Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens causing acute uncomplicated cystitis in women.

CONTEXT Guidelines for the management of acute uncomplicated cystitis in women that recommend empirical therapy in properly selected patients rely on the predictability of the agents causing cystitis and knowledge of their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of and trends in antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens causing well-defined episodes of acute uncomplicated cystitis in a large population of women. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey of antimicrobial susceptibilities of urine isolates collected during a 5-year period (January, May, and September 1992-1996). SETTING Health maintenance organization. PATIENTS Women aged 18 to 50 years with an outpatient diagnosis of acute cystitis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of uropathogens demonstrating in vitro resistance to selected antimicrobials; trends in resistance over the 5-year study period. RESULTS Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were the most common uropathogens, accounting for 90% of the 4342 urine isolates studied. The prevalence of resistance among E coli and all isolates combined was more than 20% for ampicillin, cephalothin, and sulfamethoxazole in each year studied. The prevalence of resistance to trimethoprim and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole rose from more than 9% in 1992 to more than 18% in 1996 among E coli, and from 8% to 16% among all isolates combined. There was a statistically significant increasing linear trend in the prevalence of resistance from 1992 to 1996 among E coli and all isolates combined to ampicillin (P<.002), and to cephalothin, trimethoprim, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (P<.001). In contrast, the prevalence of resistance to nitrofurantoin, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was 0% to 2% among E coli and less than 10% among all isolates combined, and did not change significantly during the 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS While the prevalence of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, and cephalothin increased significantly among uropathogens causing acute cystitis, resistance to nitrofurantoin and ciprofloxacin remained infrequent. These in vitro susceptibility patterns should be considered along with other factors, such as efficacy, cost, and cost-effectiveness in selecting empirical therapy for acute uncomplicated cystitis in women.
Determination of young adults' sedentary time with a multisensory activity monitor and activity log diary.

BACKGROUND Quantification of sedentary time still remains a challenge. OBJECTIVES This study examined: 1) whether a multisensory activity monitor could accurately measure sedentary activities and discriminate them from light intensity activities; and 2) the validity of activity log diary (AL) in estimating sedentary time using the monitor as a criterion measure. METHODS Thirty healthy individuals performed sedentary and light intensity activities in a laboratory while being equipped with a metabolic measurement cart (MMC) and the multisensory monitor. Subsequently, a subset of 19 participants completed AL while wearing the monitor for three days under free-living conditions. RESULTS Metabolic equivalents (METs) measured by the multisensory monitor during sedentary activities were similar to those measured by MMC and were significantly lower than light-intensity activities (p < 0.001). Relative criterion validity of AL assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient was high (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Absolute criterion validity examined by Bland-Altman plots showed small mean difference between AL and the monitor (36.9 minutes ⋅ day(-1)) with its limits of agreement ranging from -103.3 to 177.1 minutes ⋅ day(-1). CONCLUSION The multisensory monitor is capable of accurately measuring sedentary activities and distinguishing them from light-intensity activities. Compared to the multisensory monitor, our results showed that AL provides valid estimate of overall sedentary time.
Culture matters: a case of school health promotion in Canada

Rising concerns of poor health behaviours of children and youth have stimulated international support for a comprehensive approach to promoting the development of healthy behaviours in the early years. Health promoting schools (HPS) is increasingly adopted as an approach to guide supportive practices, but there is limited research that has reported how to effectively implement HPS at a population level. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively explore the factors preventing and facilitating implementation of HPS practices in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Interviews (n = 23) were conducted with school stakeholders (principals, teachers and parents) from a diverse sample of schools (n = 9) and data were analysed to develop an understanding of how school circumstances and experiences influenced HPS implementation. At a broad level, the reported barriers were structural and systemic, whereas the facilitating factors were related to organizational capacity and political leadership. It was evident that implementing and sustaining HPS required a shift in values and integration of supportive school health practices into school priorities. The results suggest that, without addressing the competing culture, which is persistently reinforced by strict academic mandates and unhealthy community norms, HPS will be vulnerable to circumstances that prevent implementation. Considering the emerging importance of mental wellbeing, it will also be important to provide schools with adequate and appropriate staff capacity and support to address this issue. Sustaining the positive effects of HPS will require continuous engagement and collaboration with multiple stakeholders to embed health promotion into school community norms.
Multiple transcription factor families regulate axon growth and regeneration

