Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases and Class C β-Lactamases among Cloacal Escherichia coli Isolates in Belgian Broiler Farms

ABSTRACT A total of 295 ceftiofur-resistant Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from 489 cloacal samples collected at five different Belgian broiler farms with the aim to evaluate the diversity of this resistance at the farm level. Strains were examined for resistance against β-lactam antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents by using disk diffusion tests. Three different β-lactam resistance phenotypes suggested the presence of an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), a class C β-lactamase, or the combination of an ESBL with a class C β-lactamase. Seventy-six percent of these isolates also showed acquired resistance to other antimicrobial agents. After genotyping by repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR, 51 unrelated E. coli strains were selected for further analyses. Isoelectric focusing and sequencing of the amplicons obtained in PCRs for the detection of genes encoding broad-spectrum β-lactamase enzymes revealed the following ESBLs: TEM-52 (13.2%), TEM-106 (2%), CTX-M-1 (27.4%), CTX-M-2 (7.8%), CTX-M-14 (5.9%), and CTX-M-15 (2%). The only plasmidic AmpC β-lactamase found in this study was the CMY-2 enzyme (49%). Mutations in the promoter and attenuator regions of the chromosomal ampC gene were found only in association with blaCMY-2 genes and ESBL genes. The combination of an ESBL (CTX-M-1) with a plasmidic AmpC β-lactamase (CMY-2) was found in 7.8% of the isolates. These data show that ceftiofur-resistant E. coli strains are often present in cloacal samples of broilers at the farm level in Belgium. The diversity of broad-spectrum β-lactamases among these isolates is high, and they may act as a reservoir of ESBL and ampC genes.
Color Constancy Using Ridge Regression

Although there exist a number of single color constancy algorithms, none of them can be considered universal. Consequently, how to select and combine existing single algorithms are two important research directions in the field of color constancy. In this paper we use ridge regression, a simple yet effective machine learning approach, to select and combine existing color constancy algorithms. Two algorithms are proposed using ridge regression in this paper. In the first method (combination of existing color constancy algorithms), the color of the light source is estimated based on the results of existing single color constancy algorithms using ridge regression. In the second method (selection of existing color constancy algorithms), the proper algorithm for a given image is selected by ridge regression based on natural image statistics. Then it is used to estimate the color of the light source. The proposed two algorithms are verified on a large data set with more than 11,000 images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods are competitive with the state-of-the-art methods.
Opportunistic Spectrum Access Using Greedy And Optimal Approach in Cognitive Radios

- In cognitive radio networks, the secondary user network are allowed to utilize the underutilized frequency bands of primary user network on non-interfering basis. To achieve this task, the secondary users (SU) are required to sense the RF environment, and once the primary user (PU) is found to be active, the SU have to give up the channel within certain amount of time. There are two restrictions related to spectrum sensing: probability of detection and probability of false alarm. The higher the detection probability, the better the PU can be protected. However, from the SUs’ point of view, the lower the false alarm probability, the more chances the channel can be utilized, thus the higher the achievable throughput for the SU’s. In this paper, we are addressing the problem of primary secondary spectrum sharing in cognitive radio’s access network on the basis of spectrum sensing algorithm. The algorithm enhances the overall secondary user performance while protecting the primary network at a desired level. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem to maximize the available secondary throughput capacity. Simulation results attest that the proposed optimal algorithm achieves a superior performance in comparison to the greedy algorithms. The key purpose of this approach is to maximize the spectrum reuse and to ensure minimal interference between them.
A joint resource allocation scheme for OFDMA-based wireless pervasive networks with carrier aggregation

The mixture of users with different capabilities of Carrier Aggregation CA presents new challenges to optimise the performance of the next generation wireless pervasive networks. This paper focuses on the joint resources allocation for OFDMA-based multi-carrier system, with the objective of maximising the network utility. Distinguished from many existing methods, our approach combines dynamic spectrum resources assignment and adaptive power allocation technologies for the CA networks. We propose a novel scheme with Joint Component Carrier CC, Resource Block RB and Power Allocation JCRPA, where the Minimising System Utility Loss MSUL algorithm is developed to allocate both CCs and RBs for different users with various CA capabilities. Furthermore, with the cooperation of the JCRPA scheme, a CC-switch control mechanism is devised to reduce the overhead due to frequent CC switching. Simulation results demonstrate that JCRPA is able to significantly improve the system performance in terms of network utility, average throughput and transmission fairness.
The new baby.

