Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of ESBLs and MBLs among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from a Nigerian Abattoir

Background: Food products of animal origin play significant role in the transfer of antibiotic resistance. This work evaluated the antibiotic resistance profile and prevalence of beta-lactamases producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in an abattoir in Awka, Nigeria. Methods: One hundred swab samples were aseptically collected from the abattoir between January to April 2016 with sterile swab sticks and cultured in freshly prepared nutrient broth and MacConkey agar plates. E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were identified using standard microbiological identification techniques. The isolates were evaluated for antibiotic susceptibility and for the expression of ESBL, MBL and AmpC β-lactamases. Findings: Ninety-four isolates comprising 60 E. coli and 34 K. pneumoniae were bacteriologically obtained from the abattoir samples. Their antibiotic resistances pattern was in the order of: erythromycin>cloxacillin>cefuroxime>augmentin>ceftriaxone>ceftazidime>ofloxacin>gentamicin (E.coli isolates) & erythromycin>cloxacillin>cefuroxime>augmentin>ofloxacin> ceftriaxone>gentamicin>ceftazidime (for K. pneumoniae isolates). Seven (12%) of the E. coli isolates and 15% K. pneumoniae isolates were confirmed phenotypically to be ESBL producers. None of the isolates was AmpC producing but 10% E. coli and 12% isolates of K. pneumoniae were confirmed to be MBL-producers. Abattoir isolates harbor resistance traits for the expression of ESBL and MBL-which are responsible for the MDR nature of Gram-negative bacteria and could serve as route via which these organisms can be transmitted through the food chain.
Acinetobacter johnsonii and Acinetobacter lwoffii - the emerging fish pathogens

Abstract The aim of this study was to characterise Acinetobacter sp. isolated from fish. Eight isolates obtained from diseased rainbow trout and common carp cultured in Poland were analysed. The isolates were identified using API 20 NE system as Acinetobacter sp. Afterwards, they were identified by sequencing 16S rDNA gene fragment. The bacteria were identified as A. johnsonii (two isolates), A. lwoffii (two isolates), A. junii/johnsonii (one isolate), A. calcoaceticus (one isolate), and Acinetobacter sp. (two isolates). The drug resistance of isolates was examined. The majority of the isolates were resistant to ampicilin, amoxicillin, and cephalothin and all demonstrated sensitivity to fluoroquinolones, except of one isolate. Two isolates were selected for the experimental infection of trout and carp to confirm their pathogenicity. Experimentally infected fish showed disease symptoms similar to those observed in fish naturally infected with these bacteria. This is the first report concerning pathogenicity of A. johnsonii for rainbow trout and A. lwoffii for common carp. These bacteria were regarded as emerging opportunistic pathogens of fish farmed in Poland. Acinetobacter strains are commonly known as microorganisms transmitting the antibiotic resistance genes. Therefore, they might have a great impact on the resistance transfer in aquaculture.
Systemic Power, disciplinary Agency, and Developer-Business Client Relations

This paper presents Hardy's multi-dimensional model of power and illustrates its application to the field of IS. Findings from a case study of developer-business client power relations within a large financial institution are presented. Our findings indicate that from the developers' perspective, the client exercised near complete control, with developers unwittingly playing a cooperative but submissive role. Our study makes two principal contributions. First, we combine Hardy's (1996) multi-dimensional power framework and the principles of Pickering's (1995) version of disciplinary agency to propose why the developer was compliant in this scenario of power inequality. Second, we examine how a development methodology helped convey symbolic and disciplinary power. By doing so we gain rich insight into how meaning power, and the power of the system institutionalised within the methodology, can constrain the actions of developers.
Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy ( PLIM ) Measurements : Practical Aspects

