Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genomic and Proteomic Characterization of the Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Escherichia coli Strain CCUG 73778: A Virulent, Nosocomial Outbreak Strain

Escherichia coli strain CCUG 78773 is a virulent extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing ST131-O25b type strain isolated during an outbreak at a regional university hospital. The complete and closed genome sequence, comprising one chromosome (5,076,638 bp) and six plasmids (1718–161,372 bp), is presented. Characterization of the genomic features detected the presence of 59 potential antibiotic resistance factors, including three prevalent β-lactamases. Several virulence associated elements were determined, mainly related with adherence, invasion, biofilm formation and antiphagocytosis. Twenty-eight putative type II toxin-antitoxin systems were found. The plasmids were characterized, through in silico analyses, confirming the two β-lactamase-encoding plasmids to be conjugative, while the remaining plasmids were mobilizable. BLAST analysis of the plasmid sequences showed high similarity with plasmids in E. coli from around the world. Expression of many of the described virulence and AMR factors was confirmed by proteomic analyses, using bottom-up, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The detailed characterization of E. coli strain CCUG 78773 provides a reference for the relevance of genetic elements, as well as the characterization of antibiotic resistance and the spread of bacteria harboring ESBL genes in the hospital environment.
1 Introduction and Literature Review 1 . 1 Setting the Context

We model activism as it affects the future distribution of prices in a portfolio context with risk-averse expected utility of end-of-period wealth maximizing investors. We characterize activism as affecting the mean, the variance, and/or the covariance of the target firm’s price with the prices of the other firms. This characterization allows us to investigate conditions under which the activist would choose to become an activist and, subsequently, to derive the sequence of equilibria that begins with the surreptitious acquisition of shares by the activist and ends at the moment of the activist’s divestiture of these shares. We investigate the impact of activism not only on the target firm’s price over time and the activist’s profit, but also on the redistribution of portfolio holdings of all market participants that this activism induces. We propose a method to evaluate activism and show that, while activism may augment the share price of the target firm, there exist conditions under which activism would not necessarily increase the value of the market. Furthermore, we show that the profit of the activist is at the expense of the group of other investors. We compare our results to recent empirical findings.
Causes and consequences of mid‐Proterozoic anoxia

Evidence for low pO2 and a ferruginous ocean characterize the mid‐Proterozoic (1.8–0.8 Ga). Considerations of redox sources and sinks imply that generation of O2 via organic carbon (Corg) burial must be low to maintain a low pO2 atmosphere for geologically long intervals, yet low oxygen should result in increased Corg preservation. Marine export production must therefore be low to limit Corg burial and O2 generation. Formation of ferrous phosphate can buffer deepwater phosphate (Pi) to levels an order of magnitude or more below those in the modern ocean, limiting export production. Low deepwater Pi is consistent with the hiatus in sedimentary phosphorite deposits during the mid‐Proterozoic, and low pO2 limits formation of sedimentary iron deposits (BIF). We propose that low pO2 was maintained by P limitation resulting from ferrous phosphate buffering. The near‐absence of BIF and phosphorite deposition is direct and indirect consequences of the low pO2, respectively.
The Revaluation of Plant-Derived Terpenes to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

The discovery of antibiotics has revolutionized the medicine and treatment of microbial infections. However, the current scenario has highlighted the difficulties in marketing new antibiotics and an exponential increase in the appearance of resistant strains. On the other hand, research in the field of drug-discovery has revaluated the potential of natural products as a unique source for new biologically active molecules and scaffolds for the medicinal chemistry. In this review, we first contextualized the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance and the importance that natural products of plant origin acquire as a source of new lead compounds. We then focused on terpenes and their potential development as antimicrobials, highlighting those studies that showed an activity against conventional antibiotic-resistant strains.
Experimental Survey on RFID Technology & Adaptable Specification for Emerging Applications

