Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Canales Endémicos y Marcadores de Resistencia Bacteriana, en Instituciones de Tercer nivel de Bogota, Colombia

Objetivo Determinar los perfiles de resistencia bacteriana y los canales endemicos en 14 instituciones de tercer nivel. Metodos Poblacion. Bogota-Colombia, 14 hospitales pertenecientes al Grupo para el Control de la Resistencia Bacteriana de Bogota (GREBO). A partir de la informacion obtenida de los laboratorios de microbiologia de los centros participantes (metodos automatizados y manuales), se creo una base de datos usando los programas BacLink 2.0 y Whonet 5.3, durante los anos 2001, 2002 y 2003. Los perfiles de susceptibilidad fueron hallados acordes a las normas de la nCCLS (2003). Se realizo un analisis descriptivo de los diferentes marcadores de resistencia y se determino el canal endemico de la resistencia para los hospitales, utilizando los puntos entre los percentiles 25 y 75 %, para cada mes durante el periodo de estudio. Resultados Se analizaron 84664 aislamientos. Los mas frecuentes fueron Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus coagulasa negativo, Klebsiella pneumoniae y Pseudomonas aeruginosa. La resistencia para los anos 2001, 2002 y 2003 fue respectivamente: S. aureus meticilino resistente: 41 %, 48 %, 48 %; Staphylococcus coagulasa negativo resistente a oxacilina: 75 %, 73 %, 72 %; E. faecium vancomicina resistente: 14 %, 9 %, 3 %; K. pneumoniae resistente a cefalosporinas de tercera generacion: 37 %, 25 %, 23 %; P. aeruginosa resistente a imipenem: 24 %, 22 %, 17 %; P. aeruginosa resistente a ciprofloxacina: 46 %, 46 %, 35 %, A. baumannii resistente a imipenem: 11 %, 29 %, 39 %. Los canales endemicos evidenciaron la problematica de la resistencia bacteriana, esta se centro en la presencia de S. aureus meticilino resistente y en el marcado incremento de la resistencia de A. baumanni a imipenem. Conclusiones Se destacan los altos porcentajes de resistencia para todos los marcadores de impacto epidemiologico a nivel hospitalario especialmente en Unidades de Cuidado Intensivo.
Combined magnetic resonance imaging- and positron emission tomography-guided stereotactic biopsy in brainstem mass lesions: diagnostic yield in a series of 30 patients.

OBJECT In the management of brainstem lesions, the place of stereotactic biopsy sampling remains debatable. The authors compared the results of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, and histological studies obtained in 30 patients who underwent MR imaging- and PET-guided stereotactic biopsy procedures for a brainstem mass lesion. METHODS Between July 1991 and December 1998, 30 patients harboring brainstem mass lesions underwent a stereotactic procedure in which combined MR imaging and PET scanning guidance were used. Positron emission tomography scanning was performed using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose in 16 patients, methionine in two patients, and both tracers in 12 patients. Definite diagnosis was established on histological examination of the biopsy samples. Interpretation of MR imaging findings only or PET findings only was in agreement with the histological diagnosis in 63% and 73% of cases, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging and PET findings were concordant in 19 of the 30 cases; in those cases, imaging data correlated with histological findings in 79%. Treatment based on information derived from MR imaging was concordant with therapy based on histological findings in only 17 patients (57%). Combining MR imaging and PET scanning data, the concordance between the neuroimaging-based treatment and treatments based on histological findings increased to 19 patients (63%). In seven patients who underwent biopsy procedures with one PET-defined and one MR imaging-defined trajectory, at histological examination the PET-guided samples were more representative of the tumor's nature and grade than the MR imaging-guided samples in four cases (57%). In 18 patients PET scanning was used to define a biopsy target and provided a diagnostic yield in 100% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS Although the use of combined PET and MR imaging improves radiological interpretation of a mass lesion in the brainstem, it does not accurately replace histological diagnosis that is provided by a stereotactically obtained biopsy sample. Combining information provided by MR imaging and PET scanning in stereotactic conditions improves the accuracy of targeting and the diagnostic yield of the biopsy sample; an MR imaging- and PET-guided stereotactic biopsy procedure is a safe and efficient modality for the management of mass lesions of the brainstem.
Automated 3D renal segmentation based on image partitioning

