Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneous Vancomycin Resistance in Staphylococcus Aureus: A Review of Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Clinical Significance

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of heterogeneously glycopeptide intermediate Staphylococcus aureus, its epidemiology, methods of diagnosis, and clinical relevance. DATA SOURCES: Literature was retrieved in December 2009 through Academic Search Premier, Alt-Health Watch, MEDLINE, OVID, and PubMed, using the search terms heterogeneous glycopeptide-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus, hGISA, hVISA, vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus, GISA, and VISA (from 2003 to December 2009). Additional references were obtained through review of publication citations. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles retrieved through the literature search and reference review were evaluated for inclusion in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Heterogeneously glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (hGISA) has been shown to significantly complicate treatment for patients with bacteremia and often escapes detection in clinical laboratories. Population analysis profile area under the curve ratio (PAP-AUC) is considered to be the gold standard of hGISA detection; however, it is labor-intensive, expensive, and not feasible in a clinical setting. The Etest macromethod is a reasonable alternative to PAP, yielding high sensitivity and specificity, and has potential for routine use in clinical laboratories. Due to these difficulties in detection, an exact prevalence is difficult to obtain though, based on available data, it appears that approximately 5-15% of isolates display this phenotype. hGISA is associated with prolonged bacteremia, high bacterial load infections, prolonged antibiotic therapy, prolonged hospitalization, treatment failure, and potential for increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, hGISA is associated with a poor clinical course in patients with bacteremia. Information is still lacking regarding the actual prevalence of hGISA as well as the extent of its clinical impact. A uniform method of diagnosis must be established in order to better account for all cases of hGISA. More studies must be conducted to assess clinical outcomes of hGISA.
File Format for Scalable Video Coding

This paper describes the file format defined for scalable video coding. Techniques in the file format enable rapid extraction of scalable data, corresponding to the desired operating point. Significant assistance to file readers can be provided, and there is also great flexibility in the ways that the techniques can be used and combined, corresponding to different usages and application scenarios.
A Buck Power Factor Correction Converter with Predictive Quadratic Sinusoidal Current Modulation and Line Voltage Reconstruction

A buck power factor correction (PFC) converter operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) is influenced by the dead zone, which introduces distortion related to the input line voltage. Such phenomenon limits the maximum power factor (PF) and the minimum total harmonic distortion (THD) achievable. By deriving a methodology to achieve predictive line voltage reconstruction (PLVR), the influence of the dead zone is mitigated. With the prediction of quadratic sinusoidal current modulation (PS2CM), the line current is shaped into sinusoid waveform that is in-phase with input line voltage, crucial for. Consequently, the proposed CCM buck PFC can achieve high PF, low THD, and efficiency simultaneously. A test chip was fabricated in 0.5-μm Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process. The experimental results show a peak PF of 0.95 and a peak efficiency of 98% at 110 Vac.
Seven Focal Economies for Six Focal Places: The Development of Economic Diversity in the Western Canadian Arctic

The Mackenzie River Delta is, by arctic standards, an area of unique ecological productivity and richness. Capitalizing on this resource abundance, Neoeskimo groups inhabiting the Mackenzie Delta region developed a diverse range of focal subsistence strategies, which evolved to support one of the most populous Inuit societies in the Canadian Arctic. By the historic period, the Mackenzie Inuit (the ancestors of the modern Inuvialuit) appear to have been segregated into at least seven distinct territorial groups. Economically, each group seems to have maintained a unique, and in most cases, focal, subsistence strategy, in part the product of the spatially heterogeneous nature of the resource aggregations in the area. In an effort to understand how this regional socioeconomic system developed, zooarchaeological data derived from 24 assemblages representing 19 sites are considered. The resulting analysis emphasizes the interaction between local resource aggregations and settlement patterns in the development of diversity in Mackenzie Inuit subsistence economies, and tracks how these economies phased in and out of a regional economic system in response to demographic, technological, and climatic changes over a period of approximately seven centuries.
Evaluation of multiple sclerosis by 1H spectroscopic imaging at 4.1 T

