Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical taxonomy of mycobactin-dependent mycobacteria, emended description of Mycobacterium avium, and description of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium subsp. nov., Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis subsp. nov., and Mycobacterium avium subsp. silvaticum subsp. nov.

We performed a numerical taxonomy analysis of 38 Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and related mycobacterial strains, including wood pigeon mycobacteria; this analysis was based on 22 tests, which were selected for their potential discriminative value from a total of 51 tests studied and produced four well-defined clusters. Cluster 1 contained the M. paratuberculosis strains, including two strains isolated from Crohn's disease patients; cluster 2 contained Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare reference strains; cluster 3 consisted of the wood pigeon mycobacteria; and the only strain in cluster 4 was M. paratuberculosis 316F, which is used for antigen and vaccine production. Strains in cluster 1 were mycobactin dependent even when they were subcultured, whereas strains in cluster 3 were unable to grow on egg medium and their growth was stimulated by pH 5.5. Growth stimulation by pyruvate, resistance to D-cycloserine (50 micrograms/ml), and alkaline phosphatase activity also were characteristics that were useful for discriminating between clusters 1 and 3. The results of previous DNA-DNA hybridization studies have demonstrated that M. avium Chester 1901, M. paratuberculosis Bergey et al. 1923, and the wood pigeon mycobacteria belong to a single genomic species, and we propose that the name of this species should be M. avium. On the basis of the results of previous genomic analyses based on restriction fragment length, the results of polymorphism studies, and DNA patterns determined by field inversion gel electrophoresis as well as the results of our phenotypic study, we propose that the species should be divided into subspecies which correspond to pathogenicity and host range characteristics. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
How Previous Policy Experiences Affect the Frontline: Understanding implementation success and failure through a general policy alienation lens

Within policy implementation and street-level bureaucracy research, there is a continuing debate on how to account for the complex, messy, and, sometimes, contradictory implementation of public policies. Frontline workers, such as teachers, doctors, and police, as a consequence of their discretion, play a crucial role in successful policy implementation and the efficient, effective, and responsive delivery of public services. However, in practice, frontline workers do not always act in line with the ambitions of politicians and policymakers. In doing so, they can create major difficulties for governments, democratically mandated to change policy, in making their (new) policies a success. This book quantitatively investigates how previous policy experiences affect the frontline. Contrary to previous work that mostly has focused on the experiences of frontline workers with specific policies, this study takes into account that policies are not developed in a vacuum. Rather, they build upon each other; a process described as policy accumulation. Based on research on change cynicism, this book argues that frontline workers - as a consequence of continuous policy changes that are sometimes perceived as inconsistent and too frequent - could become indifferent to whatever new policy is introduced, viewing new policies as just the ‘new political flavor of the month’. As such, this study opens the way for a better understanding of policy implementation failure and success, by showing how frontline workers’ previous policy experiences shape how they perceive and enact new policies. In doing so, this study underscores the importance of alignment between policy makers and policy implementers for successful implementation. The author illustrates the dynamics surrounding policy implementation in the Dutch education sector by combining implementation and street-level bureaucracy theory with detailed empirical analysis.
Pancreatic carcinoma versus chronic pancreatitis: dynamic MR imaging.

PURPOSE To determine if dynamic gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can distinguish chronic pancreatitis from pancreatic carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review of MR and pathology examination findings was performed for 24 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and seven with chronic pancreatitis who underwent dynamic gadolinium-enhanced breath-hold spoiled gradient-echo imaging. Arterial, portal, and delayed phase images were obtained after injection of gadopentatate dimeglumine. The MR images of 14 patients without clinical evidence of pancreatic disease were also reviewed as controls. Signal intensity (SI) was measured on the precontrast (pre) and gadolinium-enhanced (post) images of the area of the pancreas sampled at biopsy and of the nontumorous pancreas. Percentage enhancement was defined as SIpre/SIpost x 100. RESULTS Normal pancreas showed rapid enhancement that peaked in the arterial or portal phase. For both diseases, T1-weighted images showed hypointense masses with progressive enhancement (differences were significant [P < .05] on only delayed fat-saturated images). Differences in enhancement between either disease state and normal pancreas were significant for at least one phase. Nontumorous pancreas in patients with carcinoma showed gradual enhancement that was significantly different from that of normal pancreas. CONCLUSION Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma show abnormal pancreatic enhancement, but the two were not distinguished on the basis of degree and time of enhancement.
HSP90 Interacts with and Regulates the Activity of Heat Shock Factor 1 in Xenopus Oocytes

