Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Who will relapse? Symptoms of nicotine dependence predict long-term relapse after smoking cessation.

Results of a prospective examination (N = 618) of factors associated with smoking relapse are reported. At 1-year follow-up, a modified version of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (Dependence Index; DI) and a measure of craving entered the logistic model (odds ratio of 2.7 [p less than .001]). At Year 2, only the DI entered the model (odds ratio of 2.2 [p less than .001]). The ability of signal detection analysis (SDA) to produce clinically useful decision rules was also examined. At Year 1, SDA produced 1 subgroup with a 25% nonrelapse rate and another with a 9% nonrelapse rate (odds ratio of 3.4 [p less than .001]). At Year 2, SDA produced 1 subgroup with a nonrelapse rate of 19% and another with a nonrelapse rate of 7% (odds ratio of 3.0 [p less than .001]). The use of signal detection methods may help clinicians to identify those at greater or lesser risk of relapse.
Synaptotagmin VIII Is Localized to the Mouse Sperm Head and May Function in Acrosomal Exocytosis1

Abstract The acrosome is a large secretory granule that undergoes exocytosis when receptors on the sperm surface bind ligands in the egg extracellular matrix. Acrosomal exocytosis resembles stimulated secretion in neurons in that it is triggered by a rise in intracellular Ca2+. Synaptotagmins (Syt) comprise proteins thought to transduce this Ca2+ signal to the fusion machinery. In this study, we showed that Syt VIII is present in spermatogenic cDNA libraries. Antiserum raised against a Syt VIII-specific peptide, which recognizes Syt VIII but does not cross-react with other Syt isoforms, labeled a single prominent band on Western immunoblots of mouse sperm homogenate. Syt VIII was restricted to the sperm membrane fraction enriched in markers associated with the mouse sperm head. Fluorescent immunocytochemistry on intact mouse sperm showed that Syt VIII is localized to the acrosomal crescent and is lost upon acrosome reaction. Moreover, the amount of Syt VIII remaining with the sperm decreased proportionately with the extent of acrosome-reacted sperm. Thus, Syt VIII is a candidate for the Ca2+ sensor that regulates acrosomal exocytosis in mammalian sperm.
Imaging of the Natural History of an Orbital Capillary Hemangioma

Purpose: To describe the natural history of capillary hemangioma. Methods: Case report. Results and Conclusion: We describe the imaging features of a capillary hemangioma of the orbit at presentation (computed tomographic scan done at 27 weeks) and after regression (magnetic resonance scan done at 9 years). The primary scans demonstrate the typical contrast enhancing lesion of the orbit, whereas the MR scan of the regressed lesion demonstrates a fibro-fatty lesion with some flow voids.
Species Distribution and Prevalence of Putative Virulence Factors in Mesophilic Aeromonas spp. Isolated from Fresh Retail Sushi

Aeromonas spp. are ubiquitous bacteria that have received increasing attention as human pathogens because of their widespread occurrence in food, especially seafood and vegetables. The aim of this work was to assess the species identity and phylogenetic relationship of 118 Aeromonas strains isolated from fresh retail sushi from three producers, and to characterize the isolates with respect to genetic and phenotypic virulence factors. We also evaluate the potential hazard associated with their presence in ready-to-eat seafood not subjected to heat treatment. Mesophilic Aeromonas salmonicida was most prevalent (74%), followed by A. bestiarum (9%), A. dhakensis (5%), A. caviae (5%), A. media (4%), A. hydrophila (2%), and A. piscicola (1%). All isolates were considered potentially pathogenic due to the high prevalence of genes encoding hemolysin (hlyA) (99%), aerolysin (aerA) (98%), cytotoxic enterotoxin (act) (86%), heat-labile cytotonic enterotoxin (alt) (99%), and heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin (ast) (31%). The shiga-like toxins 1 and 2 (stx-1 and stx-2) were not detected. Moreover, there was heterogeneity in toxin gene distribution among the isolates, and the combination of act/alt/hlyA/aerA was most commonly detected (63%). β-hemolysis was species-dependent and observed in 91% of the isolates. All A. media and A. caviae strains were non-hemolytic. For isolates belonging to this group, lack of hemolysis was possibly related to the absence of the act gene. Swimming motility, linked to adhesion and host invasion, occurred in 65% of the isolates. Partial sequencing of the gyrB gene demonstrated its suitability as a genetic marker for Aeromonas species identification and for assessment of the phylogenetic relationship between the isolates. The gyrB sequence divergence within a given species ranged from 1.3 to 2.9%. A. bestiarum, A. salmonicida, and A. piscicola were the most closely related species; their sequences differed by 2.7–3.4%. The average gyrB sequence similarity between all species was 93%, demonstrating its acceptable taxonomic resolution. The presence of multiple species of potential pathogenic Aeromonas in fresh retail sushi raises new food safety issues related to the increased consumption of ready-to-eat food composed of raw ingredients.
Clinical complications of urinary catheters caused by crystalline biofilms: something needs to be done

