Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virginia Doellgast: Disintegrating Democracy at Work: Labor Unions and the Future of Good Jobs in the Service Economy

Determined to figure out whether there is any hope for service-sector workers caught in the downward spiral of deskilling, declining wages, deunionization, outsourcing, and job insecurity, Virginia Doellgast examines a workplace that exemplifies these trends, the call center. Her intensive study of matched pairs of call centers in Germany and the U.S., based on observation, archival documents, and some 300 interviews, shows that the situation is bleak, but not quite as bleak as the title, Disintegrating Democracy at Work, might suggest. She concludes by sketching a way forward, toward a utopian world in which call-center workers are self-managed, highly skilled members of strong unions who enjoy job security and high wages. That system can be self-reinforcing, for it saves training and turnover costs, and by ensuring high-quality service, offers firms competitive advantages. The system can still be found in some German and U.S. telecom call centers.
Homologie en Programmation GénétiqueApplication à la résolution d'un problème inverse. (Homology in Genetic ProgrammingApplication to inverse problem solving)

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Homologie en Programmation GénétiqueApplication à la résolution d’un problème inverse Michael Defoin Platel
A fault detection observer design for LPV systems in finite frequency domain

This paper addresses the fault detection observer design problem for linear parameter-varying systems. Two finite frequency performance indexes are introduced to measure the fault sensitivity and the disturbance robustness. First, the H− index fault sensitivity condition in finite frequency domain is obtained by generalised Kalman–Yakubovich–Popov lemma and new linearisation techniques. Then, with the aid of Kalman–Yakubovich–Popov lemma and projection lemma, the stability and robustness conditions are derived. It turns out that the non-convexity problem which is caused by dealing with the above three conditions can be translated into a bilinear matrix inequality optimisation problem by increasing the dimensions of slack variable matrix. An iterative linear matrix inequality algorithm is proposed to get the solution. The effectiveness of the filter is shown via three numerical examples.
Integrated Dual-Band Radiating Bandpass Filter Using Dual-Mode Circular Cavities

A new technique for the design of integrated dual-band multilayer substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) bandpass filter and microstrip antenna is presented. The design is based on a dual-mode TM110 circular cavity structure, where two orthogonal modes co-exist in a single layer. The first layer has the first resonator for each band, and the second layer has the second radiating resonator. The two layers are coupled via capacitive rectangular irises at the common ground plane. The complete integrated device behaves as two second ordered bandpass filters each of which simultaneously filters and radiates. Simulation and measured results exhibit excellent agreement with the return loss level of 8 dB and gain of 5 dBi at 1.96-1.988 GHz and 2.06-2.09 GHz. This technique has the advantage of miniaturizing the overall structure and eliminates the need of external matching circuits.
Exercise‐induced increase in interstitial bradykinin and adenosine concentrations in skeletal muscle and peritendinous tissue in humans

Bradykinin is known to cause vasodilatation in resistance vessels and may, together with adenosine, be an important regulator of tissue blood flow during exercise. Whether tissue concentrations of bradykinin change with exercise in skeletal muscle and tendon‐related connective tissue has not yet been established. Microdialysis (molecular mass cut‐off 5 kDa) was performed simultaneously in calf muscle and peritendinous Achilles tissue at rest and during 10 min periods of incremental (0.75 W, 2 W, 3.5 W and 4.75 W) dynamic plantar flexion exercise in 10 healthy individuals (mean age 27 years, range 22–33 years). Interstitial bradykinin and adenosine concentrations were determined using an internal reference to determine relative recovery ([2,3,prolyl‐3,4‐3H(N)]‐bradykinin and [2‐3H]‐adenosine). Bradykinin and adenosine recovery were closely related and in the range of 30–50 %. The interstitial concentration of bradykinin rose in response to exercise both in skeletal muscle (from 23.1 ± 4.9 nmol l−1 to 110.5 ± 37.9 nmol l−1; P < 0.05) and in the peritendinous tissue (from 27.7 ± 7.8 nmol l−1 to 105.0 ± 37.9 nmol l−1; P < 0.05). In parallel, the adenosine concentration increased both in muscle (from 0.48 ± 0.07 μmol l−1 to 1.59 ± 0.35 μmol l−1; P < 0.05) and around the tendon (from 0.33 ± 0.03 μmol l−1 to 0.86 ± 0.16 μmol l−1; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the data show that muscular activity increases the interstitial concentrations of bradykinin and adenosine in both skeletal muscle and the connective tissue around its adjacent tendon. These findings support a role for bradykinin and adenosine in exercise‐induced hyperaemia in skeletal muscle and suggest that bradykinin and adenosine are potential regulators of blood flow in peritendinous tissue.
Increased levels of plasma malondialdehyde in Friedreich ataxia.

