic fecal carriage of epidemic ST131 E. coli have been published. Patients and methods: From healthy inhabitants attending health examinations at a medical center in southern Taiwan in 2017, we collected 724 stool samples, which were examined for ESBL-EC fecal carriage using chromogenic medium. ST131 and mcr1-positive E. coli were also investigated using multiplex PCR. Clinical data from all participating adults were collected to analyze the risk factors for fecal ESBL-EC or ST131 E. coli carriage. Results: The prevalence rate of asymptomatic ESBL-EC fecal carriage in adults was 1.9% (14/724). ST131 was found in 22 (3.0%) adults and mcr-1-positive E. coli was found in three (0.4%) adults. A multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors associated with ESBL-EC carriage were diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3–22.7), a history of colonic polyps (aOR: 6.4, 95% CI: 1.6–24.9), and chronic renal insufficiency (aOR: 20.7, 95% CI: 1.4–305.7). Underlying cancer (aOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.0–22.5) and stroke (aOR: 18.0, 95% CI: 1.6–207.5) were associated with ST131 E. coli fecal carriage. In our cohort, travel to Asian countries and food habit were not associated with ST131 or ESBL-EC fecal carriage. Conclusions: The ESBL-EC or ST131 E. coli fecal carriage rate is low among asymptomatic adults in Taiwan. Certain underlying medical conditions were associated with their fecal carriage.
Parental Satisfaction with Pediatric Day-Care Surgery and its Determinants in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: The objective is to assess the level of parental satisfaction of pediatric day-care surgery and its different determinants. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study performed in a tertiary care hospital in India among parents of pediatric day-care surgery patients from June 2013 to March 2015. The core questionnaire for the assessment of patient satisfaction for general day care (COPS-D) was used. Variables related to surgery, overall satisfaction, one open-ended question, and socio-demographic data were also collected. Calculated sample size was 121. Results: The mean and standard deviation of parental satisfaction were estimated in eight domains of day care (COPS-D) using Likert scale 1–5. Preadmission visit had a mean of 4.63 (0.52), day of surgery 4.65 (0.58), operating room 4.76 (0.51), nursing care 4.46 (0.79), medical care 4.89 (0.48), information 4.51 (0.68), autonomy 4.64 (0.56), and discharge 4.50 (0.72). In elder children, there was less satisfaction on the information and discharge domains. Overall satisfaction was good in 88% of patients and was less than satisfactory when they had significant pain. Conclusion: Perception of quality of pediatric day-care surgery was assessed with a questionnaire and was found to be good. Variables related to surgery such as pain may be included in the questionnaire for assessing satisfaction in the day-care surgery.
Phenomenology of prepubertal and early adolescent bipolar disorder: examples of elated mood, grandiose behaviors, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts and hypersexuality.

OBJECTIVE Children are developmentally incapable of many manifestations of bipolar symptoms described in adults (e.g., children do not "max" out credit cards or have four marriages). To address this issue, our group investigated prepubertal and early adolescent age equivalents of adult mania behaviors. METHODS Details of the methods appear in the companion article in this issue (Geller et al. 2002a). Subjects had a prepubertal and early adolescent bipolar disorder phenotype (PEA-BP) that was validated by reliable assessment (Geller et al. 2001b), 6-month stability (Geller et al. 2000c), and 1- and 2-year longitudinal diagnostic outcome (Geller et al. 2001a, 2002b). RESULTS Examples of elation, grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, and hypersexuality in PEA-BP subjects were compared to examples in prepubertal normal controls and to examples in late teenage/adult-onset mania. Because it is not intuitive that children can be pathologically happy or expansive, sections on guidelines for differentiating normal versus impairing elation and grandiosity are provided. CONCLUSION Due to the high comorbidity of PEA-BP and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), recognition of mania symptoms that do not overlap with those for ADHD may aid in avoiding both under- and overdiagnosis of child bipolar disorder. A discussion of how "nonoverlapping with ADHD" Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) mania symptoms can be useful in the differential diagnosis of irritability is also provided.
Standardized Screening Facilitates Timely Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Diverse Sample of Low-Risk Toddlers