ABSTRACT Transcriptional activation of heat shock genes is a reversible and multistep process involving conversion of inactive heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) monomers into heat shock element (HSE)-binding homotrimers, hyperphosphorylation, and further modifications that induce full transcriptional competence. HSF1 is controlled by multiple regulatory mechanisms, including suppression by additional cellular factors, physical interactions with HSP70, and integration into different cellular signaling cascades. However, the signaling mechanisms by which cells respond to stress and control the HSF1 activation-deactivation pathway are not known. Here we demonstrate that HSP90, a cellular chaperone known to regulate several signal transduction molecules and transcription factors, functions in the regulation of HSF1. The existence of HSF1-HSP90 heterocomplexes was shown by coimmunoprecipitation of HSP90 with HSF1 from unshocked and heat-shocked nuclear extracts, recognition of HSF1-HSE complexes in vitro by using HSP90 antibodies (Abs), and recognition of HSF1 in vivo by HSP90 Abs microinjected directly into oocyte nuclei. The functional impact of HSP90-HSF1 interactions was analyzed by using two strategies: direct nuclear injection of HSP90 Abs and treatment of cells with geldanamycin (GA), an agent that specifically blocks the chaperoning activity of HSP90. Both HSP90 Abs and GA delayed the disassembly of HSF1 trimers during recovery from heat shock and specifically inhibited heat-induced transcription from a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter construct under control of the hsp70 promoter. HSP90 Abs activated HSE binding in the absence of heat shock, an effect that could be reversed by subsequent injection of purified HSP90. GA did not activate HSE binding under nonshock conditions but increased the quantity of HSE binding induced by heat shock. On the basis of these findings and the known properties of HSP90, we propose a new regulatory model in which HSP90 participates in modulating HSF1 at different points along the activation-deactivation pathway, influencing the interconversion between monomeric and trimeric conformations as well as transcriptional activation. We also put forth the hypothesis that HSP90 links HSF1 to cellular signaling molecules coordinating the stress response.
Omnidirectional Control of 4WD Robotic Base

In this paper, a new type of omnidirectional mobile base with four-wheel drive (4WD) mechanism is proposed for improving traction forces and enhancing mobility of holonomic and omnidirectional robots. The mobile base includes a pair of normal wheels on the rear side of the base and a pair of omni-wheels on the front side. The normal wheel in rear and the omni-wheel in front, mounted on the same side of the base, are interconnected by a chain or a belt transmission to rotate in unison with a common motor. The front omni-wheels allow the front end of the mobile base to slide freely from side to side. Additionally, the third motor is installed on the base to turn a robot body about a vertical axis at the center of the mobile base. For omnidirectional control of the 4WD mobile base, two wheel motors are coordinated to translate the center of the robot body in an arbitrary direction while its orientation is controlled by the third motor separately. Thus a robot with proposed mobile base can move in any direction without changing the orientation and turn in a place. The 4WD mechanism guarantees the traction force even on the irregular surface and the step climbing ability is enhanced since all wheels are large in diameter and no passive caster is used. Moreover three motors provide 3DOF motion with no redundancy. The configuration with the minimum number of motor contributes not only to a cost saving but also the high reliability of the mechanism. In the paper, motion analysis of the 4WD mechanism and the omnidirectional control method are presented followed by simulations and experiments for verification of the proposed omnidirectional drive system
Comorbidities in the Context of Care Transitions

