Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detoxification of mercury, cadmium, and lead in Klebsiella aerogenes NCTC 418 growing in continuous culture

Klebsiella aerogenes NCTC 418 growing in the presence of cadmium under glucose-, sulfate-, or phosphate-limited conditions in continuous culture exhibited sulfide formation and Pi accumulation as the only demonstrable detoxification mechanisms. In the presence of mercury under similar conditions only HgS formation could be confirmed, by an increased sensitivity to mercury under sulfate-limited conditions, among others. The fact that the cells were most sensitive to cadmium under conditions of phosphate limitation and most sensitive to mercury under conditions of sulfate limitation led to the hypothesis that these inorganic detoxification mechanisms generally depended on a kind of "facilitated precipitation". The process was coined thus because heavy metals were probably accumulated and precipitated near the cell perimeter due to the relatively high local concentrations of sulfide and phosphate there. Depending on the growth-limiting nutrient, mercury proved to be 25-fold (phosphate limitation), 75-fold (glycerol limitation), or 150-fold (sulfate limitation) more toxic than cadmium to this organism. In the presence of lead, PbS formation was suggested. Since no other detoxification mechanisms were detected, for example, rendering heavy metal ions innocuous as metallo-organic compounds, it was concluded that formation of heavy metal precipitates is crucially important to this organism. In addition, it was observed that several components of a defined mineral medium were able to reduce mercuric ions to elemental mercury. This abiotic mercury volatilization was studied in detail, and its general and environmental implications are discussed.
Serum immunoglobulin values in patients with scabies

Serum total IgE levels were found to be increased in thirty‐nine of ninety‐four patients with scabies investigated at the time of clinical presentation. One hundred and fifty‐four patients were found to have a significantly lower serum concentration of IgA during infection than when measured 6 weeks and 9 months following successful treatment (P <0.05). The serum concentration of IgA at 6 weeks and 9 months after treatment did not differ significantly. The serum concentration of IgG during infection was significantly higher than 6 weeks later (P <0.05), and than 9 months later P <0.001). The 6 weeks levels were significantly higher than the results at 9 months (P <0.01). The serum concentration of IgM during infection was higher than 6 weeks later (P <0.1). The 6 weeks levels were lower than those at 9 months (P <0.1), whereas there was no difference between the pretreatment and 9 months levels. No differences were noted in the concentration of C3 and C4. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were not found in any of the patients. In thirty‐two patients with lichen planus no changes in immunoglobulins or complement were observed.
Isotypic analysis of maternally transmitted Plasmodium falciparum‐specific antibodies in Cameroon, and relationship with risk of P. falciparum infection

In malaria‐endemic areas, infants are relatively protected against malaria infection. Such protection is though to be related principally to the transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies. We measured total and Plasmodium falciparum‐specific IgG (including subclasses), IgM, and IgE antibodies in 154 paired maternal‐cord serum samples from an area of meso‐ to hyperendemic malaria in South Cameroon. Among peripheral mother blood samples, total IgG and IgM were detected in all samples, IgE in all but two. Plasmodium falciparum‐specific IgG were detected in all serum samples, IgM and IgE in < 75% of samples. The prevalence rates of anti‐P. falciparum IgG subclasses varied from 75% to 97%. With the exception of P. falciparum‐sptcifxc IgG, all antibody class and subclass levels were lower in cord blood than in peripheral mother blood. Plasmodium falciparum‐spccific IgGl and IgG3 isotypes were transferred to the offspring more often and more efficiently than IgG2 and IgG4. The detection of total and P. falciparum‐specific IgM and IgE in some cord serum samples demonstrated that fetuses can mount humoral response against malaria parasites. We also determined whether transplacentally acquired antibodies protect against malaria infection by relating the antibody levels at birth to the risk of acquiring P. falciparum infection during the first 6 months of life. Among various classes and subclasses of P. falciparum‐spccific antibodies, only IgG2 were related to a decrease in the risk of acquiring a P. falciparum peripheral blood infection from birth to 6 months of age.
A Multipath Routing Algorithm Based on Traffic Prediction in Wireless Mesh Networks

