Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistance Profile of Bacteria Isolatedgrom Hospital Sources to Antibioticsand Biocides

There have been reports of concomitant resistance to biocides and antibiotics particularly in clinical bacteria. The study therefore investigated the resistance profile of clinical bacterial iso-lates to antibiotics and biocides employed in the sanitation of the hospital wards. A total of 484 clinical bacterial isolates comprising Citrobacter freundii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. , Klebsiella oxycota, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), Xanthomonas maltro-phila, Enterobacter spp, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas spp were isolated from the patients� stools, urine, High vaginal swab, hand swab of medical personnel and inani-mate objects within the hospital wards. Resistance demonstrated by isolates to 27 different anti-biotics and seven biocides using standard methods was examined. All the isolates tested were resistant to between one and 24 different antibiotics in varying proportions. Overall, resistance to antibiotics ranged from 0.7 to 100% among Gram negative bacteria and 0.98 to 100% among Gram positive bacteria. The organisms developed resistance to the antibiotics in varying propor-tion. In all cases, resistance to antibiotics was generally high among the Gram negative bacteria particularly, Xanthomonas maltrophila, Enterobacter spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Resis-tance was highest to cefazolin among the cephalosporin antibiotics and ciprofloxacin among the flouroquinolone antibiotic, while it was highest to penicillin and nitrofurantoin among other antibiotics. All the isolates were susceptible to the biocides tested except Enterobacter spp. , Xan-thomonas spp. , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were resistant only to chlorhexidine diglu-conate at a concentration of 0.05�g/ml. Plasmid analysis of the chlorhexidine-resistant isolates showed the absence of plasmid link. This indicated that the resistance was not plasmid-mediated. In the study, resistance among the organisms to antibiotics was greater than to biocides, which may be due to increase in the use of antibiotics than biocides.
Rapid biogeographical plankton shifts in the North Atlantic Ocean

Large‐scale biogeographical changes in the biodiversity of a key zooplankton group (calanoid copepods) were detected in the north‐eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas over the period 1960–1999. These findings provided key empirical evidence for climate change impacts on marine ecosystems at the regional to oceanic scale. Since 1999, global temperatures have continued to rise in the region. Here, we extend the analysis to the period 1958–2005 using all calanoid copepod species assemblages (nine species assemblages based on an analysis including a total of 108 calanoid species or taxa) and show that this phenomenon has been reinforced in all regions. Our study reveals that the biodiversity of calanoid copepods are responding quickly to sea surface temperature (SST) rise by moving geographically northward at a rapid rate up to about 23.16 km yr−1. Our analysis suggests that nearly half of the increase in sea temperature in the northeast Atlantic and adjacent seas is related to global temperature rises (46.35% of the total variance of temperature) while changes in both natural modes of atmospheric and oceanic circulation explain 26.45% of the total variance of temperature. Although some SST isotherms have moved northwards by an average rate of up to 21.75 km yr−1 (e.g. the North Sea), their movement cannot fully quantify all species assemblage shifts. Furthermore, the observed rates of biogeographical movements are far greater than those observed in the terrestrial realm. Here, we discuss the processes that may explain such a discrepancy and suggest that the differences are mainly explained by the fluid nature of the pelagic domain, the life cycle of the zooplankton and the lesser anthropogenic influence (e.g. exploitation, habitat fragmentation) on these organisms. We also hypothesize that despite changes in the path and intensity of the oceanic currents that may modify quickly and greatly pelagic zooplankton species, these organisms may reflect better the current impact of climate warming on ecosystems as terrestrial organisms are likely to significantly lag the current impact of climate change.
Vertebral numbers in male and female snakes: the roles of natural, sexual and fecundity selection

