Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monoclonal antibodies against seven sites on the head and tail of Dictyostelium myosin

Ten monoclonal antibodies (My1-10) against Dictyostelium discoideum myosin were prepared and characterized. Nine bound to the 210-kD heavy chain and one (My8) bound to the 18-kD light chain. They defined six topographically distinct antigenic sites of the heavy chain. Five binding sites (the My1, My5, My10 site, and the My2, My3, My4, and My9 sites) are located on the rod portion of the myosin molecule. The position of the sixth site (the My6 and My7 site) is less certain, but it appears to be near the junction of the globular heads and the rod. Three of the antibodies (My2, My3, and My6) bound to myosin filaments in solution and could be sedimented in stoichiometric amounts with the filamentous myosin. In contrast, My4, which recognized a site on the rod, inhibited the polymerization of monomeric myosin into filaments. A single antibody (My6) affected the actin-activated ATPase of myosin. The nature of the effect depended on the valency of the antibody and the myosin. Bivalent IgG and F(ab')2 fragments of My6 inhibited the actin-activated ATPase of filamentous myosin by 50% whereas univalent Fab' fragments increased the activity by 50%. The actin-activated ATPase activity of the soluble chymotryptic fragment of myosin was increased 80-90% by both F(ab')2 and Fab' of My6.
The accuracy and diagnostic yield of computerized tomography guided stereotactic biopsy in brain lesions.

OBJECTIVES Radiological imaging techniques provide early detection of neurological diseases but they do not always provide an adequate and reliable diagnosis. With the help of stereotactic biopsy techniques, it is possible to access brain lesions safely and with high precision. We described the surgical method used in our clinic and discussed our results with the help of the current literature. METHODS Ninety-four patients underwent computerized tomography-guided stereotactic brain biopsy in our clinic. Anatomical locations, diagnostic yield and accuracy of the procedure, morbidity and mortality rates were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 100 stereotactic surgery procedures were performed on 94 patients. The localizations of the lesions were 13.83% frontal, 21.27% temporal, 27.66% parietal, 4.25% occipital, 4.25% multiple, 27.66% deep seated and 1.06% suprasellar. The histopathological diagnoses were 61.71% neuro-epithelial tumors, 8.51% metastases and 10.64% infectious lesions. Diagnostic yield was 86.16% and the accuracy was 90% in our series. CONCLUSION Computerized tomography-guided stereotactic brain biopsy is a reliable and safe method. Main diagnostic problems in SBB are tissue heterogeneity, insufficient material and sampling error. These problems can be minimized by careful correlation of clinical, radiological and histopathological findings by an experienced team and by using modern technologies.
Evaluation of Aromatherapy in Treating Postoperative Pain: Pilot Study

Abstract: This study compared the analgesic efficacy of postoperative lavender oil aromatherapy in 50 patients undergoing breast biopsy surgery. Twenty‐five patients received supplemental oxygen through a face mask with two drops of 2% lavender oil postoperatively. The remainder of the patients received supplemental oxygen through a face mask with no lavender oil. Outcome variables included pain scores (a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10) at 5, 30, and 60 minutes postoperatively, narcotic requirements in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), patient satisfaction with pain control, as well as time to discharge from the PACU. There were no significant differences in narcotic requirements and recovery room discharge times between the two groups. Postoperative lavender oil aromatherapy did not significantly affect pain scores. However, patients in the lavender group reported a higher satisfaction rate with pain control than patients in the control group (P = 0.0001).
Characterization of angiotensin peptides in plasma of anephric man.