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) facilitates automatic identification of items using radio-waves. This technology has seen a drastic increase in the number of applications and implementations in the recent years. This work aims to review some of the current developments in this field and to develop a taxonomic framework to classify literature which will facilitate quick content analysis and identify future direction of research on RFID applications. RFID tags are small, wireless devices that help identify objects and people , they are likely to proliferate into the billions in the next several years – and eventually into the trillions. RFID is versatile tags which are becoming very small and their dimensions are also reducing to 0.002 inches (RFID powder tag). There are many different types of RFID tags available in the market for different types of applications. Due to reduction in the cost of production, RFID systems are being deployed everywhere in large number. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the tag technology and their applicability. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of various RFID tag technologies. The intended purpose of this survey is to further extended academic research and examine the suitable RFID for the library book access.
SRC Kinase in Glioblastoma: News from an Old Acquaintance

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most recalcitrant brain tumors characterized by a tumor microenvironment (TME) that strongly supports GBM growth, aggressiveness, invasiveness, and resistance to therapy. Importantly, a common feature of GBM is the aberrant activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and of their downstream signaling cascade, including the non-receptor tyrosine kinase SRC. SRC is a central downstream intermediate of many RTKs, which triggers the phosphorylation of many substrates, therefore, promoting the regulation of a wide range of different pathways involved in cell survival, adhesion, proliferation, motility, and angiogenesis. In addition to the aforementioned pathways, SRC constitutive activity promotes and sustains inflammation and metabolic reprogramming concurring with TME development, therefore, actively sustaining tumor growth. Here, we aim to provide an updated picture of the molecular pathways that link SRC to these events in GBM. In addition, SRC targeting strategies are discussed in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses of SRC inhibitors in GBM management, focusing our attention on their potentialities in combination with conventional therapeutic approaches (i.e., temozolomide) to ameliorate therapy effectiveness.
Advances in the discovery of exosome inhibitors in cancer

Abstract Exosomes are small membrane vesicles released by most eukaryotic cells. They are considered to play an essential role in cell-to-cell communication, and It is also found that they serve as functional mediators in many severe diseases, including progression of various types of cancers. Inhibition of exosome release may slow the progression of some cancers; thus, exosome has been an attractive target for cancer treatment. Over the years, considerable efforts have been made to discover novel, highly potent and excellently selective exosome inhibitors. Most of these inhibitors are derived from synthetic compounds, some of which are currently existed drugs and found to have the potential to inhibit exosome release. In this review, we briefly discussed the development of exosome inhibitors that are currently discovered and provided guidance for the future development of inhibitors.
Effect of photobiomodulation on pain level during local anesthesia injection: a randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) as pre-treatment on pain level during injection in the anterior maxillary region. 56 Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, Group 1:980 nm diode laser (n = 22) (experimental), Group 2:980 nm diode laser probe placed in vestibule without radiation (placebo) (n = 22), Group3: no pre-treatment before injection (n = 12) (control). Pain level during injection was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS). The severity of pain in Group 1(experimental) and Group 2 (placebo) was significantly lower than Group 3 (control). Group 1 had a lesser pain level than Group 2, but the difference in pain level between them was not significant. PBMT with 980 nm wavelength decreased pain level during local anesthesia injection without superiority over placebo.
Agricultural Use of Copper and Its Link to Alzheimer’s Disease

Copper is an essential nutrient for plants, animals, and humans because it is an indispensable component of several essential proteins and either lack or excess are harmful to human health. Recent studies revealed that the breakdown of the regulation of copper homeostasis could be associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. Copper accumulation occurs in human aging and is thought to increase the risk of AD for individuals with a susceptibility to copper exposure. This review reports that one of the leading causes of copper accumulation in the environment and the human food chain is its use in agriculture as a plant protection product against numerous diseases, especially in organic production. In the past two decades, some countries and the EU have invested in research to reduce the reliance on copper. However, no single alternative able to replace copper has been identified. We suggest that agroecological approaches are urgently needed to design crop protection strategies based on the complementary actions of the wide variety of crop protection tools for disease control.
Secondary Hawaiian volcanism formed by flexural arch decompression