For many years, the characterization of luminescent materials including their luminescence lifetime has played an important role in the field of material science, especially in chemical sensing. Interest in characterization methods for phosphorescence imaging has been renewed over the past decade with the booming development of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology, in which phosphorescent compounds are often a key component (“PHOLEDs”) [1]. In life sciences, typical phosphorescent probes include metal ions complexed with organic ligands, which can be used to, e.g., image oxygen consumption in living tissue[2] or for energy transfer measurements. Furthermore, nanoparticles and quantum dots can also exhibit long fluorescence lifetime components and be thus imaged by Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (PLIM)[3]. Analogous to Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM), the contrast in a PLIM image is based on excited state lifetime differences between individual fluorophores. This situation is schematically shown in the simplified Jablonski diagram in Fig. 1. A molecule in the electronic ground state (S0) can absorb (A) photons whose wavelength corresponds to the energy difference between the S0 and the excited singlet states (S1, S2, and so on). In most cases, the excited molecule will relax via internal conversion (IC) to the Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (PLIM) Measurements: Practical Aspects
Penrose high-dynamic-range imaging

Abstract. High-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging is becoming increasingly popular and widespread. The most common multishot HDR approach, based on multiple low-dynamic-range images captured with different exposures, has difficulties in handling camera and object movements. The spatially varying exposures (SVE) technology provides a solution to overcome this limitation by obtaining multiple exposures of the scene in only one shot but suffers from a loss in spatial resolution of the captured image. While aperiodic assignment of exposures has been shown to be advantageous during reconstruction in alleviating resolution loss, almost all the existing imaging sensors use the square pixel layout, which is a periodic tiling of square pixels. We propose the Penrose pixel layout, using pixels in aperiodic rhombus Penrose tiling, for HDR imaging. With the SVE technology, Penrose pixel layout has both exposure and pixel aperiodicities. To investigate its performance, we have to reconstruct HDR images in square pixel layout from Penrose raw images with SVE. Since the two pixel layouts are different, the traditional HDR reconstruction methods are not applicable. We develop a reconstruction method for Penrose pixel layout using a Gaussian mixture model for regularization. Both quantitative and qualitative results show the superiority of Penrose pixel layout over square pixel layout.
Association of MUC1 rs4072037 Functional Polymorphism and Cancer Risk: Evidence from 12551 Cases and 13436 Controls

Objectives: The result of the relationship between the MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism and cancer risk is controversial, we take this meta-analysis to investigate a more precise result. Methods: Electronic database Pubmed, Web of science and Cochrane library had been used to search relevant articles concerning the relationship between MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism and cancer risk. We used odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the strength of the gene-disease association. We also conducted subgroup analysis, sensitivity analyses and publication bias in the meta-analysis. Results: In our meta-analysis, we involved 17 studies (19 datasets) with 12551 cases and 13436 controls eventually. It showed the MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism was associated with decreased cancer risk in four genetic models (G vs. A: OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.71-0.89, P< 0.001; AG vs. AA: OR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.62-0.82, P< 0.001; GG vs. AA: OR=0.78, 95%CI: 0.69-0.88, P< 0.001; AG+GG vs. AA: OR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.63-0.83, P< 0.001). In subgroup analysis, it showed a decreased cancer risk among Asians but not Caucasians and a significant decreased gastric cancer risk in all genetic models. Conclusion: MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism is associated with decreased cancer risk and can probably be used as a tumor marker, especially for gastric cancer and for Asians.
Associação entre transtornos do sono e níveis de fragilidade entre idosos

Objective: To analyze the association between nap frequency with frailty status, gender, age, education, family income and the five criteria of frailty. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study assessing 3,075 elderly who met the inclusion criteria. The sociodemographic characterization, cognitive status measures, frailty and nap status were performed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests for statistical inference. Results: Most elderly napped during the day (61.7%), with an average frequency of 5.9 days per week (SD=1.9). A significant association was found between nap frequency and the frailty dimension of "energy expenditure in physical activity". Conclusion: No significant association was found between nap frequency and selected sociodemographic variables and frailty status among the elderly, except for the criterion of frailty "energy expenditure in physical activity".
Modeling leaf area index in North America using a process‐based terrestrial ecosystem model

