Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Field Evaluation of a Novel Colorimetric Method—Double-Site Enzyme-Linked Lactate Dehydrogenase Immunodetection Assay—To Determine Drug Susceptibilities of Plasmodium falciparum Clinical Isolates from Northwestern Thailand

This study was part of the Tak Malaria Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. François Nosten and Alan Brockman were supported by the Wellcome Trust of Great Britain. SMRU is part of the Wellcome-Mahidol University-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Programme. We are indebted to the Karen patients who provided the blood samples and the Karen staff for technical assistance in sample collection. We sincerely thank Phillipe Brasseur and Alicia Moreno for demonstrating the DELI assay, Pierre Druilhe and Michael Makler for supplying monoclonal antibody, Kamajitra Jenjaroen for excellent technical support, and Timothy Anderson for use of a beta counter.
Detection of Bacteroides fragilisEnterotoxin Gene by PCR

ABSTRACT Bacteroides fragilis constitutes about 1% of the bacterial flora in intestines of normal humans. Enterotoxigenic strains of B. fragilis have been associated with diarrheal diseases in humans and animals. The enterotoxin produced by these isolates induces fluid changes in ligated intestinal loops and an in vitro cytotoxic response in HT-29 cells. We developed a nested PCR to detect the enterotoxin gene of B. fragilis in stool specimens. After DNA extraction, a 367-bp fragment was amplified with two outer primers. The amplicon from this reaction was subjected to a second round of amplification with a set of internal primers. With these inner primers, a 290-bp DNA fragment was obtained which was confirmed as part of the B. fragilis enterotoxin gene by Southern blotting with a nonradioactive internal probe and a chemiluminescence system. By this approach, B. fragilis enterotoxin gene sequences were detected in eight known enterotoxigenic human isolates and nine enterotoxigenic horse isolates. No amplification products were obtained from DNA extracted from 28 nonenterotoxigenic B. fragilisisolates or B. distasonis, B. thetaiotaomicron,B. uniformis, B. ovatus, Escherichia coli, or Clostridium difficile. The sensitivity of this assay allowed us to detect as little as 1 pg of enterotoxin DNA sequences or 100 to 1,000 cells of enterotoxigenic B. fragilis/g of stool. Enterotoxin production of all isolates was confirmed in vitro in HT-29 cells. A 100% correlation was obtained between enterotoxin detection by cytotoxin assay and the nested PCR assay. This rapid and sensitive assay can be used to identify enterotoxigenic B. fragilis and may be used clinically to determine the role of B. fragilis in diarrheal diseases.
Differentiation of Campylobacter jejuni Serotype O19 Strains from Non-O19 Strains by PCR

Case of Staphylococcus schleiferi Endocarditis and a Simple Scheme To Identify Clumping Factor-Positive Staphylococci MICHAEL J. LEUNG, NICHALAS NUTTALL, MARGARET MAZUR, TANIA L. TADDEI, MICHAEL MCCOMISH, AND JOHN W. PEARMAN Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Division of Internal Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia 6000, and Division of Microbiology, Queensland Health Pathology and Scientific Services, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston 4029, and Gold Coast Hospital, Southport 4215, Queensland, Australia
Optimal vs. simple capital control rules in a sudden stop environment

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the growing literature on the e ectiveness of prudential capital controls in Emerging Markets Economies by examining the outcomes of three capital control policies in open economy models with pecuniary externalities due to ow collateral constraints. We provide an explanation for the pro-cyclicality of Ramsey optimal capital control policy stressed by Schmitt-Grohé and Uribe [2017]. We investigate the outcomes of two alternative policies, e.g. xed debt-tax on foreign debt that counteract households impatience, and a simple macropudential policy based on foreign debt-to-GDP ratio targeting. Our results, using Bianchi [2011]' model calibration, show that the xed tax policy shifts the economy far away from binding collateral constraint region and reduces macroeconomic volatility, while the implementation of the simple macroprudential leads to a welfare gain relatively higher than that of the regulated economy with xed debt-tax and more than seven times higher than that of Ramsey economy. JEL classi cation: D62, E32, E44, F32, F41
The Development of the Enzyme Complement in Growing Root Cells