Objective: Routine, standardized screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been hypothesized to reduce known racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in age of first diagnosis. This study explored demographic differences in toddlers' age and performance on developmental measures at the time of ASD assessment. Method: Toddlers (16–39 months at evaluation) who screened at-risk for developmental delay on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) or M-CHAT-Revised (M-CHAT-R) and follow-up interview participated in a diagnostic assessment. Of these, 44.7% were racial/ethnic minorities and 53.5% were non-minorities. Child race/ethnicity, years of maternal education (MEd), and household yearly income (YI) were parent-reported. Results: Small but significant correlations were observed between MEd or YI and evaluation age and adaptive communication, socialization, and motor scores. Controlling for MEd and YI, minority racial/ethnic group did not predict child's performance on most measures and did not predict likelihood of ASD diagnosis. Differences in age at evaluation and receptive language skills were small effects. Conclusion: Significant but small effects emerged for SES and minority status on toddlers' age at evaluation and parent-reported adaptive skills, but these did not predict ASD diagnosis. The small magnitude of these effects suggests that routine, standardized screening for ASD in toddlers and timely access to diagnostic evaluation can reduce disparities in age at diagnosis and possibly reduce racial/ethnic disparities in access to services for ASD and other developmental delays.
Uranium extremophily is an adaptive, rather than intrinsic, feature for extremely thermoacidophilic Metallosphaera species

Thermoacidophilic archaea are found in heavy metal-rich environments, and, in some cases, these microorganisms are causative agents of metal mobilization through cellular processes related to their bioenergetics. Given the nature of their habitats, these microorganisms must deal with the potentially toxic effect of heavy metals. Here, we show that two thermoacidophilic Metallosphaera species with nearly identical (99.99%) genomes differed significantly in their sensitivity and reactivity to uranium (U). Metallosphaera prunae, isolated from a smoldering heap on a uranium mine in Thüringen, Germany, could be viewed as a “spontaneous mutant” of Metallosphaera sedula, an isolate from Pisciarelli Solfatara near Naples. Metallosphaera prunae tolerated triuranium octaoxide (U3O8) and soluble uranium [U(VI)] to a much greater extent than M. sedula. Within 15 min following exposure to “U(VI) shock,” M. sedula, and not M. prunae, exhibited transcriptomic features associated with severe stress response. Furthermore, within 15 min post-U(VI) shock, M. prunae, and not M. sedula, showed evidence of substantial degradation of cellular RNA, suggesting that transcriptional and translational processes were aborted as a dynamic mechanism for resisting U toxicity; by 60 min post-U(VI) shock, RNA integrity in M. prunae recovered, and known modes for heavy metal resistance were activated. In addition, M. sedula rapidly oxidized solid U3O8 to soluble U(VI) for bioenergetic purposes, a chemolithoautotrophic feature not previously reported. M. prunae, however, did not solubilize solid U3O8 to any significant extent, thereby not exacerbating U(VI) toxicity. These results point to uranium extremophily as an adaptive, rather than intrinsic, feature for Metallosphaera species, driven by environmental factors.
Economic Modelling of CO2 Injection for Enhanced Gas Recovery and Storage: A Reservoir Simulation Study of Operational Parameters

This paper focuses on the recovery factor of natural gas production and storage by injecting CO2 into a natural gas reservoir. This task will be performed by using reservoir simulation software (Roxar-Tempest) with experimental data initially produced by Clean Gas Technology Australia for a known field in North West Shelf Australia. The Optimum case is determined among different cases scenarios as a function of different injection rates, various stages of injection, destination of injection and production wells placement, and various layers in terms of rock qualities “Core Plugs”. In addition, the economic feasibility of CO2 injection for enhanced gas recovery CO2-EGR and storage is valuated in terms development costs, costs associated with the process of CO2 capture and storage as well as carbon credit with considering carbon tax for CO2 storage. The simulation results show that the process of CO2 injection and enhanced natural gas recovery can be technically feasible for this particular reservoir. Occurrence of mixing CO2 with the initial gas in place is inevitable issue, while it can be limited by good reservoir management and production control measurements. Economically, the process of CO2-EGR and storage is affected by many parameters such as CO2 and natural gas prices and carbon tax, while carbon credit still makes the process more attractive.
Evidence Map of Yoga for Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

