Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Pathway in Acquisition and Loss of Vancomycin Resistance in a Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Strain of Clonal Type USA300

An isolate of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone USA300 with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin (SG-R) (i.e, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus, VISA) and its susceptible “parental” strain (SG-S) were recovered from a patient at the end and at the beginning of an unsuccessful vancomycin therapy. The VISA phenotype was unstable in vitro generating a susceptible revertant strain (SG-rev). The availability of these 3 isogenic strains allowed us to explore genetic correlates of antibiotic resistance as it emerged in vivo. Compared to the susceptible isolate, both the VISA and revertant strains carried the same point mutations in yycH, vraG, yvqF and lspA genes and a substantial deletion within an intergenic region. The revertant strain carried a single additional frameshift mutation in vraS which is part of two component regulatory system VraSR. VISA isolate SG-R showed complex alterations in phenotype: decreased susceptibility to other antibiotics, slow autolysis, abnormal cell division and increased thickness of cell wall. There was also altered expression of 239 genes including down-regulation of major virulence determinants. All phenotypic properties and gene expression profile returned to parental levels in the revertant strain. Introduction of wild type yvqF on a multicopy plasmid into the VISA strain caused loss of resistance along with loss of all the associated phenotypic changes. Introduction of the wild type vraSR into the revertant strain caused recovery of VISA type resistance. The yvqF/vraSR operon seems to function as an on/off switch: mutation in yvqF in strain SG-R turns on the vraSR system, which leads to increase in vancomycin resistance and down-regulation of virulence determinants. Mutation in vraS in the revertant strain turns off this regulatory system accompanied by loss of resistance and normal expression of virulence genes. Down-regulation of virulence genes may provide VISA strains with a “stealth” strategy to evade detection by the host immune system.
Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis

Despite significant advances in dialysis techniques, patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have a high mortality rate which is due primarily to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death [1]. HD patients are at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death for many reasons, and among the comorbid factors that have been identified are: malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, anemia, dyskalemia, hyperparathyroidism, and preexisting CVD [2–7]. There is also epidemiological evidence that the occurrence of clinically significant ventricular arrhythmias, particularly in the presence of underlying heart disease, may increase one’s susceptibility to an arrhythmic death [8]. Moreover, volume overload and metabolic abnormalities such as metabolic acidosis and dysmagnesemia affect the cardiac function and may lead to sudden cardiac death. Finally, because of the intermittent nature of dialysis, HD patients have large swings, especially in volume status, acid-base balance, and serum potassium, that may contribute to arrhythmias. The following review will focus on epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, and evaluation of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death encountered in HD patients. Epidemiology
Dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum enoyl‐ACP reductase and implications on drug discovery

Enoyl‐acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR) is a crucial enzyme in the type II fatty acid synthesis pathway of many pathogens such as Plasmodium falciparum, the etiological agent of the most severe form of malaria. Because of its essential function of fatty acid double bond reduction and the absence of a human homologue, PfENR is an interesting drug target. Although extensive knowledge of the protein structure has been gathered over the last decade, comparatively little remains known about the dynamics of this crucial enzyme. Here, we perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations of tetrameric PfENR in different states of cofactor and ligand binding, and with a variety of different ligands bound. A pocket‐volume analysis is also performed, and virtual screening is used to identify potential druggable hotspots. The implications of the results for future drug‐discovery projects are discussed.
Assessment of Reproducibility of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Bacterial and Yeast Identification

ABSTRACT Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the identification of clinical bacterial and yeast isolates. However, data describing the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS for microbial identification are scarce. In this study, we show that MALDI-TOF MS-based microbial identification is highly reproducible and can tolerate numerous variables, including differences in testing environments, instruments, operators, reagent lots, and sample positioning patterns. Finally, we reveal that samples of bacterial and yeast isolates prepared for MALDI-TOF MS identification can be repeatedly analyzed without compromising organism identification.
Enhanced uptake of antibiotic resistance genes in the presence of nanoalumina

Abstract Nanomaterial pollution and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are global public health and environmental concerns. Whether nanomaterials could aid the transfer of ARGs released from dead bacteria into live bacteria to cause spread of ARGs is still unknown. Here, we demonstrated that nano-Al2O3 could significantly promote plasmid-mediated ARGs transformation into Gram-negative Escherichia coli strains and into Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus; however, bulk Al2O3 did not have this effect. Under suitable conditions, 7.4 × 106 transformants of E. coli and 2.9 × 105 transformants of S. aureus were obtained from 100 ng of a pBR322-based plasmid when bacteria were treated with nano-Al2O3. Nanoparticles concentrations, plasmid concentrations, bacterial concentrations, interaction time between the nanomaterial and bacterial cells and the vortexing time affected the transformation efficiency. We also explored the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization and scanning electron microscopy, we found that nano-Al2O3 damaged the cell membrane to produce pores, through which plasmid could enter bacterial cells. Results from reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays, genome-wide expression microarray profiling and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions suggested that intracellular ROS damaged the cell membrane, and that an SOS response promoted plasmid transformation. Our results indicated the environmental and health risk resulting from nanomaterials helping sensitive bacteria to obtain antibiotic resistance.
The Clinical Picture of Bipolar II Outpatient Depression in Private Practice