The technology of QoS routing has become a great challenge in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs). There exist a lot of literatures on QoS routing in WMNs, but the current algorithms have some deficiencies, such as high complexity, poor scalability and flexibility. To solve the problems above, a multipath routing algorithm based on traffic prediction (MRATP) is proposed in WMNs. MRATP consists of three modules including an algorithm on multipath routing built, a congestion discovery mechanism based on wavelet-neural network and a load balancing algorithm via multipath. Compared with the current algorithms, MRATP has higher success ratio and lower end to end delay. So MRATP can guarantee the end to end QoS of WMNs.
PHOTOCATALYSIS : FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS IN JEP 2011 , BORDEAUX Design of graphene-based TiO 2 photocatalysts — a review

There is a recent increase in the interest of designing high-performance photocatalysts using graphenebased materials. This review gathers some important aspects of graphene–TiO2, graphene oxide–TiO2, and reduced graphene oxide–TiO2 composites, which are of especial relevance as next generation photocatalysts. The methods used for the preparation of these materials, the associated mechanistic fundamentals, and the application of graphene-based composites on the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants are reviewed. Some structural, textural, and chemical properties of these materials and other photo-assisted applications, such as hydrogen production from water splitting and dye-sensitized solar cells, are also briefly included.
Toward a nitrogen footprint calculator for Tanzania

We present the first nitrogen footprint model for a developing country: Tanzania. Nitrogen (N) is a crucial element for agriculture and human nutrition, but in excess it can cause serious environmental damage. The Sub-Saharan African nation of Tanzania faces a two-sided nitrogen problem: while there is not enough soil nitrogen to produce adequate food, excess nitrogen that escapes into the environment causes a cascade of ecological and human health problems. To identify, quantify, and contribute to solving these problems, this paper presents a nitrogen footprint tool for Tanzania. This nitrogen footprint tool is a concept originally designed for the United States of America (USA) and other developed countries. It uses personal resource consumption data to calculate a per-capita nitrogen footprint. The Tanzania N footprint tool is a version adapted to reflect the low-input, integrated agricultural system of Tanzania. This is reflected by calculating two sets of virtual N factors to describe N losses during food production: one for fertilized farms and one for unfertilized farms. Soil mining factors are also calculated for the first time to address the amount of N removed from the soil to produce food. The average per-capita nitrogen footprint of Tanzania is 10 kg N yr−1. 88% of this footprint is due to food consumption and production, while only 12% of the footprint is due to energy use. Although 91% of farms in Tanzania are unfertilized, the large contribution of fertilized farms to N losses causes unfertilized farms to make up just 83% of the food production N footprint. In a developing country like Tanzania, the main audiences for the N footprint tool are community leaders, planners, and developers who can impact decision-making and use the calculator to plan positive changes for nitrogen sustainability in the developing world.
The Taking Economy: Uber, Information, and Power

Sharing economy firms such as Uber and Airbnb facilitate trusted transactions between strangers on digital platforms. This creates economic and other value and raises a set of concerns around racial bias, safety, and fairness to competitors and workers that legal scholarship has begun to address. Missing from the literature, however, is a fundamental critique of the sharing economy grounded in asymmetries of information and power. This Article, coauthored by a law professor and a technology ethnographer who studies the ride-hailing community, furnishes such a critique and indicates a path toward a meaningful response. Commercial firms have long used what they know about consumers to shape their behavior and maximize profits. By virtue of sitting between consumers and providers of services, however, sharing economy firms have a unique capacity to monitor and nudge all participants — including people whose livelihood may depend on the platform. Much activity is hidden away from view, but preliminary evidence suggests that sharing economy firms may already be leveraging their access to information about users and their control over the user experience to mislead, coerce, or otherwise disadvantage sharing economy participants. This Article argues that consumer protection law, with its longtime emphasis of asymmetries of information and power, is relatively well positioned to address this under-examined aspect of the sharing economy. But the regulatory response to date seems outdated and superficial. To be effective, legal interventions must (1) reflect a deeper understanding of the acts and practices of digital platforms and (2) interrupt the incentives of sharing economy firms to abuse their position.
Impact of regular meditation practice on EEG activity at rest and during evoked negative emotions

