Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Capacity Scale in Assessment of Patients With Intracranial Aneurysms: Reliability and Validity

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to investigate the use of the Functional Capacity Scale (FCS) to measure functional outcome of patients who had undergone surgical removal of an intracranial aneurysm in the early postoperative period. Reliability and validity of the tool were tested as well as its utility in nursing practice. The study included 120 patients, operated on for intracranial aneurysm. Phase I included 23 patients. Reliability of FCS and the amount of time used for the assessment were tested using observation and direct measurement methods. Phase II included 97 patients, and the tool was administered along with standard outcome assessment tools (Barthel Index, Functional Index “Repty,” Glasgow Outcome Score, and Rankin Scale) to determine concurrent validity. Kendall’s coefficients of concordance (W) between particular care markers of FCS ranged from 0.910 to 1.000. Mean amount of time used for assessment was 90 seconds. Differences between time used for measurements by individual examiners were insignificant (p > .05). Correlation of FCS with the following scales was statistically significant: Functional Index “Repty” (p < .001), Glasgow Outcome Score (p < .01), Rankin Scale (p < .01), and Barthel Index (p < .001). The FCS appears to be a reliable, valid, and practical assessment tool for neuroscience nurses to use with patients who have undergone surgical removal of an intracranial aneurysm.
Enhancer-Mediated Control of Macrophage-Specific Arginase I Expression1

Arginase I expression in the liver must remain constant throughout life to eliminate excess nitrogen via the urea cycle. In contrast, arginase I expression in macrophages is silent until signals from Th2 cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-13 are received and the mRNA is then induced four to five orders of magnitude. Arginase I is hypothesized to play a regulatory and potentially pathogenic role in diseases such as asthma, parasitic, bacterial, and worm infections by modulating NO levels and promoting fibrosis. We show that Th2-inducible arginase I expression in mouse macrophages is controlled by an enhancer that lies −3 kb from the basal promoter. PU.1, IL-4-induced STAT6, and C/EBPβ assemble at the enhancer and await the effect of another STAT6-regulated protein(s) that must be synthesized de novo. Identification of a powerful extrahepatic regulatory enhancer for arginase I provides potential to manipulate arginase I activity in immune cells while sparing liver urea cycle function.
Title Moral Hazard and Renegotiation with Multiple Agents

We investigate the effects of contract renegotiation in multi-agent situations where risk averse agents negotiate a contract offer to the principal after the agents observe a common, unverifiable perfect signal about their actions. We show that renegotiation with multiple agents reduces the cost of implementing any implementable action profile down to the first-best level, even though the principal cannot observe the agents’ actions. Moreover, it is sufficient for the principal to use a “simple” initial contract, in the sense that it consists of no more than a single sharing scheme for each agent and the total payments to the agents are the same regardless of the realised state. An important implication is that decentralization, in the sense of delegated negotiation and proposals from the agents, can be as effective as centralized schemes that utilize revelation mechanisms in unrestricted ways. JEL Classification Numbers: D23, D63, D82, L23
Discovering Informative Association Rules for Associative Classification

The application of association rule mining to classification has led to a new family of classifiers which are often referred to as associative classifiers (ACs). An advantage of ACs is that they are rule-based and thus lend themselves to an easier interpretation. However, it is common knowledge that association rule mining typically yields a sheer number of rules defeating the purpose of a human readable model. Hence, selecting and ranking a small subset of high-quality rules without jeopardizing the classification accuracy is paramount but very challenging. In this paper, Entropy-AC, a new associative classifier based on entropy, is proposed. Information gain and informative rules are defined at first. Then, the algorithm for constructing associative classifier based on informative rules is presented. Experimental results show the proposed associative classifier is effective.
Comparison of techniques for distinguishing staphylococci and micrococci.