Uncertainties exist about whether depressive episodes differ phenomenologically in unipolar and bipolar II patients. The aim of the present study was to better define the clinical picture and course of bipolar II depression. Three hundred and ninety-nine consecutive outpatients, presenting for treatment of unipolar and bipolar II depression, were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Bipolar II depression had significantly lower age at onset, more recurrences and more patients with DSM-IV atypical features. Gender, duration of illness, psychosis, chronicity, severity, axis I comorbidity, melancholic features, individual atypical symptoms and other symptoms of depression were not significantly different. The presence of DSM-IV atypical features predicted bipolar II diagnosis with 63% probability.
Resistance to Activated Protein C in Nine Thrombophilic Families: Interference in a Protein S Functional Assay

Summary Nine thrombophilic patients who had had previous diagnoses of functional protein S deficiency were reinvestigated. The functional protein S assays gave dose-response curves that were not parallel to those of the reference plasma. The same pattern was true for approximately half of the first-degree relatives of the propositi. When protein S was extracted from the plasma of the patients by immunoabsorption, it had a normal ratio of functional activity to immunologic concentration. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, informative in one family, showed no linkage between the protein S gene marker and the abnormal behavior of the protein S functional assay. All the propositi and 23/36 first-degree relatives were resistant to the prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time induced by activated protein C. Furthermore, there was striking concordance in all patients and relatives between the abnormal pattern of the protein S functional assay and resistance to activated protein C. We conclude that a plasma-based functional protein S assay is sensitive to activated protein C resistance and this may lead to spuriously low results in the assay. In agreement with the results of others, this study indicates that resistance to activated protein C is a frequent hemostatic defect in selected thrombophilic populations.
Fusion of Hyperspectral and Multispectral Images: A Novel Framework Based on Generalization of Pan-Sharpening Methods

In many applications, it is imperative to maintain high spectral and spatial resolution of remote sensing images. This letter addresses the issue by fusing low-spatial-resolution hyperspectral images (HSIs) and high-spatial-resolution multispectral images (MSIs) of the same scene collected by the coupled sensors and, thus, present a novel framework that generalizes well-established pan-sharpening algorithms. The main steps of the framework are dividing the spectrum of HSIs into several regions and fusing HSIs and MSIs in each region by the chosen pan-sharpening algorithm. Ratio image-based spectral resampling (RIBSR) is used to interpolate the missing data so that every region is covered by a multispectral band. Therefore, the framework allows most of pan-sharpening algorithms to be extended to HSI and MSI fusion. Synthetic data in accordance with sensor reality are used to test specific methods derived within the framework. Experimental results show that the proposed methods excel the state-of-the-art methods in terms of simplicity, feasibility, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Size Reduction of Mushroom-Type EBG Surfaces by Using Edge-Located Vias

Periodic surfaces made of patches with metallized via holes or grounding pins (ldquomushroomsrdquo) have been shown to have bandgaps in their dispersion diagrams, inside which surface waves cannot propagate. These bandgaps are defined in all directions in the surface structure. The purpose of this work is to show how by changing the position of the metallic via of the mushroom from its center to its edge, the bandgap moves towards lower frequencies. This allows an easy structure size reduction which is critical in many applications. Results prove a size reduction of the unit cell size by approximately 20% by only moving the via position. The conclusions have been validated with measurements.
Systematic Investigation on Correlation Between Sensitivity and Nonlinearity in Magnetic Tunnel Junction for Magnetic Sensor

We fabricated magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a perpendicularly magnetized Co-Fe-B sensing layer for magnetic sensor applications exhibiting a linear tunneling magnetoresistance behavior, and systematically investigated correlation between sensitivity and nonlinearity in the MTJs. The experimental results in the MTJs annealed at different temperatures with various thicknesses and compositions of the Co-Fe-B sensing layer were compared with the simple calculation based on the Stoner-Wohlfarth model, which predicts the tradeoff relationship between the sensitivity and the nonlinearity. We found the clear tradeoff correlation between them regardless the annealing temperature and the composition of the Co-Fe-B sensing layer. These results show us a guideline for designing the sensing properties of magnetic sensors based on MTJs.
Efficient Viewer-Centric Depth Adjustment Based on Virtual Fronto-Parallel Planar Projection in Stereo 3D Images