The main objective of the present investigation was to examine how long-term meditation practice is manifested in EEG activity under conditions of non-emotional arousal (eyes-closed and eyes-open periods, viewing emotionally neutral movie clip) and while experiencing experimentally induced negative emotions (viewing aversive movie clip). The 62-channel EEG was recorded in age-matched control individuals (n=25) and Sahaja Yoga meditators (SYM, n=25). Findings from the non-emotional continuum show that at the lowest level of arousal (eyes closed) SYM manifested larger power values in theta-1 (4–6 Hz), theta-2 (6–8 Hz) and alpha-1 (8–10 Hz) frequency bands. Although increasing arousal desynchronized activity in these bands in both groups, the theta-2 and alpha-1 power in the eyes-open period and alpha-1 power while viewing the neutral clip remained still higher in the SYM. During eyes-closed and eyes-open periods the controls were marked by larger right than left hemisphere power, indexing relatively more active left hemisphere parieto-temporal cortex whereas meditators manifested no hemisphere asymmetry. When contrasted with the neutral, the aversive movie clip yielded significant alpha desynchronization in both groups, reflecting arousing nature of emotional induction. In the control group along with alpha desynchronization affective movie clip synchronized gamma power over anterior cortical sites. This was not seen in the SYM. Overall, the presented report emphasizes that the revealed changes in the electrical brain activity associated with regular meditation practice are dynamical by nature and depend on arousal level. The EEG power findings also provide the first empirical proof of a theoretical assumption that meditators have better capabilities to moderate intensity of emotional arousal.
Alcohol and mortality from external causes.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption, considering both volume of intake and drinking pattern, and the risk of death from external causes. METHOD A prospective study of mortality from external causes was conducted using data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey linked with the National Death Index for 1988 through 1995. During the 7.5-year follow-up interval, there were 155 deaths from external causes among the 42,910 adults 18 years of age and over included in the sample. Proportional hazards models were used to adjust for censoring due to competing causes of death and for the effects of potentially confounding background variables including age, gender, marital status, education, smoking and poor health at baseline. RESULTS Relative to lifetime abstainers and infrequent drinkers, the risk of death from external causes increased directly with volume of intake, exhibiting a logarithmic-shaped risk curve. There was no evidence of reduced risk among light or moderate drinkers. When usual quantity and frequency were examined, the only drinkers at significantly increased risk were those who drank less than once a month but usually drank 5+ drinks (or, to a lesser extent, 3+ drinks) and those who drank at least twice a week and usually drank 2+ drinks. Former drinkers also were at increased risk. Age strongly affected the drinking pattern parameters. CONCLUSIONS Quantity and frequency of drinking are proxies for in-the-event risks associated with alcohol intake and their cumulative effect on mortality risk. The results are discussed with particular attention to the role of factors that may affect the association between usual quantity of drinks consumed and the in-the-event risk of mortality from external causes.
Comparison between saliva stimulants and a saliva substitute in patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation.

The purpose of this study was to assess patient preference and product efficacy of three non-prescription products for the symptomatic relief of xerostomia. The study group consisted of 80 individuals with a complaint of chronic (> six months) xerostomia and an unstimulated salivary flow rate of < 0.1 mL/min. The three products--a sorbitol/xylitol-sweetened chewing gum, a sorbitol-sweetened sour lemon lozenge, and a sorbitol/xylitol-sweetened artificial saliva substitute spray--were assigned in a permuted block randomization scheme. Each product was used for two weeks with an interval of one week between trials. The study did not identify any product to be statistically significant in terms of patient preference. Kruskal-Wallis testing revealed no statistical significance (P > 0.589) among the products. No product demonstrated marked efficacy in stimulating salivary output. ANOVA analysis followed by Tukey HSD testing revealed no significant difference between the baseline paraffin-stimulated mean flow rate and the gum- and lozenge-stimulated flow rates.
Human Gut Bacteria Are Sensitive to Melatonin and Express Endogenous Circadian Rhythmicity

