Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Predator Unmasked: Life Cycle of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus from a Genomic Perspective

Predatory bacteria remain molecularly enigmatic, despite their presence in many microbial communities. Here we report the complete genome of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100, a predatory Gram-negative bacterium that invades and consumes other Gram-negative bacteria. Its surprisingly large genome shows no evidence of recent gene transfer from its prey. A plethora of paralogous gene families coding for enzymes, such as hydrolases and transporters, are used throughout the life cycle of B. bacteriovorus for prey entry, prey killing, and the uptake of complex molecules.
Use of 16S rRNA Gene Profiling by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis To Compare Bacterial Communities in Sputum and Mouthwash Samples from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

ABSTRACT The bacterial communities present in the oral cavity and the lungs of 19 adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients were compared by using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rRNA gene PCR products amplified from nucleic acids extracted directly from bacteria in clinical samples. Sputum samples were not found to be subject to profound contamination by oral cavity bacteria. Evidence of colonization of the CF lung by certain oral bacterial species was found.
Retrieval by a Patient with Apraxia of Sensorimotor Information from Visually Presented Objects

Motor representations are reported to be implicitly evoked when one observes manipulatable objects (action potentiation). The relationship was examined between action potentiation and pantomime deficit in apraxia. Participants responded to line drawings of manipulatable objects with either the left or right hand, according to the color of the stimulus. In normal participants (N = 10, four women, six men, M age = 28.5 yr., SD=5.6), responses were faster when the orientation of the stimulus was compatible with the response-hand grasp. However, the apraxic patient did not exhibit this compatibility effect. On a control task in which a nonobject (circle) was presented, all participants exhibited the compatibility effect. These results indicated that the apraxic patient was impaired in evoking motor representation associated with objects. Thus, in some cases, apraxic disorders may be attributable to a deficit in retrieving object-specific information for manipulation.
Investigating low adaptive behaviour and presence of the triad of impairments characteristic of autistic spectrum disorder as indicators of risk for challenging behaviour among adults with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND Identification of possible personal indicators of risk for challenging behaviour has generally been through association in cross-sectional prevalence studies, but few analyses have controlled for intercorrelation between potential risk factors. The aim was to investigate the extent to which gender, age, presence of the triad of impairments characteristic of autism and level of adaptive behaviour were independently associated with level of challenging behaviour among adults with intellectual disabilities. METHODS Five datasets were merged to produce information on challenging behaviour, adaptive behaviour, presence of the triad of impairments, gender and age of 818 adults. Variables were entered into a multivariate linear regression, which also tested the interaction between the presence of the triad of impairments and level of adaptive behaviour. RESULTS Presence of the triad of impairments, level of adaptive behaviour, their interaction, and age, but not gender, significantly and independently contributed to the prediction of challenging behaviour. Presence/absence of the triad of impairments moderated the effect of adaptive behaviour on challenging behaviour. The inverse relationship found in the absence of the triad of impairments was virtually removed when present. CONCLUSIONS This study has shown that it is necessary to control for intercorrelation between potential risk factors for challenging behaviour and to explore how interaction between them might moderate associations.
Single-stranded DNA from the Kilham rat virus.

