Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal Expression Program of Quorum Sensing-Based Transcription Regulation in Sinorhizobium meliloti

ABSTRACT The Sin quorum sensing (QS) system of S. meliloti activates exopolysaccharide and represses flagellum production. The system consists of an N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase, SinI, and at least two LuxR-type regulators, SinR and ExpR. SinR appears to be independent of AHLs for its control of sinI expression, while ExpR is almost completely dependent upon AHLs. In this study, we confirmed 7 previously detected ExpR-DNA binding sites and used the consensus sequence to identify another 26 sites, some of which regulate genes previously not known to be members of the ExpR/AHL regulon. The activities of promoters dependent upon ExpR/AHL were titrated against AHL levels, with varied outcomes in AHL sensitivity. The data suggest a type of temporal expression program whereby the activity of each promoter is subject to a specific range of AHL concentrations. For example, genes responsible for exopolysaccharide production are activated at lower concentrations of AHLs than those required for the repression of genes controlling flagellum production. Several features of ExpR-regulated promoters appear to determine their response to AHLs. The location of the ExpR-binding site with respect to the relevant transcription start within each promoter region determines whether ExpR/AHL activates or represses promoter activity. Furthermore, the strength of the response is dependent upon the concentration of AHLs. We propose that this differential sensitivity to AHLs provides a bacterial colony with a transcription control program that is dynamic and precise.
The ‘late’ reflex responses to muscle stretch: the ‘resonance hypothesis’ versus the ‘long‐loop hypothesis’

1. Experiments were performed to check the validity of previous claims concerning the ‘long‐loop’ aetiology of ‘late’ reflex electromyogram (e.m.g.) responses to muscle stretch in man. The primary aim was to investigate whether observations previously presented in favour of the ‘long‐loop hypothesis’ are explicable also in terms of the ‘resonance hypothesis’, according to which the ‘late’ reflex components represent spinal, short‐latency responses to intramuscular oscillations initiated by the impact.
Disc diffusion-based screening tests for extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Haemophilus influenzae.

OBJECTIVES To establish a suitable screening test for the detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in Haemophilus influenzae. METHODS Double disc diffusion tests using cephalosporin discs adjacent to an amoxicillin/clavulanate 3 microg disc, prediffusion tests, where an amoxicillin/clavulanate 3 microg disc was prediffused before being replaced with a cephalosporin disc, and combination cephalosporin/clavulanate discs were used to screen recombinant H. influenzae expressing cloned ESBLs. Methods initially determined to be suitable were validated by testing a range of clinical strains. RESULTS Enhanced zones around cephalosporin discs due to synergy with an adjacent amoxicillin/clavulanate disc were not reliably demonstrated with the recombinant H. influenzae strains expressing ESBLs. Cefotaxime 5 microg or 30 microg and cefpodoxime 10 microg discs prediffused with an amoxicillin/clavulanate 3 microg disc, and cefotaxime 30 microg/clavulanate 10 microg and cefpodoxime 10 microg/clavulanate 1 microg combination discs all gave zone sizes > or = 5 mm greater than the corresponding plain disc for all recombinant ESBL-producing strains. None of the clinical strains gave enhanced zones. CONCLUSIONS Cefotaxime 5 or 30 microg or cefpodoxime 10 microg discs prediffused with an amoxicillin/clavulanate 3 microg disc, or cefotaxime 30 microg/clavulanate 10 microg and cefpodoxime 10 microg/clavulanate 1 mug combination discs are all suitable for screening H. influenzae isolates for the presence of ESBLs. ESBL-producing strains should show an increase in zone diameter of > or = 5 mm compared with the corresponding plain cephalosporin disc.
An update on postrefractive surgery intraocular pressure determination

