Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing the Production of Different Types of Fatty Acid and Staphyloxanthin in the Staphylococcus aureus Membrane

Fatty acids play a major role in determining membrane biophysical properties. Staphylococcus aureus produces branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and straight-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and can incorporate exogenous SCFAs and straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids (SCUFAs). Many S. aureus strains produce the triterpenoid pigment staphyloxanthin, and the balance of BCFAs, SCFAs and staphyloxanthin determines membrane fluidity. Here, we investigated the relationship of fatty acid and carotenoid production in S. aureus using a pigmented strain (Pig1), its carotenoid-deficient mutant (Pig1ΔcrtM) and the naturally non-pigmented Staphylococcus argenteus that lacks carotenoid biosynthesis genes and is closely related to S. aureus. Fatty acid compositions in all strains were similar under a given condition indicating that staphyloxanthin does not influence fatty acid composition. Strain Pig1 had decreased membrane fluidity as measured by fluorescence anisotropy than the other strains under all conditions indicating that staphyloxanthin helps maintain membrane rigidity. We could find no evidence for correlation of expression of crtM and fatty acid biosynthesis genes. Supplementation of medium with glucose increased SCFA production and decreased BCFA and staphyloxanthin production, whereas acetate-supplementation also decreased BCFAs but increased staphyloxanthin production. We believe that staphyloxanthin levels are influenced more through metabolic regulation than responding to fatty acids incorporated into the membrane.
Robust Co-Planning of Energy Storage and Transmission Line With Mixed Integer Recourse

Energy storage is a potential planning option to relieve transmission congestion caused by increasing penetration of renewable energy. This paper presents a robust formulation for energy storage and transmission line co-planning, considering binary variables that represent energy storage statuses in the recourse problem. In order to solve this model, an improved nested column and constraint generation algorithm is used to cope with numerical issues caused by new binary variables, big-M constraints, and the enormous size of the problem. Case studies of a modified Garver's 6-bus system and a practical Chinese 196-bus system were used to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The numerical results indicate that energy storage is more economical for relieving the transmission line congestion when the transmission distance is relatively long.
Assessment of temporal and spatial eutrophication index in a water dam reservoir

Eutrophication is considered as a serious problem in water reservoirs. Awareness about the eutrophic status of each reservoir could help in providing a better understanding of the problem in a global scale. The present study was conducted to assess temporal and spatial eutrophication index in a water reservoir (Sahand dam) in the northwest of Iran. Physico-chemical parametres that are effective on eutrphic condition occurrence were analyzed, and trophic state index was calculated on a scale of 0-100 by measuring Secchi disk depth, chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total suspended solids, and phosphorus P/N ratio. Moreover, using the overlapping, the reservoir was mapped based on the mentioned index. Seasonal variation of dissolved solids in the reservoir was recorded due to precipitation and subsequent dilution and evaporation. Thermal stratification was observed during the summer months. The total trophic state index value was calculated as 55.5- 58.07, with minimum value belonging to P/N and maximum value belonging to suspended solids for individual parameters. There were some spatial and temporal differences for trophic state index in the reservoir. It was found that the whole area of the reservoir was in almost moderately upper-mesotrophic condition and in some target stations it was very close to eutrophic condition. The worst condition was observed in Qaranqu River as the main input to the reservoir. Due to the significant impact of suspended particles resulting from erosion of the surrounding lands on TSI value, there is an urgent need for mitigation measures to intercept eutrophication.
Stress Reduction with the Transcendental Meditation program in Caregivers: A Pilot Study

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Nidich S, Nidich RJ, Salerno J, Hadfield B, Elder C (2015) Stress Reduction with the Transcendental Meditation Program in Caregivers: A Pilot Study. Int Arch Nurs Health Care 1:011 Received: August 11, 2015: Accepted: October 30, 2015: Published: November 02, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Nidich S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Nidich et al. Int Arch Nurs Health Care 2015, 1:1 ISSN: 2469-5823
2 fMRI Scanning Methodologies

