Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of nonspecific carboxyl esterase in the immature rat testis by human chorionic gonadotrophin.

The nonspecific carboxyl esterase activity in rat testis increases during maturation after the 26th day of age as a result of changes in components revealed as specific electrophoretic bands, and whose presence are already indicated in 22-day-old control animals. These bands occur in the zone of intermediate electrophoretic mobilities. In immature rats this developmental pattern can be induced by hCG, resulting in an increase in enzyme activity as early as 3 days after the onset of hCG treatment. (Endocrinology 95: 1737, 1974)
Highly Resistant Microorganisms in a Teaching Hospital: The Role of Horizontal Spread in a Setting of Endemicity

Objective. To determine the incidence density of highly resistant organisms (HROs) and the relative contribution of horizontal spread in a setting of endemicity. Methods. Prospective surveillance was performed among hospitalized patients during an 18-month period. Enterobacteriaceae, non-fermentative gram-negative bacilli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecium—all considered highly resistant, according to Dutch guidelines—were included. Epidemiological linkage and nosocomial transmission were determined on the basis of molecular typing and hospital admission data. Results. From 119 patients, we recovered a total of 170 unique HRO isolates, as follows: Escherichia coli, 96 isolates; Klebsiella species, 11 isolates; Enterobacter species, 8 isolates; Proteus species, 9 isolates; Citrobacter species, 5 isolates; Pseudomonas species, 5 isolates; Aci-netobacter species, 3 isolates; Morganella species, 2 isolates; Salmonella species, 1 isolate; Serratia species, 1 isolate; S. pneumoniae, 20 isolates; and S. aureus, 9 isolates. No vancomycin-resistant E. faecium was found. The incidence density was 4.3 HRO isolates per 10,000 patient-days. The majority of HRO isolates were unique, and nosocomial transmission was observed 4 times for highly resistant gram-negative bacilli (case reproduction rate, 0.05) and 4 times for penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae (case reproduction rate, 0.29). A stay on the intensive care unit was the main determinant for the recovery of an HRO. Conclusion. Nosocomial transmission of HROs was observed 8 times during the 18-month period. The intensive care unit was identified as the main reservoir of horizontal spread of HROs. This study shows that nosocomial transmission of HROs is largely preventable using transmission precautions.
Hemocyte Differentiation Mediates Innate Immune Memory in Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes

