Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The roles of plasmids in phytopathogenic bacteria: mobile arsenals?

Plasmids are extrachromosomal elements of finite size, usually stably inherited within a bacterial cell line and potentially capable of transfer between strains, species or genera. The most widely used systems of grouping for plasmids rely on incompatibility between closely related replicons. This review surveys our current knowledge of plasmids among members of six Gram-negative genera of phytopathogenic bacteria (Burkholderia, Erwinia, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Xanthomonas), but excludes Agrobacterium. A major aspect concerns the growing interest in the role of plasmids in pathogenicity and host specificity and the possible advantages of plasmid-borne locations for the genes involved. A range of plasmid-borne phenotypes, including toxin and hormone production, and resistance to bactericides, are reviewed. The role of mobile elements and their association with pathogenicity islands on plasmids and in the bacterial chromosome provide indicators of possible evolutionary routes to the acquisition of disease-inducing capabilities. The paucity of knowledge concerning almost all aspects of plasmid biology among phytopathogenic bacteria is implicit : we argue the need for more work in this somewhat neglected area, to provide a clearer understanding of the molecular strategies adopted by bacteria that enable them to cause disease and evade host defences among a wide range of important crop plants.
Disparities in health care--from politics to policy.

On December 22, 2003, as many Americans began their Christmas holidays, the DHHS released two comprehensive reports about health care, the National Healthcare Quality Report and the National Healthcare Disparities Report.Four years earlier, Congress had passed a law requiring the AHRQ, which is part of the DHHS, to report annually on both the overall quality of health care and disparities in health care among racial and other groups. It is standard procedure for government reports to go through a clearance process before their public release. The review may involve substantial back and forth among many officials, and it usually escapes public scrutiny. Moreover, federal reports, particularly those that are released during holiday periods, often attract little attention. Within weeks, however, it became widely known that although the December report on disparities in health care contained essentially the same tables of data as the report that AHRQ officials had submitted for approval six months earlier, it otherwise differed markedly from the July version. Democratic staff members in the House of Representatives who work for Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Government Reform, called attention to these differences by making public an internal AHRQ draft of the executive summary from June 2003. They issued a report on the changes as “a case study in politics and science. ”
Early Events in Populus Hybrid and Fagus sylvatica Leaves Exposed to Ozone

This paper aims to investigate early responses to ozone in leaves of Fagus sylvatica (beech) and Populus maximowiczii x Populus berolinensis (poplar). The experimental setup consisted of four open-air (OA) plots, four charcoal-filtered (CF) open-top chambers (OTCs), and four nonfiltered (NF) OTCs. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out on nonsymptomatic (CF) and symptomatic (NF and OA) leaves of both species. Qualitative analyses were performed applying microscopic techniques: Evans blue staining for detection of cell viability, CeCl3 staining of transmission electron microscope (TEM) samples to detect the accumulation of H2O2, and multispectral fluorescence microimaging and microspectrofluorometry to investigate the accumulation of fluorescent phenolic compounds in the walls of the damaged cells. Quantitative analyses consisted of the analysis of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transients (fast kinetics). The early responses to ozone were demonstrated by the Evans blue and CeCl3 staining techniques that provided evidence of plant responses in both species 1 month before foliar symptoms became visible. The fluorescence transients analysis, too, demonstrated the breakdown of the oxygen evolving system and the inactivation of the end receptors of electrons at a very early stage, both in poplar and in beech. The accumulation of phenolic compounds in the cell walls, on the other hand, was a species-specific response detected in poplar, but not in beech. Evans blue and CeCl3 staining, as well as the multispectral fluorescence microimaging and microspectrofluorometry, can be used to support the field diagnosis of ozone injury, whereas the fast kinetics of chlorophyll fluorescence provides evidence of early physiological responses.
Simplified phase noise model for negative resistance oscillators

This paper describes a greatly simplified model for the prediction of phase noise in oscillators which use a negative resistance as the active element. It is based on a simple circuit consisting of the parallel addition of a noise current, a negative admittance/resistance and a parallel (Q limited) resonant circuit. The transfer function is calculated as a forward trans-resistance (VOUT/IIN) and then converted to power. The effect of limiting is incorporated by assuming that the phase noise element of the noise floor is KT/2 ie −177dBm/Hz at room temperature. The answer is the same as more complex analyses but enables a simple clear insight into the operation of oscillators. The phase noise for a given power in the resonator in the resonator appears to be lower than in feedback oscillators. The reasons for this are explained.
Toward a More Effective Intravascular Cell Therapy in Stroke