The authors report on high‐field (4.1 T) magnetic resonance 1H spectroscopic imaging studies on eight patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (mean expanded disability status scale (EDSS) 1.0) and eight normal controls. Using T1 weighted imaging to determine lesion position, the authors found the ratios of choline/N‐acetyl (NA) compounds and creatine/NA were increased significantly in the multiple sclerosis (MS) patients relative to controls in lesioned tissue, adjacent to lesion, far removed from lesions as well as in periventricular tissue. The gray matter creatine/NA was mildly increased (P < 0.01) in the MS patients, whereas the elevated gray‐matter ratio of choline/NA was of borderline significance (P = 0.13). A more detailed comparison of white‐matter and mean graymatter metabolite values indicates that creatine is increased greatest in areas far from lesions. This is in contrast to choline, which was greatest in lesions, and NA, which was smallest in lesions. It is postulated that the creatine increase may reflect an astrocytic (gliotic) or oligodendrocytic remyelinating process. The increased choline most likely reflects varying levels of inflammation and membrane turnover, whereas the NA decrease is representative of axonal dysfunction or loss.
Cyclic GMP‐dependent but G‐kinase‐independent inhibition of Ca2+‐dependent Cl− currents by NO donors in cat tracheal smooth muscle

1 The effects of NO donors on Ca2+‐dependent Cl− currents (ICl(Ca)) were investigated in freshly isolated cat tracheal myocytes using the whole‐cell patch clamp technique. 2 With nystatin‐perforated whole‐cell recording, carbachol (CCh, ≥ 1 μm) induced a transient inward current (ICCh) with a reversal potential of about ‐20 mV. Activation of ICCh probably occurred through the M3 muscarinic receptor, since nanomolar concentrations of 4‐diphenylacetoxy‐N‐methylpiperidine methobromide (4‐DAMP) greatly inhibited this current, while 11‐(2‐(diethylamino)methyl)‐1‐piperidinylacetyl)‐5,11‐dihydro‐6H‐pyrido (2,3β) (1,4)benzodiazepine‐6‐one (AF‐DX 116) or pirenzepine at concentrations of up to 1 μm were almost ineffective. 3 Chloride channel/transporter blockers such as DIDS (100 μm), anthracene‐9‐carboxylic acid (9‐AC, 100 μm) and niflumic acid (100 μm) greatly inhibited ICCh, but cation channel blockers, such as nifedipine (10 μm), Zn2+ (500 μm) or Gd3+ (500 μm), were without effect. 4 Activation of ICCh was strongly attenuated by pretreatment with ryanodine (4 μm) plus caffeine (10 mM). Addition of neomycin (1 mM) into the bath or inclusion of heparin (3 mg ml−1) in the pipette abolished a substantial part of ICCh. These results suggest that ICCh is ICl(Ca), which is activated by inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3)‐mediated Ca2+ release. 5 The nitric oxide donor S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) reduced the amplitude of ICCh dose dependently (IC50, ≈10 μm). Similar inhibition was also exerted by other types of NO donor such as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and (±)‐E‐methyl‐2‐(E‐hydroxyimitol)‐5‐nitro‐6‐methoxy‐3‐hexeneamide (NO‐R). 6 SNAP‐induced ICCh inhibition was effectively antagonized by Methylene Blue (1‐100 nM), and mimicked by dibutyryl cGMP (db‐cGMP) (0.5‐1 mM), whereas two structurally distinct types of cGMP‐dependent (G)‐kinase inhibitor, N‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐5‐isoquinilinesulphonamide (H‐8, 2.5 μm) and KT5823 (1 μm), failed to counteract the inhibitory effects of SNAP or db‐cGMP. Another G‐kinase‐specific inhibitor Rp‐8‐(para‐chlorophenylthio)guanosine‐3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp‐8‐pCPT‐cGMPS; 1 μm) itself caused a marked reduction in ICCh. 7 SNAP (100 μm) or db‐cGMP (100 μm) exhibited no inhibitory actions, when caffeine (10 mM) or photolytically released IP3 were used instead of CCh to activate the inward current. 8 These results suggest that inhibition of ICCh by NO donors involves a cGMP‐dependent but G‐kinase‐independent mechanism, which may operate at a site(s) between the muscarinic (M3) and IP3 receptors.
Ancient Egypt in medieval Moslem/Arabic writings