Mosquito Malarial Memory During their life cycle malaria parasites produce vast numbers of successive proliferative stages in their vertebrate hosts, and yet in the field most mosquitoes are free of parasites. Rodrigues et al. (p. 1353) report that the immune system of mosquitoes is primed early-on when the malaria parasite (Plasmodium spp.) first crosses the mosquito gut epithelial barrier. A substantial (2- to 3.2-fold) increase in a single type of hemocyte (macrophage-like insect immune cells) is implicated in long-lived antiplasmodial immunity. This work may prove important for malaria control and for understanding immune memory in invertebrates. Early immune priming limits malaria parasite infection of mosquitoes. Mosquito midgut invasion by ookinetes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium disrupts the barriers that normally prevent the gut microbiota from coming in direct contact with epithelial cells. This triggers a long-lived response characterized by increased abundance of granulocytes, a subpopulation of hemocytes that circulates in the insect’s hemocoel, and enhanced immunity to bacteria that indirectly reduces survival of Plasmodium parasites upon reinfection. In mosquitoes, differentiation of hemocytes was necessary and sufficient to confer innate immune memory.
A randomized comparison of intra-aortic balloon pumping after primary coronary angioplasty in high risk patients with acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS Intra-aortic balloon pumping reduces afterload and may be effective in improving reperfusion in high risk infarct patients treated with primary angioplasty. METHODS High risk infarct patients referred from other centres for primary PTCA were randomized to treatment with or without an intra-aortic balloon pump. The primary end-point consisted of the combination of death, non-fatal reinfarction, stroke or an ejection fraction <30% at the 6 month follow-up. A weighted unsatisfactory outcome score (as previously described by Braunwald), enzymatic infarct size and left ventricular ejection fraction were secondary end-points. RESULTS During a 3.5 year period, 238 patients were randomized, 118 to intra-aortic balloon pump therapy and 120 to no intra-aortic balloon pump therapy. Cross-over (25% in the intra-aortic balloon pump group and 31% in the no-intra-aortic balloon pump group) occurred in both treatment arms. The primary end-point was reached in 31 (26%) patients assigned to an intra-aortic balloon pump and in 31 (26%) assigned to no intra-aortic balloon pump (P=0.94). Enzymatic infarct size (LDHQ72) was calculated in 163 (68%) patients and was not significantly different between either group (intra-aortic balloon pump: 1616+/-1148, no intra-aortic balloon pump: 1608+/-1163). The left ventricular ejection fraction was measured at the 6 month follow-up in 168 patients (80% of patients alive). No difference in ejection fraction was found in either group (intra-aortic balloon pump: 42+/-13%, no intra-aortic balloon pump: 40+/-14%, P=0.51). Major complications occurred in 8% of patients treated with an intra-aortic balloon pump. CONCLUSIONS Systematic use of intra-aortic balloon pumping after primary angioplasty does not lead to myocardial salvage or to a better clinical outcome in high-risk infarct patients. Use of intra-aortic balloon pumping after primary PTCA for acute myocardial infarction should be reserved for patients with severe haemodynamic compromise.
Diversity of integrating conjugative elements in actinobacteria

Conjugation is certainly the most widespread and promiscuous mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. During conjugation, DNA translocation across membranes of two cells forming a mating pair is mediated by two types of mobile genetic elements: conjugative plasmids and integrating conjugative elements (ICEs). The vast majority of conjugative plasmids and ICEs employ a sophisticated protein secretion apparatus called type IV secretion system to transfer to a recipient cell. Yet another type of conjugative DNA translocation machinery exists and to date appears to be unique to conjugative plasmids and ICEs of the Actinomycetales order, a sub-group of high G + C Gram-positive bacteria. This conjugative system is reminiscent of the machinery that allows segregation of chromosomal DNA during bacterial cell division and sporulation, and relies on a single FtsK-homolog protein to translocate double-stranded DNA molecules to the recipient cell. Recent thorough sequence analyses reveal that while this latter strategy appears to be used by the majority of ICEs in Actinomycetales, the former is also predicted to be important in exchange of genetic material in actinobacteria.
EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY FOR PAINFUL BONE METASTASES FROM HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA: MULTIPLE FRACTIONS COMPARED WITH AN 8-GY SINGLE FRACTION

ABSTRACT External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) bone metastases has not been popular in palliative therapy, and optimum dose schedules have not been decided because of limited published reports. We here evaluated the palliative effect of EBRT for HCC bone metastases and compared the dose–response relationship between multiple fractions (MFs) and an 8-Gy single fraction (SF). Twenty-eight patients (42 sites) with painful bone metastases who received EBRT and were analyzed retrospectively. Eight patients (12 sites) received SF. Of the remaining 20 patients (30 sites), 10 received MFs at moderate doses (20–30 Gy; 17 sites) and 10 received MFs at high doses (36–52 Gy; 13 sites). Overall response was achieved at 83% (35) of all sites; 75% (9) and 87% (26) for the SF and MF patients (88%, moderate dose; 85%, high dose), respectively. No significant differences in overall response were observed between each fraction schedule. Response duration was significantly longer for the high-dose MF patients than for the SF patients and moderate-dose MF patients (P < 0.05). SF was as effective as MF radiotherapy in terms of pain relief, but high-dose MF delivery relieved pain for a significantly longer duration.
Roundabout4 Suppresses Glioma-Induced Endothelial Cell Proliferation, Migration and Tube Formation in Vitro by Inhibiting VEGR2-Mediated PI3K/AKT and FAK Signaling Pathways