This paper explains two forms of secondary Hawaiian volcanism (rejuvenated onshore and Hawaiian Arch offshore) as a direct consequence of lithospheric flexural uplift that surrounds growing shield volcanoes. This uplift decompresses the underlying asthenosphere, which is assumed to be chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, near its solidus, and derived from the Hawaiian mantle plume. Lithospheric uplift is modeled as the axisymmetric response of an elastic plate to a (volcanic) point load that grows linearly in time. To model flow in the asthenosphere, the rate of flexure of the lithosphere is taken as the upper boundary condition on an isoviscous, incompressible, fluid half‐space. This model successfully explains the majority of spatial gaps between secondary and active shield volcanism due to the flexing of a lithospheric plate with an effective elastic thickness of 25–35 km. Second, this work demonstrates that the flexural model can produce realistic magmatic fluxes if magma is focused toward individual eruption sites from the mantle over an area two to ten times the eruption area. Next, this model addresses the isotopic distinction between secondary and shield lavas. In this model, the same heterogeneous mantle plume feeds the secondary and shield lavas, but the compositional components are sampled by melting at rates that differ between the two settings. Flexural decompression mostly melts the component that begins melting shallowest, which we assume to be depleted in incompatible elements with relatively low 87Sr/86Sr and high 143Nd/144Nd. Melting in the center of a mantle plume is assumed to generate shield volcanism and is predicted to mostly melt components that begin melting deepest, which we assume to be enriched in incompatible elements with higher 87Sr/86Sr and lower 143Nd/144Nd. Thus the models successfully predict the observed mean 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotopic compositions of secondary and shield lavas to arise out of the melting process alone. The fourth feature addressed is that secondary lavas are alkalic, having formed from relatively low extents of partial melting, and shield lavas are dominantly tholeiitic, consistent with more extensive partial melting. Indeed, models predict lower mean extent of melting for secondary lavas compared to shield lavas if the source material, which is mostly peridotite, contains at least some pyroxenite. Results show that model predictions are consistent with the geochemical constraints for a range of reasonable starting mantle compositions, lithospheric thicknesses, and plume temperatures.
Konsensusempfehlung zur strukturierten Befunderstellung onkologischer PET-Hybridbildgebung

Zusammenfassung Seit Einführung der PET/CT im Jahr 2001 bzw. der PET/MRT im Jahr 2010 ist die PET als Hybridbildgebung und Instrument einer bildgesteuerten Präzisionsmedizin zunehmend zu einem Versorgungsstandard in der Onkologie geworden. Die zentrale Schnittstelle in der Kommunikation zwischen den zuweisenden onkologisch tätigen Ärzten und dem Nuklearmediziner und Radiologen stellt der schriftliche Befund dar, der das Patientenmanagement und Outcome beeinflusst, aber auch juristisch-relevante Dokumentation der erbrachten Leistung und ärztlichen Beurteilung der erhobenen Befunde ist. Eine qualitativ hochwertige, auf die klinische Frage fokussierte Hybridbildgebung sollte im weiteren Fortgang mit einem gleichermaßen qualitativ hochwertigen, strukturierten schriftlichen Befund verbunden sein, der die klinische Frage zur Zufriedenheit des zuweisenden Arztes beantwortet. Im vorliegenden Manuskript werden daher Konsensempfehlungen zur Befundstruktur, zu Befundinhalten und zur konklusiven Beurteilung einer onkologischen Hybridbildgebung gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden beispielhafte Vorlagen für ebensolche Befunde dargestellt. Die hier dargelegten Empfehlungen zur strukturierten Befunderstellung sollen eine weitere Standardisierung und Harmonisierung onkologischer Befunde im Kontext einer Hybridbildgebung fördern und so die Kommunikation mit den zuweisenden Ärzten vereinfachen und die Akzeptanz und Wertschätzung der onkologischen Hybridbildgebung weiter unterstützen.
A New Compound Gamma and Lindley Distribution with Application to Failure Data