BACKGROUND This study describes evidence of yoga's effectiveness for depressive disorders, general anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. We also address adverse events associated with yoga. METHODS We searched multiple electronic databases for systematic reviews (SRs) published between 2008 and July 2014, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) not identified in eligible SRs, and ongoing RCTs registered with ClincalTrials.gov. RESULTS We identified 1 SR on depression, 1 for adverse events, and 3 addressing multiple conditions. The high-quality depression SR included 12 RCTs (n = 619) that showed improved short-term depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference, -0.69, 95% confidence interval, -0.99 to -0.39), but there was substantial variability (I2 = 86%) and a high risk of bias for 9 studies. Three SRs addressing multiple conditions identified 4 nonrandomized studies (n = 174) for GAD/PD and 1 RCT (n = 8) and 2 nonrandomized studies (n = 22) for PTSD. We separately found 1 RCT (n = 13) for GAD and 2 RCTs (n = 102) for PTSD. Collectively, these studies were inconclusive for the effectiveness of yoga in treating GAD/PD and PTSD. The high-quality SR for adverse events included 37 primary reports (n = 76) in which inversion postures were most often implicated. We found 5 ongoing trials (3 for PTSD). CONCLUSIONS Yoga may improve short-term depressive symptoms, but evidence for GAD, PD, and PTSD remain inconclusive.
Are spatial planning objectives reflected in the evolution of urban landscape patterns? A framework for the evaluation of spatial planning outcomes

The evaluation of spatial planning results, or outcomes, has been rather neglected by scholars and practitioners. The causes of this neglect are linked to the characteristics of the planning systems in use or difficulties in quantifying results. To advance the state of the art of outcome evaluation, this paper focuses on assessing the implementation of national spatial planning objectives in urban landscapes through the use of an evaluation framework, which makes use of spatially explicit information. The framework is built around four dimensions, which reflect the main domains of spatial planning: efficient built-up development, conservation of agricultural land, landscape preservation and human perception. Indicators that are capable of capturing landscape changes in both time and space are used to verify the degree of conformance between adopted objectives and actual development patterns. We make use of spatially explicit data, as well as assess whether and where landscape changes occurred, by integrating the framework into a multi-criteria analysis. In the present study, the framework is tested in two study areas located in Switzerland and Romania, while the results are interpreted from the perspective of spatial planning approaches in the two countries. The efficiency and utility of the framework are demonstrated by the ability to provide valuable information that facilitates improvement in the performance of planning processes, such as identifying where the implementation of objectives is less effective, and the domains of affected spatial planning. Our findings indicate that the distance between objectives and outcomes can be attributed to differences in countries’ spatial planning approaches, which should also be placed into the wider economic, institutional and legislative context. Our study provides valuable insights for the integration of time series of spatial data into the evaluation procedure.
Structure, Function, and Evolution of Bacterial ATP-Binding Cassette Systems

