Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vitro susceptibility of Haemophilus somnus to 33 antimicrobial agents

Minimal inhibitory concentrations of 33 antimicrobial agents for Haemophilus somnus were determined by the agar dilution method. The tested H. somnus strains were highly susceptible to penicillin G, ampicillin, colistin, and novobiocin. They were not susceptible to spiramicin and sulfadimethoxine, and streptomycin-resistant strains were found.
Draft Genome Sequence of Multitrait Plant Growth-Promoting Bacillus sp. Strain RZ2MS9

ABSTRACT Bacillus sp. strain RZ2MS9 is a multitrait soybean and maize growth-promoting bacterium isolated in Brazil from guarana's rhizosphere. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of RZ2MS9 and its genes involved in many features related to plant growth promotion.
Distributed Leadership: A Good Theory but what if Leaders Won't, Don't Know How, or Can't Lead?

This article presents the results from an empirical qualitative study of the challenges faced by teacher leaders in their attempts to work directly with their colleagues to change instructional strategies and improve student success. Additionally, it offers a challenge to the utility of a naïvely espoused theory of distributed leadership, which becomes the theory in use, to improve leadership capacity with the goal of improving classroom instruction and student success. Six teacher leaders at an urban elementary school were studied for 1 year. The challenges faced by the teacher leaders were categorized under three themes: dealing with conflict, negotiating competing agendas/responsibilities and balancing microdiversions, and frustration with lack of influence and impact. It was concluded that the challenges experienced by teacher leaders, those whom leadership is distributed among, are problematic and underestimated. Moreover, we assert that distributed leadership as a theory in use falls short when the espoused theory is naïvely conceived. We do, however, offer recommendations for overcoming the challenges experienced by these teacher leaders, which we hope might help reconcile the disconnect between a naïvely espoused theory of distributed leadership and the resultant theory in use.
CELLS AT THE VITREORETINAL INTERFACE IN SMALL FULL-THICKNESS MACULAR HOLES

Purpose: To report on total number, distribution, and type of cells at the vitreomacular interface in small full-thickness macular holes. Methods: Internal limiting membrane specimens were removed from 20 consecutive patients with macular holes <250 &mgr;m at times when pharmacologic vitreolysis was not available. Specimens were flat mounted and investigated by phase contrast and interference microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Clinical data were documented including optical coherence tomography analysis using the caliper function. Thirteen antibodies were used for glial cells, hyalocytes, macrophages, retinal pigment epithelial cells, different types of collagen, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and proliferating cells. Results: There was a positive correlation between macular hole size and cell density at the internal limiting membrane (Spearman's Rho: r = 0.519, P = 0.019). Mostly, single glial cells were found on the internal limiting membrane. In five patients, cell clusters were present. There was a strong immunoreactivity for glial cell markers. Immunoreactivity of hyalocyte markers, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and Ki-67 was found in cell clusters but otherwise sparse. Conclusion: Single cells of glial origin without signs of proliferation or contraction are present in eyes with small full-thickness macular holes. In some eyes, however, clusters of cells can be seen, capable of proliferation and exerting tangential traction. Our findings emphasize the need for better visualization of the vitreoretinal pathology by optical coherence tomography, especially to distinguish between single cells and cell clusters.
Male reproductive apparatus and spermatophore morphology of the hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P. criniticornis (Anomura, Paguridae)

Spermatozoa of most crustacean species are nonmotile and are packed into spermatophores. In Decapoda, spermatophores are highly variable in morphology and can be useful in the solving of taxonomic and systematic questions, especially among the Anomura. In this study, the morphology and morphometry of the spermatophores of the western Atlantic hermit crabs Pagurus brevidactylus and P. criniticornis are described. The abdomen of fresh male specimens was dissected to expose the reproductive system and to extract the spermatophores, which were analyzed by stereoscopic, light, and scanning electron microscopy. The vas deferens can be divided macroscopically in three regions, all of them containing spermatophores. Tripartite spermatophores are composed of an elongated cylindrical main ampulla, a triangular accessory ampulla, a narrow cylindrical peduncle, and a round pedestal. Dimensions of the spermatophore components are positively correlated to the size of the crab. Morphological patterns observed in this study resemble those of other pagurid hermit crabs investigated to date. The morphological character distribution confirms classifications based on adult morphology and molecular analysis. J. Morphol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative genomic structures of Mycobacterium CRISPR‐Cas