Understanding axon regenerative failure remains a major goal in neuroscience, and reversing this failure remains a major goal for clinical neurology. Although an inhibitory central nervous system environment clearly plays a role, focus on molecular pathways within neurons has begun to yield fruitful insights. Initial steps forward investigated the receptors and signaling pathways immediately downstream of environmental cues, but recent work has also shed light on transcriptional control mechanisms that regulate intrinsic axon growth ability, presumably through whole cassettes of gene target regulation. Here we will discuss transcription factors that regulate neurite growth in vitro and in vivo, including p53, SnoN, E47, cAMP‐responsive element binding protein (CREB), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), nuclear factor of activated T cell (NFAT), c‐Jun activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), sex determining region Ybox containing gene 11 (Sox11), nuclear factor κ‐light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB), and Krüppel‐like factors (KLFs). Revealing the similarities and differences among the functions of these transcription factors may further our understanding of the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in axon growth and regeneration. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 71: 1186–1211, 2011
Face features detection and representation by morphological reconstruction and linking

In this paper, we try to address the low level image features detection and representation problem under various illuminations and in various backgrounds. We use multiple thresholds iteratively get a proper threshold value. The results of detection may have disconnected lines, or edges, or boundaries. We use morphological reconstruction and edge linking algorithm to rebuild the edge and connect the disconnected boundaries. Also, we use a set of straight line to approximate the contours or boundaries of the face features, which can simplify the representation of these features. Experiments on human face images show that the results are good.
Cloning and targeted disruption of enpg-1, encoding the major in vitro extracellular endopolygalacturonase of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica

The gene enpg-1, encoding the major extracellular endopolygalacturonase (endoPG) purified from culture filtrates of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, was cloned and characterized. The deduced mature enpg-1 protein product, ENPG-1, had a calculated molecular mass of 34.5 kDa and a pI of 7.2, consistent with empirically derived values for the purified enzyme, and had 66% identity with an endoPG from the maize pathogen Cochliobolus carbonum. Targeted disruption of enpg-1 was accomplished by homologous recombination with a cloned copy of the gene that contained the Escherichia coli hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (hph) inserted into exon 1. enpg-1 disruption resulted in no reduction in canker formation on dormant American chestnut stems. Unexpectedly, the level of polygalacturonase (PG) activity measured in cankered bark tissue infected with enpg-1 disruptants was indistinguishable from that found in canker tissue infected with virulent strain EP155. Isoelectric focusing and activity gel analysis of PG activity extracted from canker bark tissue revealed ENPG-1 to be a minor (less than 5%) activity component in tissue infected with the virulent strain and to be absent in tissue infected with the disruption mutants. The predominant activity in both canker samples consisted of two previously undetected acidic PG forms that appear absent in C. parasitica culture filtrates. We conclude from these results that the major C. parasitica extracellular endoPG produced in culture, ENPG-1, does not play a significant role in fungal virulence. However, the identification of two acidic PG activities expressed predominantly, if not exclusively, in planta provides new opportunities for examining the importance of PGs in C. parasitica pathogenesis.
Measuring the Rebound Effect with Micro Data

We provide estimates of the rebound effect for car transport in Denmark, using a rich data set with individual household data on car use, fuel efficiency, and car as well as household characteristics. A demand model is estimated in first differences; the availability of households in the sample that replaced their car during the period of observation combined with information on their driving behaviour before and after the car switch allows us to identify the rebound effect. Endogeneity is taken into account by using appropriate instruments. Results include the following. First, we reject the 'conventional' formulation in which only fuel cost per kilometre matters. Second, the selection equation confirms that higher fuel prices induce households to switch car. Third, the results suggest the presence of a rebound effect that is on the lower end of the estimates available in the literature. Specifically, our best estimate of the rebound effect is some 7.5%-10%. Fourth, the fuel price sensitivity of the demand for kilometres appears to be declining with household income, but we do not find a significant impact of income on the rebound effect. Finally, simulation results indicate that the small rebound effect and changes in car characteristics in response to higher fuel prices imply that -- compared to the reference scenario -- higher fuel prices lead to a substantial reduction in both the demand for kilometres and in demand for fuel.
Ku Recruits the XRCC4-Ligase IV Complex to DNA Ends

