Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Lactococcus lactis Isolates from Nondairy Sources with Potential Dairy Applications Reveals Extensive Phenotype-Genotype Disparity and Implications for a Revised Species

ABSTRACT Lactococcus lactis is predominantly associated with dairy fermentations, but evidence suggests that the domesticated organism originated from a plant niche. L. lactis possesses an unusual taxonomic structure whereby strain phenotypes and genotypes often do not correlate, which in turn has led to confusion in L. lactis classification. A bank of L. lactis strains was isolated from various nondairy niches (grass, vegetables, and bovine rumen) and was further characterized on the basis of key technological traits, including growth in milk and key enzyme activities. Phenotypic analysis revealed all strains from nondairy sources to possess an L. lactis subsp. lactis phenotype (lactis phenotype); however, seven of these strains possessed an L. lactis subsp. cremoris genotype (cremoris genotype), determined by two separate PCR assays. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) showed that strains with lactis and cremoris genotypes clustered together regardless of habitat, but it highlighted the increased diversity that exists among “wild” strains. Calculation of average nucleotide identity (ANI) and tetranucleotide frequency correlation coefficients (TETRA), using the JSpecies software tool, revealed that L. lactis subsp. cremoris and L. lactis subsp. lactis differ in ANI values by ∼14%, below the threshold set for species circumscription. Further analysis of strain TIFN3 and strains from nonindustrial backgrounds revealed TETRA values of <0.99 in addition to ANI values of <95%, implicating that these two groups are separate species. These findings suggest the requirement for a revision of L. lactis taxonomy.
Oxidative Stress Induces Reactivation of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus and Death of Primary Effusion Lymphoma Cells

ABSTRACT Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cells are predominantly infected with latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), presenting a barrier to the destruction of tumor cells. Latent KSHV can be reactivated to undergo lytic replication. Here we report that in PEL cells, oxidative stress induced by upregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) can lead to KSHV reactivation or cell death. ROS are upregulated by NF-κB inhibition and are required for subsequent KSHV reactivation. Disruption of the intracellular redox balance through depletion of the antioxidant glutathione or inhibition of the antioxidant enzyme catalase also induces KSHV reactivation, suggesting that hydrogen peroxide induces reactivation. In addition, p38 signaling is required for KSHV reactivation induced by ROS. Furthermore, treatment of PEL cells with a higher concentration of the NF-κB inhibitor than that used for inducing KSHV reactivation further upregulates ROS and induces massive cell death. ROS, but not p38 signaling, are required for PEL cell death induced by NF-κB inhibition as well as by glutathione depletion. Importantly, anticancer drugs, such as cisplatin and arsenic trioxide, also induce KSHV reactivation and PEL cell death in a ROS-dependent manner. Our study thus establishes a critical role for ROS and oxidative stress in the regulation of KSHV reactivation and PEL cell death. Disrupting the cellular redox balance may be a potential strategy for treating KSHV-associated lymphoma.
Low-Dose BCG Instillations in the Treatment of Stage T1 Grade 3 Bladder Tumours: Recurrence, Progression and Success

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effects and results of low-dose bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy on a selective high-risk population of stage T1, grade 3 (G3) bladder tumours. Recurrence and progression were also analysed.Thirty-five consecutive patients presenting with T1 G3 tumours were treated with intravesical BCG. All patients underwent complete transurethral tumour resection. A course of BCG 75 mg Pasteur strain was begun 4 weeks after the first resection of the diagnosed tumour and continued for a 6-week period. At the end of treatment, a complete urological evaluation was routinely carried out: urine cytology test, cystoscopy with bladder biopsies randomly performed, and any recurrences were resected. In cases of abnormal cytology and/or recurrence an additional course of BCG was initiated, followed by the same tests. Follow-up examination and cystoscopy or fibroscopy were conducted every 3 months for 1 year, semiannually and annually thereafter.Median follow-up was 45 months (range 10–120); 7 patients (20%) did not respond to BCG instillations. Of these patients, 5 underwent cystectomy and in 2 patients the bladder was left in place in spite of recurrence because of age (+80 years). Twenty-eight patients (80%) responded positively, 24 after one single course of BCG, and 4 patients after two courses. During follow-up, recurrence was observed in 8 cases: stage T1 G3 in 4 patients, T1 CIS (carcinoma in situ) in 2 patients, Ta G2 and Ta G1 in 2 patients. Three of these patients were treated by cystectomy and the remaining patients with transurethral resection alone or combined with additional courses of BCG. Overall, 25 patients (71%) were considered free of tumour occurrence after low-dose BCG therapy. Ten patients underwent cystectomy (29%) or remained in occurrence and 2 patients died of the disease.These results can be closely compared to the results of other trials conducted on stage T1 G3 and BCG treatment, using a different dosage and BCG protocol therapy. BCG is an effective prophylactic and therapeutic agent for T1 G3 carcinoma of the bladder responders. The identification of these responders before beginning instillations still remains a challenge.
Malaysian Pharmacy Students' Assessment of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Objective. To implement and determine the effectiveness of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess fourth-year pharmacy students' skills in a clinical pharmacy course. Design. A 13-station OSCE was designed and implemented in the 2007–2008 academic year as part of the assessment methods for a clinical pharmacy course. The broad competencies tested in the OSCE included: patient counseling and communication, clinical pharmacokinetics (CPK), identification and resolution of drug-related problems (DRPs), and literature evaluation/drug information provision. Assessment. Immediately after all students completed the OSCE, a questionnaire containing items on the clarity of written instructions, difficulty of the tasks, perceived degree of learning gained and needed, and the suitability of the references or literature resources provided was administered. More than 70% of the students felt that a higher degree of learning was needed to accomplish the tasks at the 2 DRP stations and 2 CPK stations and the majority felt the written instructions provided at the phenytoin CPK station were difficult to understand. Although about 60% of the students rated OSCE as a difficult form of assessment, 75% said it should be used more and 81% perceived they learned a lot from it. Conclusion. Although most students felt that the OSCE accurately assessed their skills, a majority felt the tasks required in some stations required a higher degree of learning than they had achieved. This may indicate deficiencies in the students' learning abilities, the course curriculum, or the OSCE station design. Future efforts should include providing clearer instructions at OSCE stations and balancing the complexity of the competencies assessed.
Dramatically changing rates and reasons for hospitalization in multiple sclerosis

