Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hemagglutination and adherence to plastic by Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is an important nosocomial pathogen responsible for intravenous catheter-related bacteremia and infections of other prosthetic medical devices. We found that the ability of S. epidermidis to hemagglutinate erythrocytes correlated with the adherence of bacteria to plastic and to intravenous catheters. S. epidermidis isolates responsible for prosthetic-valve endocarditis (n = 61) and isolates from intravenous catheters (n = 59) were significantly more likely to cause hemagglutination than isolates from the skin of preoperative cardiac surgery patients (n = 19) (P = 0.027). S. epidermidis isolates (n = 23) recovered from the skin of patients 7 to 10 days after cardiac surgery were significantly more likely to exhibit hemagglutination than the preoperative isolates (P = 0.015). By a quantitative adherence assay, we also observed that the hemagglutination titer and number of species of erythrocytes agglutinated correlated directly with adherence to polystyrene (P less than 0.001). In addition, hemagglutinating isolates were significantly more likely to be recovered in high number from intravenous catheters when semiquantitative catheter culture techniques were used (P less than 0.001). We speculate that hemagglutinin(s) either plays a direct role in adherence to polymers and thus prosthetic-device infection or serves as an easily demonstrable marker for adherence-prone isolates.
SCOR Model and the Green Supply Chain

Supply chain management (SCM) is a continually evolving field, relying on breaking down internal and external organizational barriers to gain efficiencies, improve customer support and increase flexibility, thereby resulting in lower costs and increased market share. An emerging area in supply chain practice is green SCM, which integrates environmental management with traditional SCM. Green supply chain management is seen as an important step companies need to take on the road to sustainable practices. SCOR Model (Supply Chain Operations Reference) has been developed by the Supply Chain Council (SCC now merged with APICS) in order to guide companies applying SCM principles. The GreenSCOR model was also developed as an integrated green SCM tool that allows companies to manage their supply chain's environmental impacts, resulting in more efficient operations which have minimal impact on the environment. This chapter will talk about how SCM principles can be modified to reduce the adverse effects of company operations on the environment, especially using the GreenSCOR model.
A search for giant flares from soft gamma-ray repeaters in nearby galaxies in the Konus-WIND short burst sample

The knowledge of the rate of soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) giant flares is important for understanding the giant flare mechanism and the SGR energy budget in the framework of the magnetar model. We estimate the upper limit to the rate using the results of an extensive search for extragalactic soft gamma-repeater giant flares (GFs) among 140 short gamma-ray bursts detected between 1994 and 2010 by Konus-Wind using InterPlanetary Network (IPN) localizations and temporal parameters. We show that Konus-Wind and the IPN are capable of detecting GFs with energies of 2.3×10 46 erg (which is the energy of the GF from SGR 1806 20 assuming a distance of 15 kpc) at distances of up to � 30 Mpc and GFs with energies of . 10 45 erg (which is the energy of the GF from SGR 0526 66) at distances of up to � 6 Mpc. Using a sample of 1896 nearby galaxies we found that only two bursts, GRB 051103 and GRB 070201, have a low chance coincidence probability between an IPN localization and a nearby galaxy. We found the upper limit to the fraction of GFs among short GRBs with fluence above � 5×10 7 erg cm 2 to be < 8% (95% confidence level). Assuming that the number of active SGRs in nearby galaxies is proportional to their core-collapse supernova rate, we derived the one-sided 95% upper limit to the rate of GFs with energy output similar to the GF from SGR 1806 20 to be (0.6–1.2) × 10 4 Q 1.5 46 yr 1 per SGR, where Q46 is the GF energy output in 10 46 erg.
Showing smokers with vascular disease images of their arteries to motivate cessation: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To examine the potential impact of visual personalized biomarker feedback on intention to stop smoking and to evaluate possible underlying causal pathways. DESIGN This study is a pilot for a randomized controlled trial. Outcome measures were assessed immediately after the intervention and at 4 weeks follow-up. METHOD Twenty-three smokers attending a cardiovascular outpatient clinic in London were randomly allocated to one of two groups: to either receive a print-out of an ultrasound image of their carotid artery showing atherosclerotic plaque alongside an image of a disease-free artery, or to receive routine verbal feedback. RESULTS The intervention significantly increased perceptions of susceptibility to smoking-related diseases (Cohen's h=0.99) and led to increases both in engagement in smoking cessation behaviours (Cohen's h=0.79) and intentions to stop smoking (Cohn's d=0.44). The latter was moderated by self-efficacy: the intervention increased intention to stop smoking only in people with higher levels of self-efficacy with regard to stopping smoking. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary support for the potential effectiveness of personalized biomarker feedback to increase intentions to stop smoking. It also highlights the need to target and increase self-efficacy in smoking cessation interventions.
Do Tweets Matter for Shareholders? An Empirical Analysis