Purpose of review Due to alterations in corneal structure and biomechanics, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement after refractive surgery has questionable accuracy. Numerous devices and techniques have been evaluated in the past decade. Whereas some methods clearly underestimate postoperative IOPs, other promising leads have emerged that are less affected by laser ablative procedures. Recent findings It is well established that Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) underestimates IOP after refractive surgery. The discussion on the accuracy of different techniques of IOP measurement after refractive surgery remains ongoing. Evidence suggests that techniques that are less reliant on corneal structure and biomechanics may provide less altered IOPs postoperatively. Therefore, devices such as Dynamic Contour Tonometry and tonopen may have great utility after laser ablative surgery. Summary GAT may not be the best method of measuring IOP after refractive surgery. Other devices may be superior to the GAT in providing more accurate IOP postoperatively. It is imperative that clinicians are aware of the possible inaccuracy of IOP acquisition after refractive surgery, in order to provide optimal monitoring for the development and progression of glaucoma.
Understanding Microwave Generation Produced in Air

In this paper, we observe the interaction of the electromagnetic wave with high-speed electrons arising from the corona and spark discharges in the cavity. With the low level of the high-speed electron in the cavity, the initial frequency set by the cavity is being split mainly into a lower and higher frequency in comparison to the initial frequency. With the high level of the high-speed electron in the cavity, the system yields a good microwave generation in air at the single frequency, even at low voltages. The high level of the high-speed electrons is due to the corona discharges that are producing in situ generated electron beams on the helix, which is made of copper wire that is 1.25 mm in diameter. Two models are presented to account for the waveform of the radiation and its FFT.
Paclitaxel-eluting stents in coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE Clinical information regarding paclitaxel-eluting coronary artery stents is reviewed. SUMMARY Restenosis is a significant complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. Coronary artery stenting has reduced restenosis compared with traditional balloon angioplasty, although restenosis still occurs with bare-metal coronary artery stents. The pathogenesis of in-stent restenosis is believed to involve smooth-muscle-cell proliferation and migration in response to vessel injury. A neointimal layer of extracellular matrix and collagen forms, which may impinge on the vessel lumen. Paclitaxel inhibits vascular smooth-muscle-cell proliferation and reduces neointimal mass. Local delivery of paclitaxel through a coronary stent has been shown to reduce restenosis rates and percent diameter stenosis and to produce other angiographic benefits compared with bare-metal stents. Fewer major adverse coronary events are seen with paclitaxel-eluting stents, predominantly because of a reduction in the need for target-vessel revascularization with minimal impact on rates of mortality and myocardial infarction (MI). The Taxus Express(2) stent, the only approved paclitaxel-eluting stent in the United States, costs about three times as much as a bare-metal stent. Cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to determine if the Taxus stent is cost-effective in clinical practice. CONCLUSION Paclitaxel-eluting stents reduce the rates of restenosis and target-vessel revascularization compared with bare-metal stents and have comparable effects on mortality and MI rates.
Decreased Adenosine 3′: 5′-Monophosphate Response to Isoproterenol in Cystic Fibrosis Leukocytes

Summary: Leukocyte preparations from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients produced markedly less adenosinc 3‘:5’-monophosphate (cAMP) in response to isoprotercnol than normal cells. Both stimulation ratio and net isoproterenol-stimulated accumulation of cAMP were significantly (P < 0.001) lower in mixed leukocyte preparations from 20 CF patients (29 trials) compared to 21 normal subjects (49 trials). There was no significant correlation of results with clinical score, and no differences in the CF group attributable to medications or presence of pancreatic insufficiency. CF heterozygotes had mean stimulation ratio and mean net isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP intermediate between normal and CF. There were no statistically significant differences among normal subjects, CF patients, and CF heterozygotes in basal cAMP or prostaglan-din E1-stimulated cAMP. Purified mononuclcar cells from five normal persons and seven CF homozygotes had the same basal and prostaglandin E1-stimulated cAMP, but isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP was markedly depressed (P < 0.01) in the CF cells. Granulocytes from six normal persons and nine CF patients also had the same basal and prostaglandin Ei-stimulated cAMP, but isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP was decreased (P < 0.05) in the CF samples. These results clearly demonstrate a difference between normal and CF leukocytes in cAMP response to β-adrener-gic stimulation.Speculation: The diminished cAMP response to β-adrenergic stimulation in CF is probably related to the presence of a CF gene, and may interact with other genetic abnormalities to produce the clinical syndrome of CF.
Keyword spotting in handwritten documents based on a generic text line HMM and a SVM verification