In the past a variety of tests have been proposed for the differentiation of the genus Staphylococcus from Micrococcus. The most fundamental division between these two genera of Gram-positive cocci is in the DNA base composition: staphylococci have a guanine and cytosine (GC) content of about 30 to 40% and micrococci of about 50 to 75% (Kocur, Bergan, and Mortensen, 1971). The determination of the percentage GC content is, however, too tedious and time consuming for epidemiological work involving many specimens. Other methods used have consisted mainly of demonstrations of the ability of Staphylococcus species to grow and ferment glucose anaerobically; Micrococcus species do not have this ability; they are oxidative. The principal taxonomic scheme for the Micrococcaceae is that of Baird-Parker (1963, 1965); this scheme uses the ability of Staphylococcus species to ferment glucose anaerobically and has been the basis of epidemiological studies in this department. During the course of these studies other methods, principally the thioglycollate medium of Evans and Kloos (1972) and the novobiocin sensitivity method
Stimulated rise in neuronal calcium is faster and greater in the nucleus than the cytosol

Calcium is an important regulator of a variety of neuronal activities including gene expression. However, it is not clear how Ca2+ influx affects intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the nucleus. We have taken advantage of laser photometry, the Ca2+‐sensitive dye Indo‐1 that allows ratio imaging, and confocal microscopy to eliminate the influences of unequal cell geometry and dye distribution. We show that Ca2+ influx into sympathetic neurons causes a significantly greater and faster increase in [Ca2+]i in the nucleus than in the cytosol. The differential increase in nuclear [Ca2+]i was apparent when Ca2+ entered from the extracellular medium during K+ depolarization, ionomycin or acetylcholine treatment, and brief periods of electrical stimulation. When intracellular Ca2+ was mobilized by caffeine the rise in nuclear [Ca2+]i was again greater than in any other region of the neuron. The increased nuclear Ca2+ levels were uniform throughout the nucleus and not associated with the nuclear envelope. The differential rise in nuclear Ca2+ was eliminated by acridine orange binding to nucleic acids. Nonexcitable cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and fibroblasts) did not show differential distribution of Ca2+ after ionomycin treatment. These results support the idea that activity‐dependent gene regulation in sympathetic neurons may be mediated by changes in Ca2+ concentration at the level of the chromatin material. —Przywara, D. A. ; Bhave, S. V. ; Bhave, A. ; Wakade, T. D. ; Wakade, A. R. Stimulated rise in neuronal calcium is faster and greater in the nucleus than the cytosol. FASEB J. 5: 217–222; 1991.
Extreme genetic mixing within colonies of the wood‐dwelling termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae)

The existence of altruism in social insects is commonly attributed to altruistic individuals gaining indirect fitness through kin selection. However, recent studies suggest that such individuals might also gain direct fitness through reproduction. Experimental studies on primitive wood‐dwelling termites revealed that colony fusion often causes the death of primary reproductives (queen and king), allowing opportunities for workers to inherit the nest by developing into replacement reproductives (neotenics). Therefore, colony fusion has been proposed as an important factor that may have favoured sociality in termites. However, whether colony fusion occurs frequently in natural populations of wood‐dwelling termites remains an open question. We analysed eleven colonies of the wood‐dwelling termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Kalotermitidae), using two mitochondrial and five nuclear microsatellite markers. Nine of eleven colonies (82%) were mixed families, with offspring of three or more primary reproductives. To our knowledge, this result represents the highest frequency of mixed‐family colonies ever reported in termites. Moreover, genetic mixing of colonies appeared extreme in two ways. First, the number of haplotypes per colony was exceptionally high (up to nine), indicating that colonies were composed of multiple queens' offspring. Second, some mixed‐family colonies included individuals belonging to two highly divergent genetic lineages. F‐statistics and relatedness values suggest that mixed‐family colonies most likely result from colony fusion, giving support to the accelerated nest inheritance theory. These findings raise important questions about the mode of foundation of mixed‐family colonies and the evolutionary forces that maintain them within populations.
Human Salivary Histatin 5 Causes Disordered Volume Regulation and Cell Cycle Arrest in Candida albicans

