gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Antibiotic resistance of faecal Escherichia coli in poultry, poultry farmers and poultry slaughterers (2001)

The percentage of faecal samples containing resistant Echerichia coli and the proportion of resistant faecal E. coli were determined in three poultry populations: broilers and turkeys commonly given antibiotics, and laying hens treated with antibiotics relatively infrequently. Faecal samples of five human populations were also examined: turkey farmers, broiler farmers, laying-hen farmers, broiler slaughterers and turkey slaughterers. The MICs of antibiotics commonly used in poultry medicine were also determined. Ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates from these eight populations and from turkey meat were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) after SmaI digestion. The proportion of samples containing resistant E. coli and the percentages of resistant E. coli were significantly higher in turkeys and broilers than in the laying-hen population. Resistance to nearly all antibiotics in faecal E. coli of turkey and broiler farmers, and of turkey and broiler slaughterers, was higher than in laying-hen farmers. Multiresistant isolates were common in turkey and broiler farmers but absent in laying-hen farmers. The same resistance patterns were found in turkeys, turkey farmers and turkey slaughterers and in broiler, broiler farmers and broiler slaughterers. The PFGE patterns of the isolates from the eight populations were quite heterogeneous, but E. coli with an identical PFGE pattern were isolated at two farms from a turkey and the farmer, and also from a broiler and a broiler farmer from different farms. Moreover, three E. coli isolates from turkey meat were identical to faecal isolates from turkeys. The results of this study strongly indicate that transmission of resistant clones and resistance plasmids of E. coli from poultry to humans commonly occurs.
Innate immune cells, major protagonists of sickle cell disease pathophysiology (2020)

Sickle cell disease (SCD), considered the most common monogenic disease worldwide, is a severe hemoglobin disorder. Although the genetic and molecular bases have long been characterized, the pathophysiology remains incompletely elucidated and therapeutic options are limited. It has been increasingly suggested that innate immune cells, including monocytes, neutrophils, invariant natural killer T cells, platelets and mast cells, have a role in promoting inflammation, adhesion and pain in SCD. Here we provide a thorough review of the involvement of these novel, major protagonists in SCD pathophysiology, highlighting recent evidence for innovative therapeutic perspectives.
Evaluation of Cell-free Fetal DNA as a Second-Trimester Maternal Serum Marker of Down Syndrome Pregnancy (2003)

Abstract Background: Second-trimester cell-free fetal DNA (studied only in pregnancies with male fetuses) is higher in maternal serum samples from women carrying Down syndrome fetuses than in unaffected pregnancies. In this study we evaluated the potential performance of fetal DNA as a screening marker for Down syndrome. Methods: Data on maternal serum fetal DNA concentrations and the corresponding concentrations of the quadruple serum markers were available from 15 Down syndrome cases, each matched for gestational age and length of freezer storage, with 5 control samples. Analyte values were expressed as multiple(s) of the control or population median. Screening performance of fetal DNA, both alone and when added to estimates of quadruple marker performance, was determined after modeling using univariate and multivariate gaussian distribution analysis. Results: The median fetal DNA concentration in Down syndrome cases was 1.7 times higher than in controls. In univariate analysis, fetal DNA gave a 21% detection rate at a 5% false-positive rate. When added to quadruple marker screening, fetal DNA increased the estimated detection rate from 81% to 86% at a 5% false-positive rate. Conclusions: Cell-free fetal DNA, measured in maternal serum, can modestly increase screening performance above what is currently available in the second trimester. If and when maternal serum fetal DNA can be measured in pregnancies with both male and female fetuses, the utility and cost-effectiveness of adding it as a Down syndrome screening marker should be assessed.
Prevention of infantile diarrhoea by fermented milk. (1990)

