Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Echinocandin Resistance in Candida haemulonii: An Emergent, Widespread, and Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen

Echinocandins, used for the prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infections, have led to a rise in breakthrough infections caused by resistant Candida species. Among these species, those belonging to the Candida haemulonii complex are rare multidrug-resistant (MDR) yeasts that are frequently misidentified but have emerged as significant healthcare-associated pathogens causing invasive infections. The objectives of this study were to investigate the evolutionary pathways of echinocandin resistance in C. haemulonii by identifying mutations in the FKS1 gene and evaluating the impact of resistance on fitness. After subjecting a MDR clinical isolate of C. haemulonii (named Ch4) to direct selection using increasing caspofungin concentrations, we successfully obtained an isolate (designated Ch4′r) that exhibited a high level of resistance, with MIC values exceeding 16 mg/L for all tested echinocandin drugs (caspofungin, micafungin, and anidulafungin). Sequence analysis revealed a specific mutation in the resistant Ch4′r strain, leading to an arginine-histidine amino acid substitution (R1354H), occurring at the G4061A position of the HS2 region of the FKS1 gene. Compared to the wild-type strain, Ch4′r exhibited significantly reduced growth proliferation, biofilm formation capability, and phagocytosis ratio, indicating a decrease in fitness. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed alterations in cell wall components, with a notable increase in cell wall thickness. The resistant strain also exhibited higher amounts (2.5-fold) of chitin, a cell wall-located molecule, compared to the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the resistant strain demonstrated attenuated virulence in the Galleria mellonella larval model. The evolved strain Ch4′r maintained its resistance profile in vivo since the treatment with either caspofungin or micafungin did not improve larval survival or reduce the fungal load. Taken together, our findings suggest that the acquisition of pan-echinocandin resistance occurred rapidly after drug exposure and was associated with a significant fitness cost in C. haemulonii. This is particularly concerning as echinocandins are often the first-line treatment option for MDR Candida species.
Physiological impacts of groundwater and surface water application on desert graminoids of different geographic origin

approved: Ricardo Mata-Gonzalez Desert plant communities are among the most sensitive to changes in soil water conditions. In areas with shallow aquifers, it is important to understand both the effects of groundwater alterations on vegetation and how changes in surface-soil water affect plant water uptake. Studies in arid environments have evaluated the effect of groundwater variation and simulated precipitation on plant production and vegetation condition but it is not clear if plants respond equally to the availability of surface water or groundwater. This study was conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate growth and physiology of three desert graminoids (Distichlis spicata, Leymus triticoides, and Juncus arcticus) as affected by surface water availability (mimicking precipitation) or subsurface water availability (mimicking groundwater). The species of study are amply distributed in wetlands and open rangelands of western USA and were collected from two sources ­ of ecological distribution: an area near Bishop, California, and an area near Burns, Oregon. The Bishop, California area has a characteristic shallow aquifer and plants in this area are considered somewhat dependent on groundwater. The Burns, Oregon, area sustains the same species but in a variety of soil moisture conditions. We had two general hypotheses for this study: 1) that the use of surface water is favored over groundwater and 2) that there are ecotypic differences in the response of the species to water availability. The first hypothesis was partially supported by the results of the study, but variability existed among species. However, when all species had equal access to both surface soil water and groundwater plants tended to preferentially use surface water. The second hypothesis was clearly supported by our results. Although the mechanism is not clear, it is possible that an area with periodic and predictable shallow groundwater underlying a dry or saline soil layer, such as the California site, might favor plant ecotypes with high proficiency in water acquisition by deeper roots. Knowledge of water use characteristics of vegetation is essential to provide management guidelines for areas where plants depend on both surface-soil water and groundwater. This study contributed to that knowledge. Further studies on ecotypic variation and an expansion to different species that inhabit areas with shallow aquifers are recommended. ©Copyright by Mohamed Abdallah ­ May 2, 2013 ­ All Rights Reserved ­ Physiological Impacts of Groundwater and Surface Water Application on Desert ­ Graminoids of Different Geographic Origin ­ by ­ Mohamed Abdallah ­ A THESIS ­ submitted to ­ Oregon State University ­ in partial fulfillment of ­ the requirements for the ­ degree of ­
Il rating tra impresa, banca e territorio