Leaf area index (LAI) is often used to quantify plant production and evapotranspiration with terrestrial ecosystem models (TEMs). This study evaluated the LAI simulation in North America using a data assimilation technique and a process-based TEM as well as in situ and satellite data. We first optimized the parameters related to LAI in the TEM using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, and AmeriFlux site-level and regional LAI data from advanced very high-resolution radiometer. The parameterized model was then verified with the observed monthly LAI of major ecosystem types at site level. Simulated LAI was compared well with the observed data at sites of Harvard Forest (R = 0.96), University of Michigan Biological Station (R = 0.87), Howland Forest (R = 0.96), Morgan Monroe State Forest (R = 0.85), Shidler Tallgrass Prairie (R = 0.82), and Donaldson (R = 0.75). The root-mean-square error (RMSE) between modeled and satellite-based monthly LAI in North America is 1.4 m/m for the period of 1985– 2010. The simulated average monthly LAI in recent three decades increased by (3 0.5)% in the region, with 1.24, 1.46, and 2.21 m/m on average, in Alaska, Canada, and the conterminous United States, respectively, which is consistent with satellite data. The model performed well for wet tundra, boreal forest, temperate coniferous forests, temperate deciduous forests, grasslands, and xeric shrublands (RMSE < 1.5 m/m), but not for alpine tundra and xeric woodlands (RMSE > 1.5 m/m). Both the spring and fall LAI in the 2000s are higher than that in the 1980s in the region, suggesting that the leaf phenology has an earlier onset and later senescence in the 2000s. The average LAI increased in April and September by 0.03 and 0.24 m/m, respectively. This study provides a way to quantify LAI with ecosystem models, which will improve future carbon and water cycling studies.
Characterisation of Absorbing Aerosols Using Ground and Satellite Data at an Urban Location, Hyderabad

In the present study we have attempted to characterize aerosols using their optical properties over a tropical urban location of Hyderabad, India. We have analyzed three years of in-situ data on aerosol absorption from Aethalometer and scattering from Nephelometer measurements. Satellite based absorption measurements from ozone monitoring instrument, absorbing aerosol index are also analyzed to investigate the role of long range transport of dust. Further, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data is used to study the vertical extent of aerosol particles as well as their sphericity using its particulate depolarization ratio. The study revealed that irrespective of seasonal variation, local anthropogenic fossil fuel aerosols form the predominant aerosol type over this site. Biomass/dust aerosols in their pure form are not present during the study period; however the spread of frequency distribution of scattering Angstrom exponent and absorption Angstrom exponent suggested their possible existence in mixed condition with local anthropogenic aerosols. The analysis of columnar aerosol absorption data during pre-monsoon period showed the dominance of UV absorbing dust aerosols in the study region. CALIPSO data analysis over study area showed that majority aerosols are confined within 2 km from the surface during winter while in pre-monsoon particles are distributed throughout the profile (~6 km) with extinction coefficient varying between 0.1-0.2 km^(-1). As the season shift from winter to pre-monsoon a change in sphericity of particle is observed. Cluster mean trajectory analysis revealed that during premonsoon majority of air mass movements (~68%) are from western side passing through dust source region like Persian Gulf and Thar Desert before entering into Indian region. During post-monsoon (~70%) and winter (~65%), majority of the air masses are coming from north-west and north-east side of the study area where biomass burning is quite frequent during this period.
Atomic-Site-Specific Analysis on Out-of-Plane Elasticity of Convexly Curved Graphene and Its Relationship to s p 2 to s p 3 Re-Hybridization