Combination therapies with existing or novel drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) have great clinical potential to improve MS treatment outcomes. Our previous studies had confirmed that the combined treatment of minocycline and prednisone produced beneficial effects partially through preventing the reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor mRNA expression in the cerebral cortex of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. As high-dose methylprednisolone administered intravenously has more superior efficacy than oral prednisone and had been provided as a stable therapy for MS patients at the onset of an acute relapse, we further evaluated the effects of combined methylprednisolone and minocycline at suboptimal doses on EAE mice at the acute stage in this study. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), the hallmark cytokines that direct Th1 and Th2 development and play an important role in the pathogenesis of MS as well as EAE, were also assayed. Obtained results showed that combined treatment could successfully attenuate severe clinical deficit and suppress histopathological events in EAE. In addition, reduced IFN-γ and increased IL-4 production/expression were found in the splenocytes culture supernatants and brains of EAE mice by the combined treatment. Our data indicate that the combination of methylprednisolone and minocycline may be a promising therapy for MS.
Enterprise visor: A Software-Defined enterprise network resource management engine (2014)

The uptake of services delivered through Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is already very high. SDN provides programmability and automatic network control, and realizes the network virtualization for sharing network resources. In this work, a dynamic resource management scheme, called EnterpriseVisor engine, which is based on the OpenFlow/FlowVisor network virtualization platform, is designed to deploy network resources. The designed EnterpriseVisor engine firstly slices an enterprise network into numerous network slices and then monitors the resource utilization of each slice. In the engine, dynamic resource scheduling of each service slice is carried out by the Linear Programming method. The engine then sends the schedule to the Resource Allocation Policy of the FlowVisor layer for use by the data plane. An OpenFlow testbed is designed to verify the feasibility of the proposed EnterpriseVisor engine. The developed EnterpriseVisor engine has 25.7% and 13.4% higher network utilization than the basic OpenFlow and OpenFlow/Flowvisor platforms, respectively, with only a minor sacrifice of control message latency.
Lipase‐catalyzed synthesis of lesquerolic acid wax and diol esters and their properties (1996)

Abstract Lesquerolic acid was and α,Ω‐diol esters were synthesized via immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase‐(Lipozyme) catalyzed esterification of lesquerolic acid and alcoholysis of lesquerella oil. For each wax ester synthesis, when alcohol substrate was present at a slight (ca. 20%) stoichiometric excess and water content was kept low, over 94% of the hydroxy acyl groups were esterified. The extent of reaction and the ratio of monoester to diester produced for α,Ω‐diol reactions was controlled by the solubility of diol in the medium. This latter quantity increased as alcoholysis proceeded due to the formation of partial glycerides and monoesters, which increased the polarity of the medium. Alcoholysis reactions were significantly slower when the medium diol content was above saturation. As the diol chainlength increased, diol solubilization decreased, the ratio of monoester to diester decreased, and the extent of hydrolysis increased. Alcoholysis reactions involving either fatty alcohols or diols suffered from acyl migration, which lowered the purity of lesquerolic acid esters. Several lesquerolic acid esters, synthesized on a preparative scale and purified via column chromatography, were evaluated for their properties: density, viscosity, and melting point. Potential applications for lesquerolic acid esters are discussed.
Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A case study in detection and remediation (2006)

Detecting and combating plagiarism from Web-based sources is a concern for administrators and instructors involved in online distance education. In this paper, we quantify copy-and-paste plagiarism among adult learners in an online geography course offered through Penn State's World Campus Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program. We also evaluate the effectiveness of an "expectation management" strategy intended to discourage adult learners from unintentional violations. We found that while manual methods detected plagiarism in only about 3 percent of assignments, Turnitin.com revealed a 13 percent plagiarism rate among the same assignments. Our attempts to increase awareness and manage expectations decreased infractions measurably, but not significantly. In contrast, Turnitin.com substantially improved our ability to detect infractions. We conclude that raising awareness and managing expectations about plagiarism may be worthwhile, but is no substitute for systematic detection and vigilant enforcement, even among adult learners.
Formose Reactions. II. The Photochemical Formose Reaction (1977)

