Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF PLASMID-MEDIATED QUINOLONE RESISTANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE QNR GENES IN CLINICAL ISOLATES OF SHIGELLA SPP. IN BAGHDAD

Background Although quinolone resistance results mostly from chromosomal mutations in Enterobacteriaceae, it may also be mediated by plasmid-encoded qnr determinants. Shigella harboring the novel qnr plasmidmediated mechanism of quinolone resistance has been described worldwide. Objective To understand the distribution of serogroup of Shigella spp, as well as antimicrobial susceptibility and to investigate the plasmid mediated quinolone-resistant qnr genes in clinical isolates of Shigella spp. resistant to quinolone. Methods Fifty nine clinical isolates of Shigella spp. were collected from two hospitals in Baghdad. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using disk diffusion test and minimum inhibitory concentration. The isolates were screened for the plasmid-mediated qnr genes of qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS by Multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Results The isolation rate of Shigella spp. was 14% and observed to be high among children < 10 years and low in teenagers and adults. The highest percentage was Sh. flexneri (54.2%) followed by Sh. sonnei (37.3%) then Sh. dysenteriae (8.5%), while no Sh. boydii was found in this study. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that 54.23% and 49.2% of both Sh. flexneri and Sh. sonnei were resistant to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, respectively, while Sh. dysenteriae isolates were fully susceptible to these antibiotics. The minimum inhibitory concentration value of resistant isolates of Sh. flexneri and Sh. sonnei ranged between 2-64 μg/ml and 32-512 μg/ml for ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid, respectively. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification of plasmid-borne qnrA, qnrB, qnrS genes revealed that the overall percentage of qnr-genes were (52.9%) distributed as (29.4%) qnrA, (20.6%) qnrS and (2.94%) qnrB detected alone or in combination. The genes were identified in (44.1%, 15/34) of quinolone resistance Shigella isolates. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report detected fluoroquinolone resistance due to the qnr gene among Shigella isolates in Iraq which is indicated that plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance has emerged in Iraqi pediatric patients.
Ozone Air Quality over North America: Part I—A Review of Reported Trends

ABSTRACT Ozone and precursor trends can be used to measure the effectiveness of regulatory programs that have been implemented. In this paper, we review trends in the concentrations of O3, NOx, and HCs over North America that have been reported in the literature. Although most existing trend studies are confounded by meteorological variability, both the raw data trends and the trends adjusted for meteorology collectively indicate a general decreasing trend in O concentrations in most areas of the United States during 1985-1996. In Canada, mean daily maximum 1-hr O3 concentrations at urban sites show mixed trends with a majority of sites showing an increase from 1980 to 1993. Mean daily maximum 1-hr O3 at most regionally representative Canadian sites appears to decrease from 1985 to 1993 or shows no significant change. There are far fewer data and analyses of NOx and HC trends. Available studies covering various ranges of years indicate decreases in ambient NOx and HC concentrations in Los Angeles, CA, decreases in HC concentrations in northeastern U.S. cities, and decreases in NO concentrations in Canadian cities. Two key needs are long-term HC and NOx measurements, particularly at rural sites, and a systematic comparison of trend detection techniques on a reference data set.
Incremental Re-Training of a Hybrid English-French MT System with Customer Translation Memory Data

In this paper, we present SAIC’s hybrid machine translation (MT) system and show how it was adapted to the needs of our customer – a major global fashion company. The adaptation was performed in two ways: off-line selection of domain-relevant parallel and monolingual data from a background database, as well as on-line incremental adaptation with customer parallel and translation memory data. The translation memory was integrated into the statistical search using two novel features. We show that these features can be used to produce nearly perfect translations of data that fully or to a large extent partially matches the TM entries, without sacrificing on the translation quality of the data without TM matches. We also describe how the human post-editing effort was reduced due to significantly better MT quality after adaptation, but also due to improved formatting and readability of the MT output.
Lgr4‐deficient mice showed premature differentiation of ureteric bud with reduced expression of Wnt effector Lef1 and Gata3