Recent evidence suggests that a considerable proportion of plasma angiotensin is generated not in blood but in peripheral tissues. Through the measurement of angiotensin peptides and renin in the plasma of 11 anephric subjects, we have investigated whether kidney-derived renin, or some other tissue mechanism for angiotensin generation, is the major determinant of plasma angiotensin. Particular care was taken to prevent inadvertent activation of inactive renin and possible generation, conversion and metabolism of angiotensin peptides during processing of blood samples. Initial experiments revealed that plasma from anephric subjects contains high amounts of material which interferes in radioimmunoassays for angiotensin, even after high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Therefore, in order to obtain an unambiguous identification of angiotensin peptides, a dual HPLC method was developed in which angiotensin peptides were first separated by HPLC, then acetylated and run again on HPLC before radioimmunoassay for angiotensin I and II (detection limits, 0.25 and 0.2 fmol/ml, respectively). The levels of angiotensin I and II were 1.2 +/- 1.6 and 0.7 +/- 0.5 fmol/ml (mean +/- s.d., n = 9-10), respectively, being 6% of levels in normal subjects, and were consistent with the active renin levels (1.8 +/- 1.7 muIU/ml, n = 11) which were 7% of levels in normal subjects. Artefactual activation of prorenin and angiotensin generation during sample processing were excluded as significant causes of the low levels of active renin and angiotensin I and II in anephric plasma. These data indicate that kidney-derived renin is the major determinant of angiotensin levels in normal human plasma. However, the present demonstration of low levels of active renin and angiotensin I and II in plasma of anephric subjects provides unequivocal evidence for a functional extrarenal renin-angiotensin system in man.
Knowledge Content and Worker Participation in Environmental Management at Nummi

This paper looks at, within the context of lean production, "how" and "in what ways" employees participate in environmental improvements. The paper uses data from an automobile plant well known for its participative work structures, New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI), to look more closely at the dynamics of worker participation in environmental management (i.e. management of pollution and waste). Findings show that while workers possess important contextual knowledge, the importance of process, intra-organizational and external knowledge make the role of specialist staff (both internal and external to the environmental function) critically important for environmental improvements. Additionally, environmental improvements often required a combination of more than one knowledge type. The paper discusses how the culture and management structure at NUMMI and other lean plants encourage this combination. Implications for environmental management, lean production, and future research on worker participation are discussed. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2003.
An Electrochemical NO2 Sensor Based on Ionic Liquid: Influence of the Morphology of the Polymer Electrolyte on Sensor Sensitivity

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the effect of ionic liquid in solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) and its layer morphology on the characteristics of an electrochemical amperometric nitrogen dioxide sensor. Five different ionic liquids were immobilized into a solid polymer electrolyte and key sensor parameters (sensitivity, response/recovery times, hysteresis and limit of detection) were characterized. The study revealed that the sensor based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][N(Tf)2]) showed the best sensitivity, fast response/recovery times, and low sensor response hysteresis. The working electrode, deposited from water-based carbon nanotube ink, was prepared by aerosol-jet printing technology. It was observed that the thermal treatment and crystallinity of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in the solid polymer electrolyte influenced the sensitivity. Picture analysis of the morphology of the SPE layer based on [EMIM][N(Tf)2] ionic liquid treated under different conditions suggests that the sensor sensitivity strongly depends on the fractal dimension of PVDF spherical objects in SPE. Their deformation, e.g., due to crowding, leads to a decrease in sensor sensitivity.
Supplementary information for Structure of the European Upper Mantle revealed by adjoint tomography

The main tectonic features in our study region are indicated in Fig. S1. We use 190 earthquakes for the iterative structure inversion (Fig. S2a). Most of the earthquakes are shallow (< 30 km), occurred from 1996 to 2011 (Fig. S3), and are evenly distributed along the North Atlantic Ridge and the Mediterranean-Himalayan belt. Initial source parameters (e.g., centroid time, location, etc.) are collected from the Global Centroid-Moment-Tensor (CMT) website (www.globalcmt.org). All source parameters are reinverted in the 3D global starting model using 3D Green’s functions calculated based on a spectral-element method (SEM) [1, 2, 3, 4]. To obtain good azimuthal coverage, seismic waveforms recorded by
Pengaruh Pembiayaan ARRUM Pegadaian Syariah Terhadap Pendapatan UMKM Nasabah dan Pendapatan Pegadaian Syariah (Studi Pada PT. Pegadaian (Persero) Cabang Pegadaian Syariah Landungsari Kota Malang)

P e nelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pembiayaan ARRUM Pegadaian Syariah terhadap pendapatan UMKM nasabah dan pendapatan Pegadaian Syariah. Penelitian ini dilakukan kepada nasabah pembiayaan ARRUM Pegadaian Syariah dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 30 responden dan data sekunder yang diperoleh dari PT. Pegadaian (Persero) Cabang Pegadaian Syariah Landungsari selama 29 bulan terakhir. Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan wawancara kuesioner. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah regresi linier sederhana. Variabel bebas dalam penelitian ini adalah pembiayaan ARRUM. Sedangkan variabel terikatnya adalah pendapatan UMKM nasabah dan pendapatan Pegadaian Syariah. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa variabel pembiayaan ARRUM (X) berpengaruh signifikan terhadap pendapatan UMKM nasabah (Y 1 ) dan berpengaruh signifikan terhadap pendapatan Pegadaian Syariah (Y 2 ) . Kata kunci : Pembiayaan ARRUM, pendapatan UMKM nasabah, pendapatan Pegadaian Syariah
Epidemiology and Outcome of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in Surgical Intensive Care Units in Northern Taiwan