Abstract Under UV irradiation in the presence of an inorganic base, aqueous formaldehyde was found to give pentaerythritol and 2-hydroxymethylglycerol as the main products, accompanied by the concomitant formation of a mixture of sugars and sugar alcohols. The results indicate that this photochemical formose reaction is considerably different in product distribution from the thermal formose reaction using the Ca(OH)2 catalyst. The detailed examination of the photochemical formose reaction was carried out in the presence of Na2CO3, and a possible scheme for the formation of pentaerythritol and 2-hydroxymethylglycerol is proposed.
Stratification of radiosensitive brain metastases based on an actionable S100A9/RAGE resistance mechanism (2022)

Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is the treatment backbone for many patients with brain metastasis; however, its efficacy in preventing disease progression and the associated toxicity have questioned the clinical impact of this approach and emphasized the need for alternative treatments. Given the limited therapeutic options available for these patients and the poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the resistance of metastatic lesions to WBRT, we sought to uncover actionable targets and biomarkers that could help to refine patient selection. Through an unbiased analysis of experimental in vivo models of brain metastasis resistant to WBRT, we identified activation of the S100A9-RAGE-NF-κB-JunB pathway in brain metastases as a potential mediator of resistance in this organ. Targeting this pathway genetically or pharmacologically was sufficient to revert the WBRT resistance and increase therapeutic benefits in vivo at lower doses of radiation. In patients with primary melanoma, lung or breast adenocarcinoma developing brain metastasis, endogenous S100A9 levels in brain lesions correlated with clinical response to WBRT and underscored the potential of S100A9 levels in the blood as a noninvasive biomarker. Collectively, we provide a molecular framework to personalize WBRT and improve its efficacy through combination with a radiosensitizer that balances therapeutic benefit and toxicity.
A qualitative study on evolution of relationships between third-party logistics providers and customers into strategic alliances (2014)

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to highlight the stages in the relationship which eventually lead to an integrated logistics alliance. Design/methodology/approach – The stages involved in the evolutionary process have been explained with the help of concepts of mental models and knowledge-related asymmetries. The study has been justified by applying multiple case research design which involves examples of successful logistics alliances. Findings – The analysis using case study approach provides a detailed overview how third-party logistics providers develop successful relationships with different industry firms over a period of time which eventually lead to innovations benefiting both the partners. Research limitations/implications – In the paper, a qualitative case study methodology has been adopted which is limited in nature when compared to quantitative approach. Nevertheless, the multiple cases discussed in the paper involve organizations from diverse sectors thus providing a holistic perspective and adding value to the current strategic alliance literature. Practical implications – The complete understanding of the concepts discussed in this paper will help companies revisit their business strategies and identify areas of improvements in their current engagement practices with third-party logistics providers. Originality/value – Many a time, relationships fail to develop into an alliance and research related to the attributes causing these failures might be limited. In the past, though many papers have talked about strategic alliances between third-party logistics providers and customers, little has been discussed about how such relationships evolve into successful strategic alliances.
<i>Clostridium glycolicum</i> Wound Infections: Case Reports and Review of the Literature (2009)

We describe two cases of Clostridium glycolicum wound infections in immunocompetent adults. The bacterium was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This is the third published report of the recovery of this organism from human clinical material and highlights the importance of the organism as a potential human pathogen. Our report extends the spectrum of the diseases caused by C. glycolicum.
A MUTATION THAT PERMITS THE EXPRESSION OF NORMALLY SILENT COPIES OF MATING-TYPE INFORMATION IN <i>SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE</i> (1979)