Objective: We aimed to describe hospitalizations in the multiple sclerosis (MS) population, and to evaluate temporal trends in hospitalizations in the MS population compared to the general population. Methods: Using population-based administrative data, we identified 5,797 persons with MS and a matched general population cohort of 28,769 persons. Using general linear models, we evaluated temporal trends in hospitalization rates and length of stay in the 2 populations over the period 1984–2011. Results: In 1984 the hospitalization rate was 35 per 100 person-years in the MS population and 10.5 in the matched population (relative risk [RR] 3.33; 95% confidence interval: 1.67–6.64). Over the study period hospitalizations declined 75% in the MS population but only 41% in the matched population. The proportion of hospitalizations due to MS declined substantially from 43.4% in 1984 to 7.8% in 2011. The 3 most common non–MS-related reasons for admission in the MS population were diseases of the digestive, genitourinary, and circulatory systems. Admissions for bacterial pneumonia, influenza, urinary tract infections, and pressure ulcers occurred more often in the MS population than in the general population, while admissions for circulatory system disease and neoplasms occurred less often. Older age, male sex, and lower socioeconomic status were associated with increased hospitalization rates for non–MS-related reasons. Conclusions: Although hospitalization rates have declined dramatically in the MS population over the last quarter century, they remain higher than in the general population. Admissions for MS-related reasons now constitute only a small proportion of the reasons for hospitalization.
Failing to compete

This unique study draws on extensive fieldwork assessing technology systems in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe in the context of their export competitiveness. Its emphasis is on the role of technology systems in building industrial competitiveness and in this it finds deficiencies in the systems in all these countries, though there are also significant differences between them. Comparisons are made with more successful economies, particularly those of East Asia, and policy implications are drawn for the strengthening of technology support systems. Central to the book is its combination of academic analysis with a strong policy focus – policy implications are drawn for each case-study country.
Integer Solution for Linear Complementarity Problem

We consider the problem of finding an integer solution to a linear complementarity problem. We introduce the class I of matrices for which the corresponding linear complementarity problem has an integer complementary solution for every vector, q, for which it has a solution. Strong principal unimodularity forms a sufficient condition for inclusion in the class I. It is also shown to be necessary for some well-known classes of matrices, including the class of positive semidefinite matrices. This is used in deriving necessary and sufficient conditions for a convex quadratic program to have an integer optimal solution for all b and c for which it has an optimal solution. Characterizations are also derived for some other well-known classes of matrices in linear complementarity to belong to the class I. In the end, a peeling algorithm for finding integer solution for linear complementarity problems is given and related results are derived.
Evaluation of motor PWM loss increase due to zero common-mode voltage modulation strategy of multilevel converter

Voltage source converter Pulse Width Modulation common-mode voltages have an adverse affect of inducing motor shaft voltages and bearing currents that result in premature bearings failure. Common-mode voltage cancellation PWM strategies significantly compromise the optimal voltage quality of the nearest three space vector modulation. The paper presents a quantitative estimation of associated motor PWM loss increase for a three-phase multilevel converter.
Olive Oil and Cardiovascular Health