Friedreich ataxia is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by spinocerebellar degeneration and cardiomyopathy. It is caused by deficiency of frataxin, a highly conserved nuclear-encoded protein localized in mitochondria.1 Most patients (95%) are homozygous for the hyperexpansion of a GAA repeat sequence in the first intron of the frataxin gene, which inhibits transcription; a few are heterozygous for a GAA expansion and a frataxin point mutation.1 Data from yeast suggest that frataxin deficiency results in mitochondrial dysfunction and free radical damage. Yeast cells with a disrupted frataxin homolog gene ( YFH1 ) show a 10-fold accumulation of iron in mitochondria, lose mitochondrial DNA, and become unable to carry out oxidative phosphorylation.2 Iron in mitochondria can amplify the toxicity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leaking from the respiratory chain by producing the free hydroxyl radical (OH•) through Fenton chemistry [Fe(II) + H2O2 → Fe(III) + OH• + OH−]. Occurrence of the Fenton reaction in ΔYFH1 yeast cells is suggested by their enhanced sensitivity to H2O2.2 Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that similar mechanisms are involved in the human disease. First, patients with Friedreich ataxia have iron deposits in the heart …
Prevalence of BRCA1 mutations and responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy among BRCA1 carriers and non-carriers with triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND The frequency of BRCA1 germline mutations among Chinese women with triple-negative breast cancer is unclear, and the association between BRCA1 mutations and the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer has not been determined. PATIENTS AND METHODS Nine hundred and fifty-six triple-negative breast cancer patients were treated at our institute between 2003 and 2012; we tested the BRCA1/2 mutations for 956 patients and 953 patients in this cohort, respectively. Among the 956 patients, 652 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS In this cohort, 7.1% (68/956) and 2.3% (22/953) of patients carried a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, respectively. The BRCA1/2 mutation rates were 10.5% and 3.0% among the patients who were diagnosed at or before the age of 50 in this cohort, respectively. The pCR (pathologic complete response) rate was 31.6% in the 652 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. BRCA1 carriers had a significantly higher pCR rate than non-carriers (BRCA1 carriers versus non-carriers, 53.8% versus 29.7%, P < 0.001). Among women treated with anthracycline with or without taxane regimens, the pCR rate was 57.1% for BRCA1 carriers, 29.0% for non-carriers (P < 0.001); among women treated with taxane regimens, the pCR rate was 40.0% for BRCA1 carriers, 32.9% for non-carriers (P = 0.73). At a median follow-up of 43 months, the recurrence-free survival was similar between BRCA1 carriers and non-carriers among the 947 patients of this study (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.92; 95% confidence interval: 0.45-1.90; P = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS Chinese women with triple-negative breast cancer who are diagnosed at or before age of 50 are candidates for BRCA1 genetic testing. Among triple-negative breast cancer patients, BRCA1 carriers are more likely to respond to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based regimens than are non-carriers.
Substantial elevation of interleukin‐6 concentration in peritendinous tissue, in contrast to muscle, following prolonged exercise in humans