Despite several decades of research into segmentation techniques, automated medical image segmentation is barely usable in a clinical context, and still at vast user time expense. This paper illustrates unsupervised organ segmentation through the use of a novel automated labelling approximation algorithm followed by a hypersurface front propagation method. The approximation stage relies on a pre-computed image partition forest obtained directly from CT scan data. We have implemented all procedures to operate directly on 3D volumes, rather than slice-by-slice, because our algorithms are dimensionality-independent. The results picture segmentations which identify kidneys, but can easily be extrapolated to other body parts. Quantitative analysis of our automated segmentation compared against hand-segmented gold standards indicates an average Dice similarity coefficient of 90%. Results were obtained over volumes of CT data with 9 kidneys, computing both volume-based similarity measures (such as the Dice and Jaccard coefficients, true positive volume fraction) and size-based measures (such as the relative volume difference). The analysis considered both healthy and diseased kidneys, although extreme pathological cases were excluded from the overall count. Such cases are difficult to segment both manually and automatically due to the large amplitude of Hounsfield unit distribution in the scan, and the wide spread of the tumorous tissue inside the abdomen. In the case of kidneys that have maintained their shape, the similarity range lies around the values obtained for inter-operator variability. Whilst the procedure is fully automated, our tools also provide a light level of manual editing.
Dienelactone hydrolase from Pseudomonas cepacia

Dienelactone hydrolases have previously been shown to play a crucial role in chlorocatechol degradation via the modified ortho cleavage pathway. Recently, the enzymes induced in 4-fluorobenzoate-utilizing bacteria have been classified into three groups on the basis of their specificity towards cis- and trans-dienelactone. The dienelactone hydrolase and the 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone hydrolase from Pseudomonas cepacia have now been purified to apparent homogeneity and characterized with respect to molecular mass and amino acid composition. The dienelactone hydrolase has a distinct preference for cis-dienelactone and did not convert the trans isomer or muconolactone, 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone, or 4-fluoromuconolactone to a significant extent. In properties like amino acid composition, pH optimum of activity, and lack of inhibition by p-chloromercuribenzoate, the P. cepacia dienelactone hydrolase differed substantially from 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone hydrolases and other dienelactone hydrolases.
Rigorous Statistical Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness Testing of the Cincinnati Knee Rating System in 350 Subjects with Uninjured, Injured, or Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Reconstructed Knees

Although many instruments are used to assess outcome after knee ligament reconstruction, their reliability, validity, and responsiveness have not been adequately proven. Our purpose was to assess these statistical measures in a commonly used instrument, the Cincinnati Knee Rating System. Reliability was determined from the responses of 100 subjects who completed the instrument twice, a mean of 7 days apart. Validity and responsiveness were assessed from 250 patients observed for at least 2 years after autogenous ACL reconstruction. Questionnaire items included symptoms, functional limitations with sports and daily activities, patient perception of the knee condition, and sports- and occupational-activity levels. The items demonstrated high test-retest reliability, supporting their use in evaluating groups of patients between two different treatment periods (all intraclass correlation coefficients 0.70). In addition, the questionnaire demonstrated good content validity, construct validity, and item-discriminant validity. For the overall rating score, no “floor effects” (worst score possible) were found before or after surgery. No “ceiling effects” (best score possible) were found before surgery, and, at follow-up, these effects were calculated in only 22 patients (9%). The questions were found to be highly responsive to detecting changes between evaluations. The data demonstrated that this rating system has acceptable reliability, validity, and responsiveness for use in outcome studies after knee ligament reconstruction.
Adaptive Interfacing Control Strategy for Electricity Generations from Wind Power to Distribution Grids

