Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A network approach to decipher the dynamics of Lysobacteraceae plasmid gene sharing

Plasmids provide an efficient vehicle for gene sharing among bacterial populations, playing a key role in bacterial evolution. Network approaches are particularly suitable to represent multipartite relationships and are useful tools to characterize plasmid‐mediated gene sharing events. The bacterial family Lysobacteraceae includes plant commensal, plant pathogenic and opportunistic human pathogens for which plasmid‐mediated adaptation has been reported. We searched for homologues of plasmid gene sequences from this family in the entire diversity of available bacterial genome sequences and built a network of plasmid gene sharing from the results. While plasmid genes are openly shared between the bacteria of the family Lysobacteraceae, taxonomy strongly defined the boundaries of these exchanges, which only barely reached other families. Most inferred plasmid gene sharing events involved a few genes only, and evidence of full plasmid transfers were restricted to taxonomically closely related taxa. We detected multiple plasmid–chromosome gene transfers, including the known sharing of a heavy metal resistance transposon. In the network, bacterial lifestyles shaped substructures of isolates colonizing specific ecological niches and harbouring specific types of resistance genes. Genes associated with pathogenicity or antibiotic and metal resistance were among those that most importantly structured the network, highlighting the imprints of human‐mediated selective pressure on pathogenic populations. A massive sequencing effort on environmental Lysobacteraceae is therefore required to refine our understanding of how this reservoir fuels the emergence and the spread of genes among this family and its potential impact on plant, animal and human health.
TWO-PHASE HEAT TRANSFER MECHANISMS WITHIN PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS: EXPERIMENTS AND MODELING

Title of Document: TWO-PHASE HEAT TRANSFER MECHANISMS WITHIN PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS: EXPERIMENTS AND MODELING. Valentin Solotych, PhD, 2015 Directed By: Professor, Jungho Kim, Department of Mechanical Engineering Two-phase flow heat exchangers have been shown to have very high efficiencies, but the lack of a dependable model and data precludes them from use in many cases. Herein a new method for the measurement of local convective heat transfer coefficients from the outside of a heat transferring wall has been developed, which results in accurate local measurements of heat flux during two-phase flow. This novel technique uses a chevron-pattern corrugated plate heat exchanger consisting of a specially machined Calcium Fluoride plate and the refrigerant HFE7100, with heat flux values up to 1 W cm and flow rates up to 300 kg ms. As Calcium Fluoride is largely transparent to infra-red radiation, the measurement of the surface temperature of PHE that is in direct contact with the liquid is accomplished through use of a mid-range (3.0-5.1 μm) infra-red camera. The objective of this study is to develop, validate, and use a unique infrared thermometry method to quantify the heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling within different Plate Heat Exchanger geometries. This new method allows high spatial and temporal resolution measurements. Furthermore quasi-local pressure measurements enable us to characterize the performance of each geometry. Validation of this technique will be demonstrated by comparison to accepted single and two-phase data. The results can be used to come up with new heat transfer correlations and optimization tools for heat exchanger designers. The scientific contribution of this thesis is, to give PHE developers further tools to allow them to identify the heat transfer and pressure drop performance of any corrugated plate pattern directly without the need to account for typical error sources due to inlet and outlet distribution systems. Furthermore, the designers will now gain information on the local heat transfer distribution within one plate heat exchanger cell which will help to choose the correct corrugation geometry for a given task. TWO-PHASE HEAT TRANSFER MECHANISMS WITHIN PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS: EXPERIMENTS AND MODELING.
How We Can Reap the Full Benefit of Teleconsultations: Economic Evaluation Combined With a Performance Evaluation Through a Discrete-Event Simulation

Background In recent years, the rapid development of information and communications technology enabled by innovations in videoconferencing solutions and the emergence of connected medical devices has contributed to expanding the scope of application and expediting the development of telemedicine. Objective This study evaluates the use of teleconsultations (TCs) for specialist consultations at hospitals in terms of costs, resource consumption, and patient travel time. The key feature of our evaluation framework is the combination of an economic evaluation through a cost analysis and a performance evaluation through a discrete-event simulation (DES) approach. Methods Three data sets were used to obtain detailed information on the characteristics of patients, characteristics of patients’ residential locations, and usage of telehealth stations. A total of 532 patients who received at least one TC and 18,559 patients who received solely physical consultations (CSs) were included in the initial sample. The TC patients were recruited during a 7-month period (ie, 2020 data) versus 19 months for the CS patients (ie, 2019 and 2020 data). A propensity score matching procedure was applied in the economic evaluation. To identify the best scenarios for reaping the full benefits of TCs, various scenarios depicting different population types and deployment strategies were explored in the DES model. Associated break-even levels were calculated. Results The results of the cost evaluation reveal a higher cost for the TC group, mainly induced by higher volumes of (tele)consultations per patient and the substantial initial investment required for TC equipment. On average, the total cost per patient over 298 days of follow-up was €356.37 (US $392) per TC patient and €305.18 (US $336) per CS patient. However, the incremental cost of TCs was not statistically significant: €356.37 – €305.18 = €51.19 or US $392 – US $336 = US $56 (95% CI –35.99 to 114.25; P=.18). Sensitivity analysis suggested heterogeneous economic profitability levels within subpopulations and based on the intensity of use of TC solutions. In fact, the DES model results show that TCs could be a cost-saving strategy in some cases, depending on population characteristics, the amortization speed of telehealth equipment, and the locations of telehealth stations. Conclusions The use of TCs has the potential to lead to a major organizational change in the health care system in the near future. Nevertheless, TC performance is strongly related to the context and deployment strategy involved.
Factors related to self-rated health: a survey among patients and their general practitioners