This thesis researches a neglected period in the history of Egyptology. The impetus was my own training in Egyptology in which no mention was ever made of any medieval Arab contribution. My upbringing as an Egyptian had made me aware of some of the sources which could fill the gap between the classical sources and the European Renaissance. The first chapter discusses the sources available to medieval Moslem/Arabs to learn about Ancient Egypt, and the various elements that contributed to the making of an Interpretatio Arabica of Ancient Egypt. As Egyptian monuments have always been perceived as hiding great treasures, the second chapter discusses treasure hunters, their manuals and state regulation, and the economics of the profession. I give examples of these manuals and their relevance to current archaeological work. Chapter three covers medieval Arab archaeological methods and descriptions of ancient sites and objects. Chapter four shows how interest in ancient Egyptian scripts continued and the attempts by some Medieval Moslem/Arab scholars to decipher hieroglyphs, having realised that it has an alphabet. I give examples of Egyptian scripts correctly deciphered. Chapter five discusses the Medieval Moslem/Arab concepts of Ancient Egyptian religion and how they interpreted the many intact temples. It covers the role of magic, the nature of royal cults, animal cults and holy sites. Chapter six discusses Egyptian Mummia, Mummification and Burial Practices of both humans and animals as well as the medicinal use of mummia in Arabic medicine. Chapter seven shows that Egypt was thought to be the land of science par excellence and gives examples of different scientific Mirabilia attributed to scientists of Pre-Islamic Egypt. Chapter eight discusses the Moslem/Arab concept of Egyptian Kingship and State Administration. It shows the survival of some ancient Egyptian institutions such as “Children of the Room” into the medieval period. I include a case study of Queen Cleopatra showing how the Arabic Romance of this queen differs significantly from its Western counterpart. Chapter nine gives the biographies of the main Arab writers whose works have formed the basis of my thesis. The last chapter contains my conclusions and recommendations for further work that I hope others may pursue.
Cold strain index applied to exercising men in cold-wet conditions.

A cold strain index (CSI) based on rectal (T(re)) and mean skin temperatures ((sk)) using data from seminude resting subjects has been proposed (Moran DS, Castellani JW, O'Brien C, Young AJ, and Pandolf KB. Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 277: R556-R564, 1999). The current study determined whether CSI could provide meaningful data for clothed subjects exercising in the cold with compromised insulation. Ten men exercised in cold-wet conditions (CW) for 6 h before (D0) and after 3 days of exhaustive exercise (D3). Each hour of CW consisted of 10 min of standing in rain (5.4 cm/h, 5 degrees C air) followed by 45 min of walking (1.34 m/s, 5.4 m/s wind, 5 degrees C air). The change in T(re) across time was greater (P < 0.05) on D3 than on D0, and the change in (sk) was less (P < 0.05) on D3 than on D0. Although CSI increased across time, the index at the end of both trials (D3 = 4.6 +/- 0.6; D0 = 4.2 +/- 0.8) was similar (P > 0.05). Thus, while (sk) was 1.3 degrees C higher (P < 0.05) and T(re) was 0.3 degrees C lower (P < 0.05) on D3 than on D0, CSI did not discriminate the greater heat loss that occurred on D3. These findings indicate that when vasoconstrictor responses to cold are altered, such as after exhaustive exercise, CSI does not adequately quantify the different physiological strain between treatments. CSI may be useful for indicating increased strain across time, but its utility as a marker of strain between different treatments or studies is uncertain because no independent measure of strain has been used to determine to what extent CSI is a valid and reliable measure of strain.
A Systematic Approach to Design Low-Power Video Codec Cores

The higher resolutions and new functionality of video applications increase their throughput and processing requirements. In contrast, the energy and heat limitations of mobile devices demand low-power video cores. We propose a memory and communication centric design methodology to reach an energy-efficient dedicated implementation. First, memory optimizations are combined with algorithmic tuning. Then, a partitioning exploration introduces parallelism using a cyclo-static dataflow model that also expresses implementation-specific aspects of communication channels. Towards hardware, these channels are implemented as a restricted set of communication primitives. They enable an automated RTL development strategy for rigorous functional verification. The FPGA/ASIC design of an MPEG-4 Simple Profile video codec demonstrates the methodology. The video pipeline exploits the inherent functional parallelism of the codec and contains a tailored memory hierarchy with burst accesses to external memory. 4CIF encoding at 30 fps, consumes 71 mW in a 180 nm, 1.62 V UMC technology.
Searching for the GRAIL