Summary The nucleic acid of the Kilham rat virus was found to be single-stranded DNA. This was demonstrated by the lack of a distinct melting curve of the viral DNA, lack of reaction of actinomycin D with viral DNA, and the reaction of both intact virus and viral DNA with formaldehyde. The hydroxymethyl groups, added by the formaldehyde, did not interfere with complete recovery of the secondary structure of the extracted DNA. Electron micrographs of the DNA also showed pooling and sharp folds and turns which are characteristics of single-stranded DNA. When rat virus was centrifuged to equilibrium in caesium chloride density gradients, three peaks of haemagglutinating activity were found at densities of 1.43, 1.38 and 1.32 g. /cm.3. The examination of material from these peaks showed the peak at 1.43 g. /cm.3 contained full viral particles, the peak at 1.38 g. /cm.3 contained a mixture of full and empty viral particles, and the peak at 1.32 g. /cm.3 contained large amounts of debris in which an occasional viral particle was visible. It was concluded from these data that the intact viral particle had a density of 1.43 g. /cm.3, and the protein coat had a density of 1.32 g. /cm.3. The density of the DNA was found to be 1.72 g. /cm.3; therefore, the intact viral particle contained 34% DNA. The average length of the DNA molecule extracted from the rat virus was found to be 1.30 µm. , which gave a molecular weight of 1.2 × 106 for the DNA. With this value and the 34% value found for the DNA content of the viral particle, the molecular weight of the virus particle was estimated to be 3.6 × 106.
A Possible New Concept in the Mechanism of Action of Local Anesthesia

Background: Local anesthetics act by different mechanisms to produce their effects in control acute and chronic pain. Methods: A total of 22 patients (14 female, 8 male) who need tooth apisectomy under infiltration local anesthesia were examined in two situations: Before and after administration of local anesthesia. For all patients salivary sample has been collected by salivette to estimate the level of opiorphin using ELISA Kits, the pain was assessed after administration of local anesthesia using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: the results showed a significant differences of salivary opiorphin before and after administration of local anesthesia (5.96+5.38) ng/ml and (14.49±3.66) ng/ml respectively with p 0.05). Conclusions: local anesthetics (xylocaine 2%+adrenalin 1:80,000) used in apisectomy by infiltration technique produce a significant effects on salivary opiorphin (p<0.05) which may suggest a possible effects of local anesthetic on enkephalin pathway and the possibility of using this parameter for measurements of local anesthetic effects.
Sleep, Memory & Brain Rhythms

Sleep occupies roughly one-third of our lives, yet the scientific community is still not entirely clear on its purpose or function. Existing data point most strongly to its role in memory and homeostasis: that sleep helps maintain basic brain functioning via a homeostatic mechanism that loosens connections between overworked synapses, and that sleep helps consolidate and re-form important memories. In this review, we will summarize these theories, but also focus on substantial new information regarding the relation of electrical brain rhythms to sleep. In particular, while REM sleep may contribute to the homeostatic weakening of overactive synapses, a prominent and transient oscillatory rhythm called “sharp-wave ripple” seems to allow for consolidation of behaviorally relevant memories across many structures of the brain. We propose that a theory of sleep involving the division of labor between two states of sleep–REM and non-REM, the latter of which has an abundance of ripple electrical activity–might allow for a fusion of the two main sleep theories. This theory then postulates that sleep performs a combination of consolidation and homeostasis that promotes optimal knowledge retention as well as optimal waking brain function.
Referral Pattern and Outcome in Men and Women Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Women with coronary artery disease are less likely to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery, and this may represent a potential referral bias in favor of men. A higher in- hospital mortality rate in women compared with men has been reported earlier. Accumulating evidence currently suggests, however, that variables other than gender, such as advanced age, late referral, angina classification, diabetes mellitus, concurrent medical conditions, the number of diseased vessels, the caliber of coronary arteries, and the decreased body surface area in women may have accounted for this difference. In fact, when these variables are taken into account, female gender is no longer a statisti cally significant predictor of operative mortality. Women appear to have comparable immediate and late survival rates. Recurrent angina, perioperative myocardial infarc tion, congestive heart failure, incomplete revascularization, and early and late graft reoc clusion following surgery are, however, more prevalent in women. Men and women show differences in recovery experiences after discharge following bypass surgery. When coronary bypass surgery is offered to women, the decision should be individ ualized, based on the patients' perioperative baseline clinical risk factors and coronary anatomy. Coronary artery bypass surgery should not be withheld in women who are considered to be appropriate candidates for fear of a reduced success rate.
Targeting of DNA gyrase in Streptococcus pneumoniae by sparfloxacin: selective targeting of gyrase or topoisomerase IV by quinolones

