Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a MPB 70-ELISA to differentiate Mycobacterium bovis-from M . avium-sensitized swine 1

Marassi C.D. , Oliveira F.C. S. , Pinheiro S.R. , Azevedo S.S. , Soto F.R. M. , Oelemann W. , Lilenbaum W. & Vasconcellos S.A. 2014. Evaluation of a MPB70-ELISA to differentiate Mycobacterium bovisfrom M. avium-sensitized swine. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 34(11):1069-1072. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua Professor Hernani Mello 101, Lab 309, Niterói, RJ 24210-130, Brazil. E-mail: mipwalt@vm.uff. br Swine are susceptible to different mycobacteria species, being Mycobacterium bovis an agent of tuberculosis, with most significant zoonotic risks, while M. avium determines a granulomatous lymphadenitis with low zoonotic risk. Currently performed intradermal tests present some important limitations, such as the lack of ability to detect anergic animals or to differentiate among mycobacterial species. In order to improve the TB diagnosis, serological assays have been developed, with encouraging results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a MPB70-ELISA in 82 piglets divided into four groups: sensitized by inactivated M. bovis, M. avium, inoculated with oil adjuvant, or with saline solution. The test was able to discriminate between an animal sensitized by M. bovis and animals of the three other groups, including M. avium-sensitized animals; for this reason, we suggest that MPB70-ELISA could be used as a complementary tool for discriminating the agent of the mycobacteriosis, and therefore to diagnose tuberculosis in a swine herd.
[Female urogenital mycoplasma infection and drug sensitivity status in Changsha].

OBJECTIVE To survey mycoplasma infection in female urogenital tract and analyze the drug sensitivity of mycoplasma in Changsha. METHODS Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu) and Mycoplasma hominis (Mh) were detected in 6566 cases of female urogenital tract infection by means of mycoplasma culture and drug sensitivity reagent kit. Sensitivity tests for 10 antibiotics were also performed. RESULTS A total of 2938 cases were mycoplasma-positive (positivity rate of 44.75%), including 2469 Uu-positive cases (37.6%), 52 Mh-positive cases (0.08%) and 417 cases positive for both Uu and Mh (6.35%). Josamycin, doxycycline, clarithromycin and azithromycin were more effective against Uu infection. Josamycin, doxycycline and thiamphenicol were more effective against Mh infection. Mixed infection with Uu and Mh was more resistant to most antibiotics but Josamycin and doxycycline. CONCLUSION The female urogenital mycoplasma infection results mainly from Uu. Compared with simple Uu or Mh infection, mixed infection with Uu and Mh has significantly greater resistance to a wider variety of drugs. Josamycin and doxycycline are the primary choice for female urogenital mycoplasma infection in Changsha.
In vitro acaricidal activity of the oil from Jatropha curcas L . in engorged females of Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus ) microplus

In order to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of the oil from the Jatropha curcas L. fruit in engorged females of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (certified Cayo Coco strain), an immersion test of adult ticks was conducted, based on a completely randomized design and nine treatments: negative control of Tween-80 at 5, 10, 15 and 25 %; positive control with Butox® (Deltametrina) and different concentrations of J. curcas oil: 5, 10, 15 and 25 %. The hatching reduction, estimated reproduction and acaricidal efficacy were determined. Through a variance analysis the efficacy of the treatments was determined and by a Probit analysis, the mean effective concentration (EC50) and maximum effective concentration (EC90). The oil significantly inhibited (p < 0,05) the egg hatching percentage, with values of 9,74; 11,40; 11,95 and 13,75 % for the concentrations of 5, 10, 15 and 25 %, respectively. No significant effects were observed in the egg weight, but they were appreciated in the estimated reproduction (p < 0,05) for the experimental treatments with regards to the negative control. The oil of the J. curcas fruit showed marked efficacy as acaricide in the control of R. (B.) microplus, with values higher than 91 %; the best results were found with the lowest concentration (5 %). The dose-response curve showed an EC50 of 88,90 mg/mL, while the EC90 was 37,22 mg/mL. It is concluded that the J. curcas oil has in vitro acaricidal activity.
BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR ENHANCING SOYBEAN ( Glycine max L . ) PRODUCTION Prácticas de gestión de nutrientes para mejoramiento en la producción de soja ( Glycine max L . )