Recently electricity generation from wind power has been increasingly popular worldwide as one of the most promising renewable energy sources. This paper proposes an adaptive control strategy for interfacing distributed generations (DGs) from wind power to utility distribution grids. This paper presents the voltage control requirements and protection requirements for wind-powered DGs according to IEEE-1547 standards. This paper defines adaptive interfacing controller for three common types of wind-powered DGs: doubly fed induction generator, permanent-magnet synchronous generator, and squirrel-cage induction generator. The design of the adaptive controller using state-of-the-art digital signal processing technology is presented. The key functions of the hardware components in the adaptive controller are provided.
Dimension reduction based SPM for image classification

It is difficult to classify images with high accuracy when the dataset is relatively large. We try to improve classification precision in spatial pyramid matching (SPM) framework by dimension reduction. When clustering high dimension data, researchers encounter dimensional curse problem which would weaken statistical significance of the data. This problem degrades the performance of SPM and other related works based on clustering property of the high dimensional ”SIFT” features. We propose a global dimensional reduction approach, reducing 128-d SIFT features to 32d, and follow processes of locality-constrained linear coding to calculate feature histogram. Experimental results show that the proposed method leads to a better clustering property for the local descriptors, and increases image classification precision comparing to other state of the art algorithms on several image datasets.Bosch2007Bosch2007.
Demystifying the demand relationship between online and print products under one newspaper brand: the case of Taiwan and the emergence of a universal pattern

This study uncovers a universal pattern regarding the oft-misunderstood demand relationship between online and print products under one newspaper brand. Growing from the portfolio management perspective and building on previous research conducted in the US and Hong Kong, this study examines the newspaper market in Taiwan. Secondary analysis of survey data collected from 7706 Web users confirmed that: (1) the print edition attains a much higher penetration relative to its online counterpart, suggesting that more people would rather consume the print edition over free Web offerings; and (2) compared with the general public, readers of the online edition were more, not less, likely to read the same newspaper's print edition. Such counter-intuitive findings carry important theoretical and managerial implications regarding the management of multiple product offerings under one newspaper brand.
Interactions Between the Membranes of Turkey Cells and Mycoplasma meleagridis

Abstract We used Mycoplasma meleagridis (MM) to infect the RP-9 cells and the eggshell membranes and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy to study the interactions between the organisms and the cell surfaces. The surface of the RP-9 cells contained numerous projections. After 24 hr of infection with MM, those projections were either lost or aggregated to the side; MM-like particles could be seen on the surface of the cells, and surface fluorescence could be detected by confocal microscopy. On the surface of MM-infected shell membranes were necrotic fibrous tissues and cells detected by SEM and an intense surface fluorescence detected by confocal microscopy. These results indicate that MM infection of the cell surface can result in cellular damage.
Physiological regulation of rat liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) by insulin. Insignificance of a cyclic AMP-independent mechanism.

The effect of re-feeding glucose, protein or fat and the effect of insulin injection on the activity of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP: oxaloacetate carboxy-lyase (transphosphorylating) EC 4.1. 1.32), the concentration of hepatic cyclic AMP and the level of serum insulin was investigated in starved rats. Under all conditions examined the concentration of serum insulin was elevated to a high degree. However, only rats re-fed with glucose responded to the increase in serum insulin with a decrease in PEP carboxykinase activity, while the activity of the enzyme remained unchanged or was elevated after re-feeding protein or fat or after insulin injection, respectively. Since under all conditions there was a close correlation between cyclic AMP concentration and PEP carboxykinase activity, but not between the insulin level and enzyme activity, it is concluded that the hormone physiologically regulates PEP carboxykinase activity by decreasing the intrahepatic cyclic AMP concentration rather than by the postulated cyclic AMP-independent inhibition of specific mRNA translation.
Docile agents to process natural language