In this paper, we propose a new lifetime distribution by compounding the gamma and Lindley distributions. Construction of it can be interpreted in the viewpoint of the reliability analysis and Bayesian inference. Moreover, the distribution has decreasing and unimodal hazard rate shapes. Several properties of the distribution are obtained, involving characteristics of the (reverse) hazard rate function, quantiles, moments, extreme order statistics and some stochastic order relations. Estimating the distribution parameters is discussed by some estimation methods and their performance is evaluated by a simulation study. Also, estimation of the stress-strength parameter is investigated. Usefulness of the distribution among other models is illustrated by fitting two failure data sets and using some goodness-of-fit measures.
Postural control is altered in females with excessive medial knee displacement

ABSTRACT Knee valgus motion observed during landing tasks has been proposed as a predictor of future knee injury. It mainly involves excess motion in the frontal plane and is known to be greater in individuals with excessive medial knee displacement (MKD). This affects postural control during sports manoeuvres. Previous sports medicine-related research suggests that the nature of these fluctuations provide rich and more sensitive information to identify risk of (re)injury. We aimed to investigate the fluctuations of the centre of pressure (CoP) in individuals with and without excessive MKD. Twenty females (12 controls; 8 excessive MKD) were instructed to perform single-leg landing tasks from three different directions. The participants landed on a force plate and stayed still for 20 seconds. The fluctuations of the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions of the CoP were determined through the calculation of Sample Entropy. Mixed-model ANOVAs (3 [Landing Direction] x 2 [Group]) were used. We have found that only the entropy of the medial-lateral direction was different between groups. Individuals with excessive MKD exhibited an increase in entropy values, indicating greater randomness in CoP fluctuations. This suggests a decreased ability to adapt to environmental demands that likely result in an increased risk of injury.
Corn Stunt Disease: An Ideal Insect–Microbial–Plant Pathosystem for Comprehensive Studies of Vector-Borne Plant Diseases of Corn

Over 700 plant diseases identified as vector-borne negatively impact plant health and food security globally. The pest control of vector-borne diseases in agricultural settings is in urgent need of more effective tools. Ongoing research in genetics, molecular biology, physiology, and vector behavior has begun to unravel new insights into the transmission of phytopathogens by their insect vectors. However, the intricate mechanisms involved in phytopathogen transmission for certain pathosystems warrant further investigation. In this review, we propose the corn stunt pathosystem (Zea mays–Spiroplasma kunkelii–Dalbulus maidis) as an ideal model for dissecting the molecular determinants and mechanisms underpinning the persistent transmission of a mollicute by its specialist insect vector to an economically important monocotyledonous crop. Corn stunt is the most important disease of corn in the Americas and the Caribbean, where it causes the severe stunting of corn plants and can result in up to 100% yield loss. A comprehensive study of the corn stunt disease system will pave the way for the discovery of novel molecular targets for genetic pest control targeting either the insect vector or the phytopathogen.
Overexpression of Sulf 2 in idiopathic pulmonary fi brosis

Previously, we have shown that heparan sulfate (HS) 6-Oendosulfatase 1 (Sulf1) is a transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-responsive gene in normal human lung fibroblasts and functions as a negative feedback regulator of TGF-β1 and that TGF-β1 induces the expression of Sulf1 as well as that of the closely related Sulf2 in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we focused on the role of Sulf2 in modulating TGF-β1 function and the development of pulmonary fibrosis. We found that Sulf2 mRNA was overexpressed in lung samples from human patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and Sulf2 protein was specifically localized to the hyperplastic type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). In vitro, TGF-β1 induced the expression of Sulf2 with accompanied HS 6O-desulfation in A549 cells, adenocarcinoma cells derived from the type II alveolar epithelium. Using small interference RNA to block Sulf2 expression, we observed a biphasic TGF-β1 response with early enhanced Smad activation, but eventually reduced TGF-β1 target gene expression in Sulf2 knockdown A549 cells compared with the control cells. To study the role of Sulf2 in normal type II AECs, we isolated primary type II cells from wild-type and Sulf2 knockout mice. We observed enhanced Smad activation as well as enhanced TGF-β1 target gene expression in Sulf2 knockout type II AECs compared with wildtype type II AECs. In conclusion, Sulf2 is overexpressed in IPF and may play a role in regulating TGF-β1 signaling in type II AECs.
Comparison of direct oral anticoagulant and vitamin K antagonists on outcomes among elderly and nonelderly trauma patients