The geometry of two-dimensional crystalline membranes is of interest given its unique synergistic interplay with their mechanical, chemical, and electronic properties. For one-atom-thick graphene, these properties can be substantially modified by bending at the nanometer scale. So far variations of the electronic properties of graphene under compressing and stretching deformations have been exclusively investigated by local-probe techniques. Here we report that the interatomic attractive force introduced by atomic force microscopy triggers “single”-atom displacement and consequently enables us to determine out-of-plane elasticities of convexly curved graphene including its atomic-site-specific variation. We have quantitatively evaluated the relationship between the out-of-plane displacement and elasticity of convexly curved graphene by three-dimensional force field spectroscopy on a side-wall of a hollow tube with a well-defined curvature. The substantially small intrinsic modulus that complies with continuum mechanics has been found to increase significantly at atomically specific locations, where s p 2 to s p 3 re-hybridization would certainly take place.
Effectiveness of psychoeducation intervention on subjective well being and self compassion of individuals with mental disabilities

Background: Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of psychoeducation on subjective well-being and self compassion given to parents of individuals with mental disabilities. Methods: We conducted our study with 66 parents (33 in control and 33 study groups) all of whom has children with mental disabilities attending to Special Education and Rehabilitation Center and Special Education-Technical School and Vocational Training Centres, Ministry of Education, Bitlis. We utilized pretest-posttest design to examine efficacy of psychoeducation programme on both control and study groups. Subjective Well-being and Self Compassion Scales were used to obtain data from control and study groups. Results: We identified significant increase in parents’ subjective well-being and self compassion levels after eight session of psychoeducation (p<0.05). Conclusions: As a result, we believe there is very few intervention practices directed to parents of children with mental disabilities and that these practices should be enhanced.
The status and development of tumor microenvironment simulation platforms

The tumor microenvironment, which is composed of tumor cells and non-malignant cells, plays a crucial role in malignant transformation, local invasion, distant metastasis and drug resistance. Reconstructing the tumor microenvironment in vitro has been used as an indispensable strategy to elucidate the mechanism of tumorigenesis, provide an early diagnosis and screen drugs. In the past few decades, several simulation platforms have been developed, including spontaneous cell aggregation, cellular scaffolding, the multicellular tumor spheroid model (MCTS), the rotary cell culture system (RCCS), and microfluidic devices. Using these systems, researchers have made significant progress in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment and also in clinical research. These platforms can increase research efficiency, can help achieve individualized diagnoses and treatments and allow for high-throughput drug screening. In this review, we will introduce the current status of tumor microenvironment simulation platforms and their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we further discuss their applications in their early clinical diagnosis and high-throughput screening of drugs, and their challenges and prospects in the future will be addressed.
Adhesive contact of rough brushes

The adhesive contact between a rough brush-like structure and an elastic half-space is numerically simulated using the fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based boundary element method and the mesh-dependent detachment criterion of Pohrt and Popov. The problem is of interest in light of the discussion of the role of contact splitting in the adhesion strength of gecko feet and structured biomimetic materials. For rigid brushes, the contact splitting does not enhance adhesion even if all pillars of the brush are positioned at the same height. Introducing statistical scatter of height leads to a further decrease of the maximum adhesive strength. At the same time, the pull-off force becomes dependent on the previously applied compression force and disappears completely at some critical roughness. For roughness with a subcritical value, the pressure dependence of the pull-off force qualitatively follows the known theory of Fuller and Tabor with moderate modification due to finite size effect of the brush.
Binding Properties of Biosynthesized Gold Nanoparticles with Calf-Thymus DNA in vitro

The investigation of drug-DNA interaction is important for understanding the molecular mechanism of drug action. Interaction of ct-DNA with Alternanthera sessilis, Acorus calamus, Rhaphidophora aurea, Portulaca oleracea and Sterculia foetida mediated AuNPs was monitored by recording the changes in absorption band before and after interaction of ct-DNA and AuNPs by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The interaction of the complex with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) showed blue shift and hyperchromism in the UV-Vis spectra indicating groove binding for SF, PAK, MP and AC-AuNPs. The morphology of the DNA-nanoparticle complexes seems to be dependent on the nanoparticles concentration and is significantly different for each plant-mediated nanoparticles.
Coexistence, saturation and invasion resistance in simulated plant assemblages