Fifteen serial sections, each 10 mm. in length, have been taken from the tip towards the base of the bean root. On corresponding groups of sections determina tions have been made of water content, protein content, and of dipeptidase, gly cine oxidase, phosphatase, and invertase activities. The number of cells in each section of the series has also been determined. From these data unit cell values have been calculated which show how each of the quantities involved changes as the cell grows. It has been shown that four phases are involved in the early development of the cell. In the first, which is traversed in the meristematic zone of the root, the volume increases slightly, the protein content decreases, and the activities of three of the enzymes studied also decrease. In the second, volume, protein content, and all enzyme activities increase considerably. In the third, while the volume enlarges by increase in breadth only, protein content and enzyme activities decrease. In the fourth, growth has ceased and protein content, and enzyme activities continue to decrease. The significance of these changes is discussed.
Reactivation of Peptidoglycan Synthesis in Ether-Permeabilized Escherichia coli after Inhibition by β-Lactam Antibiotics

The recovery of peptidoglycan-synthesizing activity after inhibition by (-lactam antibiotics was investigated in ether-permeabilized cells of Escherichia coli B. Such cells synthesize sodium dodecyl sulfate-insoluble peptidoglycan when provided with UDP-linked precursors and Mg2e. The ability of 3-lactam antibiotics to inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan was correlated with their affinity for penicillin-binding proteins 1A and lBs. Penicillin-binding protein lBs is thought to be the major peptidoglycan synthetase in E. coli and is a major lethal target for (3-lactam antibiotics. Ether-treated bacteria were preincubated with concentrations of (-lactams sufficient to completely inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis and then treated with (3-lactamases to inactivate free antibiotic prior to measurement of peptidoglycan synthesis. At 40 min after (-lactamase treatment, the rate of peptidoglycan synthesis was about 74% of the control rate in cells pretreated with ampicillin, but only 15% of the control in ceUs pretreated with penicillin G or azlocillin. Reversal of inhibition by several other antibiotics fell between these extremes. When cross-linking of peptidoglycan was measured specifically, reversal of inhibition by ampicillin also occurred more readily than that by penicillin G. Reactivation of peptidoglycan synthesis was not due to de novo synthesis of penicillin-binding proteins since it occurred under conditions that did not allow incorporation of [ ]4Cjleucine. We conclude that there is considerable variation in the stability of the inactive acyl enzymes formed between various ,-lactams and penicillin-binding protein lBs, with those formed by penicillin G being relatively long-lived.
An Animal Source for the ROB-1 β-Lactamase of Haemophilus influenzae Type b

The most common cause of ampiciflin resistance in Haemophilus influenzae type b is production of TEM-1 ,B-lactamase; however, a novel enzyme with a similar substrate profile but a quite different isoelectric point has also been described. This j-lactamase, designated ROB-1, has not been found previously in any other organism. In a survey of 46 ampiciUlin-resistant H. influenzae type b isolates, we found a second human isolate that produces ROB-1 and discovered that ampicillin-resistant isolates of the porcine pathogen HaemophUus pleuropneumoniae also produced ROB-1. In both Haemophilus species ROB-1 production was determined by plasmids that had considerable DNA sequence homology. However, the ROB-1 and TEM-1 (3-lacamase genes were not related. Our findings suggest that this form of ampicillin resistance has an animal reservoir and that conditions fostering its prevalence in animal strains may play a role in the spread of resistance to human pathogens.
Molecular Evolution of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Metropolitan Area of Cologne, Germany, from 1984 to 1998