The Mediterranean diet, in which olive oil is the primary source of fat, is associated with a low mortality for cardiovascular disease. Data concerning olive oil consumption and primary end points for cardiovascular disease are scarce. However, a large body of knowledge exists providing evidence of the benefits of olive oil consumption on secondary end points for the disease. Besides the classical benefits on the lipid profile provided by olive oil consumption compared with that of saturated fat, a broad spectrum of benefits on cardiovascular risk factors is now emerging associated with olive oil consumption. We review the state of the art concerning the knowledge of the most important biological and clinical effects related to olive oil and its minor components. The recent advances in human nutrigenomics associated with olive oil consumption will also be assessed. The wide range of benefits associated with olive oil consumption could contribute to explaining the low rate of cardiovascular mortality found in southern European-Mediterranean countries, in comparison with other westernized countries, despite a high prevalence of coronary heart disease risk factors.
Site‐directed mutagenesis of rat thioltransferase: Effects of essential cysteine residues for the protection against oxidative stress

A cDNA of rat liver thioltransferase was cloned and then expressed using pMAL‐c expression vector in Escherichia coli. Recombinant rat liver thioltransferase was expressed as a fusion protein with maltose‐binding protein and then purified by amylose resin column chromatography to be homogeneity on 12.5% SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis. The expressed proteins were shown as two bands at around 53 and 41 kDa, suggesting that the high molecular one was a fusion protein of recombinant thioltransferase (11.7 plus 41 kDa) and the other (smaller one) was a maltose‐binding protein (41 kDa). A recombinant thioltransferase catalyzed a thiol/disulfide exchange reaction in the same way as thioltransferases purified from various sources. Compared with wild type, the mutants C23A, C26A, C79A, and C83A showed 0%, 17%, 82%, and 86% in the enzymatic activity, respectively. In addition, wild‐type‐transfected bacteria expressed in bacterial cells showed a strong resistance to H2O2 treatment as well as the case of active mutants (C79A and C83A), but inactive mutants (C23A and C26A) showed no resistance to H2O2 treatment as same as mocktransfection. Thioltransferase can be important for survival of bacterial cells under oxidative stress. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 24:60–65, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20312
Creating legible interactive surfaces for public settings

ions provided by window managers. Toolkits typically provide both a library of interactive components, and an architectural framework to manage the operation of interfaces made up of these components. One of the earliest toolkits, MacApp, reduced Apple’s development time by a factor of four or five (Myers 1990). Another reason for toolkits’ success is that they focus on low-level aspects of the user interface that are well recognized as important to be consistent and undesirable to re-implement. However many concepts for tools, such as user interface management systems (UIMS), language-based approaches, constraints and model-based systems that were designed to support a flexible variety of styles succumbed to the moving-target problem. The moving-target problem as (Myers, Hudson et al. 2000, p.10) define it, is as “systems were being researched; the styles of user interfaces were changing to today’s standard GUI”. UIMS (Thomas 1983) and model-based techniques (Schulert, Rogers et al. 1985) were unsuccessful because of their attempt to abstract the details of input and output devices. Providing automatically generated implementation of interfaces and allowing interfaces to be specified at a higher level of abstraction did not work out well in practice (Myers, Hudson et al. 2000). UIMS were ineffective because it is important to control the low-level pragmatics of how interactions look and feel, which UIMS tried to isolate from the designer. Model-based techniques suffered from the problems of unpredictability (Myers, Hudson et al. 2000). What's more, programmers had to also learn a new language for specifying the models, which made things problematical. Another reason UIMS and model-based techniques didn’t catch on was because the standardisation of UI elements in the late 1980’s on the desktop paradigm made the need for abstractions from the input and output devices mostly unnecessary.
Role of Vasodilation during Normothermic Machine Perfusion of DCD Porcine Livers

Introduction Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) of the liver is a promising preservation modality that holds the potential to better preserve and even repair marginal grafts. In spite of several literature studies showing the benefits of NMP over cold storage, there is paucity of data regarding the mechanisms involved in the optimization of the microcirculation during preservation of these organs. We present our data on the impact of different vasodilators on DCD porcine livers preserved with NMP. Materials and methods Livers from 15 female Yorkshire pigs (30-40 kg) were subjected to 60 min of WIT followed by 10 h of NMP. Group PC (n = 5) received a prostacyclin analog (epoprostenol sodium) and the AD group (n = 5) received adenosine, whereas group WV (n = 5) was perfused without using any vasodilator. Liver function was assessed by measuring, liver enzyme levels, bile production rate, and histological analysis. Results At the end of perfusion, the PC group showed significantly lower AST (583 ± 62 vs. 2471 ± 745 and 2547 ± 690 IU/dl), ALT (41 ± 3 vs. 143 ± 28 and 111 ± 25 IU/dl) and LDH (840 ± 85 vs. 2756 ± 408 and 4153 ± 1569 IU/dl) levels compared to the AD and WV groups respectively (p<0.05). Bile production was significantly higher in the PC group compared to the AD group and WV, respectively (95 ± 9 vs. 37 ± 10 and 45 ± 18ml) (p<0.05). Histological samples of the PC group showed preserved hepatic architecture while those of the AD group and WV showed sinusoidal dilatation, architectural distortion, and profuse intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Conclusions Maintenance of optimal microcirculatory homeostasis using proper vasodilators is a key factor in NMP of DCD livers.
On the Challenges of Detecting Rude Conversational Behaviour

