Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial resistance: a global multifaceted phenomenon

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious global public health threats in this century. The first World Health Organization (WHO) Global report on surveillance of AMR, published in April 2014, collected for the first time data from national and international surveillance networks, showing the extent of this phenomenon in many parts of the world and also the presence of large gaps in the existing surveillance. In this review, we focus on antibacterial resistance (ABR), which represents at the moment the major problem, both for the high rates of resistance observed in bacteria that cause common infections and for the complexity of the consequences of ABR. We describe the health and economic impact of ABR, the principal risk factors for its emergence and, in particular, we illustrate the highlights of four antibiotic-resistant pathogens of global concern – Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, non-typhoidal Salmonella and Mycobacterium tuberculosis – for whom we report resistance data worldwide. Measures to control the emergence and the spread of ABR are presented.
Methods of working with primary care

By the 1980s, one-fifth of all general psychiatrists in England and Wales ([Strathdee & Williams, 1984][1]) and one-half in Scotland ([Pullen & Yellowlees, 1988][2]) were spending some proportion of their time working in primary care. Rather than limit this process, the growth of general practice
Successful treatment of children in clinical practice relies on the ability of the dental practitioner to guide them through their dental experiences

Aim Anxiety has been defined as a nonspecific feeling of apprehension towards a concrete situation that does not necessarily involve a previous experience. Dental anxiety can prevent patients from cooperating fully during dental treatment. Given that there is a connection between dental anxiety and uncooperative behaviour, it is important for dentists to be able to assess anxiety in their patients. There are many methods for such assessment, and in children they depend on age and intellectual development. These measures can be objective or subjective, depending on the method used to quantify the degree of anxiety. The aim of this literature review was to analyse the objective and subjective scales that are used most commonly to assess the degree of anxiety of children in a dental setting. Conclusion Knowing the degree of anxiety of dental children is important in order to guide them through their dental experience. Their level of cooperation will also improve and anxiety will be reduced as well.
Use of a library of mutated Maackia amurensis hemagglutinin for profiling the cell lineage and differentiation

Thirty‐five variant lectins were prepared by mutations of two amino acids within the carbohydrate‐recognition domain of Maackia amurensis hemagglutinin (MAH). Each lectin showed unique carbohydrate specificity according to their bindings to soluble polyacrylamide with various mono‐ and oligosaccharides and to glycophorin A. The relative intensity of the bindings of carcinoma, myeloid, fibroblastic, and melanoma cells to immobilized MAH variant lectins was examined. Each cell line showed distinct profiles regarding the number of cells bound to wild‐type and 35 MAH variants and the differences and the similarities in these binding profiles were quantitatively documented by the cluster analysis. The cell lines were classified into several groups and these groups surprisingly corresponded to the lineage of the cells. These results indicated that a library of mutated MAH is useful as a tool for the profiling of various cells based on the variations of the surface glycans.
A compensation technique for recycling folded-cascode amplifier

A compensation technique for recycling folded cascade (RFC) amplifier is presented. By applying the compensation technique, the proposed modified recycling folded cascade (MRFC) circuit achieves better slew rate and unity-gain frequency compared with RFC amplifier. The proposed circuit is designed using TSMC 0. 18µm CMOS technology. The amplifier is verified with a 5.6pF output load under 1.8V power supply. When compared to the RFC amplifier, the proposed amplifier achieves 80MHz increment in unity-gain frequency (134.2MHz versus 214.3MHz), 13.4V/µs increment in slew rate (94.1V/µs versus 107.5 V/µs), and 19.6dB increment in dc gain (73.2dB versus 53.6dB). The power consumption of the amplifier is 870µW at a 1.8V supply.
Minimal contraction for tissue‐engineered skin substitutes when matured at the air–liquid interface

