Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gram-negative bacteremia in open-heart-surgery patients traced to probable tap-water contamination of pressure-monitoring equipment.

OBJECTIVE To determine the cause(s) of an outbreak of gram-negative bacteremia (GNB) in open-heart-surgery (OHS) patients at hospital A. DESIGN Case-control and cohort studies and an environmental survey. RESULTS Nine patients developed GNB with Enterobacter cloacae (6), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3), Serratia marcescens (2), or Klebsiella oxytoca (1) following OHS; five of nine patients had polymicrobial bacteremia. When the GNB patients were compared with randomly selected OHS patients, having had the first procedure of the day (8 of 9 versus 12 of 27, P = .02), longer cardiopulmonary bypass (median, 122 versus 83 minutes, P = .01) or cross-clamp times (median, 75 versus 42 minutes, P = .008), intraoperative dopamine infusion (9 of 9 versus 15 of 27, P = .01), or exposure to scrub nurse 6 (6 of 9 versus 4 of 27, P = .001) were identified as risk factors. When stratified by length of the procedure, only being the first procedure of the day and exposure to scrub nurse 6 remained significant. First procedures used pressure-monitoring equipment that was assembled before surgery and left open and uncovered overnight in the operating room, whereas other procedures used pressure-monitoring equipment assembled immediately before the procedure. At night, operating rooms were cleaned by maintenance personnel who used a disinfectant-water solution sprayed through a hose connected to an automatic diluting system. Observation of the use of this hose documented that this solution could have contacted and entered uncovered pressure-monitoring equipment left in the operating room. Water samples from the hose revealed no disinfectant, but grew P aeruginosa. The outbreak was terminated by setting up pressure-monitoring equipment immediately before the procedure and discontinuing use of the hose-disinfectant system. CONCLUSIONS This outbreak most likely resulted from contamination of uncovered preassembled pressure-monitoring equipment by water from a malfunctioning spray disinfectant device. Pressure-monitoring equipment should be assembled immediately before use and protected from possible environmental contamination.
Study of LH response to GnRH in the young male as a criterion of genetic merit for female reproduction in sheep.

A high and a low response line in sheep were selected on the basis of the mean concentration of LH in 10-week-old Finn-Dorset ram lambs after an i.v. injection of 5 micrograms GnRH. After 8 male generations the mean LH response of the high line was more than 5-fold that of the low line and the heritability of the selected trait was estimated at 0.44 +/- 0.015. Highly significant line differences in mean LH response to GnRH were also found in males at 20 weeks of age and females at 10 and 20 weeks of age and the genetic correlations between the four LH response traits appear to be close to unity. Large line differences in the mean FSH response to GnRH were also found in both males and females at 10 and 20 weeks of age. Selection had little effect on the physical characteristics of lambs. High-response line ewes entering their first breeding season at about 7 months of age showed oestrus earlier in the season and had higher ovulation rates and numbers of lambs born per ewe lambing than did low-response line ewes. In the second breeding season, at about 19 months of age, the only line difference was a higher ovulation rate early in the breeding season in high-line ewes. It is suggested that these changes may be mediated by a more rapid response in high-line ewes to increased GnRH stimulation at puberty or at the beginning of the breeding season.
Hipertensión pulmonar e hipoxemia grave en recién nacidos

Severe hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension in newborns Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) through direct pulmonary vasodilator action and without sistemyc effects, is the gold standard treatment for pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (HTPP). This work was designed with the aim of evaluating the response to this treatment in 16 newborn patients in an intensive care unit, by changes in oxygen saturation (SO2), medium airway pressure (MAP) and inspirited fraction of O2 (FiO2). Two groups were anaylized: 1) under iNO treatment during the first 72 hs of life, where the most frequent diagnosis was meconium aspiration syndrome and 2) newborns with severe respiratory failure (n = 3), refractary to treatment, in which iNO was begun alter 14 days of life. Among patients of group 1 it was evident an increase in SO2 after the first 6 hs of treatment with iNO. The decrease FiO2 and MAP occurred later. The mortality rate was 23% (2/13) in this group. In group 2 the SO2 increased, leading to a decrease in ventilatory support in the first 72 hours of treatment in one case. iNO doses were lesser than 20 ppm in 8/13 patients, there were neither platelet impairment, nor bleeding or metahemoglobinemia. There was no rebound effect after finishing iNO therapy from minimum doses (2 ppm). In this unit the inclusion of iNO treatment in HTPP or respiratory failure was associated with improvement in SO2 and a decrease in ventilatory support, without adverse effects resulting in a benefit over the globally support therapy. (Key words: Hypertension, pulmonary, nitric oxide, anoxemia, infant, newborn). Arch Pediatr Urug 2007; 78(4): 270-280
Crystal structure of 15-(2-chlorophenyl)-6b-hydroxy-17-methyl-6b,7,16,17-tetrahydro-7,14a-methanonaphtho[1′,8′:1,2,3]pyrrolo[3′,2′:8,8a]azuleno[5,6-b]quinolin-14(15H)-one