SUMMARY ATP-binding cassette (ABC) systems are universally distributed among living organisms and function in many different aspects of bacterial physiology. ABC transporters are best known for their role in the import of essential nutrients and the export of toxic molecules, but they can also mediate the transport of many other physiological substrates. In a classical transport reaction, two highly conserved ATP-binding domains or subunits couple the binding/hydrolysis of ATP to the translocation of particular substrates across the membrane, through interactions with membrane-spanning domains of the transporter. Variations on this basic theme involve soluble ABC ATP-binding proteins that couple ATP hydrolysis to nontransport processes, such as DNA repair and gene expression regulation. Insights into the structure, function, and mechanism of action of bacterial ABC proteins are reported, based on phylogenetic comparisons as well as classic biochemical and genetic approaches. The availability of an increasing number of high-resolution structures has provided a valuable framework for interpretation of recent studies, and realistic models have been proposed to explain how these fascinating molecular machines use complex dynamic processes to fulfill their numerous biological functions. These advances are also important for elucidating the mechanism of action of eukaryotic ABC proteins, because functional defects in many of them are responsible for severe human inherited diseases.
Primary Human Hepatocytes Are Susceptible to Infection by Hepatitis Delta Virus Assembled with Envelope Proteins of Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus

ABSTRACT Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) share the HBV envelope proteins. When woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) are superinfected with HDV, they produce HDV with a WHV envelope, wHDV. Several lines of evidence are provided that wHDV infects not only cultured primary woodchuck hepatocytes (PWH) but also primary human hepatocytes (PHH). Surprisingly, HBV-enveloped HDV (hHDV) and wHDV infected PHH with comparable efficiencies; however, hHDV did not infect PWH. The basis for these host range specificities was investigated using as inhibitors peptides bearing species-specific pre-S (where S is the small envelope protein) sequences. It was found that pre-S1 contributed to the ability of wHDV to infect both PHH and PWH. In addition, the inability of hHDV to infect PWH was not overcome using a chimeric form of hHDV containing WHV S protein, again supporting the essential role of pre-S1 in infection of target cells. One interpretation of these data is that host range specificity of HDV is determined entirely by pre-S1 and that the WHV and HBV pre-S1 proteins recognize different receptors on PHH.
Systemic RNA Interference Deficiency-1 (SID-1) Extracellular Domain Selectively Binds Long Double-stranded RNA and Is Required for RNA Transport by SID-1*

Background: Systemic RNA interference deficiency-1 (SID-1) is a membrane protein required for cellular uptake of RNA in C. elegans. Results: SID-1 extracellular domain selectively binds long dsRNA. Conclusion: Binding affinity between SID-1 ECD and dsRNA is related to RNA transport efficiency by SID-1. Significance: This defines SID-1 ECD as a functional domain for dsRNA recognition. During systemic RNA interference (RNAi) in Caenorhabditis elegans, RNA spreads across different cells and tissues in a process that requires the systemic RNA interference deficient-1 (sid-1) gene, which encodes an integral membrane protein. SID-1 acts cell-autonomously and is required for cellular import of interfering RNAs. Heterologous expression of SID-1 in Drosophila Schneider 2 cells enables passive uptake of dsRNA and subsequent soaking RNAi. Previous studies have suggested that SID-1 may serve as an RNA channel, but its precise molecular role remains unclear. To test the hypothesis that SID-1 mediates a direct biochemical recognition of RNA molecule and subsequent permeation, we expressed the extracellular domain (ECD) of SID-1 and purified it to near homogeneity. Recombinant purified SID-1 ECD selectively binds dsRNA but not dsDNA in a length-dependent and sequence-independent manner. Genetic missense mutations in SID-1 ECD causal for deficient systemic RNAi resulted in significant reduction in its affinity for dsRNA. Furthermore, full-length proteins with these mutations decrease SID-1-mediated RNA transport efficiency, providing evidence that dsRNA binding to SID-1 ECD is related to RNA transport. To examine the functional similarity of mammalian homologs of SID-1 (SIDT1 and SIDT2), we expressed and purified mouse SIDT1 and SIDT2 ECDs. We show that they bind long dsRNA in vitro, supportive of dsRNA recognition. In summary, our study illustrates the functional importance of SID-1 ECD as a dsRNA binding domain that contributes to RNA transport.
Catching Up or Falling Behind in European Agriculture: The Case of Milk Production