Background and Aims: Endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration, and tube formation are the critical steps for tumor angiogenesis, which is involved in the formation of new tumor blood vessels. Roundabout4 (Robo4), a new member of Robo proteins family, is specifically expressed in endothelial cells. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Robo4 on glioma-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. Methods and Results: We found that Robo4 was endogenously expressed in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HBMECs), while Robo4 was significantly down-regulated in endothelial cells cultured in glioma conditioned medium. Robo4 over-expression remarkably suppressed glioma-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. In addition, Robo4 influenced the glioma-induced angiogenesis via binding to its ligand Slit2. Further studies demonstrated that the knockdown of Robo4 up-regulated the phosphorylation of VEGFR2, PI3K, AKT and FAK in EC cultured in glioma conditioned medium. VEGFR2 inhibitor SU-1498, AKT inhibitor LY294002 and FAK inhibitor 14 (FAK inhibitor) blocked the Robo4 knockdown-mediated alteration in glioma angiogenesis in vitro. Conclusion: Our results proved that Robo4 suppressed glioma-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro by inhibiting VEGR2-mediated activation of PI3K/AKT and FAK signaling pathways.
IL-17A–Dependent CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Promote Immune Privilege of Corneal Allografts

IL-17A is a proinflammatory cytokine that has received attention for its role in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases. IL-17A has also been implicated in cardiac and renal allograft rejection. Accordingly, we hypothesized that depletion of IL-17A would enhance corneal allograft survival. Instead, our results demonstrate that blocking IL-17A in a mouse model of keratoplasty accelerated the tempo and increased the incidence of allograft rejection from 50 to 90%. We describe a novel mechanism by which CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) respond to IL-17A and enhance corneal allograft survival. Our findings suggest the following: 1) IL-17A is necessary for ocular immune privilege; 2) IL-17A is not required for the induction of anterior chamber-associated immune deviation; 3) Tregs require IL-17A to mediate a contact-dependent suppression; 4) corneal allograft Tregs suppress the efferent arm of the immune response and are Ag specific; 5) Tregs are not required for corneal allograft survival beyond day 30; and 6) corneal allograft-induced Treg-mediated suppression is transient. Our findings identify IL-17A as a cytokine essential for the maintenance of corneal immune privilege and establish a new paradigm whereby interplay between IL-17A and CD4+CD25+ Tregs is necessary for survival of corneal allografts.
Analysis and Optimization of Magnetically Coupled Resonators for Wireless Power Transfer

The technology of wireless power transfer has made a great contribution to the quality of life of many people, especially to those relying on implantable devices in the past decades. In order to improve the performance of wireless power transfer systems, a dual-layer nested optimization method using differential evolution (DE) algorithm is proposed in this paper. In contrast to previous methods to derive the compensated capacitance, this proposed method determines the capacitance values using optimization method. By testing a prototype, it is found that the proposed design can have much higher power transfer efficiency when compared to that of traditional method. The dual-layer nested optimization method, based on the design constrains, is also used to determine the parameters of the coils to obtain the maximum power transfer efficiency of the whole system. The result is validated using finite element method (FEM).
Post-secondary students prefer IM to E-mail for personal and social communicaiton

A review of: Lancaster, Sean, David C. Yen, Albert H. Huang, and Shin-Yuan Hung. " The Selection of Instant Messaging or E-mail: College Students' Perspective for Computer Communication. " Information Management & Computer Security 15.1 (2007): 5-22. Reviewed by: Virginia Wilson SHIRP Coordinator, Health Sciences Library, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada E-mail: virginia.wilson@usask.ca
Activity of protein kinase CK2 uncouples Bid cleavage from caspase-8 activation