ABSTRACT Human salivary histatin 5 (Hst 5) is a nonimmune salivary protein with antifungal activity against an important human pathogen, Candida albicans. The candidacidal activity of histatins appears to be a distinctive multistep mechanism involving depletion of the C. albicans intracellular ATP content as a result of nonlytic ATP efflux. Hst 5 caused a loss of cell viability concomitant with a decrease in cellular volume as determined both by a classical candidacidal assay with exogenous Hst 5 and by using a genetically engineered C. albicans strain expressing Hst 5. Preincubation of C. albicans cells with pharmacological inhibitors of anion transport provided complete or substantial protection from Hst 5-induced killing and volume reduction of cells. Moreover, intracellular expression of Hst 5 resulted in a reduction in the population mean cell volume that was accompanied by an increase in the percentage of unbudded cells and C. albicans cells in the G1 phase. Following expression of Hst 5, the smallest cells sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from the total population did not replicate and were exclusively in the G1 phase. Cells with intracellularly expressed Hst 5 had greatly reduced G1 cyclin transcript levels, indicating that they arrested in the G1 phase before the onset of Start. Our data demonstrate that a key determinant in the mechanism of Hst 5 toxicity in C. albicans cells is the disruption of regulatory circuits for cell volume homeostasis that is closely coupled with loss of intracellular ATP. This novel process of fungicidal activity by a human salivary protein has highlighted potential interactions of Hst 5 with volume regulatory mechanisms and the process of yeast cell cycle control.
Dynamics of FLT3 receptor under induced microwave stress

The biological effect of electric fields on protein function and structure is a topic of increasing interest over the past few decades. With the proliferation of microwave devices the exposure to microwave radiation has become part of everyday life. The ubiquity of devices emitting electromagnetic radiation has highlighted concerns about the potential health effects. This work explores the dynamics of FLT3 under equilibrium conditions and under microwave stress. Equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics are employed. The results show that intense microwave radiations can cause conformational changes in FLT3.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Canine and Human Staphylococcus aureus Collected in Saskatoon, Canada

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of infection in people and is increasingly recognized in dogs. The increasing prevalence of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is complicating the treatment of these infections. Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL), a toxin involved in the pathogenesis of necrotic syndromes in people may be partially responsible for the rise of MRSA. Canine and human S. aureus from the same geographic area are genetically similar, indicating a common population and likely transmission. The implications of increasing antimicrobial resistance complicated by interspecies transmission, necessitates including both dogs and humans in S. aureus resistance surveillance studies. A collection of 126 S. aureus isolates from people (n = 99) and dogs (n = 27) were included, minimum inhibitor concentrations to a panel of 33 antimicrobials used in human and veterinary medicine were determined. No resistance to vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin or nitrofurantoin was found. A wide range of antibiograms were found; including resistance to 0–12 drugs (0–6 drug classes). Outstanding antibiograms included a canine MRSA resistant to rifampin and a human MRSA resistant to chloramphenicol. Inducible clindamycin resistance was found among 78% and 4% of canine and human MRSA and 17% and 25% of canine colonizing and human methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), respectively. Resistance to mupirocin was only found among human isolates including 20% of MRSA and 4% of MSSA. While no canine isolates were PVL positive, 39% of human MRSA and 2% of MSSA carried the gene. The bidirectional transmission of S. aureus between people and dogs necessitates the inclusion of isolates from both species in future studies.
Rapid isolation and sequencing of purified plasmid DNA from Bacillus subtilis

We report two methods for isolation of plasmid DNA from the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The protoplast alkaline lysis procedure was developed for general use, and the protoplast alkaline lysis magic procedure was developed for isolation of DNA for sequencing. Both procedures yielded large amounts of high-quality DNA in less than 1 h, while current protocols require 4 to 7 h to perform and give lower yields and quality. Plasmid DNA was obtained from strains containing either high- or low-copy-number plasmids. In addition, the procedures were easily adapted to yield large amounts of plasmid DNA suitable for sequencing from another gram-positive organism, Staphylococcus aureus. Further, we demonstrated that neither chloramphenicol, used for plasmid selection, nor the mutation recE4 reduced plasmid DNA yield from the strains we examined.
Outdoor navigation of a mobile robot using GPS and GPRS communication system

