Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative evaluation of conventional ( manual ) blood culture system and BacT / ALERT 3 D ( automated ) blood culture system in a Tertiary care hospital

The prompt detection of bacteremia is a critical function of the clinical microbiology laboratory and blood culture remains the “gold standard” for the detection of bacteremia. Automated continuous-monitoring blood culture systems have detected growth sooner than the manual systems and they have greatly improved the efficiency of blood cultures. Here, in this hospital-based prospective study, we intended to compare such two systems with reference to yield, sensitivity and differential time to positivity. A total of 498 matched pairs of blood culture specimens were compared. Bacterial growth was identified in 183(36.74%) cultures by automated system and 146(29.31%) cultures by manual system (p=0.0153). The BacT/ALERT 3D system showed better sensitivity and specificity than manual culture system. The median time to positivity with the automated system was 15.83 hr, compared with 66.95 hr for the manual system (p<0.0001). Both systems were comparable for the recovery of majority of clinically significant isolates. The BacT/ALERT 3D automated system was very much superior to the manual culture system in the rapid detection of the organisms. The BacT/ALERT 3D ® automated microbial detection system evaluated in our study showed a marginally higher recovery rate than the conventional (manual) blood culture system used in our laboratory. However, the exceptionally faster detection rates shown by the automated system can significantly change the outcome in life threatening bloodstream infections.
Patterns of electronic cigarette use and user beliefs about their safety and benefits: an internet survey.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS As the popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) increases, it is becoming important to find out more about the characteristics of e-cigarette users, why and how they use the product and whether e-cigarettes are used exclusively or in combination with conventional cigarettes. The objective of this study was to investigate patterns and effects of e-cigarette use and user beliefs about e-cigarette safety and benefits. DESIGN AND METHODS E-cigarette users in Poland were recruited online and asked to participate in a web-based survey. The participants provided information on their smoking history, patterns of e-cigarette use, beliefs and attitudes regarding the product and information on concurrent use of conventional cigarettes. RESULTS The survey was completed by 179 e-cigarette users. Almost all participants used e-cigarettes daily. E-cigarettes were primarily used to quit smoking or to reduce the harm associated with smoking (both 41%), and were successful in helping the surveyed users to achieve these goals with 66% not smoking conventional cigarettes at all and 25% smoking under five cigarettes a day. Most participants (82%) did not think that e-cigarettes were completely safe, but thought that they were less dangerous than conventional cigarettes. Sixty percent believed that e-cigarettes were addictive, but less so than conventional cigarettes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The participants primarily used e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking aid or as an alternative to conventional cigarettes, and the majority reported that they successfully stopped smoking. More data on e-cigarette safety and its efficacy in harm-reduction and smoking cessation are needed.
Mechanisms Behind Insulin Resistance in Rat Skeletal Muscle After Oophorectomy and Additional Testosterone Treatment

The absence of female sex hormones, as well as testosterone treatment of oophorectomized (OVX) female rats has been demonstrated to result in decreased whole-body insulin-mediated glucose uptake. The cellular mechanism behind this insulin resistance and the role of low levels of female sex hormones as a risk factor for development of peripheral insulin resistance are not yet fully clarified. We assessed the protein expression of GLUT4 and glycogen synthase, as well as insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane, in soleus skeletal muscle from control rats, OVX rats, and OVX rats treated for 8 weeks with testosterone (OVX + T). Whole-body insulin-mediated glucose uptake assessed by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure was 25% lower in OVX rats (P < 0.001) and addition of testosterone treatment further decreased insulin-mediated glucose uptake in OVX + T rats by 48% (P < 0.001) compared with controls. GLUT4 protein expression in soleus muscles was unaltered in the OVX and OVX + T rats compared with controls. Insulin induced a 3.7-fold increase (P < 0.05) in the plasma membrane content of GLUT4 in soleus muscle from control rats, whereas plasma membrane content of GLUT4 in soleus muscle from OVX or OVX + T rats was unaltered in response to insulin. Glycogen synthase protein expression in muscle homogenates was decreased by 25% in the OVX group (P < 0.05) and by 37% in the OVX + T group (P < 0.05) when compared with the control group. Insulin receptor and tyrosine kinase activities in the basal and insulin-stimulated states did not differ between the OVX and OVX + T rats. In conclusion, the absence of female sex hormones appears to decrease insulin-mediated whole-body glucose uptake via an impaired insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane and by decreased protein expression of glycogen synthase. Testosterone treatment further impairs whole-body insulin-mediated glucose uptake, presumably by additional impairment of glycogen synthase expression.
Desiccation Treatment and Endogenous IAA Levels Are Key Factors Influencing High Frequency Somatic Embryogenesis in Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook

Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook (Chinese fir) is an important tree, commercially and ecologically, in southern China. The traditional regenerating methods are based on organogenesis and cutting propagation. Here, we report the development of a high-frequency somatic embryogenesis (SE) regeneration system synchronized via a liquid culture from immature zygotic embryos. Following synchronization, PEM II cell aggregates were developmentally equivalent in appearance to cleaved zygotic embryos. Embryo and suspensor growth and subsequent occurrence of the apical and then the cotyledonary meristems were similar for zygotic and SE embryo development. However, SE proembryos exhibited a more reddish coloration than zygotic proembryos, and SE embryos were smaller than zygotic embryos. Mature somatic embryos gave rise to plantlets on hormone-free medium. For juvenile explants, low concentrations of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid in initial explants correlated with improved proembryogenic mass formation, and high SE competency. Analysis of karyotypes and microsatellites detected no major genetic variation in the plants regenerated via SE, and suggest a potential in the further development of this system as a reliable methodology for true-to-type seedling production. Treatment with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and abscisic acid (ABA) were of great importance to proembryo formation and complemented each other. ABA assisted the growth of embryonal masses, whereas PEG facilitated the organization of the proembryo-like structures. SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR KINASE SERK) and the WUSCHEL homeobox (WOX) transcription factor served as molecular markers during early embryogenesis. Our results show that ClSERKs are conserved and redundantly expressed during SE. SERK and WOX transcript levels were highest during development of the proembryos and lowest in developed embryos. ClWOX13 expression correlates with the critical transition from proembryogenic masses to proembryos. Both SERK and WOX expression reveal their applicability in Chinese fir as markers of early embryogenesis. Overall, the findings provided evidence for the potential of this system in high fidelity Chinese fir seedlings production. Also, SE modification strategies were demonstrated and could be applied in other conifer species on the basis of our hormonal, morphological and molecular analyses.
Nucleotide sequence and expression of the aceK gene coding for isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase in Escherichia coli

The flow of isocitrate through the glyoxylate bypass in Escherichia coli is regulated via the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of isocitrate dehydrogenase mediated by a bifunctional enzyme: isocitrate dehydrogenase kinase/phosphatase. The aceK gene coding for this enzyme is part of the polycistronic ace operon, which also includes the aceB and aceA genes coding, respectively, for malate synthase and isocitrate lyase, the two glyoxylate bypass enzymes. The complete nucleotide sequence of a 2,214-base-pair DNA fragment containing the aceK gene and its 5' flanking region has been determined. In vivo experiments based on gene expression in a minicell system and protein fusion with beta-galactosidase, as well as in vitro assays with a plasmid-directed transcription-translation coupled system, have shown that the aceK gene extends over 1,731 nucleotides encoding a 66,528-dalton protein. The 5' flanking region presents an unusual intercistronic structural pattern consisting of two consecutive long dyad symmetries, almost identical in sequence, which can yield very stable stem-loop units. These structures are probably responsible for the drastic downshifting in expression observed in acetate-grown bacteria between the aceK gene and the aceA gene located immediately upstream in the ace operon.
C-arm cone-beam CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy: usefulness in evaluation of small pulmonary nodules.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of C-arm conebeam CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy of small (≤ 2 cm) lung nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven patients who underwent C-arm cone-beam CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy of small (≤ 2 cm) lung nodules were enrolled in the study. The mean nodule size was 13 ± 4 mm in diameter. These lesions were divided into two groups according to size: 10 lesions 1 cm or smaller and 17 lesions larger than 1 cm. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in the two groups were compared by use of Fisher's exact test. Radiation dose in a female humanoid phantom was measured with radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeters. The average patient dose was calculated. RESULTS Eighteen malignant (67%) and eight benign (30%) nodules and one (3%) indeterminate nodule were found. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 94%, 89%, 94%, 89%, and 92%. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 100%, 75%, and 90% for the lesions 1 cm or smaller and 91%, 100%, and 94% for the lesions larger than 1 cm. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity did not differ significantly between the groups (all p > 0.05, Fisher's exact test). The average radiation dose among 27 patients was 4.6 mSv (range, 2.19-9.37). CONCLUSION C-arm cone-beam CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy is a useful diagnostic technique in the evaluation of small lung nodules.
Source barriers to entry , revisited : A tools perspective

Research has revealed significant barriers to entry into Open-Source Software (OSS) communities and that women disproportionately experience such barriers. However, this research has focusedmainly on social/cultural factors, ignoring the environment itself — the tools and infrastructure. To shed some light onto how tools and infrastructure might somehow factor into OSS barriers to entry, we conducted a field study with five teams of software professionals, who worked through five use-cases to analyze the tools and infrastructure used in their OSS projects. These software professionals found tool/infrastructure barriers in 7% to 71% of the use-case steps they analyzed, most of which are tied to newcomer barriers that have been established in the literature. Further, over 80% of the barrier types they found include attributes that are biased against women.
The Impact of Intellectual Property Law on Developing Countries: Patent Law and Essential Medicines