In the title compound, C34H25ClN2O2, the fused pyrrolidine ring adopts an envelope conformation with the N atom as the flap. The two adjacent cyclopentane rings also adopt envelope conformations. The mean plane of the pyrrolidine ring makes dihedral angles of 40.53 (10) and 80.23 (10)° with the mean planes of the cyclopentane rings. The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the cyclopentane rings is 46.71 (9)°. An intramolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond is observed. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H⋯O, C—H⋯N and C—H⋯π interactions, forming a layer parallel to (10-2).
Life in the Future Versus Life in the Present

Roemer and Orsillo have provided an integrative perspective for developing more effective therapies for generalized anxiety disorder, based on existing knowledge about the disorder, cognitive behavioral approaches to its treatment, and conceptualizations and treatment methods from the acceptance/mindfulness tradition. The present commentary expands upon the notion of the adaptive value of focused attention on present-moment experience and cognitive perspectives that can facilitate that process.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Genotype and Acute Pancreatitis in Turkey

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Genotype and Acute Pancreatitis in Turkey The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is the key enzyme which activates RAS. The ACE intron 16 insertion/ deletion (I/D) polymorphism is associated with ACE activity and is considered to be a risk factor for several inflammatory processes. We investigated this polymorphism in 68 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and 157 healthy Turkish control subjects. Patients were evaluated with ultrasonography, abdominal tomography and laboratory markers and grouped by status for diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), and both these diseases and by etiology. Genotyping of the I/D polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The DD genotype was more prevalent in healthy controls, however, genotype II was significantly more frequent in AP patients (p <0.05). In severe AP patients, the genotype II frequency was significantly higher than in controls (p <0.05). Acute pancreatitis patients with both DM and HT had lower frequencies of genotype DD and of the D allele, and higher frequencies of genotype II and of the I allele than patients with either DM or HT (p <0.05).
Influenza and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity

Despite the availability of yearly vaccinations, influenza continues to cause seasonal, and pandemic rises in illness and death. An error prone replication mechanism results in antigenic drift and viral escape from immune pressure, and recombination results in antigenic shift that can rapidly move through populations that lack immunity to newly emergent strains. The development of a “universal” vaccine is a high priority and many strategies have been proposed, but our current understanding of influenza immunity is incomplete making the development of better influenza vaccines challenging. Influenza immunity has traditionally been measured by neutralization of virions and hemagglutination inhibition, but in recent years there has been a growing appreciation of other responses that can contribute to protection such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) that can kill influenza-infected cells. ADCC has been shown to provide cross-strain protection and to assist in viral clearance, making it an attractive target for “universal” vaccine designs. Here we provide a brief overview of the current state of influenza research that leverages “the other end of the antibody. ”
Visualizing Ecosystems of Hype

The emergence of new technologies is relentless. While there are many studies that have examined the transformative value, impact, and adoption, our understanding of the underlying ecosystem that shapes the emergence of these new technologies is surprisingly limited. Motivated by the call for pursuing contemporary information systems (IS) research that captures market realities and provides practical relevance, this study uses a data-driven visualization approach to map the ecosystem structure of emerging technologies. We use text mining to identify and extract relevant companies associated with 34 emerging technologies from publicly available data sources (business and technology news, press releases, industry briefings, analyst reports, and blogs) and then apply graph visualization techniques to reveal the corresponding ecosystem structure. We frame our analysis and discussion of these ecosystems in terms of the emerging technology’s maturity stage and time to mainstream adoption. We illustrate our approach using visualizations of nine emerging technologies. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications and offer directions for future data-driven emerging technology ecosystem research.
MicroRNAs and cancer therapy: The next wave or here to stay?