In this paper, we propose a novel system for keyword spotting in handwritten documents. Our approach proceeds in two steps: first a generic text line HMM provides a simple and flexible tool to localize the keyword and its character boundaries. In the second step, a SVM based verification system estimates and combines the character probabilities to provide keyword confidence scores which are further combined with the HMM score. The system has been evaluated on a public handwritten document database used for the 2011 ICDAR handwriting recognition competitions and shows that the verification stage improves the performance and outperforms some other state-of-the-art approaches.
Concerted Nitric Oxide Formation and Release from the Simultaneous Reactions of Nitrite with Deoxy- and Oxyhemoglobin*

Recent studies reveal a novel role for hemoglobin as an allosterically regulated nitrite reductase that may mediate nitric oxide (NO)-dependent signaling along the physiological oxygen gradient. Nitrite reacts with deoxyhemoglobin in an allosteric reaction that generates NO and oxidizes deoxyhemoglobin to methemoglobin. NO then reacts at a nearly diffusion-limited rate with deoxyhemoglobin to form iron-nitrosyl-hemoglobin, which to date has been considered a highly stable adduct and, thus, not a source of bioavailable NO. However, under physiological conditions of partial oxygen saturation, nitrite will also react with oxyhemoglobin, and although this complex autocatalytic reaction has been studied for a century, the interaction of the oxy- and deoxy-reactions and the effects on NO disposition have never been explored. We have now characterized the kinetics of hemoglobin oxidation and NO generation at a range of oxygen partial pressures and found that the deoxy-reaction runs in parallel with and partially inhibits the oxy-reaction. In fact, intermediates in the oxy-reaction oxidize the heme iron of ironnitrosyl-hemoglobin, a product of the deoxy-reaction, which releases NO from the iron-nitrosyl. This oxidative denitrosylation is particularly striking during cycles of hemoglobin deoxygenation and oxygenation in the presence of nitrite. These chemistries may contribute to the oxygen-dependent disposition of nitrite in red cells by limiting oxidative inactivation of nitrite by oxyhemoglobin, promoting nitrite reduction to NO by deoxyhemoglobin, and releasing free NO from iron-nitrosyl-hemoglobin.
Cochlear implantation in postlingually hearing-impaired adults: Choosing the most appropriate ear

Choice of the most appropriate ear for CI in postlingually hearing-impaired adults is becoming more relevant as more patients are considered eligible for intervention. The aim of this study is to review factors that influence this choice and to formulate a flowchart. An extensive Medline search was performed. Factors can be divided into surgical, audiological, and patient factors. Surgical factors are anatomic variation and otological medical history. Both are divided in absolute and relative contraindications. Duration of deafness and residual hearing are combined in the audiological factor. Likeliness of improvement of speech perception after CI at different durations of deafness is estimated. This is followed by comparison of between-ear differences in duration of deafness. If there is a large difference, above the presented 5% interval, the ear with the shortest duration is preferred. This review and its flowchart are an aid for decision making in the choice of ear for CI. Being as representative of current knowledge as possible, future refinements may occur as new insights are gained.
Brivanib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who were intolerant to sorafenib or for whom sorafenib failed: results from the randomized phase III BRISK-PS study.