Feel lonely? What about reading books? Book is one of the greatest friends to accompany while in your lonely time. When you have no friends and activities somewhere and sometimes, reading book can be a great choice. This is not only for spending the time, it will increase the knowledge. Of course the b=benefits to take will relate to what kind of book that you are reading. And now, we will concern you to try reading the new baby as one of the reading material to finish quickly.
Ratiometric Afterglow Nanothermometer for Simultaneous in Situ Bioimaging and Local Tissue Temperature Sensing

Simultaneous in situ bioimage tracing and temperature sensing have been two of the foci of modern biomedicine that have given birth to designing novel luminescent nanothermometers with dual functions. To minimize the disadvantages of existing approaches, like the surface effect of nanoparticles, autofluorescence, and/or the thermal effect described herein, a bifunctional (simultaneous in vivo bioimaging and local tissue temperature sensing) ratiometric afterglow nanothermometer has been realized in the physiological temperature range (298–325 K) based on persistent luminescent Cr3+ (with d electron configuration)-doped zinc gallogermanate nanoparticles. The contributions of the radiative 2E → 4A2 and 4T2 → 4A2 transitions of surface and interior Cr3+ to the near-infrared afterglow dual emissions are modeled, and the measured thermal sensitivities (0.043–0.047 K–1) for detecting the temperature of a human serum albumin solution are 1 order of magnitude higher than those using an upconverting luminescent na.
Melody Information Retrieval System Using Dynamic Time Warping

With the increasing popularity of music, there is an intensive need for an efficient and natural way of querying an audio database in order to retrieve the desired songs. This paper presents a system that accepts user input, usually a tune hummed or sung by the user, which accounts for the most natural way of retrieval. A modified form of Dynamic Time Warping technique is used as a similarity metric in order to suit for various humming/singing habits of the user. This technique is employed to compare a given user input to a number of songs stored in the database and performs an exhaustive search to return results as a list of matching songs.
Measuring the nursing work environment: translation and psychometric evaluation of the Essentials of Magnetism.

AIM Translate the Essentials of Magnetism II© (EOMII; Dutch Nurses' Association, Utrecht, The Netherlands) and assess its psychometric properties in a culture different from its origin. BACKGROUND The EOMII, developed in the USA, measures the extent to which organizations/units provide healthy, productive and satisfying work environments. As many healthcare organizations are facing difficulties in attracting and retaining staff nurses, the EOMII provides the opportunity to assess the health and effectiveness of work environments. METHODS A three-phased (respectively N = 13, N = 74 and N = 2542) combined descriptive and correlational design was undertaken for translation and evaluation validity and psychometric qualities of the EOMII for Dutch hospitals (December 2009-January 2010). We performed forward-backward translation, face and content validation via cross-sectional survey research, and semi-structured interviews on relevance, clarity, and recognizability of instruments' items. Psychometric testing included principal component analysis using varimax rotation, item-total statistics, and reliability in terms of internal consistency (Cronbach's α) for the total scale and its subscales. RESULTS Face validity was confirmed. Items were recognizable, relevant and clear. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that five of eight subscales formed clear factors. Three original subscales contained two factors. Item-total correlations ranged from 0.43 to 0.83. One item correlated weakly (0.24) with its subscale. Cronbach's α for the entire scale was 0.92 and ranged from 0.58 to 0.92 for eight subscales. CONCLUSIONS Dutch-translated EOMII (D-EOMII) demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity for assessing hospital staff nurses' work environment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY The D-EOMII can be useful and effective in identifying areas in which change is needed for a hospital to pursue an excellent work environment that attracts and retains well-qualified nurses.
Optimisation of ultrasound-assisted extraction of rosehip (Rosa canina L.) with response surface methodology.