The relative numbers of trunk (body) and caudal (tail) vertebrae in snakes might be influenced by at least four processes: (1) natural selection for crawling speed, (2) fecundity selection for larger trunk size in females, (3) sexual selection for longer bodies or tails in males and/or (4) developmental constraints (if an increase in the number of body vertebrae requires a decrease in the number of tail vertebrae, or vice versa). These four hypotheses generate different predictions about the relationship between sex differences in the numbers of body vertebrae vs. tail vertebrae. I collated published data to test these predictions, both with raw data and using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Some snake lineages show a negative correlation between the magnitude of sex disparities in trunk vs. caudal vertebrae whereas other lineages show the reverse pattern, or no correlation. Thus, different selective pressures seem to have been important in different lineages. Vertebral numbers in snakes may offer a useful model system in which to explore the conflicts between natural, fecundity and sexual selection.
Resistant Starch Derived from Extruded Corn Starch and Guar Gum as Affected by Acid and Surfactants: Structural Characterization

Corn starches with and without guar gum [10% (w/w)] and 2% (w/w) of diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglyceride, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate or citric acid, respectively, were extrusion-cooked in a twin-screw extruder at 18% moisture, 150 °C and 180 rpm screw speed. The content of resistant starch was determined by sequential enzymatic digestion. The formation of resistant starch in extruded corn starch was strongly affected by the addition of gum and the different food additives. X-ray diffraction of the extruded starches gave a V diffraction pattern indicating the effect of extrusion cooking and amylose-lipid complexes. Enzymatic digestion did not affect the V-structure, which could apparently be attributed to extrusion cooking. Similarly, differential scanning calorimetric thermograms indicated that all isolated resistant starches exhibited endothermic transitions between 71—178 °C signifying a complex formation between amylose and the emulsifiers and possibly the melting of amylose crystallites in the resistant starch. Purification of the isolated resistant starches by size exclusion-high performance liquid chromatography showed a dependence of molecular weight on the added additives. Results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction suggest that amylose-lipid complexes could also be involved in the formation of resistant starch in extruded cornstarch.
Rendezvous transgastric and percutaneous sinus tract endoscopy (STE) for debridement of necrotic collections with deep retroperitoneal extension: a case series (with video)

Abstract Background and study aims Infected necrotic collections extending deep into the retroperitoneum may not be amenable solely to endoscopic necrosectomy. Rendezvous transgastric and percutaneous sinus tract endoscopic necrosectomy was conceived to maximize debridement and obviate the need for open necrosectomy or video-assisted retroperitoneal debridement. Patients and methods Patients who underwent simultaneous rendezvous transgastric and sinus tract endoscopic transluminal necrosectomy at the same session were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Demographic data, clinical outcomes, immediate and late complications were evaluated. Results Among 415 patients with necrotizing pancreatitis, four patients (three males, median age 47 years) underwent this intervention after a median 29.5 days following placement of percutaneous drain. Intra-procedural bleeding following dilation of percutaneous tract required placement of esophageal stent for tamponade. No patients required rescue open necrosectomy or video assisted retroperitoneal debridement. Complete removal of percutaneous drains was accomplished in all patients after a median of 78.5 days. Conclusions Our novel approach is safe and effective and can expand the available armamentarium for management of large necrotic collection with deep retroperitoneal extension.
Forest carbon use efficiency: is respiration a constant fraction of gross primary production?

Carbon‐use efficiency (CUE), the ratio of net primary production (NPP) to gross primary production (GPP), describes the capacity of forests to transfer carbon (C) from the atmosphere to terrestrial biomass. It is widely assumed in many landscape‐scale carbon‐cycling models that CUE for forests is a constant value of ∼0.5. To achieve a constant CUE, tree respiration must be a constant fraction of canopy photosynthesis. We conducted a literature survey to test the hypothesis that CUE is constant and universal among forest ecosystems. Of the 60 data points obtained from 26 papers published since 1975, more than half reported values of GPP that were not estimated independently from NPP; values of CUE calculated from independent estimates of GPP were greater than those calculated from estimates of GPP derived from NPP. The slope of the relationship between NPP and GPP for all forests was 0.53, but values of CUE varied from 0.23 to 0.83 for different forest types. CUE decreased with increasing age, and a substantial portion of the variation among forest types was caused by differences in stand age. When corrected for age the mean value of CUE was greatest for temperate deciduous forests and lowest for boreal forests. CUE also increased as the ratio of leaf mass‐to‐total mass increased. Contrary to the assumption of constancy, substantial variation in CUE has been reported in the literature. It may be inappropriate to assume that respiration is a constant fraction of GPP as adhering to this assumption may contribute to incorrect estimates of C cycles. A 20% error in current estimates of CUE used in landscape models (i.e. ranging from 0.4 to 0.6) could misrepresent an amount of C equal to total anthropogenic emissions of CO2 when scaled to the terrestrial biosphere.
Genetic relationships among two Perilla crops, shiso and egoma, and the weedy type revealed by RAPD markers