Abstract This article describes a quest for the GRAIL (Giant Radial Array for Immersive Listening), a large-scale loudspeaker system with related hardware and software control equipment. The GRAIL was developed at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, evolving from the need for optimal sound quality in our multichannel concerts. It is also used for teaching and research. The current GRAIL is one step in an ongoing evolutionary process, characterized by the use of off-the-shelf hardware components and custom software–based on free software languages and libraries. While developing our software, we have, as much as possible, aimed to take advantage of existing programs and utilities.
Cycling before and after Exhaustion Differently Affects Cardiac Autonomic Control during Heart Rate Matched Exercise

During cycling before (PRE) and after exhaustion (POST) different modes of autonomic cardiac control might occur due to different interoceptive input and altered influences from higher brain centers. We hypothesized that heart rate variability (HRV) is significantly affected by an interaction of the experimental period (PRE vs. POST) and exercise intensity (HIGH vs. LOW; HIGH = HR > HR at the lactate threshold (HRLT), LOW = HR ≤ HRLT) despite identical average HR. Methods: Fifty healthy volunteers completed an incremental cycling test until exhaustion. Workload started with 30 W at a constant pedaling rate (60 revolutions · min−1) and was gradually increased by 30 W · 5 min−1. Five adjacent 60 s inter-beat (R-R) interval segments from the immediate recovery period (POST 1–5 at 30 W and 60 rpm) were each matched with their HR-corresponding 60 s-segments during the cycle test (PRE 1–5). An analysis of covariance was carried out with one repeated-measures factor (PRE vs. POST exhaustion), one between-subject factor (HIGH vs. LOW intensity) and respiration rate as covariate to test for significant effects (p < 0.050) on the natural log-transformed root mean square of successive differences between adjacent R-R intervals (lnRMSSD60s). Results: LnRMSSD60s was significantly affected by the interaction of experimental period × intensity [F(1, 242) = 30.233, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.111]. LnRMSSD60s was higher during PRE compared to POST at LOW intensity (1.6 ± 0.6 vs. 1.4 ± 0.6 ms; p < 0.001). In contrast, at HIGH intensity lnRMSSD60s was lower during PRE compared to POST (1.0 ± 0.4 vs. 1.2 ± 0.4 ms; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Identical net HR during cycling can result from distinct autonomic modulation patterns. Results suggest a pronounced sympathetic-parasympathetic coactivation immediately after the cessation of peak workload compared to HR-matched cycling before exhaustion at HIGH intensity. On the opposite, at LOW intensity cycling, a stronger coactivational cardiac autonomic modulation pattern occurs during PRE-exhaustion if compared to POST-exhaustion cycling. The different autonomic modes during these phases might be the result of different afferent and/or central inputs to the cardiovascular control centers in the brainstem.
Quality of Life and Physical Function in Older Patients on Dialysis: A Comparison of Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis with Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In-center hemodialysis (HD) is often the default dialysis modality for older patients. Few centers use assisted peritoneal dialysis (PD), which enables treatment at home. This observational study compared quality of life (QoL) and physical function between older patients on assisted PD and HD. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Patients on assisted PD who were >60 years old and on dialysis for >3 months were recruited and matched to patients on HD (needing hospital transport) by age, sex, diabetes, dialysis vintage, ethnicity, and index of deprivation. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale. QoL assessments included Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short Form-12, Palliative Outcomes Symptom Scale (renal), Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale, and Renal Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (RTSQ). Physical function was evaluated by Barthel Score and timed up and go test. RESULTS In total, 251 patients (129 PD and 122 HD) were recruited. In unadjusted analysis, patients on assisted PD had a higher prevalence of possible depression (HADS>8; PD=38.8%; HD=23.8%; P=0.05) and higher HADS depression score (median: PD=6; HD=5; P=0.05) but higher RTSQ scores (median: PD=55; HD=51; P<0.01). In a generalized linear regression model adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity, dialysis vintage, and frailty, assisted PD continued to be associated with higher RTSQ scores (P=0.04) but not with other QoL measures. CONCLUSIONS There are no differences in measures of QoL and physical function between older patients on assisted PD and comparable patients on HD, except for treatment satisfaction, which is higher in patients on PD. Assisted PD should be considered as an alternative to HD for older patients, allowing them to make their preferred choices.
Robustness of Quality-based Score Calibration of Speaker Recognition Systems with respect to low-SNR and short-duration conditions