Twitter is a social networking website that enables firms (and individuals) to share information via tweets. Tweets are short, condensed messages less than 140 characters in length. Many companies are taking advantage of the easy and free communication line that Twitter offers. Twitter enables managers to communicate directly with investors and promote their companies. During our study period (2010-2011), 215 SP examples include earnings information, dividend information, and annual reports. Previous research focuses on the relation between the internet, attention, and financial markets. For example, Da, Engelberg, and Gao (2011) find an increase in internet search frequency translates to an increase in stock prices. Fang and Peress (2009) show that low media coverage leads to higher returns. Tetlock (2007, 2011) documents the relation between news coverage and stock returns, and establishes a relation between returns and media pessimism and news staleness. Our study is unique in that we do not focus on internet media coverage. Instead, we study the corporate twitter accounts of SP if the end goal of the corporation is to increase shareholder wealth, then social media use should have a positive relation with firm value. First, we find a positive correlation between firm excess return and Twitter membership. We also find that share turnover increases following Twitter membership. After establishing the relation between
Implementation and experimental validation of the high dose rate stereotactic treatment mode at Varian accelerators.

Background. Treating small tumours in the brain requires usage of small fields. However, it is a challenge for all treatment planning systems (TPS) to modulate small fields (≤3×3 cm2) for which lateral electronic equilibrium does not exits. Material and methods. Open field beam data was measured for the stereotactic mode at our Varian Trilogy accelerator and was implemented in the Eclipse TPS for both the Pencil Beam (PB) and the Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA). Additional output factors, profiles and percentage depth dose curves were measured in a water phantom for asymmetric fields and fields defined by the Varian 120 MLC and the BrainLAB m3 MLC. Dose distributions in transverse sections were measured with gafchromic films in a homogeneous phantom. These were compared to those calculated by the Eclipse TPS for 11 stereotactic treatment plans. The plans included non-coplanar, dynamic and arc fields. All comparisons for the film measurements in the phantom were made with a Gamma criterion of 2 mm in distance and 3% in dose. Results. The AAA and the PB algorithms broadened the penumbra of the profiles by approximately 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm, respectively. For static fields defined by the Varian 120 MLC, the measured field size was 1.0 mm broader than the calculated. The output factors were typically within 2% for field sizes ≥ 2×2 cm2. More than 95% of the points passed the Gamma criterion. Up to 50% of the points in the low dose regions failed the criterion, but overall the match was satisfactory. Conclusion. The accuracy of calculations performed by the Eclipse TPS for the SRS mode was shown to be within a few percent for most clinical fields. AAA was found to be superior to the PB algorithm in modelling the dose in the penumbra region.
Effects of Different Methods of DNA Extraction for Activated Sludge on the Subsequent Analysis of Bacterial Community Profiles