In this study, we aim to identify moments of rudeness between two individuals. In particular, we segment all occurrences of rudeness in conversations into three broad, distinct categories and try to identify each. We show how machine learning algorithms can be used to identify rudeness based on acoustic and semantic signals extracted from conversations. Furthermore, we make note of our shortcomings in this task and highlight what makes this problem inherently difficult. Finally, we provide next steps which are needed to ensure further success in identifying rudeness in conversations.
Thiophenes from Echinops latifolius

Six thiophenes were isolated and purified from ethanol extract of the roots of Echinops latifolius Tausch. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectral data. Among them, 5-(3-hydroxmethyl-3-isovaleroyloxyprop-1-ynyl)-2,2′-bithiophene (6) is a new compound, and 5-(3-hydroxy-4-isovaleroyloxybut-1-ynyl)-2,2′-bithiophene (5) was isolated from this plant for the first time.
The transition to school: adaptation in young children with and without intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND Previous research has highlighted the importance of the transition to school for young children and their families. A child's successful adaptation to school is likely influenced by a number of factors, including academic, social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive competencies. Children with intellectual disability (ID) may be at heightened risk for early school difficulties, in part due to their deficits in cognitive and adaptive behaviours. METHODS Factors associated with the adaptive transition to school in young children with (n = 24) and without (n = 43) ID were examined. Adaptive transitions were defined as having few teacher-reported problem behaviours and positive student-teacher relationships. Child self-regulatory skills and both parent- and teacher-reported social skills were evaluated to determine if they predicted positive adaptation in school for 5- to 6-year-old children. Data were gathered from child assessments, parent reports on standardized measures, direct observations of delay of gratification tasks and teacher reports on standardized measures. RESULTS Children with ID had significantly more teacher-reported problem behaviour, poorer overall student-teacher relationships, fewer parent- and teacher-reported social skills and fewer self-regulation skills than typically developing children. Self-regulation at child age 36 months (latency to touch a desired toy) was significantly related to adaptation to school, as were parent and teacher reports of social skills. Social skills significantly predicted adaptation to school, even after accounting for the effects of child IQ and adaptive behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Children with ID had less positive early school experiences, as indicated by multiple indices of adaptation to school. Fostering early social skills may be an important target for increasing the positive adaptation to school for young children, especially those with ID.
A lived-experience investigation of narratives: recycled drinking water

Abstract Recycled drinking water (RDW) represents a cost-effective and technologically reliable source of urban water. Yet it remains one of the least implemented solutions because of emotional and psychological difficulties – the human dimension of the ‘yuck factor’, which has been empirically identified as statistically significant. Researchers have therefore recently expanded water research in RDW to include the psychology of users. This study builds on this effort by using the lived-experience methodology for the first time on RDW. Investigating the case of Singapore, the method reveals an ‘insider’s view’ of key stakeholders, and uncovers human-scale narratives and experiences within the discourses of technology, economics of water supply, and ecological realities.
Transanal tube placement for prevention of anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection for rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer is a serious complication that increases morbidity and mortality rates. Transanal tube placement may reduce postoperative anastomotic leakage rate by reducing intraluminal pressure and preventing fecal extrusion through the staple line. This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of transanal tube placement to prevent anastomotic leakage after LAR for rectal cancer using a stapling technique. Methods A systematic review of the literature was consistent with the recommendations of the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) statement. Multiple comprehensive databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed, were searched. The main study outcomes were anastomotic leakage. Results Two randomized clinical trials and 4 nonrandomized studies involving 1,118 patients were included. Subgroup analyses of randomized clinical trials found that transanal tube placement had no effect on study outcomes. Meta-analysis of nonrandomized studies showed that transanal tube placement was associated with a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage (relative risk, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15-0.67; I2 = 0%). Conclusion Transanal tube placement may be effective in preventing or reducing the occurrence of anastomotic leakage after LAR for rectal cancer using a stapling technique. Randomized clinical trials with sufficient power are needed to confirm the benefit of transanal tube placement.