L’attuazione della normativa sull’adeguatezza patrimoniale delle banche (Basilea 2) ha richiesto alle banche di destinare importanti investimenti nello sviluppo e nell’implementazione di sofisticati strumenti a supporto dell’intero processo del credito, dalla valutazione del merito creditizio delle controparti (e, in primis, delle imprese) al pricing fino alla gestione complessa di portafogli e posizioni a rischio. In questo ambito, si inserisce la nascita dei sistemi interni di rating che costituiscono un grande elemento di novita nel campo dell’intermediazione creditizia, ma la cui introduzione, avvenuta nella fase piu acuta di una severa crisi economica, ha prodotto un forte impatto sulla relazione tra banca e impresa. In particolare, le piccole e medie imprese hanno sperimentato l’innovazione del rating contemporaneamente al peggioramento dei risultati economici e al manifestarsi di forti tensioni di liquidita, acuite dalle piu severe condizioni di accesso al credito bancario in parte determinate dall’applicazione dei nuovi sistemi di valutazione del merito creditizio.
Maternal, neonatal, pregnancy outcome characteristics of pregnant women with high plasma cell-free DNA concentration in non-invasive prenatal screening: a retrospective analysis

Objective Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a useful biomarker in various clinical contexts. Herein, we aimed to identify maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes associated with a failed NIPS test due to high cfDNA concentrations. Methods A retrospective study of cases with high plasma cfDNA concentration in pregnant women in which NIPS test was performed (from 174,318 cases). We reported the detection of 126 cases (118 with complete clinical information) in which the high amount of cfDNA did not allow the performance of NIPS and study the possible causes of this result. Results 622 (0.35%) of 174,318 pregnant women had failed the NIPS test, including 126 (20.3%) cases with high plasma cfDNA concentrations. The failed NIPS due to high plasma cfDNA concentrations was associated with maternal diseases and treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Further follow-up of the 118 pregnant women in the case group revealed that the pregnancy outcomes included 31 premature deliveries, 21 abortions. The cfDNA concentrations of pregnant women with preterm deliveries were 1.15 (0.89, 1.84), which differed significantly from those who had full-term deliveries. Conclusions Among pregnant women with high cfDNA concentrations, systemic autoimmune diseases, pregnancy complications and LMWH were associated with increased incidence of failed NIPS test. High maternal cfDNA concentrations may not be associated with chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus. However, they should be alerted to the possibility of preterm births and stillbirths. Further clinical studies on pregnant women with high cfDNA concentrations are required.
STUDY OF CLINICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROFILE IN SPONTANEOUS BACTERIAL PERITONITIS IN KARNATAKA POPULATION

Background: Bacterial Peritonitis is quite common infection, which occurs frequently as Ascites in which patience with cirrhosis of liver having various clinical manifestations. If not diagnosed at the earliest which may prove fatal. Materials and Methods: 50(fifty) patients aged between 35 to 58 years having cirrhosis of liver with ascites were studied. CBC, Urine analysis, Blood sugar, Renal function tests, Liver function test, USG, Chest X-ray, Serological test for hepatitis B & C and Elisa if needed was carried out. Abdominal Paracentesis were performed. Ascetic fluid was aspired examined microbiologically; Bio-chemical study of ascetic fluid for estimation of sugar, Albumin, Protein, AFB, Cytology for malignancy culture & sensitive was done. Patients were classified in C-SBP, MNBA, CNNA to rule out SBP. Result: Out of 50, 11(22%) SBP patients were encountered. CNNA had no growth of any organism while MNBA had staphyloccus aureus and Acinetobacter SPP. C-SBP had Klebeseilla Pneumoniae, E.coli, coagulase Negative Staphylococci. Conclusion: This pragmatic clinical study will be an important tool for physician to treat SBP patients in various clinical settings.
Effects of tour jeeps in a wildland setting on non-motorized recreationist benefits.

Wildland recreation experiences result in many benefits to humans. These benefits are addressed by the Benefits Based Management (BBM) research and management system. BBM makes explicit linkages between the benefits recreationists receive and the quality of recreation experiences. Among the most commonly studied characteristics that influence recreation experience quality are relationships between visitor density and perceptions of crowding. Social norms for crowding vary widely depending on the evaluative dimension used to assess them and are also sensitive to perceived similarity between visitor types. We examined how commercial tour jeep density and color affected non-motorized visitors at a popular wildland recreation site in Arizona, using effect on recreation benefits as the evaluative dimension. We hypothesized that increasing jeep density would negatively affect recreation benefits at a rising rate, and that jeeps painted to match setting vegetation would affect benefits less negatively than jeeps painted a color that contrasted with the setting. A set of nine site-specific, photograph-based images, digitally modified to portray a range of tour jeep densities, and two different jeep colors, was used with a written questionnaire in an on-site visitor survey. Visitors were contacted upon their return to the study site trailhead after recreating in the area. After choosing one of seven possible benefit types as the one they valued most, respondents used Likert-type scales to rate conditions shown in each image for effect on their ability to attain these benefits. Physical fitness and restorative benefits were cited most often as most valued by our sample of 62 mountain bikers and 49 foot travelers, but relationships with nature, spiritual benefits, strengthened social bonds, and achievement benefits were also identified. Physical fitness benefits were valued by both visitor types, but bikers were more likely to cite restorative benefits, while foot travelers were more likely to cite relationships with nature and spiritual benefits as most valued. As density of tour jeeps increased, visitors’ ability to attain benefits decreased. Foot travelers’ benefits were more negatively affected by jeeps than were bikers’. Jeep color had less effect on benefits than jeep density, suggesting that negative effects of jeep tours on non-motorized recreationist benefits would be only slightly mitigated by painting jeeps to match setting vegetation. We recommend a limit of two commercial tour jeeps visible at one time in this setting. A density standard of five jeeps per hour was instituted in lieu of an annual cap on use in the study area.
PRACTICE PARAMETER FOR THE ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS

This revised practice parameter reviews the evidence from research and clinical experience and highlights significant advancements in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders since the previous parameter was published. It highlights the importance of early assessment and intervention, gathering information from various sources, assessment of comorbid disorders, and evaluation of severity and impairment. It presents evidence to support treatment with psychotherapy, medications, and a combination of interventions in a multimodal approach. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2007;46(2):267 Y 283. in Objective: Children who have experienced an accidental injury are at increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder. It is, therefore, essential that strategies are developed to aid in the early identification of children at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology after an accident. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire to predict children at risk of developing distressing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms 1 and 6 months after a traumatic accident. Methods: Participants were 135 children (84 boys and 51 girls; with their parents) who were admitted to the hospital after a variety of accidents, including car-and bike-related accidents, falls, burns, dog attacks, and sporting injuries. The children completed the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire and the Children _ s Impact of Events Scale within 2 weeks of the accident, and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Child Version, was conducted with the parents to assess full and subsyndromal posttraumatic stress disorder in their child 1 and 6 months after the accident. Results: Analyses of the results revealed that the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire correctly identified 82% of children who demonstrated distressing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (9% of sample) 6 months after the accident. The Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire was also able to correctly screen out 74% of children who did not demonstrate such symptoms. Furthermore, the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire outperformed the Children _ s Impact of Events Scale. Conclusions: The Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire is a quick, cost-effective and valid self-report screening instrument that could be incorporated in a hospital setting to aid in the prevention of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder after accidental trauma. Pediatrics 2006;118:1002 Y 1009.
Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

This practice parameter describes the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on the current scientific evidence and clinical consensus of experts in the field. This parameter discusses the clinical evaluation for ADHD, comorbid conditions associated with ADHD, research on the etiology of the disorder, and psychopharmacological and psychosocial interventions for ADHD. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2007;46(7):894Y921.
Response of Periodic Systems to Electromagnetic Fields: Multipole Expansion, Microscopic Charge-Current Density, Polarization and Magnetization

Response of periodic systems to electromagnetic fields: multipole expansion, microscopic charge-current density, polarization and magnetization Sylvia D. Swiecicki Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Physics University of Toronto 2017 Polarization and magnetization fields are central concepts in the theory of light-matter interaction, because they describe the distribution of charges and currents induced in the material medium due to an application of electromagnetic fields. Here I develop strategies to treat polarization and magnetization fields in periodic structures and I analyze the radiation spectrum emitted by them. The methods are based on the multipole expansion of charge-current distributions and on its extensions to account for the motion of charges between lattice sites. In the first part of this thesis I treat the optical response of 2d nanoparticle arrays, with the focus on collective effects that arise due to higher order multipolar response. First, I evaluate the interaction constants that describe the collective radiative interactions between nanoparticles in magneto-electric quadrupolar arrays, in an approach that gives the radiative damping in an exact analytic form. Then I find the radiation spectrum from an array of gold spheres with large electric quadrupolar response. The spectrum is dominated by surface-lattice resonances (SLRs) which are of a mixed multipolar character, with significant contributions from multipoles that would be negligible if the sphere was isolated. I link the SLRs to an excitation of the normal modes of the array, and propose a simplified model of the normal mode dispersion relations to explain the SLR properties. In the second part of this thesis I develop strategies to describe charges and currents and polarization and magnetization fields in regular solids. The formalism is based on gauge-invariant dynamical equations of electron Green functions. I derive and categorize the descriptions of dynamics introduced via Peierls transformation of the Green function. Then I apply the formalism to treat the linear response of an insulator to electromagnetic fields. I find the microscopic charge and current densitites in a form such that their expansion around lattice sites follows in a natural way. Restricting myself to static and uniform fields I introduce microscopic polarization and magnetization fields, and derive all the response coefficients within one formalism that makes no reference to energy or thermodynamic potentials.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PROPOFOL-FENTANYL AND PROPOFOL-FENTANYL WITH LOW DOSE SUCCINYLCHOLINE 0.5MG/KG FOR LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAY INSERTION