AbstractSevere sepsis remains the leading cause of mortality in the critically ill. Local epidemiological studies on sepsis are of paramount importance to increase our knowledge about sepsis features and to improve patient care and prognosis.Adult patients (≥20 years) admitted to the surgical intensive care units with severe sepsis or septic shock from 2009 to 2010 were retrospectively retrieved and analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was 28-day mortality.Of 7795 admissions, 536 (6.9%) patients had severe sepsis. The most common sites of infection were the respiratory tract (38%) and abdomen (33%). Gram-negative bacteria, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.6%) and Escherichia coli (6.0%), were the major infecting micro-organisms, responsible for approximately two-thirds of the severe sepsis episodes. The overall 28-day mortality rate was 61%, and a higher sequential organ failure assessment score and the use of mechanical ventilation were independently associated with a worse outcome.Admissions with severe sepsis are not uncommon and are associated with substantial 28-day mortality in surgical intensive care units in northern Taiwan. Establishment and optimization of each institutional sepsis care standard to improve the outcome of sepsis are warranted.
Nano alterations of membrane structure on both γ-irradiated and stored human erythrocytes

Abstract Purpose: Storage and ionizing radiation of human red blood cells (RBC) produce alterations on RBC membranes and modify their normal shape and functionality. We investigated early morphological and biochemical changes in RBC due to those stressing agents at the nanoscale level and their impact on blood quality. Materials and methods: Whole blood samples from healthy donors were γ-irradiated with 15, 25, 35, and 50 Gy. Non-irradiated and non-stored RBC were used as control samples. Irradiated blood samples were stored separately at 4 °C and analyzed immediately and after 5 and 13 d. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), osmotic fragility and Raman spectroscopy were used to detect morphological and biochemical changes. Results: RBC function is challenged by both irradiation and storage. The storage procedure caused nanometric variations over the surface of RBC membrane for both irradiated and non-irradiated cells. The membrane of RBC became more fragile, while the biochemical fingerprint of hemoglobin (Hb) remained unaltered. Conclusions: Our work shows that the irradiation procedure leads to an increase in the number and size of nanovesicles along with the dose. The functionality of RBC can be affected from changes in the roughness, becoming more fragile and susceptible to breakage.
Cystic Echinococcosis in the Province of Álava, North Spain: The Monetary Burden of a Disease No Longer under Surveillance

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic in Spain but has been considered non-endemic in the province of Álava, Northern Spain, since 1997. However, Álava is surrounded by autonomous regions with some of the highest CE prevalence proportions in the nation, casting doubts about the current classification. The purpose of this study is to estimate the frequency of CE in humans and animals and to use this data to determine the societal cost incurred due to CE in the Álava population in 2005. We have identified epidemiological and clinical data from surveillance and hospital records, prevalence data in intermediate (sheep and cattle) host species from abattoir records, and economical data from national and regional official institutions. Direct costs (diagnosis, treatment, medical care in humans and condemnation of offal in livestock species) and indirect costs (productivity losses in humans and reduction in growth, fecundity and milk production in livestock) were modelled using the Latin hypercube method under five different scenarios reflecting different assumptions regarding the prevalence of asymptomatic cases and associated productivity losses in humans. A total of 13 human CE cases were reported in 2005. The median total cost (95% credible interval) of CE in humans and animals in Álava in 2005 was estimated to range between €61,864 (95%CI%: €47,304–€76,590) and €360,466 (95%CI: €76,424–€752,469), with human-associated losses ranging from 57% to 93% of the total losses, depending on the scenario used. Our data provide evidence that CE is still very well present in Álava and incurs important cost to the province every year. We expect this information to prove valuable for public health agencies and policy-makers, as it seems advisable to reinstate appropriate surveillance and monitoring systems and to implement effective control measures that avoid the spread and recrudescence of the disease.
Caspase Inhibition Protects against Reovirus-Induced Myocardial Injury In Vitro and In Vivo