A pervasive and constant challenge in the field of neuroscience is to advance in the understanding of working mechanisms of the human brain and what enacts such complex functions as perception, emotions, and behavior. In areas of clinical psychology, neurophysiology, and neurosciences, it is an ultimate interest to describe neuronal functions quantitatively, as well as qualitatively, under what is considered normal conditions and various disorders, and later use that knowledge for diagnostic purposes. To investigate these complex concepts, there are a number of techniques developed to detect and characterize neuronal activity of the human brain. In recent years, technical advances in the area of magnetic resonance (MR) research and development tremendously enhanced capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment in regard to detection and characterization of minute physiological features, and unprecedentedly widened the number of applications of this modality. Such MRI and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) systems with superconducting magnets operating at field strengths of 8 Tesla for human and up to 21 Tesla for animal studies have lately become available, allowing extremely fine spatial resolution and considerably improved signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). The low-noise detection electronics coupled with ultra-fast signal collection algorithms paved the way for new sensitive imaging techniques towards imaging of highly detailed static morphological features, as well as dynamic markers of physiological events and brain functions. The latter may manifest themselves through an intertwined regional changes of such physiological parameters as blood oxygenation and cerebral metabolism, blood flow and volume, and diffusion and perfusion, all of which take place coincidentally. In the area of the in vivo MRI, various achievements have led to the development of methods of functional MRI (fMRI). Functional MRI is a class of techniques that exploits susceptibility of the magnetic resonance signal to certain physiological properties associated with
Effects of Intravenous Laser Irradiation of Blood on Pain, Function and Depression of Fibromyalgia Patients

Objective: Fibromyalgia, labeled for an illness of wide spreading pain, fatigue, restless sleep, gastrointestinal disturbances, and mood disorders, is a complex and heterogeneous disease. Novel and improved treatments would allow healthcare professionals to improve the conditions of patients with fibromyalgia. For instance, photo biomodulation is a new treatment that minimizes heavy usage of drugs and side effects. This study investigated the clinical effects of intravenous laser irradiation of blood on pain, sleep, mood disorders, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia.Methods: Fifteen patients diagnosed as having fibromyalgia based on the modified 2010 criteria of the American College of Rheumatology from an outpatient clinic were recruited. Before admission, all subjects were asked to submit visual analog scale (VAS), numbers of tender points, revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), revised Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) according to their outcomes before/after drugs in a previous outpatient clinic. After admission, all participants received two courses of intravenous laser irradiation of blood, each course is composed of 10 intravenous laser irradiation of blood sessions, each session of the therapeutic duration lasted for 60 minutes. Two consecutive courses had a 7-day rest interval. The trial lasted for 4 weeks. Outcomes based on patient-reported symptoms of the aforementioned tests were evaluated on two separate occasions: baseline and within 24 hours after the last day of the protocol.Results: The drugs resulted in significant reduction in pain intensity only. However, the before/after comparisons of intravenous laser irradiation of blood showed a significant improvement in VAS (p=0.001), number of tender points (p=0.002), FIQR (p=0.001), BDI (p=0.003) and PSQI (p=0.01). We also noted significantly positive effects of ILIB compared with drugs in all tests.Conclusion: Intravenous laser irradiation of blood had a better effect on pain severity, sleep, mood disorder, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. No unfavorable events were recorded; thus, intravenous laser irradiation of blood appears to be an effective treatment for patients with fibromyalgia.
Cytotoxic Cembranoids from the Red Sea Soft Coral Sarcophyton glaucum

One new cembrane diterpene, 2R,7R,8R-dihydroxydeepoxysarcophine (1), together with three known compounds, 7α,8β-dihydroxy-deepoxysarcophine (2), 7β-acetoxy-8α-hydroxydeepoxysarcophine (3), and sarcophine (4), have been isolated from the Red Sea soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum. Their structures were determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. 7β-Acetoxy-8α-hydroxydeepoxysarcophine (3) exhibits cytotoxic activity against HepG2, HCT-116, and HeLa cells with IC50 values of 3.6, 2.3, and 6.7 μg/mL, respectively.
Scapulohumeral osteochondrosis

Summary Objectives: To review the outcome of equine shoulder osteochondrosis (OC) with surgical or conservative treatment. Methods: Retrospective study of 32 horses, less than two years of age, with scapulohumeral joint (SHJ) OC. The lesion severity was graded based on measurements taken from lateromedial radiographs. Follo–up information was obtained from racing records or telephone conversations with owners. Successful outcome was defined as the ability of the horse to perform its intended use. Results: Sixteen of 32 horses were affected bilaterally (48 joints). Eleven of 16 horses with bilateral OC underwent arthroscopic surgery; five had bilateral arthroscopy, six had unilateral arthroscopy of the most severely affected joint. Eight of 16 horses with unilateral OC underwent arthroscopy. The overall outcome was ′poor′. Only 15.4% (4/26) of potential race horses started a race, whereas 67% (4/6) non-racehorses were ′sound′ for the intended use. Statistical analysis evaluating the effect of breed on outcome showed a statistically significant difference. There were no significant interactions between outcome and gender, affected limb, unilateral versus bilateral involvement, treatment or severity of the radiographic lesion. However, radiographic lesion severity on the humerus and glenoid showed significant positive correlation. Clinical significance: The overall poor prognosis for shoulder OC in young horses appears to be, in part, dependent on breed and intended use. There was not any difference in outcome between surgically and conservatively treated horses.
The response of root and microbial respiration to the experimental warming of a boreal black spruce forest