Soybean (Glycine max L.), is the most important pulse crop in the world. Soybean is a very energy-rich grain legume containing 40 percent protein and 19 percent oil in the seeds. The magnitude of soybean yield losses due to nutrient deficiency also varies among the nutrients. Deficiencies of N, P, Fe, B and S nutrients may cause yield losses up to 10 %, 29-45 %, 22-90 %, 100 % and 16-30 %, respectively, in soybean depending on soil fertility, climate and plant factors. Soil salinity is one of the major limiting factors of soybean production in semiarid regions, and chloride salinity has a more depressive effect on yield than sulphate salinity. The goal of nutrient management is to maximize soybean productivity while minimizing environmental consequences. Balanced and timely nutrient management practices applied for soybean contributes to sustainable growth of yield and quality, influences plant health and reduces environmental risks. Balanced nutrition with mineral fertilizers can assist in integrated pest management to reduce damage from infestations of pests and diseases and save inputs required to control them. Balanced fertilization generates higher profits for the farmers, not necessarily through reduced inputs. The role of education and extension in delivering the upto-date knowledge on nutrient management is crucial, challenging, and continuous.
Acquired immunity and postnatal clinical protection in childhood cerebral malaria

By analysing data on the age distribution of cerebral malaria among sites of different transmission intensities, we conclude that the most plausible explanation for the epidemiological patterns seen is that (i) cerebral malaria is caused by a distinct set of Plasmodium falciparum antigenic types; (ii) these antigenic types or ‘CM strains’are very common and induce strong strain–specific immunity; and (iii) the postnatal period of protection against cerebral malaria is much longer than the period of protection against other forms of severe disease. The alternative hypothesis that cerebral malaria may be caused by any ‘strain’ of P. falciparum is compatible with the data only if a single exposure is sufficient to protect against further episodes. This is not consistent with observations on the history of exposure of patients with cerebral malaria. Finally, it is clear that although the delayed peak in incidence of cerebral malaria (with age) can be generated by assuming that subsequent exposures carry a higher risk of disease, such an explanation is not compatible with the observation that severe disease rates are low among infants and young children in areas of high transmissibility.
Dendritic cells: from the fabric of immunology.

I am so grateful for this year’s Novartis prize in basic immunology. This is a great honour and a deeply appreciated celebration of dendritic cells (DCs). I would like to recall the early days of the field and illustrate how DC biology arose from the methods, findings and concepts of many scientists who were studying DCs as well as other topics in immunology. We all realize that immunology is an interwoven fabric of many distinct and beautiful parts. This framework was critical for discovering DCs and some of their properties. I have spent my life in the northeast of North America and received my education at Sherbrooke High School, McGill University and Harvard Medical School. During my medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1968, I attended a series of lectures on the “new cellular immunology. ” The field was about to take off, armed with the incisive clonal selection theory and new knowledge that distinct B and T lymphocytes were the mediators of two kinds of immunity: humoral and cellular. These lectures made me decide that immunology was for me. It was full of unknowns in physiology that would benefit from cell biological approaches and rich in significance for medicine, in which so many diseases involve the immune system. I managed to gain a postdoctoral position at The
Human variability in hepatic and renal elimination: implications for risk assessment

Hepatic metabolism and renal excretion constitute the main routes of xenobiotic elimination in humans. Improving human risk assessment for threshold contaminants requires the incorporation of quantitative data related to their elimination (toxicokinetics) and potential toxic effects (toxicodynamics). This type of data provides a scientific basis to replace the standard uncertainty factor (UF = 10) allowing for the consideration of human variability in toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics. This review focuses on recent research efforts aiming to incorporate human variability in hepatic and renal elimination (toxicokinetics) into the risk assessment process. A therapeutic drug database was developed to quantify pathway‐related variability in human phase I and phase II hepatic metabolism as well as renal excretion in subgroups of the population (healthy adults, neonates and the elderly), using data on compounds cleared primarily through each route (> 60% dose). For each subgroup of the population and elimination route, pathway‐related UFs were then derived to cover 95–99% of each subgroup. Overall, the default toxicokinetic UFs would not cover neonates, the elderly for most elimination routes and any subgroup of the population for compounds metabolized via polymorphic isozymes (such as CYP2C19 and CYP2D6). These pathway‐related UFs allow the incorporation of in vivo metabolism and toxicokinetic data in the risk assessment process and provide a flexible intermediate option between the default UF and chemical‐specific adjustment factors (CSAFs) derived from physiologically based pharmacokinetic models. Implications of human variability in hepatic metabolism and renal excretion for chemical risk assessment are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cell cycle inhibitors make progress.