ABSTRACT Genetic experiments have determined that Ku, XRCC4, and ligase IV are required for repair of double-strand breaks by the end-joining pathway. The last two factors form a tight complex in cells. However, ligase IV is only one of three known mammalian ligases and is intrinsically the least active in intermolecular ligation; thus, the biochemical basis for requiring this ligase has been unclear. We demonstrate here a direct physical interaction between the XRCC4-ligase IV complex and Ku. This interaction is stimulated once Ku binds to DNA ends. Since XRCC4-ligase IV alone has very low DNA binding activity, Ku is required for effective recruitment of this ligase to DNA ends. We further show that this recruitment is critical for efficient end-joining activity in vitro. Preformation of a complex containing Ku and XRCC4-ligase IV increases the initial ligation rate 20-fold, indicating that recruitment of the ligase is an important limiting step in intermolecular ligation. Recruitment by Ku also allows XRCC4-ligase IV to use Ku's high affinity for DNA ends to rapidly locate and ligate ends in an excess of unbroken DNA, a necessity for end joining in cells. These properties are conferred only on ligase IV, because Ku does not similarly interact with the other mammalian ligases. We have therefore defined cell-free conditions that reflect the genetic requirement for ligase IV in cellular end joining and consequently can explain in molecular terms why this factor is required.
Analysis and Design of Power Acceptability Curves for Industrial Loads

who supervised this project. I am highly impressed with his guidance and simplicity of suggestions, which really contributed to the success of this research work. his valuable and immense contribution to the success of this work. There has been a concern in recent years for electric power utilities to satisfy the increasingly expectations of not only the industrial and commercial, but also the residential users with respect to the quality of the supplied energy. This concern calls for the redesigning of the existing power quality indices to capture all the industrial, commercial and household loads, which hitherto has not been considered. Several electric power indices have evolved over the years as tools to represent, quantify and measure a complex issue at hand. The use of these indices is widespread in the field of electric power generation, transmission and distribution. Another way of quantifying power quality issues is the use of power acceptability curves. These curves are plots of bus voltage deviation versus time duration. And they separate the bus voltage deviation-time duration plane into two regions: an " acceptable " and " unacceptable ". Various power acceptability curves exist but the most widely publicized one, which could stand the test of time and could be relied on, is the Computer Business Equipment Manufacturers Association or CBEMA curve. The CBEMA curve has been in existence since 1970's. Its primarily intent was to give a measure of the vulnerability of mainframe computer to the disturbance in the electric power supply. But the curve has been used as a measure of power quality indices for electric drives and solid-state loads. In this report, the concept of 'standards' is introduced for the design of power acceptability curves. The power acceptability curves are aides in the determination of whether the supply voltage to a load is acceptable for the maintenance of a load process. The construction of the well known CBEMA power acceptability curve is discussed, and issues of three phase and rotating loads are discussed. iii The main conclusion of this work is that power acceptability curves can be designed to detect compliance or noncompliance of the distribution supply to effect a standard. If the load is a rectifier load, the standard is generally the permissible low threshold of DC voltage at the rectifier output. Other standards are possible including a speed standard for rotating loads. The general process of the design of a …
The Great Moderation in Micro Labor Earnings

Between 1980 and the early 1990s the variability of labor earnings growth rates across the prime-age working population fell significantly. This decline and timing are consistent with other macro and micro observations about growth variability that are collectively referred to as the "Great Moderation. " The variability of earnings growth is negatively correlated with age at any point in time, and the U.S. working age population got older during this period because the Baby Boom was aging. However, the decrease in variability was roughly uniform across all age groups, so population aging is not the source of the overall decline. The variance of log changes also declined at multi-year frequencies in such a way as to suggest that both permanent and transitory components of earnings shocks became more moderate. A simple identification strategy for separating age and cohort effects shows a very intuitive pattern of permanent and transitory shocks over the life cycle, and confirms that a shift over time in the stochastic process occurred even after controlling for age effects.
Low salinity‐induced alterations in epithelial ultrastructure, Na+/K+‐ATPase immunolocalization and enzyme kinetic characteristics in the gills of the thinstripe hermit crab, Clibanarius vittatus (Anomura, Diogenidae)