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are inheritable genetic elements of many archaea and bacteria, conferring acquired immunity against invading nucleic acids. CRISPR might be indicative of the bacterial niche adaptation and evolutionary. Mycobacterium is an important genus occupying diverse niches with profound medical and environmental significance. To present a comparative genomic landscape of the Mycobacterium CRISPR, the feature of mycobacterium CRISPR structures with sequenced complete genomes were bioinformatically analyzed. The results show that CRISPR structures can be found among 14 mycobacteria, and all loci are chromosomally located. Long CRISPRs present in three species, namely M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and M. avium. Integrated CRISPR‐Cas system can only be found in M. tuberculosis and M. bovis, with highly conserved repeat sequences, very short leaders, and promoterless. M. tuberculosis and M. bovis repeat sequences cannot form stable RNA secondary structure, consistent with a Cas6‐binding sequence. M. avium repeat sequences can form classical stem‐loop structure. A three‐step model of M. tuberculosis CRISPR‐Cas system action was put forward based on the composition and function of cas genes cluster. M. tuberculosis and M. bovis CRISPRs might interfere with the invading nucleic acids, but have somehow lost the capacity to incorporate new spacers and co‐evolve with corresponding mycobacteriophages. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 2464–2473, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Three essays in labor economics

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study issues related to workers and families, and the intersection of these two topics. The first chapter examines domestic outsourcing of labor services in Germany. This chapter uses a novel method to identify outsourcing in administrative data, and finds that outsourcing leads to a 10-15% drop in wages that is persistent, lasting at least 10 years. There is evidence that these wage losses are associated with the loss of firm-specific rents, suggesting that labor costs savings are an important consideration in outsourcing. Finally, the increase in outsourcing activity is tied to broader changes in the German wage structure, particularly increases in wage dispersion and occupational sorting. The second chapter analyzes the relationship between state abortion restrictions and the living circumstances of children living in these states. It uses data on 15 years of abortion laws in the US connected to individual-level data on children and their family structure from the Census and American Community Survey, and finds evidence that low-income children who are born in states with more restrictive abortion laws are more likely to live with a single mother than similar children born in more permissive states. To address the endogeneity of these laws, data on nullified laws is incorporated; nullified laws have no impact, indicating that it is likely the hurdles faced by women seeking abortions in stricter states that impacts family structure.
Life course socioeconomic adversity and age at natural menopause in women from Latin America and the Caribbean

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between life course socioeconomic adversity and age at menopause in Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods: Data from 4,056 women aged 60 to 79 years randomly selected from seven cities in Latin America and the Caribbean were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the probability of age at menopause by indicators of life course socioeconomic adversity. Results: Median age at menopause was 50 years. The following life course socioeconomic indicators were associated with earlier age at menopause: low education (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26) and manual occupation/housewives (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.20). Other factors associated with earlier age at menopause were current smoking (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03-1.27), nulliparity (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.02-1.28), and multiparity (five children or more; HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.06-1.24). There was a cumulative effect of socioeconomic adversities across the life course. The median age at menopause was lower for women with six indicators of life course socioeconomic adversity compared with women with no adversities (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.10-1.77). Conclusions: Median age at menopause occurs several years earlier in women from Latin America and the Caribbean compared with women from high-income countries. The results support the association between life course socioeconomic adversity and age at menopause.
Biosynthesis of Dermatan Sulfate

We identified the gene encoding chondroitin-glucuronate C5-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.19) that converts d-glucuronic acid to l-iduronic acid residues in dermatan sulfate biosynthesis. The enzyme was solubilized from bovine spleen, and an ∼43,000-fold purified preparation containing a major 89-kDa candidate component was subjected to mass spectrometry analysis of tryptic peptides. SART2 (squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T cell 2), a protein with unknown function highly expressed in cancer cells and tissues, was identified by 18 peptides covering 26% of the sequence. Transient expression of cDNA resulted in a 22-fold increase in epimerase activity in 293HEK cell lysate. Moreover, overexpressing cells produced dermatan sulfate chains with 20% of iduronic acid-containing disaccharide units, as compared with 5% for mock-transfected cells. The iduronic acid residues were preferentially clustered in blocks, as in naturally occurring dermatan sulfate. Given the discovered identity, we propose to rename SART2 (Nakao, M., Shichijo, S., Imaizumi, T., Inoue, Y., Matsunaga, K., Yamada, A., Kikuchi, M., Tsuda, N., Ohta, K., Takamori, S., Yamana, H., Fujita, H., and Itoh, K. (2000) J. Immunol. 164, 2565–2574) with a functional designation, chondroitin-glucuronate C5-epimerase (or DS epimerase). DS epimerase activity is ubiquitously present in normal tissues, although with marked quantitative differences. It is highly homologous to part of the NCAG1 protein, encoded by the C18orf4 gene, genetically linked to bipolar disorder. NCAG1 also contains a putative chondroitin sulfate sulfotransferase domain and thus may be involved in dermatan sulfate biosynthesis. The functional relation between dermatan sulfate and cancer is unknown but may involve known iduronic acid-dependent interactions with growth factors, selectins, cytokines, or coagulation inhibitors.
Kidney function and the use of nitrofurantoin to treat urinary tract infections in older women