gyrA and parC mutations have been identified inn Streptococcus pneumoniae mutants stepwise selected for resistance to sparfloxacin, an antipneumococcal fluoroquinolone. GyrA mutations (at the position equivalent to resistance hot spot Ser-83 in Escherichia coli GyrA) were found in all 17 first-step mutants examined and preceded DNA topoisomerase IV parC mutations (at Ser-79 or Glu-83), which appeared only in second-step mutants. The targeting of gyrase by sparfloxacin in S. pneumoniae but of topoisomerase IV by ciprofloxacin indicates that target preference can be altered by changes in quinolone structure.
The Smell of Virtue

As Proust’s words so eloquently express, a familiar smell can transport one to an exact time and place in one’s past. Indeed, psychologists have found that scents can retrieve images and feelings from the deepest recesses of the mind (Chu & Downes, 2000; Doop, Mohr, Folley, Brewer, & Park, 2006). Smells can also influence judgment (Schnall, Haidt, Clore, & Jordan, 2008) and regulate behavior: For example, Holland, Hendriks, and Aarts (2005) found that exposure to citrus cleaning scents enhanced the mental accessibility of cleaning-related constructs and led participants to maintain a cleaner environment while eating. Given the symbolic association between physical and moral purity, we considered a provocative possibility: In addition to regulating physical cleanliness, clean smells might also motivate virtuous behavior. Indeed, moral transgressions can engender literal feelings of dirtiness (Zhong & Liljenquist, 2006). Just as many symbolic associations, such as coldness and loneliness (Zhong & Leonardelli, 2008) or darkness and depravity (Frank & Gilovich, 1988), are reciprocally related (Lakoff, 1987), morality and cleanliness may also be reciprocally linked. We investigated whether clean scents could transcend the domain of physical cleanliness and promote virtuous behavior.
Major nutrient compositions and functional properties of sorghum flour at 0–3 days of grain germination

Abstract Germination is of importance to improving nutritional attributes of cereal grains for human consumption. The effect of germination time on major nutrient compositions and functional properties of sorghum flour was investigated in this study. Grains of Butanua, a new Sudanese sorghum cultivar, were germinated for 0, 1, 2, and 3 days to analyze their chemical and functional properties. The contents of starch, protein, oil, foaming stability, bulk density, and least gelation concentration of sorghum flour decreased, whereas oil absorption capacity, foaming capacity, and emulsion capacity and stability enhanced with an increase in germination time. Improved functional properties of sorghum flour by germination of the grains not only make it useful and suitable for various food processing formulations, but also improve the food product quality. This new finding will beneficially help develop innovative technologies, design new types of functional foods, and promote both sorghum production and relevant food processing industry in the future.
Measurements of carbon dioxide on very tall towers: results of the NOAA/CMDL program