The paper explores and analyses the catching up and falling behind processes in the European dairy sector over the period 2004–2011, using a stochastic metafrontier multiple output distance function for 24 EU Member States. The metafrontier estimates reveal considerable productivity differences in milk production across the EU at the regional (NUTS-2) level. Milk yield per cow is the highest in the old Member States, especially in those regions located in the northwest of the EU, while the lowest productivity is observed in Eastern Europe. The same structure was found for both the TFP (Total Factor Productivity) levels and TFP growth. Moreover, the results for technical change suggest that farm sizes are not optimal in many regions in Central and Eastern Europe from a dynamic perspective. The comparative analysis suggests that in the new compared to the old Member States, fewer farms could benefit from the movement of the frontier. Moreover, there are no signs that poorly performing farms are catching up with the best performing farms in the EU regions/countries.
Stable isotopes as a method for analysis of the contribution of different dietary sources in the production of Macrobrachium amazonicum

Macrobrachium amazonicum is the native freshwater prawn species with the greatest potential for captive production in Brazil. The stable isotope carbon and nitrogen technique (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) is efficient to determine the contribution of different food sources to a given organism. We used this technique to estimate the contribution of the food sources in the biomass gain of M. amazonicum . Fish fillets were used to determine the isotopic fractionation between juveniles of M. amazonicum and a standard food source. Juvenile M. amazonicum were submitted to four treatments with different food availability to determine their contributions; T1: without soil substrate and with feed supply; T2: without soil substrate and feed supply; T3: with soil substrate, feed supply and addition of an aquatic macrophyte ( Elodea sp.); and, T4: with soil substrate, aquatic macrophytes and without feed supply. Periphyton, plankton and precipitated organic material were present in all treatments. The isotopic fractionation was 0.57 ± 0.07 (carbon) and 2.14 ± 0.18 (nitrogen). The prawn fed with ration presented growth 2.4 and 2.82 times higher in the treatments without substrate (T1) and with substrate and macrophytes (T3), respectively. The contribution of the food sources reinforces omnivore in prawn. The benthic organisms and feed supply were fundamental for the better growth performance of M. amazonicum . Estimating the effective contributions of food sources can help in developing diets more adequate for the species, increasing productivity, reducing costs and reducing the environmental impact of waste substances.
Thermal Stability of Fibroblast Growth Factor Protein Is a Determinant Factor in Regulating Self‐Renewal, Differentiation, and Reprogramming in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)/Nodal, and Insulin/insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathways are sufficient to maintain human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells in a proliferative, undifferentiated state. Here, we show that only a few FGF family members (FGF2, FGF4, FGF6, and FGF9) are able to sustain strong extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and NANOG expression levels in human ESCs. Surprisingly, FGF1, which is reported to target the same set of receptors as FGF2, fails to sustain ERK phosphorylation and NANOG expression under standard culture conditions. We find that the failure of FGF1 to sustain ES is due to thermal instability of the wild‐type protein, not receptor specificity, and that a mutated thermal‐stable FGF1 sustains human ESCs and supports both differentiation and reprogramming protocols. STEM CELLS 2012; 30:623–630
The Impact of Destination Service Quality and Destination Environment on Tourist Satisfaction: A Field Study on Jordans Golden Triangle for Tourists Point of View

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of service quality and destination environment on tourist satisfaction in Jordan’s Golden Triangle (Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum). A descriptive survey method was adopted in order to conduct the study. A questionnaire-based survey was developed on the basis of literature review and previous studies. Once validity and reliability of the questionnaire established, it was self-administered to a sample comprised 600 foreign tourists visiting the study area. Out of the distributed questionnaires, 374 were returned valid for statistical analysis purpose (response rate = 62.3%). The study underlined a statistically significant impact of service quality as well as its dimensions on tourist satisfaction and a statistically significant impact of destination environment and its dimensions on tourist satisfaction. In relation to differences among tourists in terms of their responses, the results pointed out that there were no statistically significant differences in tourists’ responses in favor of their personal data, except companionship.