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. BACKGROUND Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are widely used among patients requiring anticoagulant therapy. These drugs are associated with a lower risk of bleeding than vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). However, the outcomes of elderly trauma patients receiving DOACs are not well known. METHODS We reviewed data from trauma patients at our level I trauma center (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital) seen from January 2011 to July 2018. We identified trauma patients taking DOACs or VKAs and compared these cohorts using 1:1 propensity score–matching based on patient characteristics, antiplatelet use, comorbidities, and laboratory values. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients discharged to skilled nursing facility/rehabilitation facility discharge or to home, and transfusion volume. RESULTS Of 32,272 trauma patients screened, 530 were taking DOACs and 1,702 were taking VKAs. We matched 668 patients in a 1:1 ratio (DOACs group, 334 vs. VKAs group, 334). The DOACs group had similar mortality (4.8% vs. 1.6%; odds ratio (OR), 3.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.31–28.8; p = 0.31) among patients younger than 65 years, but mortality differed (3.0% vs. 6.6%; OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.17–0.99; p = 0.048) among patients older than 65 years. The proportion of patients discharged to skilled nursing facility/rehabilitation facility (50.0% vs. 50.6%; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.72–1.32; p = 0.88) and to home (40.4% vs. 38.6%; OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.79–1.47; p = 0.64) were similar. Patients in the DOACs group received fewer fresh frozen plasma (p = 0.032), but packed red blood cells (p = 0.86) and prothrombin complex concentrate (p = 0.48) were similar. CONCLUSION In this matched cohort of anticoagulated trauma patients, DOACs were associated with the decreased in-hospital mortality and decreased administration of fresh frozen plasma compared with VKAs among trauma patients 65 years or older taking anticoagulant therapy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic/Epidemiological, level III.
Under Revision for the Annals of Statistics BAYESIAN ESTIMATION OF SPARSE SIGNALS WITH A CONTINUOUS SPIKE-AND-SLAB PRIOR By

We introduce a new framework for estimation of sparse normal means, bridging the gap between popular frequentist strategies (LASSO) and popular Bayesian strategies (spike-and-slab). The main thrust of this paper is to introduce the family of Spike-andSlab LASSO (SS-LASSO) priors, which form a continuum between the Laplace prior and the point-mass spike-and-slab prior. We establish several appealing frequentist properties of SS-LASSO priors, contrasting them with these two limiting cases. First, we adopt the penalized likelihood perspective on Bayesian modal estimation and introduce the framework of Bayesian penalty mixing with spike-andslab priors. We show that the SS-LASSO global posterior mode is (near) minimax rate-optimal under squared error loss, similarly as the LASSO. Going further, we introduce an adaptive two-step estimator which can achieve provably sharper performance than the LASSO. Second, we show that the whole posterior keeps pace with the global mode and concentrates at the (near) minimax rate, a property that is known not to hold for the single Laplace prior. The minimax-rate optimality is obtained with a suitable class of independent product priors (for known levels of sparsity) as well as with dependent mixing priors (adapting to the unknown levels of sparsity). Up to now, the rate-optimal posterior concentration has been established only for spike-and-slab priors with a point mass at zero. Thus, the SS-LASSO priors, despite being continuous, possess similar optimality properties as the “theoretically ideal” point-mass mixtures. These results provide valuable theoretical justification for our proposed class of priors, underpinning their intuitive appeal and practical potential.