Measurements of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) mixing ratios have been carried out since 1992 on a 610-m tall communications tower in North Carolina and since 1994 on a 447-m tall tower in Wisconsin. The data provide insights into the influence of pollution (fossil fuel combustion), biological exchange, boundary layer dynamics, and advective transport on CO 2 mixing ratios over the continents. In this paper, we provide an overview of the data, describe access to the data, and suggest ways in which these results could be used to improve simulations of the global carbon cycle. In particular, the data will be very useful to constrain model estimates of covariance between terrestrial ecosystem fluxes of CO 2 and diurnal and seasonal variations of planetary boundary layer mixing. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1998. t01-4-00001.x
A Study of Interventions in Acute Pancreatitis at a Tertiary Care Hospital - An Indian Experience.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is a common gastro-intestinal disease with varied etiology, presentations, management and outcomes. Over the years the management has evolved from surgical to conservative under intensive care setting. Here we have attempted to study various interventions in the management of acute pancreatitis and correlate clinical/radiological severity indices with likelihood of interventions and outcome. Material And Methods: In this combined Retrospective-Prospective Observational study we have included 148 patients of diagnosed acute pancreatitis. Detailed history, clinical parameters, laboratory investigations, imaging findings, BISAP (Bedside Index for predicting Severe Acute Pancreatitis) score and Ctsi (Ct Severity Index), interventions, complications and outcome were recorded and analyzed. Results: According to BISAP score, 72(49%) had score of 0, 47(32%) had 1, 22(15%), 5(3%) and 2(1%) had scores of 2, 3 and 4 respectively while none had 5. CTSI was available for 112 patients out of which 94(84%) had between 0–6 and 18(16%) had 7–10. Initial conservative management was adequate in 119(80%) patients. 29(20%) patients required some intervention: endoscopic (5%), radiologic (8%) or surgical (7%). 9 patients required a second interventional treatment. Overall mortality was 10%. Statistically significant correlation was found between CTSI – likelihood of intervention/re-intervention and BISAP score – outcome (mortality) [p<0.001]. Conclusion: Aggressive conservative management remains the mainstay of treatment majority patients of acute pancreatitis. Tailored interventions are required in selected group of patients. CTSI correlates well with likelihood of intervention/re-intervention and BISAP score correlates well with outcome [mortality].
Exploratory Analysis of Social Media Prior to a Suicide Attempt

Tragically, an estimated 42,000 Americans died by suicide in 2015, each one deeply affecting friends and family. Very little data and information is available about people who attempt to take their life, and thus scientiﬁc exploration has been hampered. We examine data from Twitter users who have attempted to take their life and provide an exploratory analysis of patterns in language and emotions around their attempt. We also show differences between those who have attempted to take their life and matched controls. We ﬁnd quantiﬁable signals of suicide attempts in the language of social media data and estimate performance of a simple machine learning classiﬁer with these signals as a non-invasive analysis in a screening process.
Un sistema de diálogo multilingüe dirigido por la semántica

espanolEnte articulo presenta un sistema de dialogos multilingue basado en la semantica. El sistema utiliza una ontologia que modela la aplicacion para gestionar de forma eficiente la interaccion oral y textual en diferentes lenguas (ingles, castellano y catalan). El conocimiento de la aplicacion ea utilizado por el gestor de dialogo para determinar la estructura del dialogo. Tambien se utiliza para generar las gramaticas y lexicos en las diferentes lenguas. Estos recursos linguisticos incorporan informacion de la aplicacion para facilitar la interpretacion semantica de las intervenciones del usuario. EnglishThis article presents a semantic-driven multilingual dialogue system. The system described supports both speech and textual interaction. The systems uses ontologies representing the application knowledge to support a friendly communication in several languages: English, Spanish and Catalan. Application information is incorporated into the grammars and lexicon in order to simplifly the semantic processing. The application model is also used by the Dialogue Manager
Chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in colorectal cancer patients increases the risk for recurrence and for poor survival.

PURPOSE Liver metastasis is the predominant cause of colorectal cancer (CRC) related mortality. Chemokines, soluble factors that orchestrate hematopoetic cell movement, have been implicated in directing cancer metastasis, although their clinical relevance in CRC has not been defined. Our hypothesis was that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 expressed by CRC is a prognostic factor for poor disease outcome. METHODS CRC cell lines (n = 6) and tumor specimens (n = 139) from patients with different American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages of CRC were assessed. Microarray screening of select specimens and cell lines identified CXCR4 as a prominent chemokine receptor. CXCR4 expression in tumor and benign specimens was assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and correlated with disease recurrence and overall survival. RESULTS High CXCR4 expression in tumor specimens (n = 57) from AJCC stage I/II patients was associated with increased risk for local recurrence and/or distant metastasis (risk ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.68; P = .0065). High CXCR4 expression in primary tumor specimens (n = 35) from AJCC stage IV patients correlated with worse overall median survival (9 months v 23 months; RR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.19 to 5.40; P = .016). CXCR4 expression was significantly higher in liver metastases (n = 39) compared with primary CRC tumors (n = 100; P < .0001). CONCLUSION CXCR4, a well-characterized chemokine receptor for T-cells, is differentially expressed in CRC. CXCR4 gene expression in primary CRC demonstrated significant associations with recurrence, survival, and liver metastasis. The CXCR4-CXCL12 signaling mechanism may be clinically relevant for patients with CRC and represents a potential novel target for disease-directed therapy.
AN INFORMATIONAL THEORY OF THE STATISTICAL STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE 36