Background: The antibiotic nitrofurantoin is commonly used to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections. However, when this drug is used by patients with reduced kidney function, its urine concentration may be subtherapeutic. Methods: We conducted a population-based study of older women (mean age 79 years) in Ontario, Canada, whose estimated glomerular filtration rate was relatively low (median 38 mL/min per 1.73 m2) and for whom 1 of 4 antibiotics had been prescribed for urinary tract infection: nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin or trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. We assessed 2 measures of treatment failure in the subsequent 14 days: receipt of a second antibiotic indicated for urinary tract infection and hospital encounter (emergency department visit or hospital admission) with a urinary tract infection. We repeated the analysis for older women with relatively high estimated glomerular filtration rate (median 69 mL/min per 1.73 m2). Results: The baseline characteristics of the 4 antibiotic groups were similar. Relative to nitrofurantoin, the other antibiotics (including ciprofloxacin) were associated with a lower rate of treatment failure among women with relatively low estimated glomerular filtration rate (for ciprofloxacin v. nitrofurantoin: second antibiotic prescription, 130/1989 [6.5%] v. 516/3739 [13.8%], odds ratio [OR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36–0.53; hospital encounter, 21/1989 [1.1%] v. 95/3739 [2.5%], OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.25–0.66). However, a similar risk of treatment failure with nitrofurantoin was also observed among women with relatively high estimated glomerular filtration rate. The results were consistent in multiple additional analyses. Interpretation: In this study, the presence of mild or moderate reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate did not justify avoidance of nitrofurantoin.
Novas configurações da divisão sexual do trabalho

Quando falamos da Divisao Sexual do Trabalho (DST), duas observacoes previas sao necessarias. A primeira refere-se ao conceito de trabalho, que, no caso da Divisao Sexual do Trabalho, e um conceito ampliado, que inclui o trabalho profissional e domestico, formal e informal, remunerado e nao-remunerado. Assim, falar de novas configuracoes DST remete ao universo tanto do trabalho profissional quanto do domestico, do trabalho assalariado e do gratuito. A segunda observacao diz respeito a indissociabilidade entre DST, divisao sexual do saber e divisao sexual do poder. Nao se pode discutir a divisao social e sexual do trabalho entre homens e mulheres sem associar essa divisao a reparticao do saber e do poder entre os sexos na sociedade e na familia. Trata-se aqui do que Nancy Fraser, em um instigante ensaio publicado recentemente pela New Left Review, intituladoFeminism, capitalism and the cunning of History (“Feminismo, capitalismo e a astucia da historia”) (n. 56, 2009), chama de “processos de subordinacao mediados pelo mercado”. As responsabilidades tradicionais das mulheres pela educacao das criancas estruturam mercados de trabalho que sao desvantajosos para as mulheres, resultando em um poder desigual no mercado economico, que, por sua vez, reforca e exacerba o poder desigual na familia. Essas relacoes entre trabalho / familia / sociedade, e trabalho / saber / poder, formam um circulo vicioso e nao virtuoso. Essas relacoes sao discutidas tambem por Susan Muller Okin (1989) em “Justica, genero e familia”, referindo-se a um “ciclo” de vulnerabilidade, claramente assimetrica, provocada socialmente pelo casamento (p. 138, citada por Fraser, 2009, p.115). Neste artigo, sao tratados quatro aspectos das novas configuracoes da DST, entendida neste sentido lato: 1. Divisao sexual do trabalho profissional e domestico. 2. Precarizacao social e do trabalho. 3. A expansao do “care” (termo ingles que se refere ao trabalho de cuidado) e das migracoes internacionais femininas. 4. Globalizacao e DST.
Consistency of Border-Ownership Cells across Artificial Stimuli, Natural Stimuli, and Stimuli with Ambiguous Contours

Segmentation and recognition of objects in a visual scene are two problems that are hard to solve separately from each other. When segmenting an ambiguous scene, it is helpful to already know the present objects and their shapes. However, for recognizing an object in clutter, one would like to consider its isolated segment alone to avoid confounds from features of other objects. Border-ownership cells (Zhou et al., 2000) appear to play an important role in segmentation, as they signal the side-of-figure of artificial stimuli. The present work explores the role of border-ownership cells in dorsal macaque visual areas V2 and V3 in the segmentation of natural object stimuli and locally ambiguous stimuli. We report two major results. First, compared with previous estimates, we found a smaller percentage of cells that were consistent across artificial stimuli used previously. Second, we found that the average response of those neurons that did respond consistently to the side-of-figure of artificial stimuli also consistently signaled, as a population, the side-of-figure for borders of single faces, occluding faces and, with higher latencies, even stimuli with illusory contours, such as Mooney faces and natural faces completely missing local edge information. In contrast, the local edge or the outlines of the face alone could not always evoke a significant border-ownership signal. Our results underscore that border ownership is coded by a population of cells, and indicate that these cells integrate a variety of cues, including low-level features and global object context, to compute the segmentation of the scene. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To distinguish different objects in a natural scene, the brain must segment the image into regions corresponding to objects. The so-called “border-ownership” cells appear to be dedicated to this task, as they signal for a given edge on which side the object is that owns it. Here, we report that individual border-ownership cells are unreliable when tested across a battery of artificial stimuli used previously but can signal border-ownership consistently as a population. We show that these border-ownership population signals are also suited for signaling border-ownership for natural objects and at longer latency, even for stimuli without local edge information. Our results suggest that border-ownership cells integrate both local, low-level and global, high-level cues to segment the scene.
Identification of a megaplasmid centromere reveals genetic structural diversity within the repABC family of basic replicons