We present an implementation of docile agents within a Natural Language Processing System. Docile agents are very comfortable to interact with. They allow precise adjustments of the whole software's behaviour and are able to predict what amount of processing time they need, according to the user's or supervising agent's wishes. They prepare future massively parallel implementations of NLP systems. <<ETX>>
Transcriptional profiling of the sperm storage organs of Drosophila melanogaster

The occurrence of female sperm storage across taxa indicates the importance of this complex and dynamic process. Organs responsible for sperm storage (SSOs) and proteins expressed therein, are important in fundamental aspects of reproduction and could play a major role in evolutionary processes such as post‐mating sexual selection. Given the essential role of SSOs, it is surprising that the process of sperm storage is so poorly understood. This study investigated the transcriptome of female Drosophila melanogaster SSOs (seminal receptacle and spermathecae). Spermathecae were enriched for proteases and metabolic enzymes while the seminal receptacle was enriched for genes involved in localization, signaling and ion transport. Differences in functional gene categories indicate that these organs play unique roles in sperm storage.
Dublettenerkennung unter Berücksichtigung von DatenabhängigkeitenDuplicate Detection Exploiting Data Relationships

Zusammenfassung Dublettenerkennung befasst sich mit dem Problem, verschiedene Datenbankrepräsentationen des gleichen Objekts zu identifizieren. Bisherige Algorithmen zur Dublettenerkennung ignorieren den Kontext, in dem sich die Daten befinden. Dabei enthält dieser oftmals weitere nützliche Daten, die das Ergebnis positiv beeinflussen können. In diesem Beitrag stellen wir Algorithmen zur Dublettenerkennung vor, die Beziehungen innerhalb der Daten ausnutzen.
A general theory of singular values with applications to signal denoising

We study the Pareto frontier for two competing norms $\|\cdot\|_X$ and $\|\cdot\|_Y$ on a vector space. For a given vector $c$, the pareto frontier describes the possible values of $(\|a\|_X,\|b\|_Y)$ for a decomposition $c=a+b$. The singular value decomposition of a matrix is closely related to the Pareto frontier for the spectral and nuclear norm. We will develop a general theory that extends the notion of singular values of a matrix to arbitrary finite dimensional euclidean vector spaces equipped with dual norms. This also generalizes the diagonal singular value decompositions for tensors introduced by the author in previous work. We can apply the results to denoising, where $c$ is a noisy signal, $a$ is a sparse signal and $b$ is noise. Applications include 1D total variation denoising, 2D total variation Rudin-Osher-Fatemi image denoising, LASSO, basis pursuit denoising and tensor decompositions.
Parenchymal liver enhancement with bolus-triggered helical CT: preliminary clinical results.

A software-driven device for bolus-triggered start of helical computed tomography (CT) was evaluated in liver studies of 30 patients with suspected metastatic liver disease. Compared with results in a control group of 30 patients who underwent conventional contrast material-enhanced helical CT, the study group had significantly higher and more constant parenchymal enhancement (P < .05, Mann-Whitney U test). This technique helps optimize findings at contrast-enhanced helical CT.
Similar outcome of upfront‐unrelated and matched sibling stem cell transplantation in idiopathic paediatric aplastic anaemia. A study on behalf of the UK Paediatric BMT Working Party, Paediatric Diseases Working Party and Severe Aplastic Anaemia Working Party of EBMT