Cerebral ischemia remains the main cause of adult disability in Western countries. More than 50% of stroke survivors are left with a motor disability, causing a huge burden for patients, relatives and healthcare systems (Bonita et al., 1997). Cell-based therapies have emerged as some of the most promising experimental approaches to restore brain function after stroke (Bliss et al., 2010; Banerjee et al., 2011; Lindvall & Kokaia, 2011). A wide variety of cell types have been studied, such as neural progenitors from different sources, including bone marrowand blood-derived stem cells. Preclinical data with cell therapies are promising (Bliss et al., 2007; Hicks & Jolkkonen, 2009; Hicks et al., 2009a; Janowski et al., 2010). The understanding of how transplanted cells exert their therapeutic effect is, however, not clear, but it is believed that the positive outcome is due to paracrine effects with an improved protective cellular environment (e.g., reduced inflammation, neuroprotection, reduced apoptosis, activation of endogenous repair) rather than as a consequence of neuronal differentiation and cell replacement (Zhang & Chopp, 2009).
Understanding service infusion business models : a network perspective

This study recognizes service infusion as a fluid phenomenon to redesign service business models by explaining the network processes underlying firms’ service related strategies. The strategic importance of such service business models is rooted in the need for firms to be able to adapt to a constantly changing business environment in an effort to stay competitive. This study derives a conceptual framework of service infusion from theory, which is exemplified with a multi actor network case analysis. The framework provides an understanding of service infusion as a process of affecting business model changes according to transaction content, structure and governance. Furthermore, this study introduces the concept of service defusion as an important counterpart to service infusion. Both concepts together are found to fully capture firms’ movements up and down the value stream (transaction content), as well as their engagement with, and disengagement from, important business partners (transaction structure), and therefore capture important processes for successful service business model redesign. Finally, this study demonstrates the importance of tacit and explicit knowledge transfer and co-creation mechanisms in successfully managing the redesign of service business models. Thus, this study provides managers with a framework to understand and impact upon the processes underlying service business model change as well as links this with crucial knowledge creation and transfer processes.
Three-Dimensional In Vivo Modeling of Vestibular Schwannomas and Surrounding Cranial Nerves With Diffusion Imaging Tractography

BACKGROUND:Preservation of cranial nerves (CNs) is of paramount concern in the treatment of vestibular schwannomas, particularly in large tumors with thinned and distorted CN fibers. However, imaging of the CN fibers surrounding vestibular schwannomas has been limited with 2-dimensional imaging alone. OBJECTIVE:To assess whether tractography of the CN combined with anatomic magnetic resonance imaging of the tumor can provide superior 3-dimensional (3D) visualization of tumor/CN complexes. METHODS:Magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T, including diffusion tensor imaging and anatomic images, were analyzed in 3 subjects with vestibular schwannomas using 3D Slicer software. The diffusion tensor images were used to track the courses of trigeminal, abducens, facial, and vestibulocochlear nerves. The anatomic images were used to model the 3D volume reconstruction of the tumor. The 2 sets of images were then superimposed through the use of linear registration. RESULTS:Combined 3D tumor modeling and CN tractography can effectively and consistently reconstruct the 3D spatial relationship of CN/tumor complexes and allows superior visualization compared with 2-dimensional imaging. Lateral and superior distortion of the trigeminal nerve was observed in all cases. The position of the facial nerve was primarily anteriorly and inferiorly. The gasserian ganglion and early postganglionic branches could also be visualized. CONCLUSION:Tractography and anatomic imaging were successfully combined to demonstrate the precise location of surrounding CN fibers. This technique can be useful in both neuronavigation and radiosurgical planning. Because knowledge of the course of these fibers is of important clinical interest, implementation of this technique may help decrease injury to CNs during treatment of these lesions.
Compatibility of Characteristic Boundary Conditions with Radial Equilibrium in Turbomachinery Simulations

Setting up outlet boundary conditions in configurations that have a strong rotating motion is a crucial issue for turbomachinery simulations. This is usually done using the so-called radial equilibrium assumption, which is used before the simulation and provides an approximate expression for the pressure profile to impose in the outlet plane. This paper shows that recent methods developed for compressible flows, based on characteristic methods, including the effects of transverse terms, can capture the radial equilibrium naturally without having to impose a precomputed pressure profile. In addition, these methods are also designed to control acoustic reflections on boundaries, and the present work suggests that they could replace classical radial equilibrium assumption approximations when nonreflecting boundary conditions are required at the outlet of a turbomachine simulation, for example, in large eddy simulation. This is demonstrated in two cases: 1) a simple annulus flow with a swirl imposed at the inlet and 2) a transonic turbine vane.
Evidence for a therapeutic effect of Braintone on ischemic brain damage