The relationship between intellectual property and healthcare is ever growing, particularly when dealing with patent law and the access to essential medicines in the least developed countries. This study explores the socioeconomic statuses, and the impact it may have on patents and the access to essential medicines for a group of 102 countries, which is divided into three sets of 34 countries of various human development rankings—high human development, medium human development, and the least developed countries of Africa. The results of this study suggest that there are significant correlations between intellectual property, specifically patents, and the overall well-being of a country’s population. Thus law and policy makers should take note and understand the implication of having such a patent system within our society, and understand how future decisions may affect the lives of millions.
Effective countermeasure against poisoning by organophosphorus insecticides and nerve agents

The nerve agents soman, sarin, VX, and tabun are deadly organophosphorus (OP) compounds chemically related to OP insecticides. Most of their acute toxicity results from the irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the enzyme that inactivates the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The limitations of available therapies against OP poisoning are well recognized, and more effective antidotes are needed. Here, we demonstrate that galantamine, a reversible and centrally acting AChE inhibitor approved for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, protects guinea pigs from the acute toxicity of lethal doses of the nerve agents soman and sarin, and of paraoxon, the active metabolite of the insecticide parathion. In combination with atropine, a single dose of galantamine administered before or soon after acute exposure to lethal doses of soman, sarin, or paraoxon effectively and safely counteracted their toxicity. Doses of galantamine needed to protect guinea pigs fully against the lethality of OPs were well tolerated. In preventing the lethality of nerve agents, galantamine was far more effective than pyridostigmine, a peripherally acting AChE inhibitor, and it was less toxic than huperzine, a centrally acting AChE inhibitor. Thus, a galantamine-based therapy emerges as an effective and safe countermeasure against OP poisoning.
Thermal Degradation of Electroplated Nickel Thermal Microactuators

In this paper, the thermal degradation of laterally operating thermal actuators made from electroplated nickel has been studied. The actuators investigated delivered a maximum displacement of ca. 20 mum at an average temperature of ~ 450degC , which is much lower than that of typical silicon-based microactuators. However, the magnitude of the displacement strongly depended on the frequency and voltage amplitude of the pulse signal applied. Back bending was observed at maximum temperatures as low as 240degC. Both forward and backward displacements increase as the applied power was increased up to a value of 60 mW; further increases led to reductions in the magnitudes of both displacements. Scanning electron microscopy clearly showed that the nickel beams began to deform and change their shape at this critical power level. Compressive stress is responsible for nickel pileup, while tensile stresses, generated upon removing the current, are responsible for necking at the hottest section of the hot arm of the device. Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed the severe oxidation of Ni structure induced by Joule heating. The combination of plastic deformation and oxidation was responsible for the observed thermal degradation. Results indicate that nickel thermal microactuators should be operated below 200degC to avoid thermal degradation.
An unsupervised probabilistic net for health inequalities analysis

An unsupervised probabilistic net (UPN) is introduced to identify health inequalities among countries according to their health status measured by the collected health indicators. By estimating the underlying probability density function of the health indicators using UPN, countries, which have similar health status, will be categorized into the same cluster. From this, the intercluster health inequalities are identified by the Mahalanobis distance, and the intracluster health inequalities are identified by the diversity within the clusters. To extract the typical health status, the concept of virtual objects is used in this study. Each virtual object in this study, therefore, represents a hypothetical country, which does not exist in a data set but can be found through learning. The identified virtual objects represent the hidden knowledge in a data set and can be valuable to social scientists in health promotion planning. Moreover, the investigation of the behavior of the virtual objects can help us to find the realistic and reasonable health promotion target for a country with a poor health status.
“Atypical” atypical parkinsonism: New genetic conditions presenting with features of progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, or multiple system atrophy—A diagnostic guide

Recently, a number of genetic parkinsonian conditions have been recognized that share some features with the clinical syndromes of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and multiple system atrophy (MSA), the classic phenotypic templates of atypical parkinsonism. For example, patients with progranulin, dynactin, or ATP13A gene mutations may have vertical supranuclear gaze palsy. This has made differential diagnosis difficult for practitioners. In this review, our goal is to make clinicians aware of these genetic disorders and provide clinical clues and syndromic associations, as well as investigative features, that may help in diagnosing these disorders. The correct identification of these patients has important clinical, therapeutic, and research implications. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society
A Model-Based Approach for Assessing Parkinsonian Gait and Effects of Levodopa and Deep Brain Stimulation