Two distinct crops of Perilla frutescens Britt. (Labiatae), leafy vegetable (var. crispa, shiso in Japanese) and oil crop (var. frutescens, egoma in Japanese) and the weedy type were investigated to clarify their genetic relationships. Twenty-five samples from Japan were analyzed by the RAPD technique with 40 random decamer primers and a phenogram was constructed based on RAPD using the neighbor joining method. Among 284 different bands detected, 124 (44%) showed polymorphisms. The weedy type Perilla was most variable with 76 (27%) polymorphic bands compared to 67 (24%) of var. crispa and 62 (23%) of var. frutescens. The weedy Perilla had only four unique bands, while var. crispa and var. frutescens had 13 and 14 unique bands, respectively. In the phenogram, var. crispa and var. frutescens each formed a cluster, whereas different samples of the weedy type occupied different positions in the tree. This implies that gene flow between the two crops is limited although they are artificially crossable with each other. The position of the samples of var. crispa and var. frutescens in the phenogram has no relationship with the geographical locations of the samples. Four out of six samples of the weedy type were situated on the branches connecting the crispa and frutescens groups in the phenogram. This may suggest that these samples originated from hybrids between var. crispa and var. frutescens.
A Simple Microplate Assay to Quantify Nonstructural Carbohydrates of Grapevine Tissues

Knowledge of total nonstructural carbohydrates in plant material is useful for understanding the effects of environmental conditions and vineyard management decisions on grapevine physiology. While many techniques are described in the literature, varying in degree of sophistication, few have been validated in grapevines. We describe the miniaturization of a simple extraction method and microplate based colorimetric assay for the measurement of nonstructural carbohydrates in a range of grapevine tissues. The method provides quantitative results for soluble carbohydrates and starch in samples containing as low as 20 μg carbohydrate.
SynDFG: Synthetic dataflow graph generator for high-level synthesis

Dataflow graphs obtained from benchmark applications depend on the compiler used and its settings. This makes comparison of results in high level synthesis research using such dataflow graphs difficult. Therefore, a synthetic dataflow graph generator for generating dataflow graphs of any size from a few tens of nodes to thousands of nodes for research in high level synthesis is presented. The user has the flexibility to specify number of nodes and set node attributes like node type (operation type), in-degree and the maximum and the minimum parallelism in each control step. The generated dataflow graphs can be used for research in scheduling, allocation and hardware binding. Sharing of input parameters among researchers will allow generation of identical synthetic graphs on identical platforms thus facilitating easier and more meaningful comparison of results. The concept of "Biased Dataflow Graphs (BDFG)" is introduced where operations of certain types are large in number. These provide the required granularity in operations, exploitation of inherent parallelism and option to explore the area space in modern FPGAs consisting of LUTs, BRAMs and DSP slices. The generated graphs overcome these limitations in the two existing methods: Task Graphs for Free (TGFF) and Synchronous Dataflow Graphs for Free (SDF3).
Quantitative Real Time PCR approach to study gene expression profile during prenatal growth of skeletal muscle in pig of Duroc and Pietrain breeds