In the present study, we quantitatively analysed the interface between apoptosis initiation and execution by determining caspase-8 activation, Bid cleavage and mitochondrial engagement (onset of mitochondrial depolarisation) in individual HeLa cervical cancer cells following exposure to tumour-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Employing resonance-energy-transfer probes containing either the caspase-8 recognition site IETD or full-length Bid, we observed a significant delay between the times of caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage, suggesting the existence of control steps separating these two processes. Subsequent analyses suggested that the divergence of caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage are critically controlled by kinase signalling: inhibiting protein kinase CK2 by using 5,6-dichloro-l-(β-D-ribofuranosyl-1)-benzimidazole (DRB) or by overexpression of a dominant-negative CK2α catalytic subunit largely eliminated the lag time between caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage. We conclude that caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage are temporally uncoupled events, providing transient tolerance to caspase-8 activities.
The System and How Does It Work: Some Curricular and Pedagogical Characteristics of the Finnish Comprehensive School.

In the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2000 study, Finnish students showed significantly higher reading achievement than students of any other country/region. Finland also ranked among the best five countries in mathematical and scientific literacy. In Finland, the gap between high and low performers was relatively narrow, and the variation between schools was the second smallest among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries/regions. The Finnish comprehensive school seems to be quite successful in reaching both high quality and equity at the same time. There is not a single explanation for the results. Rather, the outstanding performance of Finnish students is attributable to a web of interrelated factors, including comprehensive pedagogy, students’ own interests and leisure activities, the structure of the education system, teacher training, school practices, and the Finnish culture. This article will illustrate how these factors may have contributed to Finland’s performance by analyzing the results of PISA and highlighting some characteristics of the innish education system and cultural heritage. F
Factors Threatening Mental Health in Organizations and Offices

One of the important aspects of health is mental health. Job constitutes a major part of man’s social life. Job plays a fundamental role through creating a situation for the participation of employees and working groups in meeting the social needs of humans like the need to respect. The objective of this research is to examine the Factors threatening mental health in organizations and offices. The method of research, documentation and library.
Hemodynamic Factors Influencing Arterial Hypoxemia in Massive Pulmonary Embolism with Circulatory Failure

Arterial hypoxemia is a common finding in acute pulmonary embolism, its severity generally assumed to be proportional to the extent of pulmonary artery obstruction. We studied blood gases (during room air breathing 100% oxygen breathing) hemodynamic data in seven patients with massive pulmonary embolism circulatory failure. All measurements were made before 30 minutes after medical therapy of shock. We observed that a low cardiac output state can result in a misleading improvement in arterial oxygenation during massive pulmonary embolism, that an improved circulatory status resulting from medical therapy (including inotropic drug infusion with or without blood volume expansion) can paradoxically increase arterial hypoxemia. We conclude that severity of arterial hypoxemia may not reflect the severity of pulmonary artery obstruction in acute pulmonary embolism if shock is present.
[Morphological liver changes of chronic hepatitis C in antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected patients].

UNLABELLED The aim of the study was evaluation of morphological exponents of chronic hepatitis C in naive HIV/HCV co-infected patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Investigation were performed in 61 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 21 HIV co-infected. HIV-HCV co-infected patients were included to group I. There were 7 females and 14 males (mean age 31.5 years). In group II there were 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C HIV-seronegatives. There were 22 females and 18 males (mean age 40.1 years). In all patients medical history, physical examination, some laboratory tests (ALT activity, HCV viral load) and histological examination of liver biopsy specimens were performed. In patients from group I HIV viral load and CD4 count were assessed. RESULTS Among HCV infected (group II) higher biochemical activity of the disease and more intense inflammatory changes and fibrosis in the liver were detected. In group HIV/HCV co-infected 2-times higher values of HCV viral load were detected. There were no connections with morphological liver picture and HCV viral load in these patients. There were no connections between the grade of immunodeficiency and advancing of morphological changes in the liver. So grading as staging were similar, independent on lymphocyte CD4 count. CONCLUSION In the light of performed investigations it was revealed that HIV not accelerate the natural history of chronic hepatitis C. The grade of immunodeficiency measured by CD4 count seems to no influence on advancing of morphological changes in the liver in naive patients.
Computational and psycho-physiological investigations of musical emotions