The structural stability of skin substitutes is critical to avoid aesthetic and functional problems after grafting, such as contractures and hypertrophic scars. The present study was designed to assess the production steps having an influence on the contractile behaviour of the tissue‐engineered skin made by the self‐assembly approach, where keratinocytes are cultured on tissue‐engineered dermis comprised of fibroblasts and the endogenous extracellular matrix they organized. Thus, different aspects were investigated, such as the assembly method of the engineered dermis (various sizes and anchoring designs) and the impact of epithelial cell differentiation (culture submerged in the medium or at the air–liquid interface). To evaluate the structural stability at the end of the production, the substitutes were detached from their anchorages and deposited on a soft substrate, and contraction was monitored over 1 week. Collected data were analysed using a mathematical model to characterize contraction. We observed that the presence of a differentiated epidermis significantly reduced the amount of contraction experienced by the engineered tissues, independently of the assembly method used for their production. When the epidermis was terminally differentiated, the average contraction was only 24 ± 4% and most of the contraction occurred within the first 12 h following deposition on the substrate. This is 2.2‐fold less compared to when the epidermis was cultured under the submerged condition, or when tissue‐engineered dermis was not overlaid with epithelial cells. This study highlights that the maturation at the air–liquid interface is a critical step in the reconstruction of a tissue‐engineered skin that possesses high structural stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Endotoxin Tolerance Represents a Distinctive State of Alternative Polarization (M2) in Human Mononuclear Cells

Classical (M1) and alternative (M2) polarization of mononuclear cells (MNCs) such as monocyte and macrophages is known to occur in response to challenges within a microenvironment, like the encounter of a pathogen. LPS, also known as endotoxin, is a potent inducer of inflammation and M1 polarization. LPS can also generate an effect in MNCs known as endotoxin tolerance, defined as the reduced capacity of a cell to respond to LPS activation after an initial exposure to this stimulus. Using systems biology approaches in PBMCs, monocytes, and monocyte-derived macrophages involving microarrays and advanced bioinformatic analysis, we determined that gene responses during endotoxin tolerance were similar to those found during M2 polarization, featuring gene and protein expression critical for the development of key M2 MNC functions, including reduced production of proinflammatory mediators, expression of genes involved in phagocytosis, as well as tissue remodeling. Moreover, expression of different metallothionein gene isoforms, known for their role in the control of oxidative stress and in immunomodulation, were also found to be consistently upregulated during endotoxin tolerance. These results demonstrate that after an initial inflammatory stimulus, human MNCs undergo an M2 polarization probably to control hyperinflammation and heal the affected tissue.
Innovation problems associated with the dynamic growth for Chinese University Spin-outs: A capabilities perspective

This research aims to develop a capabilities-based conceptual framework, in order to study the stage-specific innovation problems associated with the dynamic growth of University Spin-outs (hereafter referred to as USO) in China. Based on existing literature and five pilot cases, this study attempts to explore the innovation problems related to their entrepreneurial capabilities (e.g. alliances, venture finance, corporate governance, etc), and, to acquire, mobilize and re-configure key resources at four firm-growth stages, which would then be used to generalize strategic patterns to solve innovation problems for academic entrepreneurs in further study. There is limited research that investigates entrepreneurial innovation problems associated with dynamic growth processes and transitions in order to better explain the growth facilitators and obstacles for academic entrepreneurs. Studies that recognize the heterogeneity of USOs (especially in China) in terms of resources and capabilities that may influence growth processes also remain sparse. Addressing this research gap will be of great interest to entrepreneurs, policy makers, and venture investors.
Twenty-year trends of primary liver cancer incidence rates in an urban Chinese population

The objective of this study was to describe trends in the incidence rates of primary liver cancer in a geographically defined Chinese population. Primary liver cancer cases (N=13 685) were diagnosed between 1981 and 2000 and identified by the Tianjin Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted and age-specific incidence rates were examined in both males and females. Poisson regression was employed to assess the incidence rate trends. Crude and age-adjusted incidence rates in the study period were: 27.4/100 000 and 16.4/100 000 in males and 11.5/100 000 and 6.4/100 000 in females, respectively. While the results from Poisson regression analyses suggest statistically significant trends of declining incidence rates of primary liver cancer overall, trends were not consistent across age and sex groups. The decline in incidence was observed, for the most part, in the 40–69 age group, with a greater decrease in males. Our findings provide a new evidence of a downward trend in incidence rates of this disease in China for a period of 20 years. As the observed decline is relatively small and inconsistent across sex and age groups, a continued epidemiological observation on this condition is required.
Ultraviolet Radiation in the Rhône River Lenses of Low Salinity and in Marine Waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea: Attenuation and Effects on Bacterial Activities and Net Community Production