The growing number of individuals with comorbidities experiencing care transitions represents a challenge to the current health care system. A qualitative study of empirical literature, using the Dimensional Analysis approach, was conducted to elucidate the theoretical underpinnings of the phenomenon of individuals with comorbidities undergoing care transitions. The findings were arranged in a novel schematic demonstrating that the relationship among individual attributes, comorbidities, and care processes informed the individual's risk for adverse outcomes. This schematic is useful for future nursing research studies evaluating innovative programs implemented to improve health outcomes among vulnerable populations undergoing care transitions.
The Effect of Duloxetine Treatment on Cognition in Patients With Fibromyalgia

Objectives To determine the effect of duloxetine treatment on cognition in patients with fibromyalgia. Methods Cognitive testing was conducted in a subset of adult patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of duloxetine. Patients met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia and had a score of 4 or higher on the Brief Pain Inventory 24-hour average pain severity item. Patients who consented to cognitive testing were randomized to duloxetine (n = 80) or placebo (n = 76). The primary end point was at Week 12. Speed of processing on tasks requiring visual attention, working memory, and executive function was assessed with a Symbol Digit Substitution Test and Trail-Making Test A and B. Episodic memory was tested using the Verbal Learning and Recall Test. The change from baseline to end point (last-observation-carried-forward analysis) was analyzed by an analysis of covariance model, which included baseline, treatment, investigator, and treatment-by-investigator interaction. Results Most of the patients were white (89%) women (92%), ranging in age from 21 to 88 years. Mean scores on the cognitive tests were within 2 SD of published scores for similar-aged participants in the general population, indicating no substantial impairment. Baseline–to–end point changes in cognitive scores did not differ significantly between duloxetine and placebo treatment groups. Conclusions Although scores differed somewhat from norms for age, substantial cognitive impairment was not evident in patients with fibromyalgia as assessed by the Symbol Digit Substitution Test, Trail-Making Test, and Verbal Learning and Recall Test. Overall, duloxetine treatment had neither positive nor negative effects on cognition. Trial Registration Clintrials.gov NCT00673452. Abbreviations SDST = Symbol Digit Substitution Test GAD = generalized anxiety disorder MDD = major depressive disorder SD = standard deviation TMT = Trail-Making Test TEAE = treatment-emergent adverse event VLRT = Verbal Learning and Recall Test WAIS = Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Development of Highly Sensitive Amperometric Biosensor for Glucose Using Carbon Nanosphere/Sodium Alginate Composite Matrix for Enzyme Immobilization

In this study, we developed a highly sensitive amperometric biosensor for glucose detection based on glucose oxidase immobilized in a novel carbon nanosphere (CNS)/sodium alginate (SA) composite matrix. This hybrid material combined the advantages of CNS and natural biopolymer SA. This composite film was characterized by scanning electron microscope, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and UV-vis, which indicated that the hybrid material was suitable for immobilization of glucose oxidase. Various experimental conditions were investigated that influenced the performance of the biosensor, such as pH, applied potential and temperature. Under the optimum conditions, the biosensor showed excellent performance for glucose over a wide linear concentration range from 1.0 × 10^−6 to 4.6 × 10^−3 M with a detection limit of 0.5 μM based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Furthermore, the biosensor exhibited excellent long-term stability and satisfactory reproducibility.
Prevention of urinary incontinence by behavioral modification program: a randomized, controlled trial among older women in the community.