In this paper both hardware and software systems for GPRS communication and GPS navigation are developed. The hardware structure of GPS navigation module was build using Cinterion XT65 platform and appropriate electronic components. The overall navigation system is client-server based that uses GPS and GPRS communications. The GPS communication is used between client (mobile robot) and satellites, while GPRS communication connects server (PC) and client. The algorithm for mobile robot position estimation exploits a triangulation technique. Multiple algorithms (including a fuzzy regulator) for avoiding obstacles are implemented in order to provide safe and precise movement towards the destination point given to robot. The effectiveness and quality of proposed hardware and software structures are verified by experiments.
LEARNING SPAM FEATURES USING RESTRICTED BOLTZMANN MACHINES

Nowadays, spam detection has been one of the foremost machine learning-oriented applications in the context of security in computer networks. In this work, we propose to learn intrinsic properties of e-mail messages by means of Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) in order to identity whether such messages contain relevant (ham) or non-relevant (spam) content. The main idea contribution of this work is to employ Harmony Search-based optimization techniques to fine-tune RBM parameters, as well as to evaluate their robustness in the context spam detection. The unsupervised learned features are then used to feed the Optimum-Path Forest classifier, being the original features extracted from e-mail content and compared against the new ones. The results have shown RBMs are suitable to learn features from e-mail data, since they obtained favorable results in the datasets considered in this work.
Requirement of Two NFATc4 Transactivation Domains for CBP Potentiation*

Recruitment of the coactivator CREB-binding protein (CBP) to transcription factors is important for gene expression. Various regions of CBP such as the KIX and CH3 domains have been shown to interact with numerous transcription factors. The NFAT group of transcription factors is involved in multiple biological processes. NFATc4/NFAT3 has been proposed to play an important role in heart hypertrophy, adipocyte differentiation, and learning and memory. We demonstrate here that two transactivation domains, located at the NH2 and COOH termini of NFATc4, are critical for interacting with CBP. Each transactivation domain interacts with a distinct region of the CBP protein (the KIX and CH3 domains). Binding of CBP potentiates NFATc4-mediated transcription activity. Both transactivation domains of NFATc4 are required for CBP function. Removal of either NFATc4 transactivation domain abolishes CBP potentiation. Conversely, mutation of the KIX or CH3 domain prevents CBP-mediated potentiation of NFATc4 transcription activation. These data demonstrate that formation of a functional NFATc4·CBP transcription complex requires interactions at two distinct sites.
Neural network based agriculture activity detection using mobile accelerometer sensors

The information about the agricultural activities being performed on the farm is useful for providing agriculture advisory to the farmers. In this paper, we present the Neural Network based approach for the classification of agriculture activities like harvesting, bed-making, transplantation, walking and standstill from the acceleration data obtained from mobile phone carried by the farmer. The performance of the neural network based classifier has been compared with the Linear Discriminant Analysis, k-Nearest Neighbors and Naive Bayes classifiers. The trained neural network based classifiers are found be more accurate as compared to the other classifiers.
Selective estrogen receptor‐β activation stimulates skeletal muscle growth and regeneration