Studies of heterothallic and homothallic strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have led to the suggestion that mating-type information is located at three distinct sites on chromosome 3, although only information at the mating-type (MAT) locus is expressed (Hicks, Strathern and Herskowitz, 1977). We have found that the recessive mutation cmt permits expression of the normally silent copies of mating-type information at the HMa and HM alpha loci. In haploid strains carrying HMa and HM alpha, the cmt mutation allows the simultaneous expression of both a and alpha information, leading to a nonmating ("MATa/MAT alpha") phenotype. The effects of cmt can be masked by changing the mating-type information at HMa or HM alpha. For example, a cell of genotype MATa hma HM alpha cmt has an a mating type, while a MAT alpha hma HM alpha cmt strain is nonmating. Expression of mating-type information at the HM loci can correct the mating and sporulation defects of the mata* and mat alpha 10 alleles. Meiotic segregants recovered from cmt/cmt diploids carrying the mat mutations demonstrate that these mutants are not "healed" to normal MAT alleles, as is the case in parallel studies using the homothallism gene HO.--All of the results are consistent with the notion that the HMa and hm alpha alleles both code for alpha information, while HM alpha and hma both code for a information. The cmt mutation demonstrates that these normally silent copies of mating-type and sporulation information can be expressed and that the information at these loci is functionally equivalent to that found at MAT. The cmt mutation does not cause interconversions of mating-type alleles at MAT, and it is not genetically linked to MAT, HMa, HM alpha or HO. In cmt heterozygotes, cmt becomes homozygous at a frequency greater than 1% when the genotype at the MAT locus is mata*/MAT alpha or mat alpha 10/MATa.
Small interfering RNAs based on huntingtin trinucleotide repeats are highly toxic to cancer cells (2018)

Abstract Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansions in the genome cause a number of degenerative diseases. A prominent TNR expansion involves the triplet CAG in the huntingtin (HTT) gene responsible for Huntington’s disease (HD). Pathology is caused by protein and RNA generated from the TNR regions including small siRNA-sized repeat fragments. An inverse correlation between the length of the repeats in HTT and cancer incidence has been reported for HD patients. We now show that siRNAs based on the CAG TNR are toxic to cancer cells by targeting genes that contain long reverse complimentary TNRs in their open reading frames. Of the 60 siRNAs based on the different TNRs, the 6 members in the CAG/CUG family of related TNRs are the most toxic to both human and mouse cancer cells. siCAG/CUG TNR-based siRNAs induce cell death in vitro in all tested cancer cell lines and slow down tumor growth in a preclinical mouse model of ovarian cancer with no signs of toxicity to the mice. We propose to explore TNR-based siRNAs as a novel form of anti-cancer reagents.
Statistical multiplexing of VBR MPEG compressed video on ATM networks (2002)

A variable-bit-rate (VBR) MPEG video compression encoder is introduced, and the performance of a statistically multiplexed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network supporting a number of such VBR video sources is evaluated. Bit-rate characteristics obtained from a detailed simulation are provided for a VBR MPEG encoder for CCIR601 video (operating in the 5-10 Mb/s regime) appropriate for medium-quality multimedia or broadcasting applications. The results presented include bit-rate traces and signal-to-noise-ratio data for typical test sequences, along with summary statistics such as the marginal distribution of frame rate. Data from a study of statistical multiplexing on an ATM network are also given. Simulation results for an ATM statistical multiplexer with N>>1 VBR MPEG sources are presented in terms of key performance measures such as cell loss rate and delay versus throughput. The results confirm that ATM channel efficiencies of approximately 80-90% can be obtained at reasonable cell loss rate and delay levels.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>
Ripening Processes in Avocados Stored in Ethylene Atmosphere in Cold Storage1,2 (1973)

Abstract Continuous ethylene treatment (100 ppm) of avocado fruit stored at 6°C, for 13 days, caused acceleration in respiration rate for the duration of the treatment. At the end of the low temperature treatment and, also, after transfer of the fruit to 20°C, polygalacturonase activity and softening of the fruit were enhanced by ethylene treatment in comparisons with non-treated fruit. Endogenous ethylene production of ethylene-treated fruit was suppressed markedly after transfer to 20°C. Fruit treated 24 hours with ethylene at 6°C at the beginning of the storage period, ripened similarly to untreated control fruits. For avocado we suggest that in cold storage (6°C) the presence of ethylene should be avoided so that the shelf-life period of the fruit will not be reduced.
A phase I/II study of Xcellerated T Cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (2005)