Abstract Objective To explore associations between general practice patients’ SRH and symptoms, diagnoses, chronic conditions, unexplained conditions, and life stressors. Design A cross-sectional study. Data were collected from GP and patient questionnaires. Setting General practices in Southeast Norway. Subjects 47 general practitioners (GPs) who included 866 consecutive patients. Main outcome measures SRH was measured with a single question from the COOP-WONCA overall health chart and dichotomized into good/poor SRH. Binary logistic regression models were used in the analyses. Results Poor SRH was reported by 48% of the patients in the past week. A higher prevalence of poor SRH was found for women, middle-aged, recipients of social security grants, patients diagnosed with asthenia, lower back pain, and depression/anxiety, and for patients with reported life stressors and unexplained conditions. We found an almost linear association between the number of symptoms and the likelihood of reporting poor SRH. The probability of reporting poor SRH increased along with an increasing number of symptoms for common diagnoses. In a multivariate analysis, the only number of symptoms, being in receipt of social security grants and being retired was associated with poor SRH. Conclusion The likelihood of reporting poor SRH increased with an increasing number of symptoms, partly independent of the diagnosis given by GPs. This result coincides with our previous findings of a strong association between the number of symptoms, function, and health. The symptom burden thus appears to be an important factor for SRH among patients in general practice. KEY POINTS There is a high prevalence of poor SRH in general practice patients. The likelihood of reporting poor SRH is partly independent of the diagnosis given. The number of symptoms was the factor strongest associated with poor SRH.
Designing instrument to measure STEM teaching practices of Malaysian teachers

The remarkable upsurge in the attention for STEM education globally has inspired many countries including Malaysia to formulate STEM education policies to reform the existing segmented teaching of the four STEM subjects towards integrated teaching. One of the Malaysian government’s initiatives include establishing a framework as a guide for teachers to practise STEM teaching. This exploratory, mixed methods study aimed to explore Malaysian science and mathematics teachers’ perceptions to practise STEM teaching and develop a questionnaire to measure factors that explain their teaching practices. The interview findings identified teachers’ knowledge of interdisciplinary and related pedagogical strategies, challenges encountered in STEM teaching practices, and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs to perform STEM teaching as factors that explain STEM teaching practices. Following that, a 33-item questionnaire was developed based on the qualitative findings. The results of exploratory factor analysis produced four distinct factors echoing the qualitative findings with 29 items, which were then validated using confirmatory composite analysis (CCA). CCA results in retaining all four factors and removing six items with lower loading values. Thus, the final version of the questionnaire consists of 23 items. The findings of this study were expected to benefit STEM advocates and educators globally. Additionally, the developed questionnaire would allow collective measurement of the factors that explain STEM teaching practices.
Korean clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of hereditary hemolytic anemia

Although the prevalence of hereditary hemolytic anemia (HHA) is relatively low in Korea, it has been gradually increasing in recent decades due to increment in the proportions of hemoglobinopathies from immigrants of South East Asia, raising awareness of the disease among clinicians, and advances in diagnostic technology. As such, the red blood cell (RBC) Disorder Working Party (WP), previously called HHA WP, of the Korean Society of Hematology (KSH) developed the Korean Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the diagnosis of HHA in 2007. These SOPs have been continuously revised and updated following advances in diagnostic technology [e.g., flow cytometric osmotic fragility test (FOFT) and eosin-5-maleimide (EMA) binding test], current methods for membrane protein or enzyme analysis [e.g., liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)], and molecular genetic tests using next-generation sequencing (NGS). However, the diagnosis and treatment of HHA remain challenging as they require considerable experience and understanding of the disease. Therefore, in this new Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis of HHA, on behalf of the RBC Disorder WP of KSH, updated guidelines to approach patients suspected of HHA are summarized. NGS is proposed to perform prior to membrane protein or enzyme analysis by LC-MS/MS, UPLC-MS/MS or HPLC techniques due to the availability of gene testing in more laboratories in Korea. We hope that this guideline will be helpful for clinicians in making diagnostic decisions for patients with HHA in Korea.
The relationships between selected serum adipokines and thyroid function in patients with obesity.