There is increasing evidence suggesting that estrogens augment skeletal muscle regeneration processes after injury. To study the contribution of estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) during muscle regeneration, skeletal muscles of ovariectomized (OVX) rats, as well as ERa‐ and ERβ‐knockout (αErko and βErko) mice, were injured with a myotoxin (notexin). OVX rats were simultaneously treated with the ER‐selective ligands genistein, ERα agonist 16α‐LE2 (alpha), ERβ agonist 8β‐VE2 (beta), or 17β‐estradiol (E2). OVX rats showed significantly elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) activity after muscle injury compared to intact sham‐treated animals. Treatment with ER ligands significantly reduced CK activity. TNF‐α, IL‐10, and MCP‐1 expression served to characterize immune responses. Treatment with all ER ligands, but particularly E2 and beta, reduced TNF‐α, but elevated MCP‐1 and IL‐10 expression. PCNA and MyoD expression served to define satellite cell activation and proliferation and were found to be up‐regulated by beta and E2. To further study muscle regeneration responses, expression of the embryonic myosin heavy chain (MHC) was analyzed. Beta and E2 but not alpha increased embryonic MHC expression compared to OVX. The absence of ERβ in βErko mice negatively affected CK activity levels and expression of satellite cell and muscle regeneration markers (MHC embryonic, MyoD, Pax7) compared with aErko and wild‐type mice. In a classic Hershberger assay using male rats, beta stimulated muscle growth, accompanied by a strong induction of IGF‐1 expression. Our data provide evidence that ERβ signaling is involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle growth and regeneration by stimulating anabolic pathways, activating satellite cells and modulating immune responses. —Velders, M. , Schleipen, B. , Fritzemeier, K. H. , Zierau, O. , Diel, P. Selective estrogen receptor‐β activation stimulates skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. FASEB J. 26, 1909‐1920 (2012). www.fasebj. org
Millimeter wave circularly polarized substrate integrated waveguide antenna

A millimeter wave circularly polarized substrate integrated waveguide antenna is proposed. The proposed antenna is constructed by a quasi H-type radiating slot on the broad wall of a substrate integrated waveguide and the microstrip stepwise input and output impedance matching networks. Analysis and design approaches are given in the paper. With the help of the electromagnetic simulator, a circularly polarized antenna operated at Ka-band is designed. The designed results show that the centre frequency of the antenna is 30 GHz, the circularly polarized axial ratio at 30 GHz in the main beam direction is 0.36 dB, the 3 dB circularly polarized axial ratio bandwidth is 1.35 GHz, the -10 dB return loss bandwidth is 350 MHz.
The role of self-confidence in learning to teach in higher education

The paper considers teacher self-confidence, which emerged as a theme within a wider study into the influences upon new academics’ development as teachers over time. Three interviews took place, over a two-year period, with 11 new teachers from a range of higher education institutions and discipline areas. The first phase of analysis was the creation of detailed cases studies for three of the participants, of which one is reported in the current paper to illustrate the role of self-confidence in teacher development. The second phase used a thematic analysis of all interview transcripts. The new teachers’ self-confidence appeared as a key influence in the use of teaching strategies that actively involved the students. Content knowledge and teaching skills were related to feelings of self-confidence, with experience being a key factor in the teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge and skills. The findings hold implications for managers to ensure new staff have as familiar and stable teaching schedule as possible, and teacher developers to encourage dialogue and reflection in relation to the self-confidence and content knowledge of new teachers.
Astrocyte Ca2+ waves trigger responses in microglial cells in brain slices

Pathologic impacts in the brain lead to a widespread activation of microglial cells far beyond the site of injury. Here, we demonstrate that glial Ca2+ waves can trigger responses in microglial cells. We elicited Ca2+ waves in corpus callosum glial cells by electrical stimulation or local adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ejection in acute brain slices. Macroglial cells, but not microglia, were bulk‐loaded with Ca2+‐sensitive dyes. Using a transgenic animal in which astrocytes were labeled by the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) allowed us to identify the reacting cell populations: the wave activated a Ca2+ response in both astrocytes and non‐astrocytic glial cells and spread over hundreds of micrometers even into the adjacent cortical and ventricular cell layers. Regenerative ATP release and subsequent activation of metabotropic purinergic receptors caused the propagation of the glial Ca2+ wave: the wave was blocked by the purinergic receptor antagonist Reactive Blue 2 and was not affected by the gap junction blocker octanol, but enhanced in Ca2+ free saline. To test whether microglial cells respond to the wave, microglial cells were labeled with a dye‐coupled lectin and membrane currents were recorded with the patch‐clamp technique. When the wave passed by, a current with the characteristics of a purinergic response was activated. Thus, Ca2+ waves in situ are not restricted to astrocytic cells, but broadly activate different glial cell types.