In the first part of this paper we present a new computational modelling investigation of musical emotions based on connectionist spatiotemporal models. This connectionist model is able to consider both temporal dimensions (the dynamics of musical sequences) and spatial components (the parallel contribution of various music and psychoacoustic factors) to predict human participants emotional ratings of various music pieces. After training, the networks are able to successfully generalise the emotional ratings of music, including novel musical sequences. Detailed analyses of the networks parameters and dynamics allows us to identify the role of specific psychoacoustic variables (e.g. tempo, mean pitch, timbre etc.) in music emotional appraisal (in terms of Arousal and Valence). The second part of the paper describes an experiment that investigates the pattern of psycho-physiological emotional dynamics elicited by musical experience. It also focuses on the dynamics of Arousal and Valence (psychological dimensions), but it extends the measurements to physiological responses, namely Heart Rate and Skin Conductance Level. We report a preliminary analyses based on static (mean) and dynamic (second-by second measurements) relationships between sound and the affective dimensions considered. Results show strong relationships between linear combinations of the music dimensions Tempo and Loudness with psychological Arousal reports. For example, Arousal increases for higher levels of Tempo and/or Loudness. Data also show increased Heart Rate and Skin Conductance levels for sections with faster Tempo and higher Loudness. A negative relationship between Valence and Heart Rate was also found.
Immigration and Civil Rights: Is the 'New' Birmingham the Same as the 'Old' Birmingham?

This paper was prepared for the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal’s 2012 immigration symposium on “Non-Citizen Participation in the National Polity. ” In the past few years, state legislatures have passed immigration enforcement laws at breakneck speed. The architect of many of the state immigration enforcement laws, Kris Kobach, has stated that their aim is to encourage undocumented immigrants to “self-deport” by making their everyday lives as difficult as possible. In 2011, Alabama, a state considered by some to be the heart and soul of Dixie, entered the national immigration debate, which surprised many Americans given that the state is not ordinarily thought of as home to many immigrants. The Alabama legislature did not enact any ordinary law but passed what some, including its supporters, claimed was the toughest state immigration enforcement law of them all. The Beason-Hammon Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, or H.B. 56, built on Arizona’s controversial S.B. 1070 but goes much further in its efforts to encourage self-deportation, including by directly and indirectly limiting access of undocumented students to public education.This article analyzes Alabama’s foray into immigration enforcement. It looks at H.B. 56 with the basic understanding that the enforcement of immigration laws implicate the civil rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens. Part I of this Article places the events leading to the passage of H.B. 56 into their proper historical context. Part II generally considers the possible civil rights consequences of the law on immigrants and Latino/as. Part III specifically focuses on Alabama’s efforts to limit access to education -- with, as in the days of Jim Crow, ensuring educational access central to the struggle of outsiders for fundamental civil rights and full membership in American society. In analyzing Alabama’s H.B. 56, this Article identifies various social and legal parallels between the state immigration enforcement laws and the racial caste system of the Jim Crow South. It contends that race, class, and caste, with significant social and economic (labor market) aspects, are integral to both episodes in U.S. history. In both instances, supporters of the caste system invoked a claim of states’ rights, or their equivalents, in the defense of state-sanctioned discrimination. Both then and now, access to education is ground zero for the two civil rights movements.Supporters of state intervention often claim that they merely want to promote obedience to the rule of the law, frequently combined with the exaggerated and unproven accusation that the federal government has “failed” to enforce the immigration laws. This Article looks deeply into, and beyond, this simplistic characterization to analyze how the current debates over immigration and immigration enforcement implicate the fundamental civil rights of residents of the United States and, specifically, the quest by Latina/os and immigrants for full membership in American society.