Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accumulation of glutamate by Salmonella typhimurium in response to osmotic stress

Salmonella typhimurium accumulates glutamate in response to osmotic stress. Cells in aerobic exponential growth have an intracellular pool of approximately 125 nmol of glutamate mg of protein-1. When cells were grown in minimal medium with 500 mM NaCl, KCl, or sucrose, 290 to 430 nmol of glutamate was found to accumulate. Values were lower when cells were harvested in stationary phase. Cells were grown in conventional medium, harvested, washed, resuspended in the control medium or in medium with osmolytes, and aerated for 1 h. With aeration, glutamate was found to accumulate at levels comparable to those observed in exponential cultures. Antibiotics inhibiting protein synthesis did not affect glutamate accumulation when cells were aerated. Strains with mutations in glutamate synthase (glt) or in glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) accumulated nearly normal levels of glutamate under these conditions. A double (gdh glt) mutant accumulated much less glutamate (63.9 nmol mg of protein-1), but a 1.9-fold excess accumulated when cells were aerated with osmotic stress. Methionine sulfone, an inhibitor of glutamate synthase, did not prevent accumulation of glutamate in cells aerated with osmotic stress. Glutamate dehydrogenase is thought to have minimum activity when ammonium is limiting. Resuspending cells with limiting ammonium reduced glutamate production but did not eliminate accumulation of excess glutamate when cells were osmotically stressed. Amino oxyacetic acid, an inhibitor of transamination reactions, did not prevent accumulation of excess glutamate. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prestack reverse-time migration of acoustic wave equations in VTI media

Based on the first-order acoustic wave equations in vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) media [1], high-order finite-difference schemes for reverse-time extrapolation and the perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition for the equations are derived. Prestack reverse-time depth migration of acoustic wave equations in VTI media using excitation-time imaging condition by maximum amplitude criteria and normalized cross-correlation imaging condition is carried out. Numerical experiments of anisotropic Marmousi model show that prestack reverse-time depth migration of acoustic wave equations in VTI media has good imaging effect on complex models with steep dips and strong lateral velocity variation. Reverse-time migration imaging condition using normalized cross-correlation has better imaging effect. Additionally, the contrast between anisotropic and isotropic reverse-time migration profiles proves that better imaging results can be obtained using anisotropic migration algorithms for P-wave data acquired in anisotropic regions.
Entrepreneurial opportunities and dominant designs in the U.S. broadcasting industry

This paper modifies the product life cycle (PLC) model in order to address how modular design and vertical disintegration emerge and how they provide entrepreneurial opportunities. It uses historical analyses of the broadcasting industry to define these vertically disintegrated layers and the emergence of open design rules that enable vertically disintegrated firms to enter the sector. It uses data on the number of firms and revenues in each layer to show how the emergence of independent modules and vertical disintegration has led to the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities even when other scholars define these modular designs as dominant designs, which is contrary to existing theories used in the entrepreneurial literature.
Qigong as a Therapeutic Intervention With Older Adults

The use of complementary therapies in the United States is growing. One complementary therapy that has received little attention in the nursing literature is Qigong. Qigong is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine and consists of gentle flowing body movements, breathing, and quieting the mind. Qigong facilitates the movement of qi, the vital life energy, throughout the body, thereby enhancing health and healing disease. Preliminary research indicates that Qigong may be an effective complementary therapy for promoting health and wellness in older adults and an effective adjuvant intervention for managing chronic conditions in older adults. This article provides an overview of Qigong, reviews the English-language research literature on the therapeutic effects of Qigong, discusses the implications of Qigong as a complementary therapy for older adults, and suggests directions for further research on the use of Qigong as a therapeutic approach for older adults.
The determinants of Lifespan in the Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans: A Short Primer