Plasma interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) concentration has been shown to increase with exercise and various cell types and tissues have been suggested to be responsible for this increase. At present no studies have measured the interstitial concentration of IL‐6 in skeletal muscle and connective tissue. The present study represents the first attempt to simultaneously measure IL‐6 in plasma, skeletal muscle and peritendinous connective tissue in response to prolonged exercise. Six healthy well‐trained volunteers completed a 36 km run (flat, 12 km h−1). IL‐6 was measured before, 2 h post‐exercise and 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h post‐exercise in both the medial gastrocnemius muscle (not measured at rest due to risk of disabling the subsequent exercise, and 24 h and 72 h post‐exercise) and the peritendinous tissue around the Achilles tendon using microdialysis catheters with a high molecular mass cut‐off value (3000 kDa). The plasma concentration of IL‐6 was measured simultaneously, and in addition every hour during the exercise, by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The plasma concentration of IL‐6 was found to increase throughout the exercise, reaching peak values immediately after completion of the run (50‐fold increase). Using the microdialysis technique, the interstitial concentration of IL‐6 was found to increase dramatically from 0 ± 0 pg ml−1 to 3618 ± 1239 pg ml−1 in the peritendinous tissue in the hours following the exercise. The pattern of changes was similar in plasma and peritendinous tissue, although approximately 100‐fold higher in the latter. For comparison the interstitial muscle concentration was found to be 465 ± 176 pg ml−1 when measured 2 h post‐exercise and 223 ± 113 pg ml−1 and 198 ± 96 pg ml−1 48 h and 96 h post‐exercise, respectively. The present study demonstrates that the connective tissue around the human Achilles tendon produces significant amounts of IL‐6 in response to prolonged physical activity, which might contribute to the exercise‐induced increase in IL‐6 found in plasma.
ANALISES TOXICOLÓGICAS E A QUESTÃO ÉTICA

RESUMO Os discursos a respeito da problematica de drogas sao carregados de repressao, de intolerância e de ideias pre-concebidas a respeito das substâncias ilicitas, mesmo quando esse discurso se camufla de projetos de prevencao ou ainda, destacando as questoes medicas e de saude. O uso de substâncias psicoativas (SPA) deve ser trabalhado sob o olhar da etica e nao sob o olhar da moral, o que parece nao corresponder a verdade, visto que os projetos, trabalhos de pesquisa e acoes politicas sao muitas vezes apenas fundamentados em conhecimentos tecnicos e arraigados em conceitos e valores morais. Atualmente parece existir uma tendencia equivocada de considerar que os exames de triagem, para detectar usuarios de drogas em escolas ou locais de trabalho, como metodo de prevencao ao uso ilicito de diversas substâncias. Tal pratica e do ponto de vista etico abominavel e desvirtua qualquer possibilidade de prevencao possivel. A analise de drogas de abuso fora do contexto medico-legal e principalmente daquelas ilicitas, em urina ou qualquer outro material biologico para verificacao de uso de SPA pode trazer transtornos de toda especie, que poderao se refletir na formacao desses cidadaos submetidos ao exame. Palavras chaves: Drogas, analise toxicologica, etica
Zebrafish mutants: Behavioral genetic studies of visual system defects

Zebrafish are a promising model for behavioral and genetic studies of vertebrate visual system development and retinal degeneration. In the past few years, numerous studies on zebrafish vision have been published. While most of the studies focus on the molecular and cellular characterization of mutations that disrupt zebrafish visual system structure in early development, others examine the mechanisms that underlie inherited visual system disorders in adults. Behavioral assays, along with morphologic and electrophysiological methods, are powerful tools for functional analyses of zebrafish visual development and performance. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Salicylic Acid: A Likely Endogenous Signal in the Resistance Response of Tobacco to Viral Infection

Some cultivars of tobacco are resistant to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and synthesize pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins upon infection. In a search for the signal or signals that induce resistance or PR genes, it was found that the endogenous salicylic acid levels in resistant, but not susceptible, cultivars increased at least 20-fold in infected leaves and 5-fold in uninfected leaves after TMV inoculation. Induction of PRl genes paralleled the rise in salicylic acid levels. Since earlier work has demonstrated that treatment with exogenous salicylic acid induces PR genes and resistance, these findings suggest that salicylic acid functions as the natural transduction signal.
Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Concord Infections in Europe and the United States in Children Adopted From Ethiopia, 2003–2007