Riassunto Applicazione della real time PCR allo studio dell’espressione genica nel tessuto muscolare scheletrico di suino durante lo sviluppo embrionale nelle razze Duroc e Pietrain. La PCR quantitativa “real time”, è stata utilizzata per analizzare i livelli d’espressione di geni muscolari di suino durante lo sviluppo embrionale. A tale scopo è stato utilizzato il LightCycler™system per quantificare il numero di copie di mRNA di geni del tessuto muscolare scheletrico e confrontarne il pattern di espressione nelle razze suine Duroc e Pietrain, molto diverse per caratteristiche produttive e per la qualità della carne e della carcassa. Il livello d’espressione di questi geni è stato monitorato con quantificazione relativa, basata sul rapporto tra il numero copie cDNA/µl di ciascun gene target rispetto al gene di riferimento β2-microglobulina (B2M).
Graded expression of microRNA-371a-3p in tumor tissues, contralateral testes, and in serum of patients with testicular germ cell tumor

Background: Serum levels of microRNA-371a-3p represent a specific tumor marker of testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs) but the origin of circulating miR-371a-3p is not finally resolved. The correlation between miR-levels in tissue and serum is unclear. Results: MiR-levels in GCT tissue are 399-fold higher than in contralateral testicular tissue and 5843-fold higher than in non-testicular tissue. MiR tissue levels correlate with corresponding serum levels (r2 = 0.181). ISH detected miR-371a-3p intracellularly in GCT cells except teratoma. A low expression was also detected in normal testicular germ cells. Conclusions: Circulating miR-371a-3p is specifically derived from GCT tissue. The miR is present in GCT cells except teratoma. A low expression is also found in normal testicular tissue but not in non-testicular tissue. MiR-371a-3p levels in tissue and serum correlate significantly. This study underscores the usefulness of serum miR-371a-3p as tumor marker of GCT. Patients and methods: Expression levels of miR-371a-3p were concurrently measured in tissues of GCT, contralateral testes (n = 38), and in serum (n = 36) with real time PCR. For control, 5 healthy testicles and 4 non-testicular tissue samples were examined. MiR-levels were compared using descriptive statistical methods. We also performed in situ hybridization (ISH) of GCT tissue with a probe specific for miR-371a-3p.
Effect of perches in laying cages on welfare and production of hens

Abstract 1. ISA Brown hens were caged in groups of 4 from 20 to 72 weeks at 675 cm2/bird. A control treatment in conventional cages was compared with 4 treatments involving softwood perches. In deep cages they were located across the front, across the rear and across both; in wide, shallow cages there was one long perch across the front. For half of each treatment perches were circular in cross section, and for half they were rectangular. 2. Time spent overall in daytime perching was relatively consistent over the laying cycle, from 47% in period 1 to 41% in period 10. Perch arrangement had a major influence on perching time, which varied from 20% on the rear perch to 85% on the long perch. Predominant activities on front perches were feeding and drinking; on rear perches, preening and resting. 3. Perches were heavily used for roosting at night: the proportion varied from 60 to 72% on front or rear perches, through 72 to 78% on long perches, and 99% on two perches. 4. Physical condition was also affected .
Historical changes on the fisheries management in Cambodia

, ABSTRACT Cambodia has rich aquatic resources particularly favored from the Mekong River Basin and Tonle Sap Lake. Fisheries activities have been conducted since ancient times. Until the eighteenth century, any people regardless of nationality and occupation could conduct ﬁshing and obtain ﬁshery products from freshwater areas in Cambodia. At present, freshwater fisheries are still important for food security of Cambodian people, as clearly shown by the fact that approximate 75% of protein intakes are supplied from freshwater fisheries products. However, contemporary circumstances surrounding fisheries have come to be quite different from those before. For instance, several fish species are listed as endangered while over exploitation of fishery resources has been criticized as environmentally hazardous and bringing about resource depletion by international communities. At the same time, conflicts between fishermen and among relevant stakeholders have been prevailing in various parts of the country. After the last civil war, Cambodian government has been ﬁnancially supported by foreign countries for the economic development. In this regard, Cambodia should seek for an appropriate policy to enable both the management of national living resources including fishery resources and public security simultaneously, in favor of international consensus.
An improved method of fuzzy c-means clustering by using feature selection and weighting