The high content in nutrients of freshwater outflows induces highly productive and buoyant plumes spreading over marine waters (MW). As a consequence, the growth of organisms developing in these low‐salinity waters (LSW) might be potentially affected by UV‐R (280–400 nm). This study investigated the penetration of UV‐R and its impact on net community production (NCP) and bacterial protein (BPROTS) and DNA (BDNAS) synthesis in mesotrophic‐LSW formed from the Rhône River and in oligotrophic MW of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lions) in May 2006. High concentrations of chlorophyll a (up to 8 μg L−1) measured in the LSW (<37.8 psu, 0–10 m) were the main factor influencing the diffuse attenuation coefficients (Kd) of both UV‐R and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The mean ratio of the Kd measured between the LSW and the MW increased with wavelength from 2.4 at 305 nm to 2.9 at 380 nm and 3.1 for PAR indicating more similarity in the UV region. NCP was severely inhibited by UV‐R at the surface of the LSW, whereas no effect was measured in the surrounding MW. In contrast, BPROTS and BDNAS were affected deeper by UV‐R in the MW (up to 8 m depth) compared to the LSW where inhibition was only observed at the surface. Differences in response of bacteria in LSW and MW are largely explained by differences in UV‐R transparency; however, transplant experiments indicate that bacterial assemblages from the MW were also more sensitive to UV‐R than those present in the LSW. We also observed that higher activity of bacteria after nutrient additions increased their sensitivity to UV‐R during the day, but favored their recovery during the night incubation period for both LSW and MW. Results suggest that riverine and nutrient inputs may alter the effects of UV‐R on microbial activity by attenuating the UV‐R penetration and by modifying the physiology of bacteria.
Elastic Moduli Measurements at Elevated Temperatures using Ultrasonic Waveguide Embodiments

A measurement method is described here using a waveguide based technique with special modifications to the end of the waveguide in order to obtain reliable reflected ultrasonic signals from the end of the waveguide that is inside a heating chamber. The interpretation f the reflected signals leading to a quantitative measurement of moduli of the waveguide material i.e. Young‟s (E) and shear (G) at different temperatures. The technique uses guided ultrasonic wave mo des, that are generated using an ultrasonic transducer at one end of the wave guide, travelling along the length of the waveguide, interacts with the end of the waveguides, and is reflected back to the transducer. The end of the waveguides has a bend or a step that provides a reference reflected signal. The reflected signal are detected and r ecorded at different steady state temperature s. The time of flight difference (δTOF), as a function of temperature, between the guided wave reflections from the embodi ent and the end of the waveguide, is used to measure the moduli. Here, the L (0, 1) wave mode is used for measuring E and T(0,1) mode for G. The comparison between the literature and the measured values were found to bein agreement.
Plasmodium falciparum Anopheles from Guinea-Bissau , West Africa

Presence of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) was Plasmodium falciparum detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a sample of s.s. , and collected in Anopheles gambiae A. melas A. pharoensis Guinea-Bissau during October and November 2009. The percentage of P. infected samples (10.2% overall) was comparable to earlier falciparum studies from other sites in Guinea-Bissau (9.6-12.4%). The majority of the specimens collected were identified as . which had an individual A gambiae infection rate of 12.6 % across collection sites. A small number of specimens of x hybrids, . and . A. coluzzii, A. coluzzii A. gambiae A melas A were collected and had infection rates of 4.3%, 4.1%, 11.1% pharoensis and 33.3% respectively. Despite being present in low numbers in indoor collections, the exophilic feeding behaviors of . (N=18) and . A melas A (N=6) and high infection rates observed in this survey suggest pharoensis -malaria transmission potential outside of the protection of bed falciparum nets. 1 1,3 1 2
Explicit stabilized integration of stiff determinisitic or stochastic problems