BACKGROUND Ultrasound-assisted extraction of polyphenols from rosehip (Rosa canina L.) was investigated. The aim of the study was to examine the extraction parameters such as extraction time (30-90 min), temperature (30-50 °C) and solvent concentration (40-100% ethanol, v/v), and to obtain the best possible combinations of these parameters by using response surface methodology. RESULTS The experiments were performed according to the face-centred central design. Total phenolic content was expressed in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of dried matter (DM). The second-order polynomial model gave a satisfactory description of the experimental data. 47.23 mg GAE g(-1) DM was predicted at the optimum operating conditions (40% EtOH composition, 50 °C of temperature, and 81.23 min of extraction time). CONCLUSION All of the parameters (ethanol concentration, extraction time and extraction temperature) used in this research have the significant effect on the extraction efficiency of total phenolic content in rosehip extracts (P < 0.05). The solvent concentration was proved to be the most significant effective on the yields obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction.
The Function of the Na+-Driven Flagellum of Vibrio cholerae Is Determined by Osmolality and pH

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae is motile by its polar flagellum, which is driven by a Na+-conducting motor. The stators of the motor, composed of four PomA and two PomB subunits, provide access for Na+ to the torque-generating unit of the motor. To characterize the Na+ pathway formed by the PomAB complex, we studied the influence of chloride salts (chaotropic, Na+, and K+) and pH on the motility of V. cholerae. Motility decreased at elevated pH but increased if a chaotropic chloride salt was added, which rules out a direct Na+ and H+ competition in the process of binding to the conserved PomB D23 residue. Cells expressing the PomB S26A/T or D42N variants lost motility at low Na+ concentrations but regained motility in the presence of 170 mM chloride. Both PomA and PomB were modified by N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), indicating the presence of protonated carboxyl groups in the hydrophobic regions of the two proteins. Na+ did not protect PomA and PomB from this modification. Our study shows that both osmolality and pH have an influence on the function of the flagellum from V. cholerae. We propose that D23, S26, and D42 of PomB are part of an ion-conducting pathway formed by the PomAB stator complex.
Security challenges of Routing protocols in MANETS: An Overview

Mobile Adhoc network(MANETS) are a set of mobile nodes that form temporary network without aid of any existing network infrastructure or central access point. The nodes communicate with each other by interchange of packets ,which for those nodes not in wireless range goes hop by hop. So lack of defined central authority the routing process becomes a challenging task there by leaving MANETS vulnerable to attacks which results in performance degradation as well as issues related to reliability of such networks. In this paper we are giving an overview of several routing protocols and some of the common routing attacks and their counter measures. Keywords—MANETS,routingprotocols,routing attacks,counter measures.
Up-regulation of Store-operated Ca2+ Entry and Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells Promote the Acinar Phenotype of the Primary Human Salivary Gland Cells*