2511 Background: T cells from CLL pts can be activated & expanded ex vivo using the Xcellerate Process, in which peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are incubated with anti-CD3 & anti-CD28 antibody-coated magnetic beads (Xcyte Dynabeads). With this process, anergic T cells from CLL pts can be activated, leading to upregulation of important immune molecules on leukemic B cells & leukemic cell apoptosis (Bonyhadi et al., J. Immunol, in press). Methods: A total of 17 pts with high risk or symptomatic/progressive intermediate-risk disease were divided into 3 cohorts which were treated with increasing Xcellerated T Cell (XTC) doses: 10 x 109(n=3), 30 x 109 (n=3), and 60–100 x 109(n=11). Results: Prior treatments included chemotherapy ± monoclonal antibody treatment (n=10), investigational vaccine (n=3), steroids (n=1), and no prior therapy (n=3). There was one serious adverse event (SAE) of atrial fibrillation, which occured 17 days post-infusion & was unlikely related to treatment. T cell counts increased in a dose dependent manner & increases in neutrophil, platelet, hemoglobin & NK counts were also observed. A ≥ 50% reduction in lymph node area was observed in 12 of 17 evaluable pts (71%), and ≥ 50% decrease in splenic enlargement was observed in 11 of 13 pts with enlarged spleens (85%). Treatment effects were sustained over the 12 week f/u period & observed at all dose levels of XTC administered. Decreases in leukemic cell counts were not observed. 6 pts received a 2nd infusion of XTC (median dose: 77.1 x 109; range: 68.7–96.4 x 109) a median of 10.3 mos (range: 5.8–11.0) following the 1st infusion. The 2nd infusions were well-tolerated, with no SAEs reported. 4 of 5 pts with measurable lymphadenopathy had reductions [median: -38%, range: -67% to +10%], & 2 of 3 pts with splenomegaly had reductions [median: -25%, range: -100% to +33%]. Conclusions: XTC were reproducibly manufactured & were well tolerated. Treatment led to increases in T cell & other blood counts, and significant decreases in lymphadenopathy & splenomegaly. Repeat treatment was well-tolerated, & led to subsequent decreases in lymphadenopathy & splenomegaly. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Consultant or Advisory Role Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Funding Expert Testimony Other Remuneration Xcyte Therapies Xcyte Therapies Xcyte Therapies Xcyte Therapies
Water-soluble boron carbon oxynitride dots with excellent solid-state fluorescence and ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (2020)

Developing metal-free and long lifetime room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials has received tremendous interest due to their numerous potential applications, of which stable triplet-excited state is the core challenge. Here, boron carbon oxynitride (BCNO) dots, emitting stable blue fluorescence and green RTP, are reported for the first time. The obtained BCNO dots exhibit an unexpected ultralong RTP lifetime of 1.57 s, lasting over 8 s to naked eyes. The effective doping of carbon and oxygen elements in boron nitride (BN) actually provides a small energy gap between singlet and triplet states, facilitating the intersystem crossing (ISC) and populating of triplet excitons. The formation of compact cores via crystallization and effective inter-/intra-dot hydrogen bonds further stabilizes the excited triplet states and reduces quenching of RTP by oxygen at room temperature. Based on the water-soluble feature of BCNO dots, a novel advanced security ink is developed toward anti-counterfeiting tag and confidential information encryption. This study extends BCNO dots to rarely exploited phosphorescence fields and also provides a facile strategy to prepare ultralong lifetime metal-free RTP materials.
Recent developments on silicon photomultipliers produced at FBK-irst (2007)

In this contribution, new developments on the silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) fabricated at FBK-irst (Trento, Italy) are reported. With respect to the first series of devices produced in 2005/2006, there have been major improvements on both the the layout and the technology. Concerning the first aspect we fabricated SiPMs with increased fill factor and with different geometries (square/circular devices, arrays and matrices of SiPMs) to meet the requirements of different applications. Concerning the technology, we identified a process technique able to reduce significantly the dark count rate. In this paper we will describe the main electro-optical characteristics of these devices.