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by degrading and/or suppressing the translation of target mRNA by Watson-Crick base pairing in the 3-'UTR of mRNA. The recent explosion of information about the biochemistry and action of microRNAs has implicated these regulatory molecules in many unexpected biologic processes, ranging from development and homeostasis to diseases such as cancer. In general, microRNAs are down regulated or deleted in cancer while a few are upregulated. However, some microRNAs suppress oncogenesis or metastasis, while others are involved in promoting tumorigenesis. All these developments make microRNAs attractive diagnostic markers as well as therapeutic targets. Here we will briefly review the opportunities and potential limitations of using microRNAs in cancer therapeutics.
Using Neural Network to Detect Dominat Points in Chain-Coded Contours

A novel approach for dominant point detection in chain-coded contours is presented. Classical operations, such as computing a measurement of the curvature from the (x,y) co-ordinates of the contour points, finding curvature maxima, etc., are substituted by a neural network that traverses the contour, and gives a measurement of the relevance of every point. Further and straight-forward processing of the network output provides the dominant points. Two translations of the Freeman chain-code are presented, that easily provide the network input from the chain link values. Results with real and test images are presented that show the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. The simulation of the neural computations on a sequential machine makes the execution time of this algorithm of the same order as that of existing algorithms, but the cost can be significantly reduced by executing these computations on a neural-oriented hardware.
Detection and Estimation of the Invisible Units Using Utility Data Based on Random Matrix Theory

Invisible units refer mainly to small-scale units that are not monitored, and thus are invisible to utilities and system operators, e.g., small-scale distributed units like unauthorized roof-top photovoltaics (PVs), and plug-and-play units like electric vehicles (EVs). Massive integration of invisible units into power systems could significantly affect the way in which the distribution grid is planned and operated. This paper, based on random matrix theory (RMT), proposes a data-driven approach for the detection, identification, and estimation of the existing invisible units only using easily accessible utility data. The concatenated matrices and linear eigenvalue statistic (LES) indicators are suggested as the main ingredients of this solution. Furthermore, the hypothesis testing is formulated for anomaly detection according to the statistical characteristic of LES indicators. The proposed approach is promising for anomaly detection in a complex grid--it is able to detect invisible power usage, fraud behavior and even to locate the suspect's location. The case studies, using both simulated data and actual data, validate the proposed method.
Chemotherapy and Surgery in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer Bulky Disease

Thirty-six patients with stage III-IV ovarian cancer, bulky disease, were treated with adriamycin and cyclophosphamide administered in two different dosages. Three or four cycles of chemotherapy were administered before the first surgery to facilitate the surgical debulking. After surgery, 6 additional cycles of chemotherapy were administered, and a second look was performed. Clinical CR+PR was observed in 19/30 (63%) evaluable patients after the first part of chemotherapy, but pathologic CR+PR was confirmed in only 13 (43%) patients. After the second part of chemotherapy and the second surgery, 5/30 (17%) patients had pathologic CR and 3/30 (10%) showed residual disease. The two regimens demonstrated similar activity (67% vs 56% clinical CR+PR) but a very different toxicity. In fact, 50% of patients treated with higher doses showed severe leukopenia and 25% severe thrombocytopenia, and 2/13 died of sepsis. The significant activity of adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide in ovarian cancer was confirmed, and increasing the dosage of the two drugs did not increase their activity but only their toxicity.
Title : LjCYC genes constitute floral dorsoventral asymmetry in Lotus japonicus 1 Running title : LjCYC genes control dorsoventral asymmetry

31 Previous study shows that LjCYC2, a CYC-like TCP gene in the model legume, Lotus 32 japonicus, involves in dorsal petal development, which together with the other two 33 homologous genes, LjCYC1 and LjCYC3, belongs to an LjCYC gene cluster. In this 34 report, we modified the transformation system in Lotus japonicus, and constructed 35 different RNAi transgenes to target different LjCYC genes. The expression of three 36 endogenous LjCYC genes was specifically suppressed by different specific RNAi 37 transgenes respectively and a chimerical RNAi transgene that contains the specific 38 sequences from LjCYC1 and LjCYC2 respectively was found to down regulate the 39 expression of both endogenous genes simultaneously. Effects of silencing three 40 LjCYC genes were mainly restricted on either dorsal or lateral petals, respectively, 41 demonstrating their dorsalizing and lateralizing activities during the development of 42 zygomorphic flower. Furthermore, abolishing expression of three LjCYC genes could 43 give rise to complete loss of dorsoventral (DV) differentiation in the flower whose 44 petals were all resembled the ventral one in the wild type and displayed intact organ 45 internal (IN) asymmetry. Our data demonstrate that during zygomorphic flower 46 development, the DV asymmetry is constituted by the LjCYC genes, while the floral 47 organ IN asymmetry should be determined by other genetic factors independently. 48 49
The qualitative nature of the primary immune response to HIV infection is a prognosticator of disease progression independent of the initial level of plasma viremia.