This review is largely based on a previous paper published in the journal Spinal Cord. The care of many patients undergoing long‐term bladder catheterization is complicated by encrustation and blockage of their Foley catheters. This problem stems from infection by urease‐producing bacteria, particularly Proteus mirabilis. These organisms colonize the catheter forming an extensive biofilm; they also generate ammonia from urea, thus elevating the pH of urine. As the pH rises, crystals of calcium and magnesium phosphates precipitate in the urine and in the catheter biofilm. The continued development of this crystalline biofilm blocks the flow of urine through the catheter. Urine then either leaks along the outside of the catheter and the patient becomes incontinent or is retained causing painful distension of the bladder and reflux of urine to the kidneys. The process of crystal deposition can also initiate stone formation. Most patients suffering from recurrent catheter encrustation develop bladder stones. P. mirabilis establishes stable residence in these stones and is extremely difficult to eliminate from the catheterized urinary tract by antibiotic therapy. If blocked catheters are not identified and changed, serious symptomatic episodes of pyelonephritis, septicaemia and endotoxic shock can result. All types of Foley catheters including silver‐ or nitrofurazone‐coated devices are vulnerable to this problem. In this review, the ways in which biofilm formation on Foley catheters is initiated by P. mirabilis will be described. The implications of understanding these mechanisms for the development of an encrustation‐resistant catheter will be discussed. Finally, the way forward for the prevention and control of this problem will be considered.
Cross-modality matching: a tool for measuring loudness in sensorineural impairment.

OBJECTIVE The main goal of this study was to establish the viability of cross-modality matching (CMM) for the measurement of individual loudness functions in sensorineural-impaired hearing. To achieve this goal, CMM was tested rigorously to assess four measurement requirements: 1) internal consistency; 2) small relative variance across listeners; 3) test-retest reliability; and 4) data validity. DESIGN The measurements involved two sensory continua: perceived length and loudness. Sensation-magnitude functions were generated for all listeners from absolute magnitude estimation (AME) of perceived length, from CMM between loudness and perceived length, and from AME and absolute magnitude production (AMP) of loudness. A total of 211 listeners, 83 with normal hearing at the stimulus frequency and 128 with a diagnosis of cochlear impairment of long duration, performed all four magnitude-scaling tasks. Supplementary loudness matches also were obtained. RESULTS Based on the analysis of data, the following results were obtained. First, in accord with loudness measures in normal hearing, loudness measures in cochlear-impaired hearing showed that individuals with bilateral impairments can produce internally consistent loudness data. Second, over the stimulus range where cochlear impairment steepens the loudness function, in a log-log plot loudness slopes derived from CMM, like those obtained from AME and AMP of loudness, were larger in cochlear-impaired hearing than in normal hearing. However, the results of CMM were typically less variable than those obtained from AME and AMP of loudness, permitting a clear-cut distinction between loudness growth rates (slopes) in normal and cochlear-impaired hearing. Third, the results showed that within a cochlear-impaired population, much of the intersubject variability of the slope of the loudness function can be ascribed to the heterogeneity of individual thresholds. Consistent with loudness matching, the size of the slopes increased with the degree of hearing loss. The dependence of the size of the slopes on the degree of hearing loss was observed for hearing losses as large as 75 dB. Fourth, test-retest reliability data for 36 listeners showed that CMM can yield reliable and stable loudness-growth measures in cochlear-impaired hearing over the long term. Finally, equal-sensation matches obtained directly from loudness matching closely agreed with those obtained indirectly from magnitude scaling, indicating that CMM is a valid method for the measurement of loudness magnitudes. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the results demonstrate that CMM can yield stable, accurate, and robust loudness growth measures in cochlear-impaired hearing. Given its apparent reliability, validity, and ease of application, CMM has the potential to become a powerful tool for assessing the growth of loudness in a clinical population. Loudness-level functions derived from CMM may well be important for determining the frequency-gain response of a hearing aid that most closely compensates for the distorted input-output function of the impaired auditory system.
Kinematic control of Wheeled Mobile Robot: An error based differentially flat system approach