This study used a novel combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments to show that Braintone had neuroprotective effects and clarified the molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy. The Chinese herbal extract Braintone is composed of Radix Rhodiolase Essence, Radix Notoginseng Essence, Folium Ginkgo Essence and Rhizoma Chuanxiong. In vivo experiments showed that cerebral infarction volume was reduced, hemispheric water content decreased, and neurological deficits were alleviated in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion after administration of 87.5, 175 or 350 mg/kg Braintone for 7 consecutive days. Western blot analysis showed that Braintone enhanced the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, heme oxygenase-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor in the ischemic cortex of these rats. The 350 mg/kg dose of Braintone produced the most dramatic effects. For the in vitro experiments, prior to oxygen-glucose deprivation, rats were intragastrically injected with 440, 880 or 1 760 mg/kg Braintone to prepare a Braintone-containing serum, which was used to pre-treat human umbilical vein endothelial cells for 24 hours. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury was alleviated with this pre-treatment. Western blot and real-time PCR analysis showed that the Braintone-containing serum increased the levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α mRNA and protein, heme oxygenase-1 protein and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in oxygen-glucose deprived human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The 1 760 mg/kg dose produced the greatest increases in expression. Collectively, these experimental findings suggest that Braintone has neuroprotective effects on ischemia-induced brain damage via the up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, heme oxygenase-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in vascular endothelial cells.
Distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive afferents to the cerebellum differs between species

The indirect antibody peroxidase‐antiperoxidase technique was used to determine the laminar and lobular distribution of catecholaminergic afferents in the adult mouse, opossum, and cat cerebellum. A monoclonal antibody to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed a plexus of thin varicose fibers that exhibited a different density and distribution pattern for each species. In the cat, TH‐immunoreactive fibers were sparsely distributed to all laminae, lobules, and nuclei of the cat cerebellum except for an area of elevated density in the ventral folia of lobules V and VI. In the opossum, TH‐positive fibers were uniformly and densely distributed in the granule and Purkinje cell layers; they were more abundant in vermal lobules V–VI than in more anterior and posterior lobules, particularly I and X. Numerous TH‐immunoreactive fibers were found in all four cerebellar nuclei of the opossum. In the mouse, TH‐positive fibers formed a dense plexus within all cerebellar lobules, laminae, and nuclei. The mouse also exhibited numerous TH‐immunoreactive Purkinje cells that were localized predominantly within vermal lobules VI–X, the paraflocculus, and flocculus. In addition to the interspecies differences in the distribution of catecholaminergic fibers within the cerebellum, comparison of this plexus to that previously described for serotonin in these species reveals that the relative densities and distribution patterns of catecholaminergic and serotoninergic fibers also vary between species. It is thus hypothesized that in each species a given monoamine has a unique net effect on cerebellar output that is determined by its effects on different neuronal populations within the cerebellum. J. Comp. Neurol. 379:443–454, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of myocardial contractility and autonomic control in the hypotensive response to a limited access ethanol paradigm in SHRs.

BACKGROUND Previous experimental studies that evaluated the chronic hemodynamic effect of ethanol employed the continuous exposure protocol of ethanol, which does not mimic the pattern of alcohol consumption in humans. This study dealt with the long-term hemodynamic and cardiovascular autonomic effects of ethanol, in a limited-access regimen in telemetered spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). METHODS Changes in blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), myocardial contractility (dP/dt(max)), and spectral cardiovascular autonomic profiles during the ethanol exposure period (2.5 or 5% w/v, 8 h/d, 8:30 am till 4:30 pm) were followed for 12 weeks. RESULTS Compared with control pair-fed SHRs, body weight and urine output, osmolality, and potassium levels were decreased in SHRs receiving 5% but not 2.5% ethanol. Blood pressure showed progressive falls during ethanol-feeding periods with a maximum effect observed at week 5. The peak hypotensive effect was maintained thereafter in SHRs receiving 5% ethanol in contrast to steady rises in BP in the 2.5% ethanol group to near-control levels by the conclusion of the study. Heart rate was slightly but significantly increased by ethanol 5% whereas dP/dt(max) showed persistent reductions. Power spectral analysis showed that ethanol attenuated the baroreflex gain of HR as suggested by the reductions in index alpha, the spectral index of spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that limited access ethanol drinking in SHRs elicited hypotension that was concentration dependent and mediated, at least partly, through reductions in myocardial contractility. Baroreflex sensitivity attenuation by ethanol appeared to have limited the tachycardic response to ethanol and perhaps its capacity to offset the evoked hypotension.
Balanced Sampling Method for Imbalanced Big Data Using AdaBoost