PURPOSE Brivanib is a selective dual inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptors implicated in tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An unmet medical need persists for patients with HCC whose tumors do not respond to sorafenib or who cannot tolerate it. This multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial assessed brivanib in patients with HCC who had been treated with sorafenib. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 395 patients with advanced HCC who progressed on/after or were intolerant to sorafenib were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive brivanib 800 mg orally once per day plus best supportive care (BSC) or placebo plus BSC. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included time to progression (TTP), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate based on modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) and safety. RESULTS Median OS was 9.4 months for brivanib and 8.2 months for placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95.8% CI, 0.69 to 1.15; P = .3307). Adjusting treatment effect for baseline prognostic factors yielded an OS HR of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.63 to 1.04; P = .1044). Exploratory analyses showed a median time to progression of 4.2 months for brivanib and 2.7 months for placebo (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.76; P < .001), and an mRECIST ORR of 10% for brivanib and 2% for placebo (odds ratio, 5.72). Study discontinuation due to treatment-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 61 brivanib patients (23%) and nine placebo patients (7%). The most frequent treatment-related grade 3 to 4 AEs for brivanib included hypertension (17%), fatigue (13%), hyponatremia (11%), and decreased appetite (10%). CONCLUSION In patients with HCC who had been treated with sorafenib, brivanib did not significantly improve OS. The observed benefit in the secondary outcomes of TTP and ORR warrants further investigation.
Epidemiology of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Soccer

We did a retrospective study of all anterior cruciate ligament injuries (972) verified by arthroscopic evalu ation at hospitals in the Hordaland region of Norway from 1982 to 1991. Our final study group comprised 176 patients who had participated in organized soccer and answered a questionnaire. The overall incidence rate was 0.063 injuries per 1000 game hours. Men incurred 75.6% (133) of the injuries. Women had an incidence rate of 0.10 injuries per 1000 game hours, significantly higher than that for men (0.057). The inci dence rate was higher (0.41) for men in the top three divisions. Most of the injuries (124) occurred during games. Contact injuries from tackling was the injury mechanism in 46.0% of the cases. Players on the offensive team incurred 122 (69.3%) of the injuries. Reconstructive surgery was performed on 131 (74.4%) of the injured players and was found necessary for return to a high level of play. Half of the players (87) returned to soccer; men at high levels of play had the highest return rate (88.9%), and men over age 34 had the poorest return rate (22.9%). Nearly one-third of the injured athletes gave up soccer because of poor knee function or fear of new injury.
Environmental control of diatom community size structure varies across aquatic ecosystems

Changes in the size structure of photoautotrophs influence food web structure and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon. Decreases in the median size of diatoms within communities, in concert with climate warming and water column stratification, have been observed over the Cenozoic in the ocean and over the last 50 years in Lake Tahoe. Decreases in the proportion of larger plankton are frequently observed in response to reduced concentrations of limiting nutrients in marine systems and large stratified lakes. By contrast, we show a decrease in the median size of planktonic diatoms in response to higher nutrient concentrations in a set of intermediate-sized alkaline lakes. Climate-induced increases in the frequency, duration and strength of water column stratification may select smaller planktonic species in the ocean and larger lakes owing to a reduction in nutrient availability and sinking rates, while light limitation, stimulated by nutrient eutrophication and high chlorophyll concentrations, may select smaller species within a community owing to their high light absorption efficiencies and lower sinking rates. The relative importance of different physiological and ecological rates and processes on the size structure of communities varies in different aquatic systems owing to varying combinations of abiotic and biotic constraints.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Genotypic and Pharmacokinetic Determinants of the Virological Response to Lopinavir-Ritonavir-Containing Therapy in Protease Inhibitor-Experienced Patients