Transparent, easily-maintained, amenable to genetic manipulation, and living for only a few weeks, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a leading animal model for the study of the determinants of lifespan. The original genetic screen for increased longevity identified a mutant, age-1, with a defect in one component of a signal transduction pathway. This pathway functioned as a genetic switch and governed the decision whether to enter a specialized larval form, dauer, that enables the worm to withstand the scarcity of food or other stressful conditions. These age-1 worms had an increased tendency to become dauers, but if they did not adopt the dauer developmental pathway, they lived longer than wild type worms. age-1 and other longevity mutants with dauer phenotypes are vigorous, indicating that they do not suffer from a significant energy deficit, and stress resistant. Mutation of genes encoding mitochondrial components was found to be another means of extending the lifespan of the worm, although the associated phenotypes suggest a deficiency of available energy. While there are now many documented genetic manipulations which can extend the worm's lifespan, it has been difficult to come to definite conclusions as to the mechanism (s) by which lifespan is extended. The most carefully studied mutant strains have complex changes in gene expression and metabolism making it difficult to ascertain what changes are critical. The free radical theory of aging is the dominant biochemical theory of aging, and the phenotypes of the well-characterized longevity mutants worm can be accommodated to it. However discrete interventions to lower reactive oxygen species, or mitigate their effects, have not produced consistent easily-interpretable results in terms of lifespan extension. It has become clear that the insulin-dependent signalling mechanism that regulates lifespan in the worm functions in the context of a complex endocrine system and the hormonal control of aging is an emerging focus of research in worms and higher organisms.
Effects of Urinary Catheter Education for Prostatectomy Patients

1 Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for U.S. men (American Cancer Society, 2013). In a 2012 medical review, the American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 238,590 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in the U.S. in 2013. Radical prostatectomy (RP) by retropubic or robotic ap proach is a surgical option used to treat localized prostate cancer. Hospital length of stay (LOS) after RP has decreased. In the University HealthSystem Con sortium Clinical database, the mean LOS between 2003 and the second quarter of 2007 for centers with the highest case volume of RP was 2.09 days (Mitchell et al., 2009). Patients undergoing RP at the study site are routinely dismissed within 1.5 days. After dismissal, their indwelling urinary catheter remains in place for one to three weeks. Thus, these patients need to know how to manage their urinary catheter and drainage bags. Previous research has demonstrated that patients and their significant others often experience catheter-associated anxiety (Burt, Caelli, Moore, & Anderson, 2005; Davison, Moore, MacMillan, Bisaillon, & Wiens, 2004; Moore & Estey, 1999; Vickers-Douglas, Hathaway, Wang, & Judy, 2007). Anecdotal reports from staff nurses at the study site indicate that patients and their significant others who participate in a preoperative education class were less anxious, had fewer questions, and mastered urinary catheter management skills more quickly than patients who did not participate in the class. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of preoperative urinary catheter management education on self-reported anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI] score) among patients undergoing RP. Aims were to also identify patients’ confidence level, frequency of follow-up calls to physicians after hospital dismissal, and nursing time spent in providing postoperative education to determine how the anxiety level impacted these variables.
Ginkgo biloba Use in Nursing Home Elderly with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorder

Summary: Purpose: Ginkgo biloba, among the most widely used herbs, possesses the capacity both to induce and to inhibit seizures. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of ginkgo and other common herb prescribing in a sample of nursing home (NH) elderly diagnosed with epilepsy/seizure (Epi/Sz) disorder and to determine demographic, clinical, and functional factors associated with ginkgo use.
Bone erosions and bone marrow edema as defined by magnetic resonance imaging reflect true bone marrow inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the pathologic nature of features termed "bone erosion" and "bone marrow edema" (also called "osteitis) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS RA patients scheduled for joint replacement surgery (metacarpophalangeal or proximal interphalangeal joints) underwent MRI on the day before surgery. The presence and localization of bone erosions and bone marrow edema as evidenced by MRI (MRI bone erosions and MRI bone marrow edema) were documented in each joint (n=12 joints). After surgery, sequential sections from throughout the whole joint were analyzed histologically for bone marrow changes, and these results were correlated with the MRI findings. RESULTS MRI bone erosion was recorded based on bone marrow inflammation adjacent to a site of cortical bone penetration. Inflammation was recorded based on either invading synovial tissue (pannus), formation of lymphocytic aggregates, or increased vascularity. Fat-rich bone marrow was replaced by inflammatory tissue, increasing water content, which appears as bright signal enhancement on STIR MRI sequences. MRI bone marrow edema was recorded based on the finding of inflammatory infiltrates, which were less dense than those of MRI bone erosions and localized more centrally in the joint. These lesions were either isolated or found in contact with MRI bone erosions. CONCLUSION MRI bone erosions and MRI bone marrow edema are due to the formation of inflammatory infiltrates in the bone marrow of patients with RA. This emphasizes the value of MRI in sensitively detecting inflammatory tissue in the bone marrow and demonstrates that the inflammatory process extends to the bone marrow cavity, which is an additional target structure for antiinflammatory therapy.
Letter to the Editor concerning the article ‘ ‘ Anterior pedicle screw fixation of C 2 : an anatomic analysis of axis morphology and simulated surgical fixation ’ ’ [

We sincerely applaud the work of Zeng-Hui Wu et al. [1] about the size, position and angle of the anterior approach of the C2 pedicle. It is well known that vertebral morphometric studies represent the basis for the planning and execution of spine surgeries, as well as for the design and manufacture of pedicle screws. Knowledge of these morphometric characteristics is important to prevent damage of adjacent structures, particularly the upper portion of the cervical spine. Classic studies of morphometric anatomy of the axis focus on morphometric parameters of relevance for conducting posterior surgical approaches, rather than the morphometric characteristics involved in performing an anterior approach to C2 [2, 3]. However, at present, transpedicular axis fixation is commonly performed via an anterior approach. The authors accurately describe the angular and linear relationships relevant to the placement of pedicle screws through an anterior approach to the axis. The simultaneous use of osteological specimens and CT reconstruction represents a strength of the study. This is important because of the scarcity of quantitative information regarding the morphometric parameters studied in an anterior approach of the axis. However, a strong limitation of the study is the lack of demographic data of age and gender of the specimens involved. Morphometric changes of significance have been documented for age and gender in the vertebral pedicle in other regions of the spine [4, 5], therefore it is logical to think that these can also be found in the cervical region, where no studies including these variables (age and gender) were found. We agree that preoperative determination of morphometric characteristics of the axis by CT reconstruction should be performed in each patient to individualize treatment. Furthermore, it is necessary to conduct similar morphometric studies with a larger sample number, considering age and gender of the specimens involved. It is important to study morphometric characteristics regarding age, gender, and ethnicity in the cervical region. This study provides invaluable information for better development of C2 transpedicular fixation through an anterior approach.
Augusto Cesar Espı́ndola Baffa Storytelling based on audience social interaction

Baffa, Augusto; Feijó, Bruno. Storytelling based on audience social interaction. Rio de Janeiro, 2015. 91p. DSc Thesis – Departamento de Informática, Pontif́ıcia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. To tell a story, the storyteller uses all his/her skills to entertain an audience. This task not only relies on the act of telling a story, but also on the ability to understand reactions of the audience during the telling of the story. It is not so difficult to adapt a story for a single individual based on his/her preferences and previous choices. However, the task of choosing what is best for a group becomes quite complicated. The selection by majority voting cannot be effective because it can discard alternatives that are secondary for some individuals, but that would work better for the group in question. Thus, the careless selection of events in a story could cause audience splitting, causing some people to give up keep watching because they were not pleased. This thesis proposes a new methodology to create tailored stories for an audience based on personality traits and preferences of each individual. As an audience may be composed of individuals with similar or mixed preferences, it is necessary to consider a middle ground solution based on the individual options. In addition, individuals may have some kind of relationship with others who influence their decisions. The proposed model addresses all steps in the quest to please the audience. It infers what the preferences are, computes the scenes reward for all individuals, estimates their choices independently and in group, and allows Interactive Storytelling systems to find the story that maximizes the expected audience reward. The proposed model can easily be extended to other areas that involve users interacting with digital environments.
The anorectic effect of dexamphetamine sulphate.