Following infection of the host with a virus, the delicate balance between virus replication/spread and the immune response to the virus determines the outcome of infection, i.e., persistence versus elimination of the virus. It is unclear, however, what relative roles immunologic and virologic factors play during primary viral infection in determining the subsequent clinical outcome. By studying a cohort of subjects with primary HIV infection, it has been demonstrated that qualitative differences in the primary immune response to HIV, but not quantitative differences in the initial levels of viremia are associated with different clinical outcomes.
Consumer dominant value creation: a theoretical response to the recent call for a consumer dominant logic for marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the ontological and semantic foundations of consumer-dominant value creation to clarify the extent to which the call for a distinct consumer-dominant logic (CDL) is justified. This paper discusses consumer-driven value creation (value-in-use) across three different marketing logics: product-dominant logic (PDL), service-dominant logic (SDL) and CDL. PDL conceptualises value as created by firms and delivered to consumers through products. SDL frames consumer value as a function of direct provider-consumer interaction, or consumer-driven chains of action indirectly facilitated by the provider. Recently, the research focus has been turning to consumer-dominant value creation. While there is agreement on the significance of this phenomenon, there is disagreement over whether consumer-dominant value creation is an extension of SDL or calls for a distinct CDL. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper, which is informed by five case.
Scalable voice over internet protocol service-level agreement guarantees in converged transmission control protocol/ internet protocol networks

Increasing complexity of the recent introduced quality of service (QoS) provisioning tools in packet-switched networks becomes a major obstacle for Internet service providers to practically deploy and manage these mechanisms to guarantee a range of transparent real-time service-level agreements. The authors revisit the existing Internet protocol (IP) QoS approaches and present a cost-effective solution to provide voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service guarantees in converged IP networks by combining open shortest-path first traffic engineering with new insights for the configuration of standard active queue management random early detection mechanism. Extensive simulation studies are carried out, and the service quality is explicitly quantified using international telecommunication union E-model for a range of scenarios representing different types of network uncertainties. The direct representation of VoIP service quality well demonstrate that such a simple, coordinated approach, in keeping with the Internet paradigm, can achieve increased load for a given quality level and greater resilience under degraded network conditions.
Role of Protein Kinase C α in Nerve Growth Factor‐Induced Arachidonic Acid Release from PC12 Cells

Abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) increases arachidonic acid (AA) release by PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. To explore the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in this action of NGF, PKC was down‐regulated by long‐term treatment of the cells with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA). Such prolonged exposure to PMA (1 µM) resulted in the inhibition of NGF‐induced AA release. Moreover, pretreatment of PC12 cells with the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine or with calphostin C, a specific inhibitor of PKC, also blocks the increase of AA release induced by NGF. These data, as well as that PMA alone can induce AA release in PC12 cells, suggest that PKC is necessary for NGF‐induced AA release. Immunoblot analysis of whole cell lysates by using antibodies against various PKC isoforms revealed that our PC12 cells contained PKCs α, δ, ε, and ζ. PMA down‐regulation depleted PKCs α, δ, and ε, and partially depleted ζ. To see which isoform was involved in NGF‐induced AA release, an isoform‐specific PKC inhibitor was used. GO 6976, a compound that inhibits PKCs α and β specifically, blocked NGF‐induced AA release. In addition, thymeleatoxin, a specific activator of PKCs α, β, and γ, induced AA release from PC12 cells in amounts comparable with those seen with NGF. Taken together, these data suggest that PKC α plays a role in NGF‐induced AA release.
Host-jumping, demographic stochasticity and extinction: lytic viruses

Question: We envision a lytic virus invading a novel-host population, when rarity of productive infections suggests a role for demographic stochasticity. We ask how functionally constrained viral trait combinations that reduce the chance of extinction (promoting invasion) might differ from traits increasing the expected growth rate of the viral population. Mathematical methods: To focus on random variation in viral reproduction (burst size), we develop a branching process and derive the probability generating function for the number of new infections per infection. The generating function permits comparison of the extinction probability and mean growth rate for any viral life history. Then we turn to random variation in viral generation length, which sums time spent as a free virion with time reproducing within a host. We simulate this process to compare extinction frequency and mean growth rate for different combinations of viral traits. Key assumptions: We assume infections are rare as invasion of the novel host begins, and neglect density dependence. We emphasize pleiotropic constraints, functional dependencies between viral traits governing quantity and quality of viral reproduction, and survival of free virions. Conclusions: When pleiotropic interaction affects the burst-size distribution, with generation time fixed, extinction-resistant phenotypes increase offspring quantity, at the expense of either increased error during replication or reduced survival outside of a host, compared with growthrate maximizing phenotypes. When pleiotropic interaction affects the random waiting time until lysis, extinction-resistant phenotypes delay lysis to gain either increased survival outside of hosts or larger bursts, at the expense of slower reproduction within hosts, compared with growth-rate maximizing phenotypes.