PURPOSE We determined whether a behavioral modification program (BMP) taught to groups of continent older women would decrease the incidence of urinary incontinence, increase pelvic muscle strength and improve voiding control. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a randomized, controlled trial comparing a BMP treatment group to a control, no treatment group in ambulatory, postmenopausal, continent women (0 to 5 days of incontinent episodes in the previous year) 55 years and older who were followed for 12 months. Qualified volunteers from 4 Michigan counties were randomly assigned to a control or a treatment group, consisting of a 2-hour classroom presentation on BMP followed 2 to 4 weeks later with individualized evaluation to test knowledge, adherence and skills in behavioral techniques, and brief reinforcement of the technique as needed. Followup was done by telephone and mail every 3 months except month 12, when all participants underwent final clinical evaluation. Outcome measures were continence status, pelvic floor muscle strength and voiding frequency/intervoid interval. RESULTS A total of 195 control and 164 treated participants completed the study. Baseline data on the 2 groups were not statistically different. At 12 months the treatment group was statistically significantly better than the control group in continence status (p = 0.01), pelvic muscle strength (pressure score p = 0.0003 and displacement score p <0.0001), improved voiding frequency (p <0.0001) and intervoid interval (p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge we report the first randomized, controlled trial of BMP for preventing urinary incontinence in older women. It demonstrated feasibility and efficacy in improving continence status, pelvic muscle strength and voiding control as long as a year after treatment.
H‐SOFT: a heuristic storage space optimisation algorithm for flow table of OpenFlow

OpenFlow has become the key standard and technology for software defined networking, which has been widely adopted in various environments. However, the global deployment of OpenFlow encountered several issues, such as the increasing number of fields and complex structure of flow entries, making the size of flow table in OpenFlow switches explosively grows, which results in hardware implementation difficulty. To this end, this paper presents the modelling on the minimisation for storage space of flow table and proposes a Heuristic Storage space Optimisation algorithm for Flow Table (H‐SOFT) to solve this optimisation problem. The H‐SOFT algorithm degrades the complex and high‐dimensional fields of a flow table into multiple flow tables with simple and low‐dimensional fields based on the coexistence and conflict relationships among fields to release the unused storage space due to blank fields. Extensive simulation experiments demonstrate that the H‐SOFT algorithm can effectively reduce the storage space of flow table. In particular, with frequent updates on flow entries, the storage space compression rate of flow table is stable and can achieve at ~70%. Moreover, in comparison with the optimal solution, the H‐SOFT algorithm can achieve the similar compression rate with much lower execution time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prognostic value of left atrial volume index in hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVi) in the clinical course of hemodialysis (HD) patients, compared with previously established echocardiographic and clinical parameters. METHODS Echocardiograms were obtained from 118 hemodialysis patients, who were then followed for 19 +/- 8 months. Study endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Cox multivariate analysis was used do assess the independent prognostic value of LAVi. RESULTS On univariate analysis, LAVi and other clinical and echocardiographic parameters were predictive of prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that LAVi was an independent predictor of prognosis (hazard ratio 1.03 per ml/m(2), 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.05, p=0.014), and added incremental information to the model containing traditional predictors of cardiovascular risk, such as left ventricular mass, ejection fraction, and clinical variables (p=0.02). CONCLUSION LAVi is an independent predictor of prognosis in HD patients, providing incremental information to traditional clinical and Doppler echocardiographic data.
A randomized, comparative study of lamivudine plus stavudine, with indinavir or nelfinavir, in treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients

ObjectiveTo compare adherence and clinical outcome with two modalities of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), in HIV-infected patients. DesignRandomized, open-label, prospective study. SettingTertiary care centre in Spain. PatientsA total of 112 non-naive HIV-infected patients, recruited from March 1998 through August 1998, were studied. InterventionsTriple drug therapy with stavudine and lamivudine, plus indinavir or nelfinavir. Main outcome measuresAdherence, side-effects, and immunological, virological, and clinical efficacy of treatment were assessed at 3-month intervals. ResultsAfter a median follow-up of 9 months, 32% of patients in the indinavir group versus 50% of those in the nelfinavir group showed adequate adherence in all clinical appointments (P = 0.0559). Adherence was superior in the nelfinavir group in every visit. After 6 months of treatment 48% of subjects in the indinavir group and 70% of those in the nelfinavir group exhibited adequate adherence (P = 0.0311). After 9 months 35% of patients in the indinavir group and 59% of those in the nelfinavir group showed adequate adherence (P = 0.0291). Side-effects provoked discontinuation of treatment in 34% of patients in the indinavir group and 12% of patients in the nelfinavir group (P = 0.0073). Immunological and virological efficacy were similar in both groups. ConclusionsAdherence to a HAART regimen with stavudine plus lamivudine plus nelfinavir was superior to a regimen with stavudine plus lamivudine plus indinavir. Side-effects provoked more discontinuation of treatment in the indinavir group than in the nelfinavir group.
Serine kinase activity of a Bacillus subtilis switch protein is required to transduce environmental stress signals but not to activate its target PP2C phosphatase

The RsbT serine kinase has two known functions in the signal transduction pathway that activates the general stress factor σB of Bacillus subtilis. First, RsbT can phosphorylate and inactivate its specific antagonist protein, RsbS. Second, upon phosphorylation of RsbS, RsbT is released to stimulate RsbU, a PP2C phosphatase, thereby initiating a signalling cascade that ultimately activates σB. Here we describe a mutation that separates these two functions of RsbT. Although the mutant RsbT protein had essentially no kinase activity, it still retained the capacity to stimulate the RsbU phosphatase in vitro and to activate σB when overexpressed in vivo. These results support the hypothesis that phosphatase activation is accomplished via a long‐lived interaction between RsbT and RsbU. In contrast, RsbT kinase activity was found to be integral for the transmission of external stimuli to σB. Thus, one route by which environmental stress signals could enter the σB network is by modulation of the RsbT kinase activity, thereby controlling the magnitude of the partner switch between the RsbS–RsbT complex and the RsbT–RsbU complex.
[Structure-function study on gastric proton pump].

H+, K(+)-ATPase is a proton pump responsible for gastric acid secretion. It actively transport proton and K+ coupled with the hydrolysis of ATP, resulting in the formulation of a 10(6) fold proton gradient across the plasma membrane of parietal cells. The pump belongs to a family of P-type ATPases which include the Na+ pump (Na+, K(+)-ATPase) and the Ca2+ pump (Ca(2+)-ATPase). This review focuses on the structure-function relationship of this proton pump by using functional antibodies, specific inhibitor(s), a fluorescent reagent and site-directed mutants. First we prepared monoclonal antibodies which modified the functions of the H+, K(+)-ATPase . One of the antibodies, HK2032 inhibited the H+, K(+)-ATPase activity and the chloride conductance in gastric vesicles opened by S-S cross-linking, suggesting that the chloride pathway is in the H+, K(+)-ATPase molecule, and that the H+, K(+)-ATPase is a multi-functional molecule. Other antibody, HK4001 inhibited the H+, K(+)-ATPase activity by inhibiting its phosphorylation step. By using this antibody we found an H+, K(+)-ATPase isoform in the rabbit distal colon. Second we found that scopadulcic acid B, a main ingredient of Paraguayan traditional herb, is an inhibitor specific for the H+, K(+)-ATPase. This compound inhibited the H+, K(+)-ATPase activity by stabilizing the K(+)-form of the enzyme. Third we studied the conformational changes of the H+, K(+)-ATPase by observing the fluorescence of FITC-labeled enzyme. H+, K(+)-ATPase did not utilize acetylphosphate instead the ATP as an energy source of active transport, suggesting that the energy transduction system is not common among P-type ATPases. Finally we constructed a functional expression system of the H+, K(+)-ATPase in human kidney cells. By using this functional expression system in combination with site-directed mutagenesis, we studied the significance of amino acid residues in the catalytic centers (a phosphorylation site and an ATP binding site) and the putative cation binding sites. We newly found the sites determining the affinity for cations.