The popularity of amphetamine, dexamphetamine and their analogues is a striking feature of relatively recent medical practice. In 1959 alone there were five and a half million prescriptions for amphetamine and phenmetrazine in the United Kingdom (Ministry of Health, 1961). Yet, in spite of such widespread use of these drugs, particularly in the treatment of obesity, there is little controlled observation to support the commonly accepted view that they consistently and effectively reduce hunger and appetite.
The ORF YNL274c (GOR1) codes for glyoxylate reductase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The enzyme glyoxylate reductase reversibly reduces glyoxylate to glycolate, or alternatively hydroxypyruvate to D‐glycerate, using either NADPH or NADH as a co‐factor. The enzyme has multiple metabolic roles in different organisms. In this paper we show that GOR1 (ORF YNL274c) encodes a glyoxylate reductase and not a hydroxyisocaproate dehydrogenase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, even though it also has minor activity on α‐ketoisocaproate. In addition, we show that deletion of the glyoxylate reductase‐encoding gene leads to higher biomass concentration after diauxic shift. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DdlN from Vancomycin-Producing Amycolatopsis orientalis C329.2 Is a VanA Homologue withd-Alanyl-d-Lactate Ligase Activity

ABSTRACT Vancomycin-resistant enterococci acquire high-level resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics through the synthesis of peptidoglycan terminating in d-alanyl-d-lactate. A key enzyme in this process is a d-alanyl-d-alanine ligase homologue, VanA or VanB, which preferentially catalyzes the synthesis of the depsipeptide d-alanyl-d-lactate. We report the overexpression, purification, and enzymatic characterization of DdlN, a VanA and VanB homologue encoded by a gene of the vancomycin-producing organism Amycolatopsis orientalisC329.2. Evaluation of kinetic parameters for the synthesis of peptides and depsipeptides revealed a close relationship between VanA and DdlN in that depsipeptide formation was kinetically preferred at physiologic pH; however, the DdlN enzyme demonstrated a narrower substrate specificity and commensurately increased affinity ford-lactate in the C-terminal position over VanA. The results of these functional experiments also reinforce the results of previous studies that demonstrated that glycopeptide resistance enzymes from glycopeptide-producing bacteria are potential sources of resistance enzymes in clinically relevant bacteria.
CALPUFF and CAFOs: Air Pollution Modeling and Environmental Justice Analysis in the North Carolina Hog Industry

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce large amounts of animal waste, which potentially pollutes air, soil and water and affects human health if not appropriately managed. This study uses meteorological and CAFO data and applies an air pollution dispersion model (CALPUFF) to estimate ammonia concentrations at locations downwind of hog CAFOs and to evaluate the disproportionate exposure of children, elderly, whites and minorities to the pollutant. Ammonia is one of the gases emitted by swine CAFOs and could affect human health. Local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis uses census block demographic data to identify hot spots where both ammonia concentrations and the number of exposed vulnerable population are high. We limit our analysis to one watershed in North Carolina and compare environmental justice issues between 2000 and 2010. Our results show that the average ammonia concentrations in hot spots for 2000 and 2010 were 2.5–3-times higher than the average concentration in the entire watershed. The number of people living in the areas where ammonia concentrations exceeded the minimal risk level was 3647 people in 2000 and 3360 people in 2010. We recommend using air pollution dispersion models in future environmental justice studies to assess the impacts of the CAFOs and to address concerns regarding the health and quality of life of vulnerable populations.
Germanium n-Channel Planar FET and FinFET: Gate-Stack and Contact Optimization