thousands of false-positive findings and strain health care resources. Though reluctant to rule out that a protein biomarker could reveal new pancreatic tumors, Goggins questions whether proteins in general are selective enough to avoid diagnostic overlap with other, noncancerous problems. Such proteins include the initial 28 in the M. D. Anderson study, he said, most of which are elevated under multiple settings. Goggins's views on biomarker candidates lean more toward circulating tumor DNA snippets in blood, or circulating tumor cells, which he said could be more specific to pancreatic cancer. However, Firpo maintains that protein-based panels can be continually improved. " Each biomarker is individually a weak classifier, so our goal is to combine them into stronger classifier panels, " he said. " That approach has mathematical validity, and this latest study shows that we're making progress , even though we're not there yet. " According to Taguchi, the next step will be to validate current results and then investigate the panel in prediagnostic blood samples, which will help ensure its predic-tive value. professor and pancreatic cancer specialist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and a program chair at the American Association for Cancer Research conference , agrees that's the right approach. Emphasizing optimism over pessimism is important, he said. " However, we now need to substantiate the panel on retrospective cases, and perhaps also with a new prospective series from the general population or from patients who are at high risk. " Sources for this story all agreed that the panel is not ready for the clinic. Screening high-risk individuals is now performed exclusively with imaging, as described in P albociclib, the first in a new class of drugs to complete phase II testing, doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in women with metastatic estro-gen receptor–positive (ER +) and HER2-negative (HER2 –) breast cancer when given with standard hormone therapy, compared with hormone therapy alone. In the 47-patient randomized study, those taking palbociclib and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole had a median PFS of 20.2 months, compared with 10.2 months for those taking letrozole alone. Women taking the combination lived a mean of 4 months longer (37.5 vs. 33.3 months). But increased survival did not reach statistical significance, said at April's American Association of Cancer Research meeting in San Diego. The Food and Drug Administration designated palbociclib a breakthrough therapy in April 2013. Palbociclib targets two cell cycle enzymes, cyclin-dependent …
Investigation on Mechanochemical Behavior of CaHPO 4 – Ca ( OH ) 2 – Al 2 O 3 System to Produce Hydroxyapatite-based Composite

The mechanochemical behavior of CaHPO4–Ca(OH)2–Al2O3 system to synthesize hydroxyapatitealumina (HAp–Al2O3) composite nanopowders was studied. For this purpose, the structural features of the samples with different amounts of α-Al2O3 (0, 15, 20, 30, and 40 wt%) were investigated after 60 h of milling. Results showed that the crystallinity degree of the composite was influenced strongly by the alumina content. In the absence of alumina, the crystallite size, lattice strain, volume fraction of grain boundary, and the crystallinity degree of HAp were about 24 nm, 0.00086, 11.53 % and 83 %, respectively. In accordance with the TEM images, the synthesized HAp was composed of nanorods with an average size of about 17±8 nm. In addition, the coalescence of nanoparticles caused the agglomeration. In the presence of 15–40 wt% alumina, HAp–Al2O3 composite nanopowders were produced after 60 h of milling. With increasing the alumina content to 40 wt%, the crystallite size and crystallinity degree declined drastically and reached a minimum around 24 nm and 16 %, respectively. According to the obtained data, the lattice parameters of HAp in the composite structures were similar to the standard values. However, the unit cell volume values fluctuated during the milling due to the lattice distortion of HAp.
Involvement of the adc Operon and Manganese Homeostasis in Streptococcus gordonii Biofilm Formation

ABSTRACT Pioneer oral bacteria, including Streptococcus gordonii, initiate the formation of oral biofilms on tooth surfaces, which requires differential expression of genes that recognize unique environmental cues. An S. gordonii::Tn917-lac biofilm-defective mutant was isolated by using an in vitro biofilm formation assay. Subsequent inverse PCR and sequence analyses identified the transposon insertion to be near the 3′ end of an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein homologous to a Streptococcus pneumoniae repressor, AdcR. The S. gordonii adc operon, consisting of the four ORFs adcR, adcC, adcB, and adcA, is homologous to the adc operon of S. pneumoniae, which plays a role in zinc and/or manganese transport and genetic competence in S. pneumoniae. AdcR is a metal-dependent repressor protein containing a putative metal-binding site, AdcC contains a consensus-binding site for ATP, AdcB is a hydrophobic protein with seven hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions, and AdcA is a lipoprotein permease with a putative metal-binding site. The three proteins (AdcC through -A) are similar to those of the binding-lipoprotein-dependent transport system of gram-positive bacteria. Reverse transcriptase PCR confirmed that adcRCBA are cotranscribed as an operon in S. gordonii and that the transposon insertion in S. gordonii adcR::Tn917-lac had resulted in a polar mutation. Expression of adcR, measured by the β-galactosidase activity of the adcR::Tn917-lac mutant, was growth phase dependent and increased when the mutant was grown in media with high levels of manganese (>1 mM) and to a lesser extent in media with zinc, indicating that AdcR may be a regulator at high levels of extracellular manganese. A nonpolar inactivation of adcR generated by allelic replacement resulted in a biofilm- and competence-defective phenotype. The biofilm-defective phenotype observed suggests that AdcR is an active repressor when synthesized and acts at a distant site(s) on the chromosome. Thus, the adc operon is involved in manganese acquisition in S. gordonii and manganese homeostasis and appears to modulate sessile growth in this bacterium.
Shannon Entropy Applied to the Measurement of the Electroencephalographic Effects of Desflurane