Circadian rhythms are fundamental properties of most eukaryotes, but evidence of biological clocks that drive these rhythms in prokaryotes has been restricted to Cyanobacteria. In vertebrates, the gastrointestinal system expresses circadian patterns of gene expression, motility and secretion in vivo and in vitro, and recent studies suggest that the enteric microbiome is regulated by the host’s circadian clock. However, it is not clear how the host’s clock regulates the microbiome. Here, we demonstrate at least one species of commensal bacterium from the human gastrointestinal system, Enterobacter aerogenes, is sensitive to the neurohormone melatonin, which is secreted into the gastrointestinal lumen, and expresses circadian patterns of swarming and motility. Melatonin specifically increases the magnitude of swarming in cultures of E. aerogenes, but not in Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae. The swarming appears to occur daily, and transformation of E. aerogenes with a flagellar motor-protein driven lux plasmid confirms a temperature-compensated circadian rhythm of luciferase activity, which is synchronized in the presence of melatonin. Altogether, these data demonstrate a circadian clock in a non-cyanobacterial prokaryote and suggest the human circadian system may regulate its microbiome through the entrainment of bacterial clocks.
The Multifaceted Role of User-Generated Content in News Websites

A large body of research has explored the employment of user-generated content (UGC) in journalism websites. While rich and informative, accumulated research offers discrete insights into an array of research questions but lacks a comprehensive account of the larger picture that emerges. With this in mind, we propose an analytical framework for evaluating UGC’s roles in professional news websites. Based on a synthesis of accumulated research, we differentiate between the realm of journalism as a business and a practice; and the realm of democracy, wherein news media may play a role as a public sphere and a means of political empowerment. By offering a comprehensive examination of key findings and themes arising from UGC research, the article seeks to advance our understanding of the evolving news media landscape. It concludes with directions for further research.
Co-Movements and Volatility Spillover in Asian Forex Market: A Multivariate GARCH and MRA Approach

This paper analyzes the co-movements and integration of some select Asian foreign exchange markets using both time series and time-frequency approaches. The correlation structure between forex markets, and the time domain information on varying correlations, is captured using the multivariate dynamic conditional correlation GARCH method whereas the time-horizon specific information on the dynamics of correlation is captured using methods from wavelet analysis. Results from time domain volatility models reveal significant volatility transmission between most of the countries. On the other hand, the use of time-scale methods from the wavelet domain, which makes it possible to detect the correlation dynamics in varying time horizons, reveals the existence of a strong correlation between all the seven markets with evidence of a nearly perfect integration of markets in the long run time horizon.
Increasing copper alters cellular elemental composition (Mo and P) of marine diatom

Abstract The elemental composition (surface adsorbed and internalized fraction of Cu, Mo and P) in marine phytoplankton was first examined in cultures of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum which were exposed to various levels of Cu concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 16 μmol/L with equivalent free [Cu2+] concentrations of 0.4–26 nmol/L. We observed an acceleration of algal growth rates (20–40%) with increasing ambient Cu levels, as well as slightly increased levels of internalized Cu in cells (2–13 × 10−18 mol/cell) although cellular Cu mostly accumulated onto the cell surface (>50% of the total: intracellular + surface adsorbed). In particular, we documented for the first time that the elemental composition (Mo and P) in algal cells varies dynamically in response to increased Cu levels: (1) Cellular P, predominantly in the intracellular compartment (>95%), shows with a net consumption as indicated by a gradual decrease with increasing [Cu2+] (120→50 × 10−15 mol P/cell) probably due to the fact that P, a backbone bioelement, is largely required in forming biological compartments such as cell membranes; and (2) cellular Mo, predominantly encountered in the intracellular compartment, showed up to tenfold increase in concentration in the cultures exposed to Cu, with a peak accumulation of 1.1 × 10−18 mol Mo/cell occurring in the culture exposed to [Cu2+] at 3.7 nmol/L. Such a net cellular Mo accumulation suggests that Mo might be specifically required in biological processes, probably playing a counteracting role against Cu.
Commentary: How Has Neuroimaging Improved Patient Care?