We demonstrate Ge enhancement-mode nMOS FinFETs fabricated on 300-mm Si wafers, incorporating an optimized gate-stack (interface trap density D<sub>it</sub> below 2 × 10<sup>11</sup> eV<sup>-1</sup> · cm<sup>-2</sup>), n<sup>+</sup>-doping (active doping concentration Nact exceeding 1 × 10<sup>20</sup> cm<sup>-3</sup>), and metallization (contact resistivity Pc below 2 × 10<sup>-7</sup> Ω · cm<sup>2</sup>) modules. A new circular transmission line Pc extraction model that captures the parasitic metal resistance is proposed. At a supply voltage VDD of 0.5 V, 40-nm-gate-length FinFET devices achieved an ON-performance ION of 50 μA/μm at an OFF-state current IOFF of 100 nA/μm, a subthreshold swing S<sub>sat</sub> of 124 mV/decade, and a peak transconductance g<sub>m</sub> of 310 μS/μm. The same gate-stack and contacts were deployed on planar devices for comparison. Both FinFET and planar devices in this paper achieved the highest reported g<sub>m</sub>/S<sub>sat</sub> at VDD = 0.5 V to date and the shortest gate lengths for Ge nMOS enhancement-mode transistors.
Providing unrestricted VCR functions in multicast video-on-demand servers

Full support for interactive VCR functions can be achieved only by dedicating a channel for each customer. Unfortunately, channel dedication should not be used in a multicast video-on-demand (VoD) system, because it degrades scalability; and hence economical viability, which is usually achieved by multicasting videos. The authors, therefore, propose and evaluate a fully-interactive, yet scalable, on-demand service in multicast VoD systems. In the proposed framework, support for interactive operations is provided by (1) allocating a fraction of the VoD-server's channel capacity to handle interactive operations which would otherwise be blocked, and (2) using partial caching of programs in customers' premise equipment (CPE) to merge customers back in synchronization with broadcast channels. Their evaluation results indicate that batching policies under the proposed framework can make an attractive tradeoff between scalability and customers' QoS.
The effect of wheat flour starch damage on physical characteristics of short pasta

This study was conducted to evaluation of wheat flour starch damage effects on physical characteristics of short pasta. 4 types of commercial pasta samples were used for investigations: control with 12% damaged starch, sample with 15% damaged starch, sample with 20% damaged starch and sample with 25% damaged starch. Experiments were performed in a completely randomized design. The results from physicochemical tests stated that damaged starch contents didn’t have significant effect on dry and wet ash, wet gluten amounts and gluten index and moisture of flours and pasta sample (p>0.05). The overall results showed that increasing damaged starch level in pasta caused an increase in the Solid content in the cooking water and cooking number with a decrease in consumer acceptance (p<0.05). In general, the samples with 15% damaged starch were introduced as the best sample.
Fully differential CMOS-MEMS square-plate oxide resonators with embedded poly-silicon electrodes

A fully differential CMOS-MEMS square-plate oxide (SiO2) resonator with embedded polysilicon (PolySi) electrodes fabricated using a conventional 0.35 μm CMOS process has been demonstrated with Q > 4,000 and motional impedance Rm of 67.3 KΩ at 6.89 MHz. The key to attaining such performance involves leveraging high-Q materials such as SiO2 and PolySi available from the CMOS back-end-of-line stacks. The composite SiO2/PolySi structure also facilitates the electrical routing for a fully differential drive/sense configuration to suppress capacitive feedthroughs. In addition, the combination of large transduction areas and high-Q flexural-plate mode from the square-plate resonator significantly reduces Rm as compared to our previously developed CMOS-MEMS resonators. This technology paves a way toward monolithically integrated CMOS-MEMS oscillators and filters for future single-chip transceivers in wireless communications.