Background: Multidrug-resistant Salmonella serovar Concord infections have been reported from children adopted from Ethiopia. We interviewed patients, characterized the isolates, and gathered information about adoptions from Ethiopia to assess public health implications. Methods: Information about Salmonella Concord cases and adoptions were provided from Austria, Denmark, England (and Wales), Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States. Patients from Denmark and the United States were interviewed to determine the orphanages of origin; orphanages in Ethiopia were visited. Isolates were subtyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial susceptibility; specific antimicrobial resistance genes were characterized. Results: Salmonella Concord was isolated from 78 persons from 2003 to 2007. Adoption status was known for 44 patients ≤3 years of age; 98% were adopted from Ethiopia. The children adopted from Ethiopia were from several orphanages; visited orphanages had poor hygiene and sanitation and frequent use of antimicrobial agents. The number of children adopted from Ethiopia in the participating countries increased 527% from 221 in 2003 to 1385 in 2007. Sixty-four Salmonella Concord isolates yielded 53 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns including 6 patterns with >2 indistinguishable isolates; one isolate from an Ethiopia adoptee. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed on 43 isolates; 81% were multidrug-resistant (≥3 agents). Multidrug-resistant isolates were from Ethiopian adoptees and were resistant to third and fourth generation cephalosporins and 14% had decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Conclusions: Improved hygiene and sanitation and more appropriate use of antimicrobial agents are needed in orphanages in Ethiopia. Culturing of stool specimens of children adopted from Ethiopia and appropriate hygiene may prevent further disease transmission.
Plesiomonas shigelloides Enters Polarized Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells in an In Vitro Model System

ABSTRACT This study provides the first definitive evidence that the gram-negative bacterium Plesiomonas shigelloides adheres to and enters eukaryotic intestinal host cells in vitro. P. shigelloides is increasingly regarded as an emerging enteric pathogen and has been implicated in intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. However, the establishment of its true role in enteric disease has been hindered by inadequacies in experimental design, deficiencies in clinical diagnosis, and the lack of an appropriate animal model. In this investigation, an in vitro system was used to evaluate plesiomonad pathogenesis. Differentiated epithelium-derived Caco-2 cell monolayers inoculated apically with 12 isolates of P. shigelloides from clinical (intestinal) origins were examined at high resolution using transmission electron microscopy. Bacterial cells were observed adhering to intact microvilli and to the plasma membrane on both the apical and the basal surfaces of the monolayer. The bacteria entered the Caco-2 cells and were observed enclosed in single and multiple membrane-bound vacuoles within the host cell cytoplasm. This observation suggests that initial uptake may occur through a phagocytic-like process, as has been documented for many other enteropathogens. P. shigelloidesalso was noted free in the cytosol of Caco-2 cells, suggesting escape from cytoplasmic vacuoles. Differences in invasion phenotypes were revealed, suggesting the possibility that, like Escherichia coli, P. shigelloides comprises different pathogenic phenotypes.
Shear Rate Moderates Community Diversity in Freshwater Biofilms

ABSTRACT The development of freshwater multispecies biofilms at solid-liquid interfaces occurs both in quiescent waters and under conditions of high shear rates. However, the influence of hydrodynamic shear rates on bacterial biofilm diversity is poorly understood. We hypothesized that different shear rates would significantly influence biofilm diversity and alter the relative proportions of coaggregating and autoaggregating community isolates. In order to study this hypothesis, freshwater biofilms were developed at five shear rates (<0.1 to 305 S−1) in a rotating concentric cylinder reactor fed with untreated potable water. Eubacterial diversity was assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and culturing on R2A agar. Fifty morphologically distinct biofilm strains and 16 planktonic strains were isolated by culturing and identified by partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and their relatedness was determined by the construction of a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic and DGGE analyses showed an inverse relationship between shear rate and bacterial diversity. An in vitro aggregation assay was used to assess the relative proportions of coaggregating and autoaggregating species from each biofilm. The highest proportion of autoaggregating bacteria was present at high shear rates (198 to 305 S−1). The intermediate shear rate (122 S−1) selected for the highest proportion of coaggregating bacteria (47%, or 17 of a possible 36 coaggregation interactions). Under static conditions (<0.1 S−1), 41 (33%) of a possible 125 coaggregation interactions were positive. Few coaggregation (3.3%) or autoaggregation (25%) interactions occurred between the 16 planktonic strains. In conclusion, these data show that shear rates affect biofilm diversity as well as the relative proportions of aggregating bacteria.
Successful Treatment of Spine Fracture for Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis with Teriparatide—A Report of Two Cases