We investigated the effects of a 5 °C soil + air experimental heating on root and microbial respiration in a boreal black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) forest in northern Manitoba, Canada, that was warmed between 2004 and 2007. In 2007, the 14C/12C signatures of soil CO2 efflux and root and soil microbial respiration were used in a two-pool mixing model to estimate their proportional contributions to soil CO2 efflux and to examine how each changed in response to the warming treatments. In laboratory incubations, we examined whether warming had altered microbial respiration rates or microbial temperature sensitivity. The 14C/12C signature of soil CO2 efflux and microbial respiration in the heating treatments were both significantly (p < 0.05) enriched relative to the control treatment, suggesting that C deposited nearer the atmospheric bomb peak in 1963 contributed more to microbial respiration in heated than control treatments. Soil CO2 efflux was significantly greater in the heated than control t.
User requirements for mobile AR and BIM utilization in building life cycle management

The aim of our research is to bring the information content existing with Building Information Models (BIM) to mobile users in building lifecycle applications by means of Augmented Reality (AR). This article presents the first phase of our study, analysing the requirements that were collected from users based on participatory design principle. With the involvement of the users in the design process, we aimed at obtaining information of applications that would have real benefits in the building maintenance work. As a result of this user study, the most potential application ideas were listed. The ideas most relevant for this study were the ones in which AR and BIM are combined. These include for example fault diagnosis, mobile route guidance inside the building, viewing interiors of building through different user profiles, and taking photos and linking them to the 3D model. The first prototype version of the application is implemented using the user data as background and supportive information. A requirement specification for the system architecture and tracking technology for the indoors AR implementation is presented. In the next phases of the project, the prototype application will be tested and evaluated by the end-users in actual field tests with a real world pilot case. Hence, in the second phase of the study the users will evaluate concrete prototypes built based on their own descriptions.
A Scholarship Model for Recruitment and Retention in STEM Disciplines

A scholarship program offers enrichment, support, higher recruitment and retention, improved professional development/employment, and increased graduate opportunities for underrepresented groups. In this paper, it is postulated that the development of a successful and competitive scholarship program is dependent on several variables including management leadership in quality sciences, cognitive/non-cognitive selection methods, operations research, active learning, and technical instruction supported by existing university student-support infrastructure. The effectiveness of the program is measured from the student grade point average, student distribution based on their STEM major, and retention towards graduation. This program can be effectively used as a model to develop activities for minorities and women, and for career interventions in areas where these groups have been traditionally low in numbers.
‘Liberalism, Citizenship and the Welfare State’

This chapter is based on the argument that aspects of liberalism have influenced the development of the welfare state irrespective of regime categorization. The negative influence of neo-liberalism in restructuring welfare states since the 1980s has been widely identified and is discussed in this paper where it is situated within the context of a discussion of the key tenets of liberalism that still have, a sometimes positive, sometimes negative and often contradictory influence on western welfare states. The economic dimension of liberalism, with its emphasis on the primacy of the market, is one dimension of the configuration of ideas embodied in liberalism that have relevance to welfare state analysis. This configuration includes individualism, moral egalitarianism and universalism although the particular liberal denotation of these concepts has to be borne in mind and their implications for social policy examined in the context of the dual character of contemporary liberal democracies. The twin pillars of these societies are a capitalist economic system and a democratic political system. The central issue that must inform analysis of welfare states in such systems is the balance between these pillars and the extent to which inequalities associated with the market are modified through the democratic system. The implications of this analysis of liberalism, in its various dimensions, are that a cultural dimension is an essential component of an explanatory framework for cross-national welfare state research and that the contemporary influence of liberalism is not confined to neo-liberalism; a positive liberal influence on policy development, if considerably modified by other streams of thought, may be more pervasive than is often assumed.
The Reliability and Validity of the Elderly Mobility Scale in the Acute Hospital Setting