ABSTRACT To investigate the molecular evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a large metropolitan area in Germany, 398 nonrepetitive MRSA isolates recovered from patients from various teaching and nonteaching hospitals in Cologne between 1984 and 1998 were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). On this basis, 95 representative isolates were selected and further investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. Overall, there were 9 MLST types and 16 spa types. The most prevalent sequence types (STs) were ST239 (38% of isolates), ST247 (29%), and ST228 (18%); the most prevalent spa types were 37 (32%) and 51 (29%). ST239 comprised five major PFGE types and various unique PFGE patterns, and ST5 comprised two PFGE types. While the same PFGE pattern was not observed among strains with different STs, spa type 37 was observed among strains representing two different STs (ST239 and ST241), and these belonged to the same clonal complex as single-locus variants. ST239 was the earliest predominant ST, with the highest prevalence from 1984 to 1988 (96%), followed by ST247 from 1989 to 1993 (83%) and ST228 from 1994 to 1998 (40%). Spa type 37 was the most prevalent from 1984 to 1988 (96%), spa type 51 was the most prevalent from 1989 to 1993 (83%), and spa types 1 and 458 were the most prevalent from 1994 to 1998 (26% and 14%, respectively). The prevalence of SCCmec type III decreased from 96% from 1984 to 1988 to 8% from 1989 to 1993, the prevalence of SCCmec type I increased from 4% from 1984 to 1988 to 97% from 1989 to 1993 and decreased to 62% from 1994 to 1998. While the genetic diversity of MRSA increased from 1984 to 1998, one prevalent ST usually accounted for most of the isolates in a given time period.
Identification of Medically RelevantTrichosporon Species Based on Sequences of Internal Transcribed Spacer Regions and Construction of a Database forTrichosporon Identification

ABSTRACT The nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and 2 regions in the rRNA gene were determined by directly sequencing PCR-amplified fragments for all of the species (17 species and five varieties) in the genus Trichosporon. Comparative sequence analysis suggests that six medically relevant species, T. asahii, T. asteroides, T. cutaneum,T. inkin, T. mucoides, and T. ovoides, can be readily identified by their ITS sequences. In addition, the sequence analysis showed that conspecific strains have fewer than 1% nucleotide differences in the ITS 1 and 2 regions overall. Molecular phylogenetic trees are also presented.
Perceived Influence of Human Resources Management on Teachers’ Job Performance in Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State

The study examined the perceived influence of human resources management on teachers’ job performance in senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised 268 principals 7,425 teachers in the 268 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample of 134 principals and 734 teachers, representing 50% of the population of principals and 10% of the population of teachers was used for the study. The disproportionate stratified random sampling technique was adopted in obtaining the sample size. A self-structured questionnaire titled “Perceived Influence of Human Resources Management on Teachers’ Job performance Questionnaire was used for data collection. The face and content validities of the questionnaire were assessed by the researcher’s supervisor and other experts in Educational Management. The reliability of the instrument was determined through test–retest technique. The responses were correlated and analyzed, using Pearson Product Moment correlation statistics that yielded a reliability co-efficient of 0.80. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that newly recruited teachers are helped in meeting their needs for direction in performing their job and that staff supervision enables teachers to be mentally stable in performing their duties. It was therefore recommended that school administrators should ensure that secondary school teachers are effectively supervised in order to discover in time areas of weakness that require immediate attention.
Comparison of Kruis, Manning and Rome IV Criteria in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by chronic abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea. Manning criteria, Kruis criteria and Rome IV criteria have shown that certain symptoms derived from a 15-items questionnaire differentiated patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) from patients with organic diseases. The purpose of the study is to find out the reliability and discriminatory value of the Manning criteria, Kruis criteria and Rome IV criteria in the differentiation of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) from organic diseases and to find out if the three criteria could be combined. The study is a prospective cross-sectional analytical study of one hundred and thirty patients who presented with Diarrhea or Constipation to the Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore between September- February, 2019-2020. After taking informed consent, patients were subjected to preformed questionnaire in the language best understood by them. Patient underwent diagnostic investigations like Complete blood count (CBC), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C- reactive protein, Serum albumin and Colonoscopy. A total of 130 patients were interviewed for the study. Manning criteria had the highest sensitivity (88%) compared to Kruis criteria (81%) and Rome IV criteria (80%). Kruis criteria had the highest specificity (91%) compared to Manning criteria (87%) and Rome IV criteria (86%). On combining the three criteria, while the sensitivity is 94.4%, the specificity fell drastically to 58%. Hence everything considered it is best to ply with the individual criteria for the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.
Multiple Clones within Multidrug-ResistantSalmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium Phage Type DT104