The effect of different DNA extraction protocols on activated sludge DNA yield and bacterial community composition was evaluated by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE). Nine different procedures to extract DNA were compared—sonication (30s), sonication (40s), sonication (50s), freezing‐thawing, bead milling, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)‐lysozyme, SDS‐proteinase K, SDS‐lysozyme‐proteinase, and a commercial extraction kit. It was found that the TGGE profiles and the DNA band numbers made significant differences via various extraction methods. The yield and purity of DNA extracted by sonication and other physical methods were not satisfactory, while the DNA purity extracted by SDS and other chemical‐biological methods were better. Crude DNA extracts isolated by sonication and other physical methods passed the polymerase chain reaction, despite the absence of purification and acquired affluent DNA bands in TGGE. The affluence of bands in TGGE was not consistent with the yield and purification of DNA, but was correlative with extraction protocols. To analyze the activated sludge bacterial community by TGGE fingerprint, it is necessary to make a synthesis of the TGGE fingerprint profiles of chemical and physical DNA extraction methods to overcome the representative bias.
Delay to institution of therapy and induction of remission using single-drug or combination-disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To study the impacts of 1) the delay from the onset of symptoms to the institution of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy, 2) two treatment strategies (treatment with a combination of DMARDs or with a single drug), and 3) the presence of HLA-DRB1 alleles (shared epitope) on the prediction of disease remission after 2 years in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS In the FIN-RACo (FINnish Rheumatoid Arthritis Combination therapy) trial, 195 patients with recent-onset RA (median duration 6 months) were randomly assigned to receive either 1) a combination of DMARDs (sulfasalazine, methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, and prednisolone) or 2) a single DMARD with or without prednisolone. The presence of a shared epitope was tested for in 165 of the 178 patients completing the study. The additional variables of age, sex, presence of rheumatoid factor, number of fulfilled American College of Rheumatology criteria for the classification of RA, and length of delay from onset of symptoms to institution of therapy were entered into a logistic regression model to determine the significant predictors for remission at 2 years. RESULTS The delay to therapy (cut point of 4 months) was the only significant predictor for remission in patients treated using the single-DMARD strategy, while no variable was a significant predictor for remission in those treated using the combination-DMARD strategy. The frequency of achieving remission in the combination-DMARD group after 2 years was similar in patients with short (0-4 months) and long (>4 months) delay periods (11 of 26 patients and 22 of 53 patients, respectively [approximately 42% in each group]), while the corresponding frequencies in the single-DMARD group were 8 of 23 patients (35%) and 7 of 63 patients (11%) (P = 0.021). The presence of a shared epitope was not related to the induction of remission. CONCLUSION The delay of a few months from the onset of symptoms to institution of therapy decreases the ability of the traditional single-drug strategy to induce remission in early RA.
Recent Advances in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is considered as a highly curable malignancy, but successful treatment can be associated with significant long-term toxicity. Traditional treatment modalities include chemotherapy, radiotherapy (RT) and salvage chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The goal of modern treatment is focused on tailoring each patient’s approach according to age, risk of relapse and risk of short- and long-term toxicity.
Treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine of patients in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.

OBJECTIVES To assess the clinical characteristics and course of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer disease (AD) treated with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and memantine hydrochloride. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING The 59 recruiting sites for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). PARTICIPANTS Outpatients with MCI and AD in ADNI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, and Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). RESULTS A total of 177 (44.0%) of 402 MCI patients and 159 (84.6%) of 188 mild-AD patients were treated with ChEIs and 11.4% of MCI patients and 45.7% of AD patients with memantine at entry. Mild-cognitive-impairment patients who received ChEIs with or without memantine were more impaired, showed greater decline in scores, and progressed to dementia sooner than patients who did not receive ChEIs. Alzheimer-disease patients who received ChEIs and memantine took them longer, were more functionally impaired, and showed greater decline on the MMSE and CDR (but not on the ADAS-cog or FAQ) than those who received ChEIs only. CONCLUSIONS Academic physicians frequently prescribe ChEIs and memantine earlier than indicated in the US Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling to patients who are relatively more severely impaired or who are rapidly progressing toward cognitive impairment. The use of these medications in ADNI is associated with clinical decline and may affect the interpretation of clinical trial outcomes. STUDY REGISTRATION clinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00106899.
Fundamentals and practice for ultrasensitive laser‐induced fluorescence detection in microanalytical systems

Laser‐induced fluorescence is an extremely sensitive method for detection in chemical separations. In addition, it is well‐suited to detection in small volumes, and as such is widely used for capillary electrophoresis and microchip‐based separations. This review explores the detailed instrumental conditions required for sub‐zeptomole, sub‐picomolar detection limits. The key to achieving the best sensitivity is to use an excitation and emission volume that is matched to the separation system and that, simultaneously, will keep scattering and luminescence background to a minimum. We discuss how this is accomplished with confocal detection, 90° on‐capillary detection, and sheath‐flow detection. It is shown that each of these methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but that all can be used to produce extremely sensitive detectors for capillary‐ or microchip‐based separations. Analysis of these capabilities allows prediction of the optimal means of achieving ultrasensitive detection on microchips.
Micronucleus test on Triturus carnifex as a tool for environmental biomonitoring

The amphibian micronucleus test has been widely used during the last 30 years to test the genotoxic properties of several chemicals and as a tool for ecogenotoxic monitoring. The vast majority of these studies were performed on peripheral blood of urodelan larvae and anuran tadpoles and to a lesser extent adults were also used. In this study, we developed protocols for measuring micronuclei in adult shed skin cells and larval gill cells of the Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex). Amphibians were collected from ponds in two protected areas in Italy that differed in their radon content. Twenty‐three adult newts and 31 larvae were captured from the radon‐rich pond, while 20 adults and 27 larvae were taken from the radon‐free site. The animals were brought to the laboratory and the micronucleus test was performed on peripheral blood and shed skins taken from the adults and on larval gills. Samples from the radon‐rich site showed micronucleus frequencies higher than those from the radon‐free site and the difference was statistically significant in gill cells (P < 0.00001). Moreover, the larval gills seem to be more sensitive than the adult tissues. This method represents an easy (and noninvasive in the case of the shed skin) application of the micronucleus assay that can be useful for environmental studies in situ. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:412–417, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Self-compression of millijoule 1.5 μm pulses