INTRODUCTION The study was designed to evaluate the effect of thyroid function on serum levels of different adipokines in obesity. We investigated relationships between the thyroid axis and serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, and chemerin, and we assessed the influence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) on those relations. MATERIAL AND METHODS The participants of this study included 181 euthyroid patients (147 women and 34 men) with obesity [body mass index (BMI) 30-39.9 kg/m²] and severe (morbid) obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m²), aged 18 to 65 years. We divided all obese patients by thyrotropic hormone (TSH) tertiles, and we compared all participants according to BMI. Patients were further divided into the following subgroups: with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis and without autoimmune thyroiditis. RESULTS Comparison of obese patients according to TSH tertile showed significantly higher serum concentrations of leptin, chemerin, and thyroid antibodies and an increased leptin/adiponectin ratio in the group with high normal TSH. We observed statistically significant correlations between serum TSH and BMI, leptin, chemerin, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, and the leptin/adiponectin ratio. In patients diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis, higher levels of antibodies and TSH were found, but there were no differences in homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-I), the leptin/adiponectin ratio, and adipokine levels. In obese patients the relationships between serum leptin, chemerin, the leptin/adiponectin ratio, and BMI were dependent on each other. CONCLUSION Serum leptin, chemerin, the leptin/adiponectin ratio, and BMI are significantly higher in patients with high normal TSH; however, selected adipokines are not related to the presence of autoimmune thyroiditis. There are interplays between TSH, adipokines, and obesity, but how these relationships are related remains unknown.
Different efficiency of auxiliary/chaperone proteins to promote the functional reconstitution of honeybee glutamate and acetylcholine receptors in Xenopus laevis oocytes

Heterologous expression systems (e.g., Xenopus laevis oocytes) are useful to study the biophysical properties and pharmacology of ionotropic receptors such as ionotropic glutamate (iGLuRs) and nicotinic acetylcholine (nAChRs) receptors. However, insect receptors often require the co‐expression of chaperone proteins to be functional. Only few iGluRs and nAChRs have been successfully expressed in such systems. Here, we compared the efficiency of chaperone proteins to promote the functional expression of one Apis mellifera iGluR and several nAChR subunit combinations (α1α8β1, α7, α2α8β1 and α2α7α8β1) in Xenopus oocytes. To this end, we cloned a new iGluR (GluR‐1) and potential chaperone proteins (e.g., SOL‐1, Neto, NACHO) and tested more than 40 combinations of human, nematode and honeybee proteins. We obtained robust expression of GluR‐1 and α1α8β1 when co‐expressed with honeybee chaperone proteins and found that nAChR expression critically depended on the α1 subunit N‐terminal sequence. We recorded small ACh‐gated currents in few oocytes when the α7 subunit was co‐expressed with Caenorhabditis elegans RIC‐3, but none of the chaperone proteins allowed efficient expression of α2α8β1 or α2α7α8β1. Our results show that only some protein combinations can reconstitute functional receptors in Xenopus oocytes and that protein combination efficient in one species is not always efficient in another species.
Unmet Caregiving Needs Among Sepsis Survivors Receiving Home Health Care: The Need for Caregiver Training

Unmet needs for family caregiver assistance threaten patient outcomes during Medicare home health care (HHC). Sepsis survivors represent a growing proportion of the HHC patient population, but little is known regarding their risk for unmet caregiving needs. We describe prevalence and underlying cause of unmet caregiving needs for sepsis survivors receiving HHC, using HHC patient assessment data for 85,851 older sepsis survivors receiving post-acute HHC in 2013–2014. Unmet caregiving needs were most common for assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) (28%) and medication administration (27%). Caregivers’ need for training accounted for more than three-fourths of all unmet caregiving needs. Those who experienced decline/no improvement in cognitive function were more likely to experience unmet caregiving needs. Findings highlight the potential value of expanding family caregiver training to improve HHC outcomes for sepsis survivors and indicate that caregivers of sepsis survivors with poor cognitive function may benefit most.
Development and evaluation of polyclonal antibodies based antigen capture ELISA for detection of porcine rotavirus