ABSTRACT Six distinct clones were present among Greek multidrug-resistantSalmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium phage type DT104, since isolates belonging to resistance phenotypes including the ACSSuT (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamides, and tetracycline) core could be distinguished with respect to their pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, int1 integron structures, and presence or absence of antibiotic resistance genesant(3")-Ia, pse-1, and tem-1.
Isolation and Characterization of Sorbitol-Fermenting Shiga Toxin (Verocytotoxin)-Producing Escherichia coli O157:Hßtrains in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT Two sorbitol-fermenting (SF) Shiga toxin-producingEscherichia coli (STEC) O157:H− strains were isolated from patients with hemolytic-uremic syndrome in the Czech Republic in 1995. Their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and genomic DNA fingerprints were identical or closely related to those of SF STEC O157:H− strains isolated in Germany in 1988 to 1997. This indicates that the Czech isolates belong to the SF STEC O157 clone which is widespread in Germany. It is the first finding of the clone outside Germany.
Influence of hemlock woolly adelgid infestation on the physiological and reflectance characteristics of eastern hemlock

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) (Adelges tsugae Annand) is an invasive insect in the eastern United States. Since its initial detection in Richmond, Virginia, in 1951, HWA has spread to half of the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. ) natural range. Detection of early infestation symptoms via remote sensing requires the knowledge of the changes in reflectance resulting from physiological changes in the host as inflicted by the insect and the selection of equipment with the appropriate sensor characteristics. Laboratory-based reflectance measurements of infested and non-infested hemlock foliage collected from four sites in southern New Hampshire and Maine occurred biweekly over 6 months in 2012 and weekly over 5 weeks in 2013. Vegetation indices (red edge inflection point (REIP), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), moisture stress index (MSI), and near infrared (NIR) 3/1 ratio) were associated with concurrent chlorophyll and moisture content data. Infested first-year foliage contained .
Comparison of Real-Time PCR, Conventional PCR, and Galactomannan Antigen Detection by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Using Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Samples from Hematology Patients for Diagnosis of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

An iCycler iQ real-time PCR assay targeting 18S rRNA Aspergillus-specific sequences was developed for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). Positive findings were obtained for 18 of 20 (90%) bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens from patients with probable or confirmed IPA and were obtained for none of the 24 BAL samples from patients with no clinical evidence of aspergillosis. These results were concordant with those of a nested PCR assay, which detected 90% of the patients with IPA, while galactomannan ELISA revealed positivity for 100% of these patients, suggesting that combined use of methods might improve the diagnosis of IPA.
Single-cell RNA-seq reveals ectopic and aberrant lung-resident cell populations in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Human lung single-cell atlas reveals the complexity and diversity of aberrant cellular populations in pulmonary fibrosis. We provide a single-cell atlas of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal interstitial lung disease, by profiling 312,928 cells from 32 IPF, 28 smoker and nonsmoker controls, and 18 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lungs. Among epithelial cells enriched in IPF, we identify a previously unidentified population of aberrant basaloid cells that coexpress basal epithelial, mesenchymal, senescence, and developmental markers and are located at the edge of myofibroblast foci in the IPF lung. Among vascular endothelial cells, we identify an ectopically expanded cell population transcriptomically identical to bronchial restricted vascular endothelial cells in IPF. We confirm the presence of both populations by immunohistochemistry and independent datasets. Among stromal cells, we identify IPF myofibroblasts and invasive fibroblasts with partially overlapping cells in control and COPD lungs. Last, we confirm previous findings of profibrotic macrophage populations in the IPF lung. Our comprehensive catalog reveals the complexity and diversity of aberrant cellular populations in IPF.
Perspectives on the use of a seaweed extract to moderate the negative effects of alternate bearing in apple trees