We previously reported that Lgr4 has a critical role in the morphogenesis of kidney, but the detailed functions of Lgr4 in kidney development have not been elucidated. In contrast to Lgr4 null mice with 129Ola × C57BL/6J mixed background, C57BL/6J‐backcrossed Lgr4 null mice (Lgr4−/−) showed the severe phenotype of embryonic lethality and also had dilated tubules in kidneys at E16.5. Based on quantitative RT‐PCR and in situ hybridization, branching morphogenesis at E15.5 in the Lgr4−/− was arrested earlier, and both DBA‐lectin staining and immunohistochemical analysis using Aqp3 antibodies showed that the ureteric bud (UB) of Lgr4−/− kidneys underwent premature differentiation. Furthermore, quantitative RT‐PCR and histological analysis suggested that the impaired UB differentiation was caused by down‐regulation of the Wnt pathway and Gata3 in the Lgr4−/− kidneys. We demonstrate here that Lgr4 has a novel function for maintaining the UB in an undifferentiated state. Developmental Dynamics 240:1626–1634, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antigenic analysis of Methanomicrobiales and Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus

Preparation of new antisera has permitted more comprehensive immunological analyses of the two families of Methanomicrobiales. Methanomicrobiaceae and Methanosarcinaceae, and the species Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus. Immunological analysis was carried out with antibody probes against 23 strains, including almost all genera and species of methanogens. The absence of cross-reactions between families of methanogens was confirmed. Methanomicrobium and Methanogenium were found to be immunologically related. Extensive cross-reactions occurred among six strains of Methanosarcinaceae, but none occurred among three strains of M. arboriphilus when tested with the S probe, i.e., the last antiserum dilution of the titration curve's plateau.
Improved Symmetry Greatly Increases X-Ray Power from Wire-Array Z-Pinches.

A systematic experimental study of annular aluminum-wire Z-pinches on a 20-TW electrical generator shows that the measured spatial characteristics and emitted x-ray power agree more closely with rad-hydro simulations when large numbers of wires are used. The measured x-ray power increases first slowly and then rapidly with decreasing interwire gap spacing. Simulations suggested that this increase reflects the transition from implosion of individual wire plasmas to one of an azimuthally symmetric plasma shell. In the plasma-shell regime, x-ray powers of 40 TW are achieved.
Signal processing for vector control of AC drive

An induction motor with vector control has a very good dynamic behavior and as a consequence is well suited for high performance applications. But, the vector control is very sensitive to variations in the rotor time constant. In the paper there is presented signal processing for the vector control of an induction motor with rotor time constant adaptation using TMS320F2812 DSP. The method employs the model reference adaptive system. The estimated rotor time constant is necessary for so-called current model which is used in the vector control and serves for the determination of the quantities for the transformation from stationary reference frame into reference frame. At the end of the paper some experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of realized signal processing.
Positron emission tomography imaging of tau pathology in progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare form of atypical Parkinsonism that differs neuropathologically from other parkinsonian disorders. While many parkinsonian disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and multiple system atrophy are classified as synucleinopathies, progressive supranuclear palsy is coined a tauopathy due to the aggregation of pathological tau in the brain. [18F]AV-1451 (also known as [18F]-T807) is a positron emission tomography radiotracer that binds to paired helical filaments of tau in Alzheimer’s disease. We investigated whether [18F]AV-1451 could be used as biomarker for the diagnosis and disease progression monitoring in progressive supranuclear palsy. Six progressive supranuclear palsy, six Parkinson’s disease, and 10 age-matched healthy controls were recruited. An anatomical MRI and a 90-min PET scan, using [18F]AV-1451, were acquired from all participants. The standardized uptake value ratio from 60 to 90 min post-injection was calculated in each region of interest, using the cerebellar cortex as a reference region. No significant differences in standardized uptake value ratios were detected in our progressive supranuclear palsy group compared to the two control groups. [18F]AV-1451 may bind selectivity to the paired helical filaments in Alzheimer’s disease, which differ from the straight conformation of tau filaments in progressive supranuclear palsy.
Personal Viewpoint Navigation Based on Object Trajectory Distribution for Multi-View Videos