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS) in an acute hospital setting. Intrarater (n=15) and inter-rater (n=18) reliability were investigated using physiotherapists who viewed and scored video-recorded mobility assessments using the EMS on two occasions, one week apart. Latent class analysis of EMS scores showed that neither the occasion of testing (intra-rater reliability) (R 2 =0.0035, p=0.72), therapist (inter-rater reliability (R 2 =0.0051, p=1.00), years of experience (R2=0.0058, p=1.00) nor number of EMS assessments previously completed (R2=0.0048, p=1.00) had any impact on the EMS scores. The only factor which impacted on clustering was the EMS score (R 2 =0.8263, p=0.000). Concurrent validity was assessed by comparison with the Modified Rivermead Mobility Index (MRMI) in patients aged ≥ 55 years (n = 32) and demonstrated that EMS scores were highly correlated with the MRMI (Spearman’s ρ=0.887). Therefore intra-rater reliability of the EMS has been reported for the first time, and inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the EMS have been further supported and extended into a younger patient group for mobility assessment in acute hospital patients.
Women and Employment in Asian Newly-industrialised Countries

This study explores the extent and nature of women's economic participation in the newly-industrialised Asian countries (NICs) from a comparative perspective. In particular, the following aspects of women's employment are examined: patterns and trend of labour force participation, distribution of employment status, occupational sex segregation and gender gap in wages. Secondary data from the International Labour Office and labour force statistics of the respective countries are drawn on for analysis. Similarities and differences in women's employment situations among the NICs are reported.
Level crossing analysis of growing surfaces

We investigate the average frequency of positive slope ν + ,c rossing th eh eight α = h − ¯ in the surface growing processes. The exact level crossing analysis of the random deposition model and the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang equation in the strong coupling limit before creation of singularities is given.
Expression of efflux pump MexAB-OprM and OprD of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical samples using qRT-PCR.

BACKGROUND Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common nosocomial pathogens with high mortality rates. Organisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa have the ability to develop high level MDR (Multi drug resistance). The MexAB-OprM system is one of the largest multi-drug resistant efflux pumps with high levels of expression and the first finding of the RND (Resistance-nodulation-division) family in P. aeruginosa. AIM For better understanding of the antibiotic resistance mechanism in P. aeruginosa, this study was conducted to determine the expression of the genes encoding these efflux pumps in 100 strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients admitted to various hospitals in Hamadan using quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). METHODS This study examined 100 strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients admitted to various hospitals in Hamadan. Then, 31 samples were selected based on collected specimen type and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern; i.e., the samples with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics, particularly carbapenems. Antibiotic disk diffusion method was performed for aminoglycoside, quinolone and carbapenem. Furthermore, MIC method was performed for ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and imipenem. Finally, qRT-PCR was used for determining the efflux pump genes expression. RESULTS Among eight selected antibiotics, the greatest resistance was to levofloxacin (61.2%, n = 19) and the lowest one to imipenem (9.6%, n = 3). All isolates (100%, n = 31) exhibited efflux pump MexAB-OprM genes but different expression was observed in different strains. The result of gene expression indicated that significant differences in expression of MexR (P value = 0.003), OprD (P value < 0.001), and MexB (P value = 0.026) genes. In addition, there was high level of MexR gene expression in bacteria that leads to reduced expression of MexA, MexB, and OprM. The OprD gene was presented in all strains but different expression has been observed. CONCLUSION Identifying the bacterial resistance mechanisms is very complicated. Although efflux pump MexAB-OprM plays an important role in antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa, because of acting the efflux pumps on antibiotics in a non-specific manner, it is elusive to consider or describe an antibiotic resistance based on the presence or absence of an efflux pump.
Regularity estimates and optimal finite element methods in W 1 p on polygonal domains

Consider the Poisson equation with the Dirichlet boundary condition on a bounded convex polygonal domain Ω ⊂ R2. We investigate the finite element approximation of singular solutions that are due to the non-smoothness of the domain in theW 1 p norm (1 < p ≤ ∞). In particular, with analysis in weighted Sobolev spaces and weighted Hölder spaces, we provide regularity requirements on the given data and specific parameter-selection criteria for graded meshes, such that the resulting numerical approximation achieves the optimal convergence rate in W 1 p . Sample results from various numerical tests are provided to confirm the theory. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.