Gait and balance disturbances are amongst the most disabling features of Parkinson's disease (PD), and are not adequately controlled with currently available medical and surgical therapies. Development of objective quantitative measures of these abnormalities would greatly help in the assessment and the development of therapeutic interventions. Recently, we developed a methodology, using dynamical system theory, for testing gait with a state-of-the-art motion-detection system (OPTOTRAK 3020, Northern Digital, Inc.). We also developed a model of the dynamics of the foot that predicts the stance and swing phase dynamics of normal walking. In the present study, we determined whether model parameters were altered in subjects with PD when they were tested on/off levodopa (LD) and on/off deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a 2times2 matrix
Point-to-point FTTH supervision using geographic information system tool

The new Fibre to Home (FTTH) technology provides very high-speed network since the optical fiber (OF) is extended to the final user. However, with the rapid development and growing interest for deployment of FTTH networks, it is becoming increasingly vulnerable to various failures and anomalies. Therefore, the network supervision becomes extremely important to guarantee an appropriate level of network reliability performance. In this paper, a simple and effective new solution is proposed to localize fiber defects and anomalies based on optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) with Geographic information systems (GIS).
Coding Tandem Repeats Generate Diversity in Aspergillus fumigatus Genes

ABSTRACT Genes containing multiple coding mini- and microsatellite repeats are highly dynamic components of genomes. Frequent recombination events within these tandem repeats lead to changes in repeat numbers, which in turn alters the amino acid sequence of the corresponding protein. In bacteria and yeasts, the expansion of such coding repeats in cell wall proteins is associated with alterations in immunogenicity, adhesion, and pathogenesis. We hypothesized that identification of repeat-containing putative cell wall proteins in the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus may reveal novel pathogenesis-related elements. Here, we report that the genome of A. fumigatus contains as many as 292 genes with internal repeats. Fourteen of 30 selected genes showed size variation of their repeat-containing regions among 11 clinical A. fumigatus isolates. Four of these genes, Afu3g08990, Afu2g05150 (MP-2), Afu4g09600, and Afu6g14090, encode putative cell wall proteins containing a leader sequence and a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor motif. All four genes are expressed and produce variable-size mRNA encoding a discrete number of repeat amino acid units. Their expression was altered during development and in response to cell wall-disrupting agents. Deletion of one of these genes, Afu3g08990, resulted in a phenotype characterized by rapid conidial germination and reduced adherence to extracellular matrix suggestive of an alteration in cell wall characteristics. The Afu3g08990 protein was localized to the cell walls of dormant and germinating conidia. Our findings suggest that a subset of the A. fumigatus cell surface proteins may be hypervariable due to recombination events in their internal tandem repeats. This variation may provide the functional diversity in cell surface antigens which allows rapid adaptation to the environment and/or elusion of the host immune system.
Mind the trend! Enforcement of EU law has been moving to ‘Brussels’

ABSTRACT The EU has become increasingly involved in enforcing European Union (EU) law, including directly vis-à-vis private actors. (Multilevel implementation) research has so far neglected the question of what role it is necessary for the EU to play in this direct enforcement of EU law in order to promote the implementation of EU policies. Given the purpose of this collection of works to discuss innovative approaches in multilevel implementation, this contribution unravels three of the EU’s direct enforcement strategies. It provides original data in relation to proliferating EU entities with direct enforcement powers and to EU enforcement networks, as well as discussing the EU’s growing influence over national direct enforcement via EU hard, soft and case law. It outlines the problem-solving potential of such enforcement strategies and signals the challenges that they bring along. The aim is to urge and facilitate further research on the EU’s (direct) enforcement strategies, their legitimacy, effectiveness and operation.
One-Tap Equalizer for Perfect Reconstruction DFT Filter Bank Transceivers

In this paper, we investigate a simple equalization method for DFT filter bank transceivers. We assume the presence of perfect reconstruction (PR) DFT filter banks and make use of this property to derive a one-tap per subcarrier equalizer. The proposed equalizer does not require additional bandwidth, other than the bandwidth necessary for PR purposes. Computer experiments show that the one-tap PR DFT filter bank transceiver outperforms the well-known OFDM system, especially in environments dominated by narrowband noise.
Quadriceps function. An anatomical and mechanical study using amputated limbs.

This anatomical, mechanical study demonstrated the following: 1. The only selective function attributable to the vastus medialis is patellar alignment. 2. The extensor lag accompanying knee lesions is a function of great loss in mechanical advantage of the quadriceps during the last 15 degrees of the extensor range, a 60 per cert increase in force being needed to complete extension. 3. The clinical prominence of the vastus medialis is related to the marked obliquity of the distal fibers, the lowness of the insertion, and the thinness of the fascial covering of this portion of the quadriceps. 4. Early atrophy of the vastus medialis prominence and loss of terminal extension after injury are indicative of general quadriceps weakness.