The signaling pathways involved in the generation and maintenance of exocrine gland acinar cells have not yet been established. Primary human salivary gland epithelial cells, derived from salivary gland biopsies, acquired an acinar-like phenotype when the [Ca2+] in the serum-free medium (keratinocyte growth medium, KGM) was increased from 0.05 mm (KGM-L) to 1.2 mm (KGM-H). Here we examined the mechanism underlying this Ca2+-dependent generation of the acinar cell phenotype. Compared with cells in KGM-L, those in KGM-H display enhancement of Orai1, STIM1, STIM2, and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFAT1) expression together with an increase in store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), SOCE-dependent nuclear translocation of pGFP-NFAT1, and NFAT-dependent but not NFκB-dependent gene expression. Importantly, AQP5, an acinar-specific protein critical for function, is up-regulated in KGM-H via SOCE/NFAT-dependent gene expression. We identified critical NFAT binding motifs in the AQP5 promoter that are involved in Ca2+-dependent up-regulation of AQP5. These important findings reveal that the Ca2+-induced switch of salivary epithelial cells to an acinar-like phenotype involves remodeling of SOCE and NFAT signaling, which together control the expression of proteins critically relevant for acinar cell function. Our data provide a novel strategy for generating and maintaining acinar cells in culture.
Ieee Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems State of the Art in Vehicle Active Suspension Adaptive Control Systems Based on Intelligent Methodologies

—This paper reviews computational intelligence involved approaches in active vehicle suspension control systems with a focus on the problems raised in practical implementations by their non-linear and uncertain properties. After a brief introduction on active suspension models, the paper explores state of the art in fuzzy inference systems, neural networks, genetic algorithms and their combination for suspension control issues. Discussion and comments are provided based on the reviewed simulation and experimental results. The paper is concluded with remarks and future directions.
Fluorescent Nanoparticles Based on Self‐Assembled π‐Conjugated Systems

π‐Conjugated molecules are interesting components to prepare fluorescent nanoparticles. From the use of polymer chains that form small aggregates in water to the self‐assembly of small chromophoric segments into highly ordered structures, the preparation of these materials allows to develop systems with applications as sensors or biolabels. The potential functionalization of the nanoparticles can lead to specific probing. This progress report describes the recent advances in the preparation of such emittive organic nanoparticles.
Blockade of Interleukin-17A Results in Reduced Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice

Background— T cells play an important role during the immune response that accompanies atherosclerosis. To date, the role for interleukin (IL)-17A in atherogenesis is not well defined. Here, we tested the hypothesis that atherosclerosis-prone conditions induce the differentiation of IL-17A–producing T cells, which in turn promote atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— IL-17A was found to be elevated in the plasma and tissues of apolipoprotein E–deficient (Apoe−/−) mice. IL-17A–expressing T cells were significantly increased in the aortas, spleen, and lamina propria of aged Apoe−/− mice compared with age-matched C57BL/6 mice. IL-17A+ T cells resided in both adventitia and aortas of aged Apoe−/− mice fed a chow diet. Elevated levels of IL-17A+ T cells were also detected in the aortas of 21-week-old Apoe−/− mice fed a Western diet for 15 weeks. IL-17A+ T cells were characterized as predominantly CD4+ T helper 17 (Th17) cells and &ggr;&dgr;+ T cells. Blockade of IL-17A in Apoe−/− mice by use of adenovirus-produced IL-17 receptor A reduced plaque burden in Apoe−/− mice fed a Western diet for 15 weeks. In addition, the treatment diminished circulating IL-6 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor levels and limited CXCL1 expression and macrophage content within the aortas. Conversely, IL-17A treatment of whole aorta isolated from Apoe−/− mice promoted aortic CXCL1 expression and monocyte adhesion in an ex vivo adhesion assay. Conclusions— These results demonstrate that atherosclerosis-prone conditions induce the differentiation of IL-17A–producing T cells. IL-17A plays a proatherogenic inflammatory role during atherogenesis by promoting monocyte/macrophage recruitment into the aortic wall.
Active teaching-learning methodologies: medical students' views of problem-based learning