The basic replication unit of many plasmids and second chromosomes in the alpha‐proteobacteria consists of a repABC locus that encodes the trans‐ and cis‐acting components required for both semiautonomous replication and replicon maintenance in a cell population. In terms of physical genetic organization and at the nucleotide sequence level, repABC loci are well conserved across various genera. As with all repABC‐type replicons that have been genetically characterized, the 1.4 Mb pSymA and 1.7 Mb pSymB megaplasmids from the plant endosymbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti encode strong incompatibility (inc) determinants. We have identified a novel inc sequence upstream of the repA2 gene in pSymA that is not present on pSymB and not reported in other repABC plasmids that have been characterized. This region, in concert with the repA and repB genes, stabilizes a test plasmid indicating that it constitutes a partitioning (par) system for the megaplasmid. Purified RepB binds to this sequence and binding may be enhanced by RepA. We have isolated 19 point mutations that eliminate incompatibility, reduce RepB binding or the stabilization phenotype associated with this sequence and all of these map to a 16‐nucleotide palindromic sequence centred 330 bp upstream of the repA2 gene. An additional five near‐perfect repeats of this palindrome are located further upstream of the repA2 gene and we show that they share some conservation with known RepB binding sites in different locations on other repABC plasmids and to two sequences found on the tumour inducing plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These additional palindromes also bind RepB but one of them does not display obvious incompatibility effects. A heterogenic distribution of par sequences demonstrates unexpected diversity in the structural genetic organization of repABC loci, despite their obvious levels of similarity.
Schizophrenics know more than they can tell: probabilistic classification learning in schizophrenia

Background. Previous studies have demonstrated impaired explicit and preserved implicit memory functions in schizophrenia. However, it is less clear whether schizophrenics can learn complex information (e.g. probabilistic stimulus–response associations) with or without access for conscious recollection. In this study we applied a classification learning task to assess explicit and implicit processes concurrently. Methods. Two test procedures were administered to 40 schizophrenic subjects and 20 healthy volunteers: a probabilistic classification learning (PCL) task to evaluate implicit memory functions; and a category cue recognition test to investigate the explicit memory system. The PCL task included feedback guided category learning of geometrical shapes. These shapes were called category cues, predicting class membership with certain probabilities. The gradual increase of categorization performance during the feedback learning was a potentially implicit process, whereas the subsequent recognition of category cues required explicit memory functions. Results. The schizophrenic patients improved their categorization performance to a similar extent to the controls, but they failed to recognize the category cues. Memory performances were independent of the positive and negative symptoms. Conclusions. Patients with schizophrenia were able to establish representations of complex categories, but these remained unconscious. This is consistent with earlier reports, suggesting damaged explicit and spared implicit memory in schizophrenia.
Muscle Flexibility as a Risk Factor for Developing Muscle Injuries in Male Professional Soccer Players

Background Muscular tightness is frequently postulated as an intrinsic risk factor for the development of a muscle injury. However, very little prospective data exist to prove this. Hypothesis Increased muscle tightness identifies a soccer player at risk for a subsequent musculoskeletal lesion. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods We examined 146 male professional soccer players before the 1999–2000 Belgian soccer competition. None of the players had a history of muscle injury in the lower extremities in the previous 2 years. The flexibility of the hamstring, quadriceps, adductor, and calf muscles of these players was measured goniometrically before the start of the season. All of the examined players were monitored throughout the season to register subsequent injuries. Results Players with a hamstring (N = 31) or quadriceps (N = 13) muscle injury were found to have significantly lower flexibility in these muscles before their injury compared with the uninjured group. No significant differences in muscle flexibility were found between players who sustained an adductor muscle injury (N = 13) or a calf muscle injury (N = 10) and the uninjured group. Conclusions These results indicate that soccer players with an increased tightness of the hamstring or quadriceps muscles have a statistically higher risk for a subsequent musculoskeletal lesion. Clinical Significance Preseason hamstring and quadriceps muscle flexibility testing can identify male soccer players at risk of developing hamstring and quadriceps muscle injuries.