We demonstrate a four-stage optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system that delivers carrier-envelope phase-stable approximately 1.5 microm pulses with energies up to 12.5 mJ before recompression. The system is based on a fusion of femtosecond diode-pumped solid-state Yb technology and a picosecond 100 mJ Nd:YAG pump laser. Pulses with 62 nm bandwidth are recompressed to a 74.4 fs duration close to the transform limit. To show the way toward a terawatt-peak-power single-cycle IR source, we demonstrate self-compression of 2.2 mJ pulses down to 19.8 fs duration in a single filament in argon with a 1.5 mJ output energy and 66% energy throughput.
Energy Efficient Sink Relocation Scheme (Ee-Srs) For Enhanced Network Lifetime in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are embedded with distributed set of sensor nodes that are cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions, and send their information to a "sink" node over multi hop wireless communication links. The sensor nodes battery energy depletion will significantly affect the network lifetime of a WSN. Most researchers have aimed to design energy-aware routing protocol to minimize the usage of the battery energy to prolong network lifetimes. This paper proposes a sink relocation approach for efficient utilization of sensor"s battery energy called Energy Efficient Sink Relocation Scheme (E-SRS) which considers regulation of transmission coverage range depend on the residual energy of a sensor node. The EE-SRS proposed in this paper discusses the algorithm to find the optimal place for relocating the sink, and "when and where to relocate the sink". The EE-SRS algorithm is developed and simulated using network simulator. The performance analysis has also been done in terms of the network lifetime, throughput and packet delay.
Genetic Influences on Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Related Quantitative Traits in Mauritius

Abstract Epidemiological studies report a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the island nation of Mauritius. The Mauritius Family Study was initiated to examine heritable factors that contribute to these high rates of prevalence and consists of 400 individuals in 24 large extended multigenerational pedigrees. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements relating to the metabolic syndrome were undertaken in addition to family and lifestyle based information for each individual. Variance components methods were used to determine the heritability of the type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome related quantitative traits. The cohort was made up of 218 females (55%) and 182 males with 22% diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a further 30% having impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose. Notably BMI was not significantly increased in those with type 2 diabetes (P = .12), however a significant increase in waist circumference was observed in these groups (P = .02). The heritable proportion of trait variance was substantial and greater than values previously published for hip circumference, LDL and total cholesterol, diastolic and systolic blood pressure and serum creatinine. Height, weight and BMI heritabilities were all in the upper range of those previously reported. The phenotypic characteristics of the Mauritius family cohort are similar to those previously reported in the Mauritian population with a high observed prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes. A high heritability for key type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome related phenotypes (range 0.23 to 0.68), suggest the cohort will have utility in identifying genes that influence these quantitative traits.
Ischaemia following selfadministered intra‐arterial injection of methylphenidate and diamorphine

A patient presented with a painful, oedematous, cyanosed hand having injected a solution of diamorphine and methylphenidate into his radial artery. Treatment was started with heparin and vasodilators. Benefit from this was limited and a course of intra‐arterial urokinase was instituted. This gave almost total resolution of the injury. The mechanisms producing ischaemia following intra‐arterial injection of drugs of abuse and possible treatment are discussed.
Overvalued: Swedish Monetary Policy in the 1930s

This paper reconsiders the role of monetary policy in Sweden’s strong recovery from the Great Depression. The Riksbank in the 1930s is sometimes seen as an example of a central bank that was relatively innovative in terms of the conduct of monetary policy. To consider this analytically, we estimate a small-scale, structural general equilibrium model of a small open economy using Bayesian methods. We find that the model captures the key dynamics of the period surprisingly well. Importantly, our findings suggest that Sweden avoided the worst excesses of the depression by conducting conservative rather than innovative monetary policy. We find that, by keeping the Swedish krona undervalued to replenish foreign reserves, Sweden’s exchange rate policy unintentionally contributed to the Swedish growth miracle of the 1930s, avoiding a major slump in 1932 and enabling the country to benefit quickly from the eventual recovery of world demand.