Summary: Neuroimaging has significantly altered the management of patients with partial epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been demonstrated to be a reliable and accurate indicator of the common pathologic findings underlying a partial seizure disorder. Intracranial mass lesions have been shown to be highly coherent with the localization of the epileptogenic zone. An MRI‐identified epileptogenic lesion affects the selection of patients for epilepsy surgery and alters the diagnostic evaluation and the operative strategy. The results of the MRI preoperatively have prognostic importance in patients undergoing surgical treatment for partial epilepsy. Patients with lesional epileptic syndromes are considered favorable candidates for surgical ablative treatment. Hippo‐campal volume studies may predict the neurocognitive outcome in patients undergoing temporal lobe surgery. The use of MRI has resulted in a reduction in chronic intracranial EEG monitoring at most epilepsy centers, especially in patients with lesional pathology. MRI may be a reasonable initial “screening” procedure in selected patients with intractable partial epilepsy before consideration of a presurgical evaluation. A classification of partial epilepsy is proposed, based on the results of MRI, that may be useful for patients being considered for surgical treatment. Importantly, preoperative MRI must be correlated with the electrophysiologic studies and ictal semiology before decision‐making regarding surgical therapy.
Influence of marrow CFU-GM content on engraftment and survival after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The influence of the CFU-GM content of donor marrow on the outcome of allogeneic marrow transplantation (BMT) has been debated. We now report 38 patients (25 acute leukemias, 10 chronic myeloid leukemias, two myeloma; 24 in first CR/CP and 14 in more advanced phases of their disease) undergoing unmanipulated HLA-identical sibling BMT following conditioning with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation (TBI). The median number of nucleated cells infused was 4.3 x 10(8)/kg (range 1.5-8.4); median CFU-GM numbers were 2.4 x 10(4)/kg (range 0.1-46). End-points of the study were (1) speed of neutrophil and platelet engraftment; (2) quality of engraftment beyond day +50 after BMT; and (3) transplant-related mortality in patients stratified according to whether they had received less than (n = 18) or more than (n = 20) 2.4 x 10(4)/kg CFU-GM. These two groups were comparable for diagnosis, disease status, donor sex, donor age, recipient sex, recipient age, CVHD prophylaxis, number of cells infused and CMV serology. Neutrophil counts were comparable at all time intervals. There was also no difference in platelet counts on days +7 to +50. However, patients who had received higher CFU-GM numbers had significantly higher platelet counts on day +80 (149 vs. 75 x 10(9)/L; P = 0.002), day +100 (153 vs. 77 x 10(9)/L; P = 0.0009) and day +150 (179 vs. 95 x 10(9)/L; P = 0.01). The 2-year actuarial transplant-related mortality was 5% vs. 53% (P = 0.007) in patients receiving high or low numbers of CFU-GM. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Disentangling the Gender Gap in Longevity

In developed countries, women are expected to live about 4-5 years longer than men. In this paper we develop a novel approach in order to gauge to what extent gender health differences in longevity can be attributed to gender-specific preferences and health behavior. For that purpose we set up a physiologically founded model of health deficit accumulation and calibrate it using recent insights from gerontology. From fitting life cycle health expenditure and life expectancy we obtain estimates of the gender-specific preference parameters. We then perform the counterfactual experiment of endowing women with the preferences of men. In our benchmark scenario this reduces the gender gap in life expectancy from 4.6 to 2.1 years, suggesting that 54 percent of women's superior longevity can be attributed to preferences and health behavior. When we add gender-specific preferences for unhealthy consumption, the model can motivate up to 91 percent of the gender gap. Our theory explains also why the gender gap narrows with rising income.