A popular hypothesis is that species-rich systems are less susceptible to invasion. This hypothesis is based on the idea that species richness correlates with community saturation so that establishment by a new species is more difficult in saturated communities. Little attention has been focussed on how changing assumptions about the processes regulating species richness will alter community properties such as invasion resistance. Here, we simulate plant community assembly using four models that have different underlying coexistence mechanisms (and so differ in the amount of available niche space) and subject them to invasion. We created species richness gradients by comparing between models or by considering the output of a single model with different parameter values. We found that the relation between species richness and invasion resistance depends critically on the model considered and the cause of the species richness gradient. Overall, our results suggest that species richness does not necessarily correlate with saturation and is likely to be a poor predictor of invasion resistance. These results provide a possible explanation for the variety of outcomes reported in recent experimental and observational studies that examine the relationship between species richness and invasion resistance. We conclude that consideration of the processes regulating species richness is crucial for a successful understanding of invasion resistance along species richness gradients.
Probabilistic Strength of Arguments with Structure

This paper investigates the relation between abstract and structured accounts of probabilistic argumentation. The AS-PIC + framework is applied to default reasoning with probabilistic generalisations, using the idea that the probability of an argument is the probability of the conjunction of all its premises and conclusions. Based on this idea, two notions of internal and dialectical argument strength are deﬁned and compared. The resulting account is then related to Hunter & Thimm’s epistemic approach to abstract probabilistic argumentation.
Spatiotemporal Variability of Oxygen Isotope Anomaly in near Surface Air CO2 over Urban, Semi-Urban and Ocean Areas in and around Taiwan

ABSTRACTThe most commonly used tracers to probe the atmospheric and biogeochemical cycles of CO2 are 16O12C16O, 16O13C16O, and 16O12C18O. Considering the number and diversity of sources and sinks affecting CO2, these tracers are not always sufficient to constrain the fluxes of CO2 between the atmosphere and biosphere/hydrosphere. In this context, 16O12C17O species was introduced but has rarely been used due to difficulties associated with its accurate measurement in natural samples. This tracer, expressed as an abundance anomaly in 17O, defined by ∆17O = ln(1 + δ17O) – 0.516 × ln(1 + δ18O) can independently constrain the fluxes associated with the terrestrial processes. The advantage of utilizing ∆17O over δ18O alone lies on the sensitivity of the former to the rates of biogeochemical processes involving multiple water reservoirs with spatial and temporal isotopic heterogeneities. To employ all the three oxygen isotopes for estimating fluxes of CO2, sources and processes affecting their partitioning have to be identified and quantified. Here, we measured ∆17O values in near surface atmospheric CO2 from Taiwan in urban and semi-urban areas and over the South China Sea. Strong spatiotemporal variation was seen, with an average ∆17O value of 0.332‰ and a mean variation of 0.043‰ (relative to V-SMOW; 1-σ standard deviation for a total of 140 samples). The large variation reflects combinations of distinct air masses carrying CO2 from sources having different ∆17O values: negative from combustion emissions, positive from the stratosphere, and a positive water-CO2 equilibration value from isotope exchange with leaf/soil/ocean waters. We observed that the variation of the semi-urban ∆17O values is largely affected by local biogeochemistry and stratospheric intrusion with only minor influence from anthropogenic emissions. This is the first oxygen anomaly study for near surface CO2 covering diverse source characteristics and has enormous potential in air CO2 source identification and constraining the global carbon budget.
A Dissatisfied Partner: A Conflict -- Integration Analysis of Britain's Membership in the European Union

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Recommended Citation Tanrikulu, Osman Goktug, "A Dissatisfied Partner: A Conflict Integration Analysis of Britain's Membership in the European Union" (2013). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1064.