This paper presents an efficient method for adjusting the 3D depth of an object including as much as a whole scene in stereo 3D images by utilizing a virtual fronto-parallel planar projection in the 3D space perceived by a viewer. The proposed method just needs to establish object correspondence instead of the accurate estimation of the disparity field or point correspondence. We simulate the depth adjustment of a 3D point perceived by a viewer through a corresponding pair of points on the stereo 3D images by moving the virtual fronto-parallel plane on which the left and right points are projected. We show that the resulting transformation of image coordinates of the points can be simply expressed by three values of a scale factor and two translations that depend on one parameter for the depth adjustment. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach that yields less visual fatigue and smaller 3D shape distortion than the conventional parallax adjustment method. The overall procedure can be efficiently applied to each frame of a stereo video without causing any artifact.
Síndrome de vasoconstricción cerebral reversible: revisión de tema

Introduccion: El sindrome de vasoconstriccion cerebral reversible abarca un amplio grupo de etiologias que se presentan clinicamente con cefalea tipo trueno; puede recurrir en un lapso de una a tres semanas y relacionarse con sintomas neurologicos como crisis epilepticas, isquemia, infarto cerebral y hemorragia subaracnoidea no aneurismatica, asociado a cambios imagenologicos consistentes en vasoconstriccion multifocal atribuida a perdida del control del tono vascular cerebral. El cuadro en general se autolimita en un rango de doce semanas. Materiales y metodos: Se realiza busqueda de literatura y, posteriormente, se revisaron los hallazgos clinicos y patologicos de este sindrome; ademas, se discute fisiopatologia, diagnostico, potenciales tratamientos y complicaciones. Conclusiones: El sindrome de vasoconstriccion cerebral reversible es un reto diagnostico, debido a su baja incidencia y multiples formas de presentacion. Es de suma importancia desarrollar anamnesis detalladas, para realizar un diagnostico oportuno.
Does the Routine Prophylactic Use of Antiemetics Affect the Incidence of Postdischarge Nausea and Vomiting following Ambulatory Surgery?: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

THE rapid increase in ambulatory surgery procedures performed over the past 10 yr has resulted in greater focus directed toward the control of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), sometimes appropriately termed the “big, little problem. ” The incidence of this complication is variable, but PONV has emerged as one of the commonest complications following ambulatory surgery, and the one that patients would most like to avoid. Specifically, the postdischarge period has been poorly studied but is important from the patient’s perspective. Despite the increasing availability of newer and more expensive drugs for the prevention of PONV, some authors question the routine use of single-drug prophylaxis in low-risk patients. The long-term ( 6 h) effect of antiemetics is even more uncertain in the ambulatory setting, because the focus of attention has previously been on the management of early PONV (in the day surgical unit). As many as 35–50% patients continue to have postdischarge nausea and vomiting (PDNV). It is important to control this symptom after discharge, because resumption of normal activities may be delayed if PONV is prolonged and ambulatory surgical patients are not under direct medical supervision after discharge. In our experience, few centers routinely provide antiemetics for the control of PDNV at home. Numerous systematic reviews have now been published in the literature on PONV, but only one has focused on PONV after hospital discharge in ambulatory surgical patients. This systematic review was completed to address the question of whether the routine prophylactic use of antiemetics affects the incidence of PDNV following ambulatory surgery. We restricted our analysis to randomized, controlled studies published in the English literature.
Can Arts-Based Interventions Enhance Labor Market Outcomes Among Youth? Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Rio De Janeiro

This paper provides findings of a small-scale, innovative labor training program that uses expressive arts and theatre as a pedagogical tool. The corresponding life skills training component is combined with a technical component teaching vocational skills. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of a training program constructed around expressive arts. Using a randomized assignment of favela youth into program and control groups, we look at the short-run treatment effects on a comprehensive set of outcomes including employment and earnings as well as measures of personality traits and risk behavior. We find positive short-run employment and earnings impacts five months after the program finalized; no impacts are found for shorter periods. These short-run impacts are economically very large, compared to those typically found in the literature: a 33.3 per cent increase in the probability of being employed, and a 23.6 per cent increase in earnings. We find no evidence of significant program impacts on other outcomes, including personality related traits, providing evidence that these traits may not be malleable for young adults in the short-run. We argue that the estimated labor market impacts are due to a combination of both skills formation and signaling of higher quality workers to employers.
A Game-theoretical Method of the Interactions Among the Nodes Violating the Timing Channel to Obtain Resilience to Jamming Attacks