This paper presents a differential flatness based control scheme using the kinematic model of a Wheeled Mobile Robot (WMR). The kinematic equations have been obtained by a bijective transformation between the pose and the states of the system. The longitudinal and lateral errors in the body-fixed frame of the robot have been considered as flat outputs. Thus a novel flat system has been obtained from the kinematics and a control law has been designed to stabilize the flat system. Lyapunov stability analysis has been presented to analytically prove the global Uniformly Ultimately Boundedness (UUB) of the closed loop system for a desired trajectory. Simulation results further confirm the same for different trajectories.
Peripheral Resistance Modulates the Response to Volume Overload in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background Volume overload is thought to be the most important cause of hypertension in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. However, there is also evidence that normalization of volume overload is not always accompanied by a drop in blood pressure (BP). In the present study, we hypothesized that dysregulation of peripheral resistance due to endothelial dysfunction would constitute an important determinant of BP response in overhydrated PD patients. Methods We performed an observational, prospective cohort study including all prevalent PD patients at the Peking University Third Hospital between 1 June 2006 and 30 November 2006. After baseline measurements, including echocardiography and bioelectrical impedance analysis, patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were reevaluated after 2 months of follow-up. All patients that exhibited significant changes in BP and extracellular water (ECW) between 2 visits were asked to undergo a second ultrasound. These patients were then divided into group A (parallel change between BP and ECW; n = 12) and group B (paradoxical change between BP and ECW; n = 10). Results The cohort included 22 patients (13 males) with a mean age of 59 ± 13 years, on dialysis for 23.3 ± 32.6 months. There were no baseline differences between groups A and B. However, while patients in group A significantly increased their cardiac output, total peripheral resistance remained stable. In group B, cardiac output did not change significantly but total peripheral resistance decreased significantly. Conclusion In PD patients, a significant increase in fluid volume is not necessarily linked to a significant increase in BP. Rather, the change in total peripheral resistance was found to be the most important determinant of the extent to which increased fluid volume affected BP.
Caldesmon Inhibits Arp2/3-mediated Actin Nucleation*

The Arp2/3 complex greatly accelerates actin polymerization, which is thought to play a major role in cell motility by inducing membrane protrusions including ruffling movements. Membrane ruffles contain a variety of actin-binding proteins, which would modulate Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization. However, their exact roles in actin polymerization remain to be established. Because caldesmon is present in membrane ruffles, as well as in stress fibers, it may alter Arp2/3-mediated actin polymerization. We have found that caldesmon greatly retards Arp2/3-induced actin polymerization. Kinetic analyses have revealed that caldesmon inhibits the nucleation process, whereas it does not largely reduce elongation. Caldesmon is found to inhibit binding of Arp2/3 to F-actin, which apparently reduces the ability of F-actin as a secondary activator of Arp2/3-mediated nucleation. We also have found that the inhibition of the binding between actin and caldesmon either by Ca2+/calmodulin or by phosphorylation with cdc2 kinase reverses the inhibitory effect of caldesmon on Arp2/3-induced actin polymerization. Our results suggest that caldesmon may be a key protein that modulates membrane ruffling and that this may involve changes in caldesmon phosphorylation and/or intracellular calcium concentrations during signal transduction.
Effects of an adverse-drug-event alert system on cost and quality outcomes in community hospitals.