Summary Fuzzy C-means has been utilized successfully in a wide range of applications, extending from the clustering capability of the K-means to datasets that are uncertain, vague and otherwise are hard to be clustered. In cluster analysis, certain features of a given data set may exhibit higher relevance in comparison to others. To address this issue, Feature-Weighted Fuzzy C-Means approaches have emerged in recent years. However, there are certain deficiencies in the existing methods, e.g., the elements in a feature-weight vector cannot be adaptively adjusted during the training phase, and the update formulas of a feature-weight vector cannot be derived analytically. In this study, an Improved Feature-Weighted Fuzzy C-Means is proposed to overcome to these shortcomings. A novel initialization scheme for the fuzzy c-means algorithm was proposed. Finally, the proposed method was applied into data clustering. The experimental results showed that the proposed method can be considered as a promising tool for data clustering.
FUNCTION OF GOLGI VESICLES IN RELATION TO CELL WALL SYNTHESIS IN GERMINATING PETUNIA POLLEN. II. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GOLGI VESICLES AND POLLEN TUBE WALL

SUMMARY Golgi vesicles and pollen tube walls isolated from germinating Petunia pollen were chemically analysed. The protein: lipid ratio of the Golgi vesicles was 70:30. The total carbohydrate contents of the Golgi vesicles and pollen tube wall were found to be 7.2% and 61% of the dry weights respectively. The alkali insoluble material of the pollen tube wall contained 6% of the total carbohydrate; this material has been found to be cellulosic in nature. The sugar composition of the polysaccharides extracted from the Golgi vesicles and the tube wall is presented and discussed.
Interaction of Environmental Variables on Growth and Development of Honey Mesquite

The influence of soil and aerial environments on the growth and development of honey mesquite (Prosopis juliflora [Swartz] DC. var. glandulosa [Torr.] Cockerell) was studied under controlled environment conditions. Either low soil temperature (13 C) or cool aerial environments (11-25 C) retarded shoot growth; however, maximum shoot growth occurred as a result of an interaction of optimum soil temperature (29 C) and moderate aerial environment (20.9 mm Hg vapor pressure deficit). The efficiency of shoot growth with respect to water use is maximum at 29 C soil temperature and with a vapor pressure deficit regime of 7.3 mm Hg, the latter being well below the optimum aerial environment for maximum growth.
Influence of particle size and microbial phytase supplementation on the performance, nutrient utilisation and digestive tract parameters of broiler starters

The aim of the present experiment was to examine the interaction between particle size and microbial phytase supplementation on the performance, nutrient utilisation and digestive tract development of broiler starters fed maize-based diets. The experimental design was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments evaluating two maize particle sizes (medium and coarse) and two levels of phytase supplementation (without or with 500 phytase units/kg diet). The two particle sizes were achieved by grinding the whole maize in a hammer mill to pass through 3- and 7-mm screens, respectively. Broiler starter diets, based on maize and soybean meal, were formulated to meet recommended requirements for major nutrients, except phosphorus. Each of the four diets was fed ad libitum to six pens of eight male broilers each, from day 1 to day 21 post-hatching. Phytase supplementation increased (P 0.05) on feed intake and feed per gain. No interactions (P > 0.05) between phytase supplementation and particle size were observed for any of the performance parameters. Phytase supplementation increased (P < 0.001) ileal phosphorus digestibility and toe ash content of birds fed the medium particle size diet, but had no effect in those fed the coarse particle size diet. Apparent metabolisable energy and ileal digestibility of calcium and nitrogen were not influenced by particle size or phytase supplementation. The present findings suggest that the effectiveness of supplemental phytase on broiler performance is not influenced by the particle size of maize.