Unfortunately, none of the elements is given in a form directly suitab~e for use in a mathematical theory, but must first be extracted by qualitative discussion and analysis from all the obtainable data, historical and structural, on languages, and eventually in other fields. Such a qualitative discussion cannot give us more than a reasonable degree of confidence in the results to which -it leads. Therefore the aim of a mathematical theory cannot be, strictly speaking, to deduce one of the elements from the remaining two, but only to add (very considerably) to the confidence we put in each of these elements individually, by showing that they are fully compatible. However, frolp. a technical (as opposed to conceptual) point of view, the proofofthe compatibility cannot avoid the use ofone ofthe above-mentioned deductive methods.
[18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning for staging, response assessment, and disease surveillance in patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Positron emission tomography (PET) is an important imaging modality in the staging and response assessment of patients with lymphoma, but data on its specific use in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are lacking. PATIENTS AND METHODS The records of 28 patients with MCL who had a total of 123 [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scans between March 1999 and November 2005 were reviewed. Nine patients had staging scans. The other scans were performed for response assessment or relapse surveillance. RESULTS FDG-PET sensitivity was 100% for nodal disease in the 9 patients studied at baseline. Positron emission tomography scans performed for response assessment were concordant with conventional imaging in 47% and discordant in 53% of cases. Positron emission tomography scanning led to earlier diagnosis of relapse in 1 of 17 patients but produced a high rate of false-negative findings in the evaluation of gastrointestinal involvement. CONCLUSION FDG-PET appears to be a sensitive modality for staging and for response assessment in MCL but was not found to be useful in relapse surveillance or in the evaluation of gastrointestinal disease.
Transmit Antenna Selection Scheme for HARQ in MIMO OFDM Systems with Multiple Codewords Transmission

In this paper, we propose a transmit antenna selection scheme for hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) in multi-input multi-output (MIMO) OFDM systems with the multiple codeword (MCW) transmission and the successive decoding and cancellation (SDC) receiver. When a mobile station fails to decode a packet, the mobile station sends a NACK signal for the packet to the base station. We propose a method to select the transmit antenna for retransmission in case that there is no additional feedback except the NACK signal. Analytical and numerical results show that the proposed scheme has a better SINR performance and a lower number of retransmission than the conventional scheme.
Detection of vision impairment in people admitted to aged care assessment centres

Vision is not routinely tested when the health of older people is assessed, and the aim of this study was to detect older people with vision impairment for referral to appropriate eye care services. People admitted for assessment and or rehabilitation in three aged care assessment centres had distance and near visual acuity assessed with a simplified vision test. A pinhole test was used when necessary. Referral criteria were distance visual acuity of less than 6 / 12; near vision of less than N8, and people with diabetes who had not attended a dilated fundus examination in the last 2 years. Visual acuity results were obtained in 93% of patients (685 / 735). Those unable to perform the vision test were very ill or had severe cognitive impairment. Forty‐three per cent of patients (266 / 646) had impaired vision and, of these, 70.6% (188 / 266) were referred to eye care specialists. Forty‐five per cent were referred to ophthalmologists, 36% to optometrists and 20% to low vision services. This significant proportion of patients with poor vision suggests that vision screening is warranted.