Multi-camera videos with abundant information and high flexibility are useful in a wide range of applications, such as surveillance systems, web lectures, news broadcasting, concerts and sports viewing. Viewers can enjoy an enhanced viewing experience by choosing their own viewpoint through viewing interfaces. However, some viewers may feel annoyed by the need for continual manual viewpoint selection, especially when the number of selectable viewpoints is relatively large. In order to solve this issue, we propose an automatic viewpoint navigation method designed especially for sports. This method focuses on a viewer’s personal preference for viewpoint selection, instead of common and professional editing rules. We assume that different trajectory distributions of viewing objects cause a difference in the viewpoint selection according to personal preference. We learn the relationship between the viewer’s personal viewpoint-selection tendency and the spatio-temporal game context represented by the objects trajectories. We compare three methods based on Gaussian mixture model, SVM with a general histogram and SVM with a bag-of-words to seek the best learning scheme for this relationship. The performance of the proposed methods are evaluated by assessing the degree of similarity between the selected viewpoints and the viewers’ edited records. key words: multi-view video navigation, user preference, Gaussian mixture model
Based on programmable current buffer 10-bit DAC for AMOLED source driver

The paper proposes a low area 10-bit DAC for AMOLED source driver ICs. The proposed driver consists of a 7-bit gamma correction resistor-string DAC and a 3-bit sub-DAC based on programmable current cell (PCC) within the output buffer. The output buffer with 3-bit sub-DAC could implement voltage interpolation with only two differential pairs and three CMOS switches. This leads to a compact die size. The AMOLED driver is realized in 0. 35μm CMOS process with DNL and INL of 0.11 LSB and 0.15 LSB, respectively. The settling time within 0.2% tolerance of the final voltage is 3. 7μs with a 30kΩ resistance and 20pF capacitance load.
FIELD PERFORMANCE OF in vitro SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam)) PLANTLETS DERIVED FROM SEEDSTOCKS

A field trial was conducted to compare the performance of in vitro plantlets derived from the meristem cultures of rootstocks through micro-propagation with the performance of the traditional seed roots in 2009 and 2010. There was no significant difference between the in vitro plantlets and the traditional seed root for haulm length (HL), branch number (BN) and stem number (SN). In vitro plantlets had significantly higher means as compared to traditional seed roots for single storage root weight (SSRW) (305.5 g vs 217.6 g), single plant yield (SPY) (4.1 kg vs 3.0 kg) and plot yield (PY) (16.2 kg vs 12.0 kg). Cultivar NC-150 had higher means than those of the other two cultivars in terms of storage root weight (417.6 g), single plant yield (4.6 kg) and plot yield (18.4 kg).
ANIMAL INSULINS-CURRENT STATUS

There is no significant difference in the metabolic control with animal or human insulin. At present there is no clinical data comparing the diabetes related mortality and complications, with animal or human insulin. The earlier animal insulins were more immunogenic as compared to human insulin, but the present day highly purified monocomponent insulins are less antigenic and the difference in the antigenicity as compared to human insulin has not proved to be of clinical importance. The receptor binding affinity of animal insulin at the major sites of action as well as the post receptor events is similar to human insulin. The complications like insulin lipodystrophy, lipoatrophy, insulin allergy and insulin resistance seen with the older impure animal insulins is uncommon with the highly purified animal insulins and synthetic insulins. Hypoglycemic unawareness is seen more with the human insulin as compared to the animal insulin. The animal insulins are more cost effective in the long-term management of the insulin requiring diabetics, especially in a developing country like ours.
Identification of Novel Anthrax Lethal Factor Inhibitors Generated by Combinatorial Pictet–Spengler Reaction Followed by Screening in situ