ABSTRACT The response to regimens including lopinavir-ritonavir (LPV/r) in patients who have received multiple protease (PR) inhibitors (PI) can be analyzed in terms of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genotypic and pharmacokinetic (pK) determinants. We studied these factors and the evolution of HIV-1 resistance in response to LPV/r in a prospective study of patients receiving LPV/r under a temporary authorization in Bordeaux, France. HIV-1 PR and reverse transcriptase sequences were determined at baseline LPV/r for all the patients and at month 3 (M3) and M6 in the absence of response to treatment. pK measurements were determined at M1 and M3. Virological failure (VF) was defined as a plasma viral load ≥400 copies/ml at M3. A multivariate analysis of the predictors of VF, including clinical and biological characteristics and the treatment history of the patients, was performed. The PR gene sequence at M0, including individual mutations or a previously defined LPV mutation score (D. J. Kempf, J. D. Isaacson, M. S. King, S. C. Brun, Y. Xu, K. Real, B. M. Bernstein, A. J. Japour, E. Sun, and R. A. Rode, J. Virol. 75:7262-7269, 2001), and the individual exposure to LPV were also included covariates. Sixty-eight patients were enrolled. Thirty-four percent had a virological response at M3. An LPV mutation score of >5 mutations, the presence of the PR I54V mutation at baseline, a high number of previous PIs, prior therapy with ritonavir or indinavir, absence of coprescription of efavirenz, and a lower exposure to LPV or lower LPV trough concentrations were independently associated with VF on LPV/r. Additional PI resistance mutations, including primary mutation I50V, could be selected in patients failing on LPV/r. Genotypic and pK parameters should be used to optimize the virological response to LPV/r in PI-experienced patients and to avoid further viral evolution.
Mitogen‐activated protein kinase inhibition reveals differences in signalling pathways activated by neurotrophin‐3 and other growth‐stimulating conditions of adult mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons

PD98059 blocks mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) by inhibiting its activator, MAP kinase kinase (MEK). We have previously found that PD98059 only transiently inhibits spontaneous axonal outgrowth from adult mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) explants, whereas it causes sustained inhibition of nerve growth factor (NGF)‐stimulated growth. Surprisingly, the present results showed that outgrowth stimulation by neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3), interacting with another neuronal subgroup, was markedly enhanced by PD98059 and also by U0126, another inhibitor of MAPK activation. In contrast, the effects of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which stimulates still another subgroup of DRG neurons, was opposed by PD98059. Axonal outgrowth in vitro can also be strongly increased by a prior axotomy in vivo. The increased outgrowth in preaxotomized explants was effectively inhibited by the presence of PD98059. Immunocytochemistry based on whole‐mount labelling revealed the presence of neuronal MAPK, which was found to be activated by NGF, NT‐3, and GDNF in separate axonal populations and by a prior axotomy in a majority of growing axons. The results suggest that there are important differences in the NGF and NT‐3 signalling pathways, which may involve positive and negative control mechanisms by MAPK activation, respectively. Other findings indicate that GDNF exerts its growth effects by activation of MAPK and that expression of the conditioning effect in vitro in preaxotomized preparations also requires activation of MAPK. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Educación emocional y convivencia en el aula

Este libro se basa en el complejo mundo que interconecta las emociones con el clima y el aprendizaje en el aula, basandose en dos pilares: clarificacion y precision conceptual y aplicacion en la tarea docente. En este sentido, una vez trabajados los conceptos, se exponen las lineas de investigacion y los nuevos planes que contemplan su implementacion tanto en el trabajo con personas como en la organizacion del centro, intentando cubrir las necesidades que puedan surgir en las etapas de educacion obligatoria y mostrando uno de estos planes como ejemplo practico. La obra analiza los afectos, las emociones y los sentimientos; el procesamiento afectivo; y el modo en el que estan presentes las relaciones en el aula para poner en practica actuaciones de educacion emocional en los centros y favorecer la convivencia.
Industrial development of silicon hetero-junction back contact solar cells

Silicon hetero-junction (SHJ) with the a-Si:H/c-Si structure is one of the candidates for high efficiency solar cells. Despite SHJ solar cells show more than 22% efficiency, SHJ solar cells are limited by optical losses on the front surface. To overcome these limitations, silicon hetero-junction back contact (HBC) solar cells are suggested. HBC solar cells combined the advantages of silicon hetero-junction (SHJ) and Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) solar cells. In this study, HBC solar cell structures were designed by simulation methods and optimized fabrication processes for industrial application. Dimensions of back contact patterns were design by TCAD ATLAS software. Based on simulation results, p-type and n-type back contact patterns were fabricated.