We experienced 2 cases of spinal fracture in patients aged 80 years or older with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Since they decided not to undergo surgical treatment, we provided conservative treatment with teriparatide. There has been no previous study on teriparatide for spine fracture in DISH. This is the first report of the successful use of teriparatide to treat spine fracture in DISH without surgical intervention. Our patients were treated with teriparatide for 8 - 9 months after diagnosis of the fracture. Union was obtained in two cases and no adverse events were observed during treatment. Our report showed that teriparatide could be an alternative to conventional intervention in spinal fracture of DISH.
Expression profile of the S100 gene family members in oral squamous cell carcinomas.

BACKGROUND Several of the S100 gene members have been reported to be differentially expressed in many human pathological conditions, in particular, the malignancies. Identification and quantification of the differentially expressed S100 gene members in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) might facilitate their use as potential diagnostic and/or prognostic markers or targets for therapy. METHODS we examined the expression profile of 16 members of the S100 gene family at the mRNA level by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (sRT-PCR) in 27 cases of OSCCs/their pair-wised normal controls obtained from Sudanese patients, and confirmed the sRT-PCR results by performing quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for 6 of the 16 genes examined. RESULTS With sRT-PCR, 4 (25%; S100A4, S100A6, S100A8, S100A14) out of the 16 S100 gene members examined were found to be significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05) in the tumors compared to the normal controls. None of the S100 gene members examined were found to be significantly up-regulated in the tumors. qRT-PCR results confirmed the significant down-regulation of the S100A4, S100A6, and S100A14 genes in the tumors examined. CONCLUSION S100 gene family members might play an important role in the pathogenesis of the OSCCs examined. Findings of the present work warrant in-depth studies of the S100 gene family members, in particular, the S100A4, S100A6, S100A8, and S100A14 to further understand their possible role(s) in OSCC tumorigenesis.
Effect of systemic infections on glycylglycine absorption rate from the human jejunum in vivo

1. Using a double-lumen tube jejunal perfusion system, the rate of glycine absorption from a glycylglycine solution (50 mmol/l) was measured in three groups of Zambian African subjects: in fifteen subjects there was no evidence of an infection (normal group); in eleven there was acute bacterial pneumonia and five had a chronic systemic infection. 2. Differences between the mean absorption rates for the three groups were not significant. 3. Glycine absorption rate has been shown previously to be increased in subjects with acute bacterial pneumonia. The present result provides further evidence that glycine and glycylglycine use separate transfer mechanisms in man, and suggests that dipeptide absorption rate is influenced to a lesser extent than that for free amino acids by systemic stimuli.
Three‐dimensional reconstruction of vesicles in endothelium of blood‐brain barrier versus highly permeable microvessels

In this study the three‐dimensional organization of pinocytotic vesicles in mouse endothelia from permeable (choroid plexus, area postrema, and skeletal muscle) and blood‐brain barrier (bbb) (cerebral gray and white matter) microvessels was examined. Reconstructions of 75 segments of endothelial cells from microvessels were done with very thin (<23 nm) serial sections and tracings. A total of 2,013 vesicles from five tissues were reconstructed for this study. Vesicles were classified as to whether they were attached to other vesicles (fused), connected to golgi or endoplasmic peticulum (tubule‐connected), open to vessel lumen or ablumen (surface‐connected) or isolated in the cytoplasm (free).