Anthrax lethal factor (LF) is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease produced by Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. LF and two other plasmid encoded proteins known as edema factor (EF) and protective antigen (PA) are responsible for the virulence of Bacillus anthracis. 2, 3] The cause of LF and EF’s toxicity necessitates that they translocate from the extracellular media into the cytosol of the host cell by PA. 5] The association LF+PA is known as lethal toxin (LTx). The injection of LTx into the bloodstream of animal models is lethal, whereas the association of EF+PA, known as edema toxin (ETx), is nonvirulent without LF. When released into the bloodstream, PA binds to two extracellular receptors, 7] (Figure 1) the anthrax toxin receptor/ tumor endothelial marker 8 (ATR/TEM8) and the capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CGM2), and becomes localized on the
INCREASED RESISTANCE TO LPS-INDUCED MYOCARDIAL DYSFUNCTION IN THE BROWN NORWAY RATS VERSUS DAHL S RATS: ROLES OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND NUCLEAR FACTOR &kgr;B PATHWAY

We previously demonstrated that hearts from Brown Norway (BN) rats were more resistant to ischemic injury than hearts from Dahl S (SS) rats. Here we determined the susceptibility to LPS-induced cardiomyopathy in these rats and examined the involvement of inflammatory signaling. Both strains were treated with LPS (20 mg/kg) via i.p. injection for 6 h. Myocardial function was assessed by the Langendorff system, and proinflammatory cytokines were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. LPS significantly reduced left ventricular developed pressure in both strains. Interestingly, the decrease of left ventricular developed pressure in BN rat hearts was approximately 25% less than that in SS rat hearts. Furthermore, LPS significantly reduced the peak rate of contraction and the peak rate of relaxation in SS hearts but not in BN hearts. No differences in LPS-induced decreases in coronary flow rate were observed between BN and SS rats. In addition, LPS-induced increases in proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-&agr;, IL-1&bgr;, and IL-6, were significantly lower in both plasma and hearts of BN rats compared with production in SS rats. LPS notably up-regulated the expression of proinflammatory enzymes, iNOS and cyclooxygenase 2, in SS hearts but not in BN hearts. Interestingly, LPS did not stimulate Toll-like receptor 4 or its adaptor myeloid differentiation factor 88 expression in the hearts of either strain but did increase I&kgr;B and P65 phosphorylation, less prominently in BN hearts than in SS hearts. These data indicate that reduced production of proinflammatory cytokines and diminished nuclear factor &kgr;B activation are major mechanisms by which BN hearts are more resistant to LPS-induced myocardial dysfunction than SS hearts.
The Odorant‐Sensitive Adenylate Cyclase of Olfactory Receptor Cells

We have characterized odorant-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in isolated chemosensory cilia prepared from frog and rat olfactory epithelium. Cilia from both species exhibit high levels of adenylate cyclase activity. Basal activity is stimulated approximately 2-fold by GTP and approximately 5-fold by guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate and forskolin. Odorants augment enzyme activity 30-65% above the basal level in a tissue-specific and GTP-dependent manner. Calcium reduces GTP-stimulated activity with a 50% effective concentration at 10 microM. Odorants vary in their influence upon olfactory adenylate cyclase activity. Most fruity, floral, minty, and herbaceous odorants stimulate the enzyme. 3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadienenitrile (citralva), menthone, D-carvone, L-carvone, and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine display similar potencies in activating the adenylate cyclase upto concentrations of 100 microM. Putrid odorants, such as isovaleric acid, triethylamine, pyridine, thiazole, and methoxypyrazine, and odorous chemical solvents, do not stimulate enzyme activity. In homologous series of pyrazine, thiazole, and pyridine odorants, compounds with the longest hydrocarbon side chains are best able to enhance enzyme activity. The failure of certain odorants to affect adenylate cyclase activity suggests that additional transduction mechanisms besides the formation of cAMP are involved in olfaction.
Thymidine phosphorylase expression in progression of cervical cancer: correlation with microvessel count, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and apoptosis.