BackgroundThe Shannon entropy is a standard measure for the order state of sequences. It quantifies the degree of skew of the distribution of values. Increasing hypnotic drug concentrations increase electroencephalographic amplitude. The probability density function of the amplitude values broadens and flattens, thereby changing from a skew distribution towards equal distribution. We investigated the dose–response relation of the Shannon entropy of the electroencephalographic amplitude values during desflurane monoanesthesia in comparison with previously used electroencephalographic parameters. MethodsElectroencephalographic records previously obtained in 12 female patients during gynecologic laparotomies were reanalyzed. Between opening and closure of the peritoneum, desflurane vapor settings were varied between 0.5 and 1.6 minimum alveolar concentration. Electroencephalographic Shannon entropy, approximate entropy, median electroencephalographic frequency, SEF 95, total power, log total power, and Bispectral Index were determined, and their correlations with the desflurane effect compartment concentration, obtained by simultaneous pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modeling, were compared. ResultsThe electroencephalographic Shannon entropy increased continuously over the observed concentration range of desflurane. The correlation of the Shannon entropy (R2 = 0.84 ± 0.08, mean ± SD) with the desflurane effect compartment concentrations is similar to approximate entropy (R2 = 0.85 ± 0.12), SEF 95 (R2 = 0.85 ± 0.10), and Bispectral Index (R2 = 0.82 ± 0.13) and is more statistically significant than median frequency (R2 = 0.72 ± 0.17), total power (R2 = 0.67 ± 0.18), and log total power (R2 = 0.80 ± 0.09). ConclusionsThe Shannon entropy seems to be a useful electroencephalographic measure of anesthetic drug effect.
Fatigue and regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Underlying mechanisms postulated so far have involved localization of brain lesions and abnormalities of the neuroendocrine system and cytokine regulation. OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between fatigue and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with MS. DESIGN A prospective survey. SETTING Outpatient and inpatient study at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. PATIENTS Thirty-one patients with clinically definite MS, a relapsing-remitting disease course, and without MS-specific treatment. INTERVENTIONS Assessment of fatigue with 3 questionnaires: the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and the Visual Analog Scale. Assessment of HPA axis regulation with the combined dexamethasone-corticotropin releasing hormone (Dex-CRH) test. RESULTS The FSS score was significantly correlated with the MFIS score. Patients with fatigue had significantly elevated adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) levels in the combined Dex-CRH test. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to results for chronic fatigue syndrome, where a hyporeactivity of the HPA axis has been shown, MS patients with fatigue exhibited a higher activity of the HPA axis than those without fatigue, as evidenced by significantly increased ACTH concentrations. Proinflammatory cytokines, known to be elevated in patients with MS, may cause both HPA axis alterations and fatigue.
Modeling a Synchronous Generator with Real-Time Hardware

A model of a synchronous generator including saturation and the oscillation of rotor caused by changes in the applied mechanical power is realized on a real-time hardware. Therefore it is possible to build a closed-loop system consisting of an excitation device as device under test and a simulated synchronous generator as test tool, which offers the opportunity for setting-up, testing and designing excitation devices. The model reads the excitation voltage from the excitation device and calculates in real-time the stator voltages and currents as output values depending on the parameters "applied mechanical power" and "voltage of the supply network".
Nonlinear adaptive power control for DFIG-based wind turbine under unbalanced network conditions

This paper presents a perturbation observer based nonlinear adaptive control for doubly-fed induction generator based wind turbines (DFIG-WTs). Perturbation states are introduced to include system nonlinearities, cross-coupling terms, uncertainties, and external disturbance. Perturbation observers that estimate perturbation states are designed for each subsystem the decoupling of system and the optimal output feedback control can be realized. The proposed controller is developed in stationary αβ reference frame that can be directly adopted in unbalanced operations. The active power oscillation elimination under unbalanced network conditions is achieved via inputting required references into the proposed controller. The tracking performance, robustness against parameter variations, and operation under unbalanced network conditions are investigated in simulation studies.
MAINTAINING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION : AN ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE APPROACH TO FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Customer satisfaction with facilities changes is determined not only by the efficacy of a decision, but also by the communication and management of user expectations during its implementation. In every organisation there are unforeseen changes which bring about upheaval in the form of relocations, refurbishments or service changes. Such changes make it difficult for facilities managers to meet customer expectations. How can facilities managers satisfy the needs of customers when such needs change so frequently? Organisational justice theory advocates that where managers do not have the resources available to meet employee demands, the procedures used to divide what resources are available may be used to sustain satisfaction. Even in the face of mistakes and unsatisfied expectations, individuals will often be ‘won over’ by timely intervention and empathetic treatment. The strengths and weaknesses of different forms of procedural justice such as communication and participative decision making are discussed in the context of a multinational pharmaceutical organisation, and the theoretical background supporting the use of a service culture within facilities management is presented.