The prevailing undergraduate medical training process still favors disconnection and professional distancing from social needs. The Brazilian Ministries of Education and Health, through the National Curriculum Guidelines, the Incentives Program for Changes in the Medical Curriculum (PROMED), and the National Program for Reorientation of Professional Training in Health (PRO-SAUDE), promoted the stimulus for an effective connection between medical institutions and the Unified National Health System (SUS). In accordance to the new paradigm for medical training, the Centro Universitario Serra dos Orgaos (UNIFESO) established a teaching plan in 2005 using active methodologies, specifically problem-based learning (PBL). Research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with third-year undergraduate students at the UNIFESO Medical School. The results were categorized as proposed by Bardin's thematic analysis, with the purpose of verifying the students' impressions of the new curriculum. Active methodologies proved to be well-accepted by students, who defined them as exciting and inclusive of theory and practice in medical education.
Computational Approaches in Biomedical Nanoengineering: An Overview

Nanobiotechnology – a revolution in “biomedical engineering,” “nanomaterials synthesis,” and characterization activities – rules the subfield of biomedicine. One nanometer, or meters, is the length of a single sugar molecule. A cubic nanometer provides only enough room for a few hundred carbon atoms. Since it may never be possible to create novel arrangements of subatomic particles, a nanometer represents the approximate lower limit on the size of technology. The dream of nanoscale computing was first brought to prominence by Richard Feynman in his 1959 speech to the American Physical Society. As he put it, “there’s plenty of room at the bottom. ” This emerging technology will usher in new possibilities in computation: molecular electronics, DNA computing, disease diagnosis, target-specific drug delivery, molecular imaging, and more. Nanoscale architectures must function correctly even when individual devices fail. In a layman’s terminology, applying nanotechnology for treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of diseases is usually referred to as “nanomedicine. ” Nanobiotechnology deals with the construction and application of various nanomaterials particular to pharmacy and medicine; it has enormous potential to solve critical issues of important human diseases. For example, the advanced drug delivery, imaging/diagnosis, theranostics and biosensors, and their application to cure patients with cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other diseases reflect the advancement in the field of nanotechnology. Nanotherapeutics and nanodevices, since explored, have proved to shed enormous positive impacts on human health. Examples include nanoparticles (NPs) for the delivery of small molecule drugs, proteins, DNAs, siRNAs, and messenger RNA (mRNAs) for different kinds of therapy (e.g. chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, etc.) via different administration pathways (e.g. oral administration, intravenous injection, inhalation, etc.), brand-new nanomaterials for novel
Adrenal responses to low dose synthetic ACTH (Synacthen) in children receiving high dose inhaled fluticasone

Background and Aims: Clinical adrenal insufficiency has been reported with doses of inhaled fluticasone proprionate (FP) >400 μg/day, the maximum dose licensed for use in children with asthma. Following two cases of serious adrenal insufficiency (one fatal) attributed to FP, adrenal function was evaluated in children receiving FP outwith the licensed dose. Methods: Children recorded as prescribed FP ⩾500 μg/day were invited to attend for assessment. Adrenal function was measured using the low dose Synacthen test (500 ng/1.73 m2 intravenously) and was categorised as: biochemically normal (peak cortisol response >500 nmol/l); impaired (peak cortisol ⩽500 nmol/l); or flat (peak cortisol ⩽500 nmol/l with increment of <200 nmol/l and basal morning cortisol <200 nmol/l). Results: A total of 422 children had been receiving FP alone or in combination with salmeterol; 202 were not investigated (137 FP within license; 24 FP discontinued); 220 attended and 217 (age 2.6–19.3 years) were successfully tested. Of 194 receiving FP ⩾500 μg/day, six had flat responses, 82 impaired responses, 104 were normal, and in 2 the LDST was unsuccessful. Apart from the index child, the other five with flat responses were asymptomatic; a further child with impairment (peak cortisol 296 nmol/l) had encephalopathic symptoms with borderline hypoglycaemia during an intercurrent illness. The six with flat responses and the symptomatic child were all receiving FP doses of ⩾ 1000 μg/day. Conclusion: Overall, flat adrenal responses in association with FP occurred in 2.8% of children tested, all receiving ⩾1000 μg/day, while impaired responses were seen in 39.6%. Children on above licence FP doses should have adrenal function monitoring as well as a written plan for emergency steroid replacement.