Abstract Rotaviruses are rising as zoonotic viruses worldwide, causing the lethal dehydrating diarrhea in children, piglets, and other livestock of economic importance. A simple, swift, cost-effective, highly specific, and sensitive antigen-capture enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay (AC-ELISA) was developed for detection of porcine rotavirus-A (PoRVA) by employing rabbit (capture antibody) and murine polyclonal antibodies (detector antibody) produced against VP6 of PoRVA (RVA/Pig-tc/CHN/TM-a/2009/G9P23). Reactivity of the both polyclonal antibodies was confirmed by using an indirect ELISA, western-blot analysis and indirect fluorescence assay against rVP6 protein and PoRVA. The detection limit of AC-ELISA was found 50 ng/ml of PoRVA protein. The relative sensitivity and specificity of this in-house AC-ELISA were evaluated for detection of PoRVA from 295 porcine diarrhea samples, and results were compared with that of RT-PCR and TaqMan RT-qPCR. The relative sensitivity and specificity of AC-ELISA compared with those of TaqMan RT-qPCR were found as 94.4 and 99.2%, respectively, with the strong agreement (κ − 0.58) between these two techniques. Furthermore, AC-ELISA could not detect any cross-reactivity with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, transmissible gastro-enteritis virus, pseudo rabies virus and porcine circovirus-2. This in-house AC-ELISA efficiently detected PoRVA from clinical samples, which suggests that this technique can be used for large-scale surveillance and timely detection of rotavirus infection in the porcine farms. NOVELTY STATEMENT In this study, we used a Chinese porcine rotavirus-A (PoRVA) strain containing the I5, a dominant VP6-genotype in pigs, for production of VP6 (most conserved) protein based polyclonal antibodies (pAb) in rabbits (as capture Ab) and mouse (as detector Ab) for development of simple, cost effective, highly specific and sensitive AC-ELISA for detection of PoRVA. Furthermore, there is no any previous published report on application of rabbit and mouse pAb against VP6 for developing an AC-ELISA against PoRVA.
A sensitive LC‐MS/MS method for quantification of phenytoin and its major metabolite with application to in vivo investigations of intravenous and intranasal phenytoin delivery

Phenytoin is a powerful antiseizure drug with complex pharmacokinetic properties, making it an interesting model drug to use in preclinical in vivo investigations, especially with regards to formulations aiming to improve drug delivery to the brain. Moreover, it has a major metabolite, 5‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐5‐phenylhydantoin, which can be simultaneously studied to achieve a better assessment of its behaviour in the body. Here, we describe the development and validation of a sensitive LCMS/MS method for quantification of phenytoin and 5‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐5‐phenylhydantoin in rat plasma and brain which can be used in such preclinical studies. Calibration curves produced covered a range of 7.81 to 250 ng/mL (plasma) and 23.4 to 750 ng/g (brain tissue) for both analytes. The method was validated for specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision and found to be within the acceptable limits of ±15% over this range in both tissue types. The method when applied in two in vivo investigations: validation of a seizure model and to study the behaviour of a solution of intranasally administered phenytoin as a foundation for future studies into direct nose‐to‐brain delivery of phenytoin using specifically developed particulate systems, was highly sensitive for detecting phenytoin and 5‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐5‐phenylhydantoin in rat plasma and brain.
Strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, ventilator-associated events, and nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update

Abstract The purpose of this document is to highlight practical recommendations to assist acute care hospitals to prioritize and implement strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), ventilator-associated events (VAE), and non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) in adults, children, and neonates. This document updates the Strategies to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Acute Care Hospitals published in 2014. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA), and is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Hospital Association, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise.
Textiles and Apparel

The study of the art of design, the science of chemistry and physics, and the application of retail and management principles, through the lens of history. The study of textiles and apparel can include analyzing merchandising and consumer sciences ; apparel, functional, and technical design; and textile conservation and museum studies. Direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations' sales representatives. Buy products for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review product quality.
A longitudinal study of positive mental health and coping among Indigenous adults with type 2 diabetes

ABSTRACT Objective Indigenous Peoples and scholars call for strengths-based approaches to research inclusive of Indigenous resiliency and positive outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine positive mental health for Indigenous adults with type 2 diabetes and to determine if positive mental health is linked to community connectedness (a coping resource) and active coping (a coping response). Methods Participants (N = 194 at baseline) were randomly selected from clinical records, at least 18 years old with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and self-identified as American Indian. Results Latent growth curve models revealed that average positive mental health was predicted to decrease over the four waves of the study, although not for participants with above-average active coping at baseline. Community connectedness at baseline was associated with higher initial levels of positive mental health. Within-person change in active coping and community connectedness were both associated with increases in positive mental health. Conclusion This study aligns with previous research demonstrating that coping can influence health outcomes, and furthers the stress process literature by showing that active coping and community connectedness can impact positive mental health for Indigenous adults with Type 2 Diabetes.