With the arrival of the era of big data, processing large volumes of data at much faster rates has become more urgent and attracted more and more attentions. Furthermore, many real-world data applications present severe class distribution skews and the underrepresented classes are usually of concern to researchers. Variants of boosting algorithm have been developed to cope with the class imbalance problem. However, due to the inherent sequential nature of boosting, these methods can not be directly applied to efficiently handle largescale data. In this paper, we propose a new parallelized version of boosting, AdaBoost.Balance, to deal with the imbalanced big data. It adopts a new balanced sampling method which combines undersampling methods with oversampling methods and can be simultaneously calculated by multiple computing nodes to construct a final ensemble classifier. Consequently, it is easily implemented by the parallel processing platform of big data such as the MapReduce framework.
On Tuning PI Controllers for Integrating Plus Time Delay Systems

Some analytical results concerning PI controller tuning based on integrator plus time delay models are worked out and presented. A method for obtaining PI controller parameters, Kp = k , and, Ti = , which ensures a given prescribed maximum time delay error, d max, to time delay, , ratio parameter = d max , is presented. The corner stone in this method, is a method product parameter, c = . Analytical relations between the PI controller parameters, Ti, and, Kp, and the time delay error parameter, , is presented, and we propose the setting, = c ( + 1), and, = a
Shape and fatigue life prediction of chip resistor solder joints

In order to increase the fatigue life of chip resistor, it is necessary to optimize the shape of solder joints. Shape and fatigue life of chip resistor solder joint were predicted by using finite element analysis methods. Through changing the solder volume, four typical solder joint shape prediction were conducted, and three-dimensional mechanical model of fatigue life analysis was set up. The distribution characteristics of the stress and strain in solder joints under thermal cycle load were analyzed. Based on this, fatigue life of solder joints with different solder volumes was predicted. Analysis results show that under thermal cycling conditions solder joints of tiny concave acquired the best mechanical properties, and the its life is the longest.
Inter Species Relationship of Cinnamomum Species Using RAPD Marker Analysis

Genetic inter-relationship of nine Cinnamomum species was estimated using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. The 15 selected RAPD primers out of 2 primers were amplified in all cinnamon species. Cinnamomum verum has very close similarity (87%) with C. citronella and another two species of C. camphora and C. glucens. Our results suggested that genetic relationships in Cinnamomum species using RAPD banding data may be useful for plant improvement and an efficient way to conserve genetic resources of Cinnamomum species, in addition to their effective medicinal uses.
Calcium-regulated modulator protein interacting agents inhibit smooth muscle calcium-stimulated protein kinase and ATPase.

Reagents such as N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), chlorpromazine, prenylamine, and N2-dansyl-L-arginine-4-t-butylpiperidine amide (No. 233) that interact with Ca2+-regu1ated modulator protein (modulator protein, calmodulin) were found to inhibit dose dependently not only Ca2+-dependent protein kinase (myosin light chain kinase), but also Ca2+-dependent ATPase of chicken gizzard actomyosin. Inhibition of Ca2+-dependent ATPase by these agents was prevented by the addition of modulator protein. These agents did not inhibit calcium-independent Mg2+-ATPase of actomyosin. Ca2+-dependent transfer of 32Pi from [γ-32P]ATP to the 20,000-dalton light chain of the gizzard myosin in the presence of Mg2+ was also inhibited dose dependently by these agents. The concentrations of these agents producing 50% inhibition of the Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity were found to be similar to concentrations producing 50% inhibition of myosin light chain phosphorylation, thereby suggesting that the inhibition of Ca2+-dependent ATPase of actomyosin by these drugs is due to their inhibition of myosin light chain phosphorylation. W-7 bound to Ca2+ modulator protein complex, but not to the modulator protein in the presence of EGTA. No. 233 and chlorpromazine inhibited the binding of W-7 to the Ca2+-modulator complex, suggesting that No. 233 and chlorpromazine bind to modulator protein. The modulator protein has two classes of W-7 binding sites: three functional sites with a high affinity for W-7 (KW-7 = 11 µM) and nine sites with a low affinity for the drug (KW-7 = 200 µM). W-7 did not show a significant binding to actin, myosin, tropomyosin, and bovine serum albumin at the concentration of the drug capable of binding to modulator protein. Troponin C was the only protein other than modulator protein that bound W-7 significantly but the affinity (KW-7 = 25 µM) of this protein for W-7 was lower than that of modulator protein. These results suggest that agents that interact with modulator protein produce relaxation of smooth muscle by inhibition of modulator protein-dependent myosin light chain phosphorylation thus suppressing the actin-myosin interaction and concomitant myosin ATPase activation.