PURPOSE The effects of an adverse-drug-event (ADE) alert system on cost and quality outcomes in community hospitals were evaluated. METHODS This retrospective observational study evaluated the effects of an ADE alert system in seven hospitals in the Trinity Health network. Outcomes for all inpatients admitted to these hospitals after and one year before the deployment of an ADE alert system were evaluated. Inpatients in two network hospitals that lacked any computerized ADE alert system constituted the external control group. Administrative data were gathered for patients from these facilities for the same time frames as for the preimplementation and postimplementation groups. Primary outcomes evaluated included pharmacy department costs, variable drug costs, and mortality rates. Secondary outcomes included total hospitalization costs, length of hospital stay (LOS), rate of readmission, and case-mix index. Mean differences in primary and secondary outcome measures across all four groups were examined using analysis of variance. RESULTS Significant decreases in mean pharmacy department costs per patient were observed from preimplementation to postimplementation (p < 0.001), while pharmacy department costs increased significantly in the external control group (p = 0.029). Drug costs decreased significantly from baseline (p < 0.001) in the postimplementation group. Drug costs increased significantly in the external control group (p = 0.029). Severity-adjusted mortality rates and LOS decreased significantly in the postimplementation group. Total patient hospitalization costs, both crude and severity adjusted, significantly increased in both groups. CONCLUSION Implementation of an ADE alert system in seven community hospitals demonstrated significant decreases in pharmacy department costs, variable drug costs, and severity-adjusted mortality rates.
Effect of iron chelators with potent anti-proliferative activity on the expression of molecules involved in cell cycle progression and growth.

AbstractOur previous studies have demonstrated that some analogues of the iron (Fe) chelator, pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH), show high anti-proliferative activity being far more effective than desferrioxamine (DFO). 1,2In this investigation, we have assessed the effect of DFO and one of the most active chelators, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone -311-, on molecular targets involved in proliferation. This was performed to assess the mechanisms involved in the anti-neoplastic activity of Fe chelators.
Malicious Node Detection Using Confidence Level Evaluation in a Grid-Based Wireless Sensor Network

In this paper, we present a malicious node detection scheme using confidence-level evaluation in a grid-based wireless sensor network. The sensor field is divided into square grids, where sensor nodes in each grid form a cluster with a cluster head. Each cluster head maintains the confidence levels of its member nodes based on their readings and reflects them in decision-making. Two thresholds are used to distinguish between false alarms due to malicious nodes and events. In addition, the center of an event region is estimated, if necessary, to enhance the event and malicious node detection accuracy. Experimental results show that the scheme can achieve high malicious node detection accuracy without sacrificing normal sensor nodes.
Conquering the cattle plague: the global effort to eradicate rinderpest.

F armers have confronted the scourge of rinderpest, or cattle plague, ever since cattle were domesticated some 10,000 years ago. For centuries, humankind has depended on livestock for draft power, milk, meat, skins, and manure. Rinderpest—which in its severest form can kill 95 percent or more of the animals it infects—has had devastating effects, blighting the lives of farmers throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe. It has been described as “the most dreaded bovine plague known, belonging to a select group of notorious infectious diseases that have changed the course of history. ” Rinderpest was detected and confirmed for the last time in 2001 in Kenya. Few veterinarians and even farmers alive today have seen the disease, and its existence is fading from memory. The eradication of rinderpest can be viewed as an achievement on par with the eradication of smallpox from the human population, the only other time an infectious disease has been eradicated. This remarkable feat was accomplished thanks to the efforts of scientists around the world to develop and perfect vaccines and—just as important—to international collaboration and coordination aimed at monitoring the disease and eliminating it wherever it lingered. Rinderpest eradication was the outcome neither of a single project nor the efforts of a single agency; rather, it was the result of a series of periodic, internationally coordinated efforts built on the ongoing national programs of many affected countries during the course of many decades. History of the Disease
Artemisinin triggers a G1 cell cycle arrest of human Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells and inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase-4 promoter activity and expression by disrupting nuclear factor-&kgr;B transcriptional signaling