AIMS: To determine how epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression affects angiogenesis, rapid tumour growth, and decreased apoptotic activity in cervical cancer at varying stages of progression. METHODS: Epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression, the microvessel count (reflected by factor VIII related antigen), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were assessed immunohistochemically in 25 specimens of normal cervical epithelium, 35 of carcinoma in situ (CIS), 34 of microinvasive carcinoma, and 34 of invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Apoptosis was evaluated by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) method. The relation of epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression to microvessel count, PCNA index, and apoptotic index was examined. RESULTS: Epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression progressively increased along a continuum from normal epithelium to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression showed a significant positive correlation with microvessel counts. Within each histological stage, CIS cases with high stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression, invasive squamous cell carcinoma cases with high epithelial thymidine phosphorylase expression, and microinvasive carcinoma cases with high thymidine phosphorylase expression in both epithelium and stroma had a significantly higher microvessel count. High epithelial thymidine phosphorylase expression was associated with a significantly higher PCNA index in CIS and microinvasive carcinoma, but not in invasive squamous cell carcinoma. No significant correlation was seen between apoptotic index and either epithelial or stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression or microvessel count. CONCLUSIONS: Epithelial and stromal thymidine phosphorylase expression may combine to promote angiogenesis during progression of cervical cancer, and epithelial thymidine phosphorylase expression may stimulate tumour cell proliferation in the early stages.
AnyBody: a self-organization protocol for body area networks

Self-organization for wireless multi-hop systems can be divided into two categories: proactive cluster-based solutions and reactive on-demand solutions. Whereas the former have been studied for ad-hoc networks, the latter seem more adapted to low-energy low-traffic wireless sensor networks. We show that, despite the relative high cost to build and maintain a topology, a cluster-based approach is particularly suited for Body Area Networks. We present AnyBody, a self-organization protocol in which sensors attached to a person are grouped into clusters.
Hypertension Guidelines: Is It Time to Reappraise Blood Pressure Thresholds and Targets?

Heart disease, stroke, and renal failure are leading causes of death with hypertension being the predominant risk factor.1,2 Extensive evidence from randomized controlled trials has clearly demonstrated benefit of antihypertensive treatment and blood pressure reduction in reducing cardiovascular events in individuals with hypertension.3–5 Accordingly effective blood pressure control is essential to prevent the adverse sequelae of hypertension. Although modern drugs have the capacity to reduce blood pressure in almost every patient with hypertension,6,7 the actual blood pressure thresholds at which treatment should be initiated and the target levels at which blood pressure should be maintained still remain a topic of much discussion and debate. To inform healthcare providers and to provide pragmatic clinical suggestions and recommendations, international, regional, and national hypertension guidelines have been developed by expert groups globally. Most major hypertension treatment guidelines currently suggest that clinicians should strive to treat adults to a blood pressure target of ≤140/90 mm Hg.8–14 About goals of older individuals, a 2014 report from panel members of the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC8) suggested that in patients aged ≥60 years, blood pressure should be targeted to <150/90 mm Hg.12 The French guidelines recommend that individuals aged ≥80 years should be treated to a target of 150/90 mm Hg,15 whereas the Canadian …
Indicadores transversales en el proceso de radicalización de la segunda generación de inmigrantes de procedencia musulmana en España

Radicalization’s process of individuals is the foundation to either their following incorporation to terrorism organizations or their actions as an individual terrorist. Clarify the casual relationship amount psychosocial dimensions around the people and which make them vulnerable to radical discourse is considered the first way in the study of the risk that they run to be radicalized by jihadists terrorists. The group of people that we consider more vulnerable to this discourse is the second immigrant generation with origin muslim in Spain. Only from multidisciplinary study, we would be able to understand the radicalization’s process about these people. Obtaining cross sectional indicators, it will provide us the best information to have the necessary knowledge to carry out the measures that avoid the vulnerability about radical discourse and the radicalization. This information will have coordinated with state institutions.