Degraded signal quality and incomplete voice probes have se-vere effects on the performance of a speaker recognition system. Uniﬁed audio characteristics (UACs) have been proposed to quantify multi-condition signal degradation effects into posterior probabilities of quality classes. In previous work, we showed that UAC-based quality vectors (q-vectors) are efﬁ-cient at the score-normalization stage. Hence, we motivate q-vector based calibration by using functions of quality estimates (FQEs). In this work, we examine the robustness of calibration approaches to low-SNR and short-duration conditions utilizing measured and estimated quality indicators. Thereby, comparisons are drawn to quality measure functions (QMFs) employing oracle SNRs and sample duration. In the robustness study, low-SNR and short-duration conditions are excluded from calibration training. The present analysis provides insights on the behavior of calibration schemes in combined conditions of high signal degradation and short segment duration regarding accurate approximation of idealized calibration. We seek calibration methods in order to parsimonious preserve robustness against unseen data. A separate analysis is provided on duration- and noise-only scenarios as well as on combined duration and noise scenarios. QMFs and FQE reduce C mc costs down to 5–6% of conventional calibration schemes if all conditions are known, and to 10–12% in the presence of unseen conditions.
Tetrakis(2-aminopyrazine-κN 4)dichloridocobalt(II)

The CoII atom in the title complex, [CoCl2(C4H5N3)4], exists in an all-trans Cl2N4Co octahedral geometry. The CoII atom lies on a special position of 2 site symmetry. Adjacent molecules are linked by N—H⋯N and N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.
Role of cloned carotenoid genes expressed in Escherichia coli in protecting against inactivation by near-UV light and specific phototoxic molecules

Genes controlling carotenoid synthesis were cloned from Erwinia herbicola and expressed in an Escherichia coli strain. Carotenoids protect against high fluences of near-UV (NUV; 320 to 400 nm) but not against far-UV (200-300 nm). Protection of E. coli cells was not observed following treatment with either psoralen or 8-methoxypsoralen plus NUV. However, significant protection of cells producing carotenoids was observed with three photosensitizing molecules activated by NUV (alpha-terthienyl, harmine, and phenylheptatriyne) which are thought to have the membrane as an important lethal target. Protection of carotenoid-producing cells against inactivation was not observed with acridine orange plus visible light but was seen with toluidine blue O plus visible light.
Programmed death-1 ( PD-1 ) rs 2227981 C > T polymorphism is associated with cancer susceptibility : a meta-analysis

Several studies have focused on the correlation between the programmed death-1 (PD-1) rs2227981 C > T polymorphism and the risk of cancer; however, the results of such studies remain conflicting. To address this gap, we performed this meta-analysis to identify the potential association. Search strategies were performed in PubMed and EMBASE using appropriate terms. In total, 2,977 cancer cases and 2,642 controls from seven publications were recruited in our study. According to the seven eligible publications, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) on the risk of cancer for the TT vs. CC and TT vs. CT+CC genotypes were 0.67 and 0.50-0.91 and 0.65 and 0.47-0.90, respectively. In a subgroup analysis by cancer type, PD-1 rs2227981 C > T polymorphism was associated with a significantly decreased risk of breast cancer (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71-0.95; P = 0.009 for T vs. C and OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63-0.92; P = 0.005 for TT+CT vs. CC) and of other cancer (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36-0.92; P = 0.004 for TT vs. CT+CC). In a subgroup analysis by ethnicity, a significant decreased cancer risk was identified among Asians (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86; P < 0.001 for T vs. C and OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.87; P = 0.001 for TT+CT vs. CC) and among Caucasians (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.44-0.99; P = 0.047 for TT vs. CT+CC). These findings highlight the fact that the T allele of PD-1 rs2227981 C > T polymorphism modestly decreases the susceptibility of cancer. Nevertheless, further large and well-designed studies are needed to enrich the evidence of this association.
Genome Sequence of a Novel Species, Propionibacterium humerusii

ABSTRACT As part of a larger project to sequence multiple clinical isolates of Propionibacterium acnes, we have produced a draft genome sequence of a novel Propionibacterium species that is closely related to, yet distinct (by sequence) from P. acnes. We have tentatively named this new species Propionibacterium humerusii.