Reactive jamming attacks caused by an energy-controlled malicious node has been countermeasure by using the timing channel. In this channel the information is encoded in the timing between events, and it is a simple logical communication channel. The timing channel information or events can not be jammed, even if a jammer is able to disrupt the attacked packets information, and also delivers the timing information to the receiver on jammed communication channel. The game theory can be used to structure the interactions of attacked nodes and the jammer. This paper, propose a game theoretical method of the interactions among the nodes violating the timing channel to obtain resilience to jamming attacks and a jammer is derived and analyzed. Importantly, Nash equilibrium is discussed under best response changing aspects subjected to uniqueness, existence, and convergence. And also, by considering perfect and imperfect knowledge of the utility procedure of jammer’s, jammer reactions on communication nodes setting strategies is modeled and analyzed and a Stackelberg game. Finally, this paper presents the numerical results and visualizes the impact of network parameters on the system performance.
Etude de l'influence de la variété dialectale sur la vitesse d'articulation en français

______________________________________________________ Dialectal Effect on Articulation Rate in French This paper compares the articulation rate of 3 distinct varieties of French: Parisian French (hereafter PA); Swiss French spoken in Neuchâtel (hereafter NE) and French spoken by Swiss German speakers (hereafter CH) who have been living in a French speaking environment (in Neuchâtel) for 20 years at least. The objective is twofold: to assess the existence of differences in articulation rate between native French speakers of a standard variety (PA) and native French speakers of a regional variety (NE); and to address whether the non-native speakers (CH) exhibit a different behaviour regarding articulation rate compared with the native speakers of the correspondent variety (NE). Besides the “dialectal” factor, this study takes into account further factors that may have an influence on articulation rate: age, gender, speech style (reading or conversation) and number of syllables within the Accentual Phrase. MOTS-CLES : francais dialectal, francais L2, vitesse d’articulation, syntagme accentuel.
Photosynthetic Sulphate Reduction

Plants assimilate inorganic sulphate for the bio­ synthesis of sulphur containing compounds. The enzymes required for reduction are found pre­ dominantly in the plastids which provide the necessary energy and the reductants. Sulphate re­ duction like nitrate or carbon dioxide assimilation is endergonic; for comparison, N 0 3 reduction to ammonia requires +347 kJ mol1 and C 0 2 re­ duction +478 kJ mol1 (Thauer et al., 1977). About twice as much energy is necessary to assimilate sulphate under aerobic conditions:
DNA Damage in Workers Occupationally Exposed to Lead, Using Comet Assay

Lead is one of the most clinically important heavy metals, because it induces a broad range of physiological, biochemical, and genetical dysfunctions. Occupational exposure to lead leads to increased frequency of genetic system in human beings. In the present study the DNA damage among the workers occupationally exposed to lead was analyzed using peripheral blood lymphocyte by comet assay. The result of this study shows increased levels of DNA damage among experimental subjects. The habit of cigarette smoking among the workers has a synergistic effect on inducing DNA damage.
An Information-Theoretic Perspective on Interference Management

Two competing paradigms of interference management are introduced via a few recent developments in network information theory. In the ﬁrst “distributed network” paradigm, the network consists of autonomous cells with minimal cooperation. For the corresponding mathematical model of the “interference channel,” advanced channel coding techniques are presented, focusing mainly on the sliding-window superposition coding scheme that achieves the performance of simultaneous decoding through point-to-point channel codes and low-complexity decoding. In the second “centralized network” paradigm, the network is a group of neighboring cells connected via noiseless links. For uplink and downlink communications over this “two-hop relay network,” two coding schemes in a dual relationship—noisy network coding and distributed decode–forward—are presented that achieve capacity universally within a ﬁnite number of bits per degree of freedom.
The neurophysiological profile of vitamin B12 deficiency

Reports of the incidence and severity of physiological abnormalities of vitamin B12 deficiency sharply differ. To resolve these controversies we performed evoked response and nerve conduction studies in 10 males with vitamin B12 deficiency. The minimum criteria for this diagnosis were diminished position and vibration sensation and vitamin B12 levels <220 pg/ml. We found normal BAERs in 9/10 patients. The central interpeak latencies of the median and peroneal SERs were abnormal in 4/10 and 818 patients, respectively. The VERs were abnormal in 7/10 patients. Wefound absent or diminished amplitudes of sural sensory and peroneal motor action potentials in 8/10 patients. Abnormal peroneal F response chronodispersion was present in 7/10 patients. Nerve conduction velocities (NCV) were normal in 9/10 patients. EMG demonstrated abnormalities consistent with denervation in lower extremity muscles in 8/10 patients. These studies present a profile of vitamin B12 deficiency: essentially normal BAERs, mildly abnormal VERs and median SERs, and markedly abnormal peroneal SERs. NCV studies are consistent with sensory‐motor axonopathy.