Fresh caught Clibanarius vittatus [SW, 31‰ salinity (S)] were acclimated to a dilute medium (15‰ S) for 10 days, employing silver staining to locate gill ion transporting tissue, immunofluorescence to localize the Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit in the lamellae, and electron microscopy to portray ultrastructural changes in the gill epithelia. Na+/K+-ATPase activity was characterized kinetically in a gill microsomal fraction, including synergistic stimulation by NH4+ plus K+. Silver staining revealed that all 26 phyllobranchiate arthro- and pleurobranchiae participate in ion transport. Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit staining was weak in SW crabs and distributed exclusively and irregularly within the intralamellar septal cells, particularly at the septal-pillar cell body junctions, and septal cell cytoplasm facing the hemolymph space. In 15‰ S crabs, α-subunit localization was intense, occupying the entire thickened septum. Pillar cells and flanges did not stain. Mitochondria and membrane foldings increased in the pillar cell flanges and intralamellar septal cells, greatly amplifying surface area. Only a single ATP binding site (VM = 130.8 ± 10.5 nmol min-1 mg protein-1; K0.5 = 55.3 ± 1.7 μmol l-1) obeying Michaelis-Menten kinetics was disclosed. Na+/K+-ATPase activity was modulated by Mg2+, Na+, and NH4+, exhibiting site-site interactions; K+ modulation showed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. K+ plus NH4+ synergistically stimulated activity ≈ 1.7-fold. Ouabain inhibited total ATPase activity by ≈ 70% (KI = 220-300 μmol l-1), revealing phosphohydrolytic activities other than the Na+/K+-ATPase. Despite ample phylogenetic separation, the phyllobranchiate lamellae of the Anomura and Caridea share many ultrastructural features, that is, an intralamellar septum and opposed abutting pillar cells, similar Na+/K+-ATPase distribution, and comparable kinetic characteristics. These findings suggest either convergent evolution at the structural and biochemical levels, or preservation of traits present in a remote common ancestor.
Linearization of Power Amplifiers Using the Reverse MM-LINC Technique

A new mode-multiplexing linear amplification with nonlinear components (MM-LINC) technique is proposed in this brief. This technique, which is referred to as reverse MM-LINC, consists of using linear amplification with nonlinear components (LINC) hardware, along with two signal decomposition modes, depending on the power of the input signal. This decomposition guarantees acceptable linearity of the signal when the power amplifiers (PAs) are operating at their full power potential. This linearity improvement requires only relatively light computational complexity, which makes this technique a suitable alternative to digital predistortion for mobile and medium-power wireless transmitters. The implementation of the reverse MM-LINC concept for mobile WiMAX applications showed an improvement of 15 dB in the adjacent channel power ratio and a reduction in the error vector magnitude from 10% to 2.2%, when compared with a nonlinearized class-AB PA operating at full power potential. At this operation point, the efficiency of the reverse MM-LINC amplification system was not significantly different from the efficiency of the class-AB PA.
Transmitting coil achieving uniform magnetic field distribution for planar wireless power transfer system

A 20 cm by 20 cm transmitting coil is designed for an inductively-coupled power transfer system. The coil design is a spiral, whose geometry is optimized to ensure an even magnetic field distribution. This guarantees uniform power delivery regardless of recieving coil position. The transmitting coil is tested using Litz wire, a switchmode power amplifier, and a 6 cm by 8 cm recieving coil connected to a rectifier and a variable load. The system achieves a maximum efficiency of 80.9% and a maximum power delivery of 11.8 W. At a fixed load, the power delivery has a coefficient of variation of 2.2% as the recieving coil's position is varied on the transmitter. In general, the system efficiency is high and insensitive to receiver placement as well as loading conditions.
Prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter species in household cats and dogs in Ireland

Rectal swabs were collected from 147 household dogs and 35 household cats, including healthy animals, animals with gastrointestinal signs and animals with a variety of medical and surgical conditions. A combination of selective culture methods was used to optimise the recovery of Campylobacter species, and a PCR was used to confirm their isolation and to identify the species. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter species was 42·9 per cent in the cats and 41·5 per cent in the dogs. Campylobacter upsaliensis was the species most commonly isolated from the dogs and cats, and Campylobacter jejuni was the second most commonly isolated. Particularly high prevalences were detected in the few cats and dogs with diarrhoea, and in the cats and dogs that were six months old or younger.
Does Fiscal Austerity Affect Political Decision-Makers’ Use and Perception of Performance Information?

ABSTRACT This article investigates whether the fiscal environment that politicians face influences their use of performance information. It poses two competing hypotheses, suggesting that fiscal austerity either increases politicians’ use of performance information, because they are more concerned about keeping up good performance in times of austerity, or decreases their use, because balancing the books is more vital in times of austerity, and therefore keeping within the budget gains political emphasis relative to sustaining good performance. The link between fiscal austerity and politicians’ use of performance information is tested using survey and documentary data from Danish municipalities. The article concludes that politicians who face high fiscal austerity use performance information to a lesser extent than colleagues who face less fiscal austerity, thus indicating the use of performance information is “the politics of good times. ”