Explicit stabilized methods for stiff ordinary differential equations have a long history. Proposed in the early 1960s and developed during 40 years for the integration of stiff ordinary differential equations, these methods have recently been extended to implicit-explicit or partitioned type methods for advection-diffusion-reaction problems, and to efficient explicit solvers for stiff mean-square stable stochastic problems. After a short review on the basic stabilized methods we discuss some recent developments.
MIR517C inhibits autophagy and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal (-like) transition phenotype in human glioblastoma through KPNA2-dependent disruption of TP53 nuclear translocation

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal (-like) transition (EMT), a crucial embryonic development program, has been linked to the regulation of glioblastoma (GBM) progression and invasion. Here, we investigated the role of MIR517C/miR-517c, which belongs to the C19MC microRNA cluster identified in our preliminary studies, in the pathogenesis of GBM. We found that MIR517C was associated with improved prognosis in patients with GBM. Furthermore, following treatment with the autophagy inducer temozolomide (TMZ) and low glucose (LG), MIR517C degraded KPNA2 (karyopherin alpha 2 [RAG cohort 1, importin alpha 1]) and subsequently disturbed the nuclear translocation of TP53 in the GBM cell line U87 in vitro. Interestingly, this microRNA could inhibit autophagy and reduce cell migration and infiltration in U87 cells harboring wild-type (WT) TP53, but not in U251 cells harboring mutant (MU) TP53. Moreover, the expression of epithelial markers (i.e., CDH13/T-cadherin and CLDN1 [claudin 1]) increased, while the expression of mesenchymal markers (i.e., CDH2/N-cadherin, SNAI1/Snail, and VIM [vimentin]) decreased, indicating that the EMT status was blocked by MIR517C in U87 cells. Compared with MIR517C overexpression, MIR517C knockdown promoted infiltration of U87 cells to the surrounding structures in nude mice in vivo. The above phenotypic changes were also observed in TP53+/+ and TP53-/- HCT116 colon cancer cells. In summary, our study provided support for a link between autophagy and EMT status in WT TP53 GBM cells and provided evidence for the signaling pathway (MIR517C-KPNA2-cytoplasmic TP53) involved in attenuating autophagy and eliminating the increased migration and invasion during the EMT.
Stem Cells and Their Role in Renal Ischaemia Reperfusion Injury

Background: Ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains one of the leading causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). IRI is an underlying multifactorial pathophysiological process which affects the outcome in both native and transplanted patients. The high morbidity and mortality associated with IRI/AKI and disappointing results from current available clinical therapeutic approaches prompt further research. Stem cells (SC) are undifferentiated cells that can undergo both renewal and differentiation into one or more cell types which can possibly ameliorate IRI. Aim: To carry out a detailed literature analysis and construct a comprehensive literature review addressing the role of SC in AKI secondary to IRI. Methods: Evidence favouring the role of SC in renal IRI and evidence showing no benefits of SC in renal IRI are the two main aspects to be studied. The search strategy was based on an extensive search addressing MESH terms and free text terms. Results: The majority of studies in the field of renal IRI and stem cell therapy show substantial benefits. Conclusions: Studies were mostly conducted in small animal models, thus underscoring the need for further pre-clinical studies in larger animal models, and results should be taken with caution. SC therapy may be promising though controversy exists in the exact mechanism. Thorough scientific exploration is required to assess mechanism, safety profile, reproducibility and methods to monitor administered SC.
Trophic niche flexibility in Glossophaga soricina: how a nectar seeker sneaks an insect snack