Relatively little is known about the antiproliferative effects of artemisinin, a naturally occurring antimalarial compound from Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood, in human endometrial cancer cells. Artemisinin induced a G1 cell cycle arrest in cultured human Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells and downregulated cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2) and CDK4 transcript and protein levels. Analysis of CDK4 promoter-luciferase reporter constructs showed that the artemisinin ablation of CDK4 gene expression was accounted for by the loss of CDK4 promoter activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that artemisinin inhibited nuclear factor &kgr;-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-&kgr;B) subunit p65 and p50 interactions with the endogenous Ishikawa cell CDK4 promoter. Coimmunoprecipitation revealed that artemisinin disrupts endogenous p65 and p50 nuclear translocation through increased protein–protein interactions with I&kgr;B-&agr;, an NF-&kgr;B inhibitor, and disrupts its interaction with the CDK4 promoter, leading to a loss of CDK4 gene expression. Artemisinin treatment stimulated the cellular levels of I&kgr;B-&agr; protein without altering the level of I&kgr;B-&agr; transcripts. Finally, expression of exogenous p65 resulted in the accumulation of this NF-&kgr;B subunit in the nucleus of artemisinin-treated and artemisinin-untreated cells, reversed the artemisinin downregulation of CDK4 protein expression and promoter activity, and prevented the artemisinin-induced G1 cell cycle arrest. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a key event in the artemisinin antiproliferative effects in endometrial cancer cells is the transcriptional downregulation of CDK4 expression by disruption of NF-&kgr;B interactions with the CDK4 promoter.
Superplasticity in Earth's Lower Mantle: Evidence from Seismic Anisotropy and Rock Physics

In contrast to the upper mantle, the lower mantle of the Earth is elastically nearly isotropic, although its dominant constituent mineral [(Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite] is highly anisotropic. On the basis of high-temperature experiments on fabric development in an analog CaTiO3 perovskite and the elastic constants of MgSiO3 perovskite, the seismic anisotropy was calculated for the lower mantle. The results show that absence of anisotropy is strong evidence for deformation by superplasticity. In this case, no significant transient creep is expected in the lower mantle and the viscosity of the lower mantle is sensitive to grain size; hence, a reduction in grain size will result in rheological weakening.
Entwicklung und Beziehung von musikalischer Selbstwirksamkeit und musikalischem Fähigkeitsselbstkonzept in den Klassenstufen 7 und 8

Musikalische Selbstkonzepte und musikalische Selbstwirksamkeit stellen zwei einander A¤hnliche, aber doch unterschiedliche Konstrukte dar. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie sich beide Konstrukte im Verlauf der siebten und achten Schulklasse entwickeln und wie sehr sie voneinander abhA¤ngig sind. Es werden dazu Latent-State-, Latent-State-Trait-Analysen und autoregressive Modelle eingesetzt. Dabei erweist sich die eingesetzte Subskala zur musikalischen Selbstwirksamkeit als ausreichend reliabel A¼ber die Zeit. Die beobachteten Werte der musikalischen Selbstwirksamkeit lassen sich in groAŸem AusmaAŸ auf stabile PersA¶nlichkeitsdispositionen zurA¼ckfA¼hren und nur in untergeordnetem MaAŸe auf EinflA¼sse des Messzeitpunktes. Musikalische FA¤higkeitsselbstkonzepte und musikalische Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen zu einem frA¼heren Zeitpunkt stellen im Rahmen autoregressiver Modelle jeweils fA¼r sich selbst den besten PrA¤diktor in Bezug auf ihre spA¤tere AusprA¤gung dar. Dennoch beeinflusst musikalische Selbstwirksamkeit zu einem frA¼heren Zeitpunkt A¼ber kreuzverzA¶gerte Effekte das musikalische FA¤higkeitsselbstkonzept zu einem spA¤teren Zeitpunkt, wA¤hrend kreuzverzA¶gerte Effekte des musikalischen FA¤higkeitsselbstkonzeptes zu einem frA¼heren Zeitpunkt auf die Werte der gemessenen Subskala zur musikalischen Selbstwirksamkeit zu einem spA¤teren Zeitpunkt nicht festgestellt werden kA¶nnen. Â SchlagwA¶rter: Entwicklung, musikalisches Selbstkonzept, musikalische Selbstwirksamkeit, StrukturgleichungÂ