We explored the feasibility of unrelated donor haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) upfront without prior immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in paediatric idiopathic severe aplastic anaemia (SAA). This cohort was then compared to matched historical controls who had undergone first‐line therapy with a matched sibling/family donor (MSD) HSCT (n = 87) or IST with horse antithymocyte globulin and ciclosporin (n = 58) or second‐line therapy with unrelated donor HSCT post‐failed IST (n = 24). The 2‐year overall survival in the upfront cohort was 96 ± 4% compared to 91 ± 3% in the MSD controls (P = 0·30) and 94 ± 3% in the IST controls (P = 0·68) and 74 ± 9% in the unrelated donor HSCT post‐IST failure controls (P = 0·02). The 2‐year event‐free survival in the upfront cohort was 92 ± 5% compared to 87 ± 4% in MSD controls (P = 0·37), 40 ± 7% in IST controls (P = 0·0001) and 74 ± 9% in the unrelated donor HSCT post‐IST failure controls (n = 24) (P = 0·02). Outcomes for upfront‐unrelated donor HSCT in paediatric idiopathic SAA were similar to MSD HSCT and superior to IST and unrelated donor HSCT post‐IST failure. Front‐line therapy with matched unrelated donor HSCT is a novel treatment approach and could be considered as first‐line therapy in selected paediatric patients who lack a MSD.
MarR-Like Transcriptional Regulator Involved in Detoxification of Aromatic Compounds in Sulfolobus solfataricus

ABSTRACT A DNA binding protein, BldR, was identified in the crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus as a protein 5- to 10-fold more abundant in cells grown in the presence of toxic aldehydes; it binds to regulatory sequences located upstream of an alcohol dehydrogenase gene (Sso2536). BldR is homologous to bacterial representatives of the MarR (multiple antibiotic resistance) family of transcriptional regulators that mediate response to multiple environmental stresses. Transcriptional analysis revealed that the bldR gene was transcribed in a bicistronic unit composed of the genes encoding the transcriptional regulator (Sso1352) and a putative multidrug transporter (Sso1351) upstream. By homology to bacterial counterparts, the bicistron was named the mar-like operon. The level of mar-like operon expression was found to be increased at least 10-fold in response to chemical stress by aromatic aldehydes. Under the same growth conditions, similar enhanced in vivo levels of Sso2536 gene transcript were also measured. The gene encoding BldR was expressed in E. coli, and the recombinant protein was purified to homogeneity. DNA binding assays demonstrated that the protein is indeed a transcription factor able to recognize site specifically both the Sso2536 and mar-like promoters at sites containing palindromic consensus sequences. Benzaldehyde, the substrate of ADHSs, stimulates DNA binding of BldR at both promoters. The role of BldR in the auto-activation as well as in the regulation of the Sso2536 gene, together with results of increased operon and gene expression under conditions of exposure to aromatic aldehydes, indicates a novel coordinate regulatory mechanism in cell defense against stress by aromatic compounds.
Association of TNF-α , TNFRSF 1 A and TNFRSF 1 B gene polymorphisms with the risk of gastric cancer in Chinese population

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. To date, the polymorphisms in the promoter region of tumour-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene have been extensively studied in relation to different kinds of cancer, including GC. Methods and materials: In this case-control study, the case population consisted of 240 GC cases and 510 healthy controls. Genotyping of TNF-α, TNFRSF1A and TNFRSF1B polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCRRFLP) analysis. Deviation of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested by using the χ2 test for goodness of fit. Results: A total of 240 GC patients and 510 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. In the present study, we evaluated the associations between the functional polymorphisms in TNF-α, TNFRSF1A and TNFRSF1B (rs1800629 and rs361525 in TNF-α sequences; rs767455, rs4149577 and rs1800693 in TNFRSF1A sequences and rs1061622 and rs1061624 in TNFRSF1B) and risk of GC. With respect to GC susceptibility, our data suggest that the TNFRSF1A rs767455 CT, TNFRSF1A rs4149577 CT and TNFRSF1A rs1800693 AG are risk factors of GC risk. However, the results of allele distribution of TNF-α, TNFRSF1A and TNFRSF1B SNP in cases and controls showed that no single allele was associated with the risk of GC. Conclusion: In conclusion, we found that the variant genotypes of rs4149577and rs1800693 may contribute to an increased risk of GC. Moreover, no allele was associated with the incidence of GC in Chinese Han population patients.