Background: Although propofol is known to blunt the laryngeal reflexes often, patient movement, coughing, and gagging occur on insertion. Succinylcholine has been established to enable the insertion of the Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) without any depression of the respiratory centre. This study aimed to compare the success rate of introducing LMA with low-dose succinylcholine and without succinylcholine after propofol induction. Materials and Methods: This is a randomised double-blind controlled trial among a study population of 60 patients scheduled for elective minor surgery under the Department of Anaesthesiology, Govt. Thoothukudi Medical College. Group PF received Inj. Propofol 2mg/kg and Inj. Fentanyl 2mcg/kg, Group SC received Inj. Propofol 2mg/kg, Inj. Fentanyl 2mcg/kg and Inj. Succinyl Choline 0.5mg/kg. Intubation conditions, hemodynamic profile, and side effects were compared between the groups. Result: The age, weight, height, BMI, and ASA status were comparable between the succinylcholine-Propofol-Fentanyl group (Group SC) and Propofol-Fentanyl (Group PF). Group SC had significantly higher Mallampati Class I. The number of intubations, jaw relaxation, overall relaxation, Buck/Cough, lacrimation, and overall intubation score was good with Group SC but significantly insignificant. The Apnoea time among Group SC was significantly higher than Group PF. The Haemodynamic parameters were similar, except for a small pulse rate drop at 30 sec. The incidence of side effects such as myalgia, nausea, headache and sore throat were comparable in both groups. Conclusion: Low-dose succinylcholine (0.5mg/kg) can be combined with Propofol-Fentanyl induction for laryngeal mask airway insertion, with a safe haemodynamic profile, safe side-effect profile and increased apnoea time.
A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF CORRELATION OF ULTRASONOGRAM (USG), FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY (FNAC) WITH POSTOPERATIVE HISTOPATHOLOGY IN DIAGNOSIS OF THYROID LESIONS IN RURAL SOUTH INDIA

Background: Among all endocrine disorders, thyroid diseases are among the most common in the world. Thyroid lesions with obvious symptoms occur in approximately 4-5% of the population. Ultrasonogram (USG) and FNAC are the non-invasive and invasive diagnostic investigations of choice in the work up of these lesions. The goals of this research were to (1) evaluate the agreement between USG and FNAC in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules and (2) investigate the relationship between USG, FNAC, and histopathology in this context. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 71 people who had been diagnosed with nodular thyroid tumors. Following a comprehensive evaluation of each patient's medical history and thyroid function (TFT), ultrasonogram of Neck (USG) and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) were performed. Patients had final surgery, and results from the biopsies were compared to those from the FNAC. Result: Out of 71 patients 11% of the patients were male and 89% were female patients. Out of 71, FNAC revealed Follicular Hyperplasia in 21 patients (30%), Follicular Neoplasia in 33 patients (46%), Papillary Carcinoma in 11 patients (15%) and Thyroiditis in 6 patients (8%). Ten of the 11 malignant FNAC interpretations were confirmed by HPE as Papillary carcinoma, with the remaining case coming back as a hypertrophic nodule. FNAC has a higher sensitivity (98%) and specificity (71.4%) than USG (85%) and is thus highly preferable. Conclusion: USG and FNAC are effective tools in evaluating and diagnosing suspect swellings or nodules in thyroid gland. It has been shown that using many diagnostic methods together is superior than using just one since it allows clinicians to rule out malignancy in a larger percentage of patients without doing unnecessary operations.
Managing the Threat of Denial of Service Attacks in MANETs Prof .

A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is an independent and self-configurable network without any fixed infrastructure. Compared to traditional network, MANETs have unique characteristics such as wireless shared radio medium, limited communication range, highly dynamic topology, power constraints and lack of trusted centralized authority. In addition to ensuring confidentiality and fidelity of acquired data, there is a demand for smooth transmission of information throughout the network. This requires unscathed service and continuous availability of network resources for the full duration of the network’s operation. In contrast to this crucial objective of MANET management, a Denial of Service (DoS) attack targets to jeopardize the efficient use of network resources and disrupts the essential services in the network. Because of the wide range of methods used for creating a denial of service situation in the network, DoS attack could be considered as one of the major threats against MANET security. This paper aims to classify DOS attacks on MANETs, which are primarily performed on network and lower layers. Counter measuring techniques of these DOS attacks are also