Summary Alternate bearing is a serious problem in many apple varieties. In fact, each year, apple trees have to be thinned in order to ensure a correct and constant balance between the reproductive and vegetative tendencies of the plant. In organic fruit growing, there is no alternative to the expensive and time-consuming process of hand-thinning. Under these conditions, the use of natural bio-stimulants which enhance the efficiency of nutrient uptake, plant fitness to different pedoclimatic conditions, and plant tolerance to stress, offers new opportunities to reduce the negative effects of alternate bearing. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of Actiwave®, a metabolic enhancer derived from the alga, Ascophillum nodosum, on ‘Fuji’ apple trees affected by experimentally-imposed alternate bearing. The experiments were carried in open field conditions over four consecutive years. Although the effect of Actiwave® was erratic from year-to-year, the compound generally reduced those problems linked to alternate bearing. Actiwave® had its most significant effect on alternate bearing plants that were also affected by nutrient deprivation due to the absence of fertilisation. In these trees,Actiwave® decreased the oscillations in yield between “on” and “off” years and increased the average fruit weight on plants affected by too-high a crop load. Treated trees also showed higher leaf chlorophyll contents (increased by 12%), with a consequent increase in the rates of photosynthesis and respiration. On the other hand, under standard conditions, in well-fertilised balanced plants, Actiwave® did not have any significant effect. This evidence corroborates the hypothesis that Actiwave® may be a useful tool to reduce alternate bearing in organic and low-input farming.
Genetic parameters for milk components including lactose from test day records in the New Zealand dairy herd

There are currently few published estimates of genetic parameters for lactose yield or lactose percentage for dairy cows. Recent trends in milk standardisation for whole milk powder have resulted in whole milk being standardised with the ratio of protein to protein-plus-lactose of at least 0.39. Currently whole milk powder produced from New Zealand milk has a protein to protein-plus-lactose ratio of 0.43, thus requiring additional lactose to be imported to maximise the return from the current product portfolio. Estimates of genetic parameters were obtained using 15,366 test day records from 4378 first-lactation cows in the Livestock Improvement Corporation sire proving scheme in the 2011–12 dairy season, distributed across 70 herds. These data included milk, fat, protein and lactose yields; fat, protein and lactose percentages; somatic cell count; days in milk; and the protein to fat ratio and protein to protein-plus-lactose ratio. Mean milk yield was 13.8 L/day, containing 5.16% fat, 3.93% protein and 5.12% lactose. Heritability estimates were 0.22, 0.35, 0.32 and 0.25 for milk yield, fat, protein and lactose percentages, respectively, which were lower than those reported in the literature but enough to allow for selection of lactose percentage.
Some rheological properties of new and used mineral lubricant and biolubricant for tractors

It is important to know physical characteristics of lubricating oils to ensure the highest reliability for operation of device. The use of ecological lubricants depends on their characteristics; the most important are density and viscosity, protection against wear and tear, corrosion resistance etc. The objective of this work was to find changes of the rheological properties of the synthetic oil and bio lubricant. We compared two different oils in our measurements. One sample was synthetic oil and the other was mineral oil (bio lubricant). Both oils are universal oils for tractors. Further, comparison of new and used sample after million cycles was performed. The density and the dynamic viscosity show strong exponentially decreasing dependence. With the increasing temperature, values of the both properties, decreased. It can be also observed that used samples have lower viscosity and density. The results presented in this article can be important when putting ecological lubricants into operation.