Summary 1. Omnivory enables animals to fill more than one trophic niche, providing access to a wider variety of food resources with potentially higher nutrient value, particularly when resources become scarce. Animals can achieve omnivory using different strategies, for example opportunistic foraging, or switching between multiple trophic niches. 2. The Neotropical bat Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766) is a common and widespread species known for nectar feeding, but it also eats fruit and insects. Approaching stationary objects (flowers and fruits) or moving objects (insects) poses different sensory tasks and should require different echolocation behaviours. Here we tested the contrasting hypothesis that G. soricina can approach both stationary and moving objects using the same echolocation behaviour, thus feeding at different trophic levels by a single sensory mechanism. 3. Using DNA barcoding, we demonstrate that G. soricina eats beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera) and noctuid moths with bat-detecting ears. Laboratory observations show that G. soricina actively hunts for prey so insect consumption does not appear to be opportunistic. After capture, individuals consumed prey while perched and manipulated them with jaw, thumb, wrist and wing movements, but food handling was longer and chewing rate slower than in obligate insectivores. 4. In contrast to most insectivorous bats, the echolocation calls of G. soricina are of high frequency and low intensity, and G. soricina did not produce feeding buzzes when approaching insects. An acoustic model of detection distances shows that its low-intensity calls fail to trigger the auditory neurons of eared moths, allowing G. soricina to overcome auditory prey defences. 5. Individuals achieved niche flexibility using a unique but generalist behavioural approach rather than employing two different specialist methods. Our findings provide a novel insight into the functional mechanisms of insect capture in G. soricina and highlight the importance of considering niche flexibility in classifying trophic links in ecological communities.
Ocular VEMPs indicate repositioning of otoconia to the utricle after successful liberatory maneuvers in benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo

Abstract Conclusions: This study showed a transient increase of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) amplitudes in the affected ear after successful liberatory maneuvers and no changes in cervical VEMP (cVEMP) amplitudes. These findings support the hypothesis that successful liberatory maneuvers can lead to a repositioning of otoconia to the utricle. Objectives: To evaluate whether oVEMP amplitudes increase after successful liberatory maneuvers in patients with posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (pc-BPPV), while cVEMP amplitudes do not change. These findings may indicate a successful repositioning of dislodged otoconia to the utricular macula, but not to the saccular macula. Methods: Thirty patients with unilateral pc-BPPV were prospectively examined with bone-conducted oVEMP and air-conducted cVEMP at four time points: before, after, 1 week after, and 1 month after the liberatory maneuvers (Sémont maneuvers). Results: At the 1-week follow-up, 20 of 30 patients were asymptomatic (responders); BPPV could still be induced in the other 10 (non-responders). In responders the mean n10 amplitude on the affected side increased from 12 ± 6.5 µV at baseline (before the treatment) to 15.9 ± 7.1 µV at 1 week after treatment; this increase was significantly (p = 0.001) higher in responders than in non-responders. cVEMP did not differ significantly.
Efficient 2D electromagnetic solution of scattering from electrically large platforms

We present efficient 2D electromagnetic solution of scattering from electrically large and complex platforms. High efficiency of 2D analysis has been achieved by introducing nonuniform segmentation, higher order basis functions, and multi-threading parallelization. Additionally, we illustrate how 2D analysis can be applied in the process of predicting the results of 3D analysis. The method of moments applied to surface integral equations has been used for all simulations.
nalysis of environmental factors influencing the range of nopheline mosquitoes in northern Australia using a enetic algorithm and data mining methods

Environmental factors which influence the distributions of malaria vectors in northern Australia (Anopheles farauti ss, A. farauti 2 and A. farauti 3) were investigated by ecological niche modelling and data mining using an extensive data set of species presence and absence records obtained by systematic field surveys. Models were generated with GARP (the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction) using geographical coverages of 41 climatic and topographic parameters for the north of the continent. Environmental variables associated with species records were identified with the ranking procedures of the decision tree software packages CART and KnowledgeSeeker. There was consistent agreement in the variables ranked by both methods. This permitted the selection of reduced sets of environmental variables to develop GARP models for the three target species with equivalent predictive accuracy to those which used all of the environmental information. The environ-