ABSTRACT Viral myocarditis is a disease with a high morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of this disease remains poorly characterized, with components of both direct virus-mediated and secondary inflammatory and immune responses contributing to disease. Apoptosis has increasingly been viewed as an important mechanism of myocardial injury in noninfectious models of cardiac disease, including ischemia and failure. Using a reovirus murine model of viral myocarditis, we characterized and targeted apoptosis as a key mechanism of virus-associated myocardial injury in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated caspase-3 activation, in conjunction with terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling and annexin binding, in cardiac myocytes after myocarditic viral infection in vitro. We also demonstrated a tight temporal and geographical correlation between caspase-3 activation, histologic injury, and viral load in cardiac tissue after myocarditic viral infection in vivo. Two pharmacologic agents that broadly inhibit caspase activity, Q-VD-OPH and Z-VAD(OMe)-FMK, effectively inhibited virus-induced cellular death in vitro. The inhibition of caspase activity in vivo by the use of pharmacologic agents as well as genetic manipulation reduced virus-induced myocardial injury by 40 to 60% and dramatically improved survival in infected caspase-3-deficient animals. This study indicates that apoptosis plays a critical role in mediating cardiac injury in the setting of viral myocarditis and is the first demonstration that caspase inhibition may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for this devastating disease.
New approaches for reconstructing phylogenies from gene order data

We report on new techniques we have developed for reconstructing phylogenies on whole genomes. Our mathematical techniques include new polynomial-time methods for bounding the inversion length of a candidate tree and new polynomial-time methods for estimating genomic distances which greatly improve the accuracy of neighbor-joining analyses. We demonstrate the power of these techniques through an extensive performance study based on simulating genome evolution under a wide range of model conditions. Combining these new tools with standard approaches (fast reconstruction with neighbor-joining, exploration of all possible refinements of strict consensus trees, etc.) has allowed us to analyze datasets that were previously considered computationally impractical. In particular, we have conducted a complete phylogenetic analysis of a subset of the Campanulaceae family, confirming various conjectures about the relationships among members of the subset and about the principal mechanism of evolution for their chloroplast genome. We give representative results of the extensive experimentation we conducted on both real and simulated datasets in order to validate and characterize our approaches. We find that our techniques provide very accurate reconstructions of the true tree topology even when the data are generated by processes that include a significant fraction of transpositions and when the data are close to saturation.
Determinacy in static analysis for jQuery

Static analysis for JavaScript can potentially help programmers find errors early during development. Although much progress has been made on analysis techniques, a major obstacle is the prevalence of libraries, in particular jQuery, which apply programming patterns that have detrimental consequences on the analysis precision and performance. Previous work on dynamic determinacy analysis has demonstrated how information about program expressions that always resolve to a fixed value in some call context may lead to significant scalability improvements of static analysis for such code. We present a static dataflow analysis for JavaScript that infers and exploits determinacy information on-the-fly, to enable analysis of some of the most complex parts of jQuery. The analysis combines selective context and path sensitivity, constant propagation, and branch pruning, based on a systematic investigation of the main causes of analysis imprecision when using a more basic analysis. The techniques are implemented in the TAJS analysis tool and evaluated on a collection of small programs that use jQuery. Our results show that the proposed analysis techniques boost both precision and performance, specifically for inferring type information and call graphs.
Effects of dorzolamide/timolol and tafluprost on intraocular pressure and pupil diameter in healthy dogs

O estudo objetivou avaliar e comparar os efeitos da combinacao fixa da dorzolamida/timolol com os da tafluprosta sobre a pressao intraocular (PIO) e o diâmetro pupilar (DP) em caes saudaveis (n=10). Dois experimentos com intervalo de 30 dias foram conduzidos. Em ambos, a PIO e o DP foram avaliados as 8, 11, 14, 17 e as 20h. Os parâmetros foram avaliados durante a fases basal, um periodo de tratamento de quatro dias, e um dia de pos-tratamento. Durante a fase de tratamento, a PIO dos olhos tratados com dorzolamida/timolol reduziram em 0.74 (P<0.05), 1.88 (P<0.01), 2.94 (P<0.001), e 3.10mmHg (P<0.01); e dos olhos tratados com tafluprosta em 1.50, 2.18, 2.14 e 2.18mmHg (P<0.001). O DP dos olhos tratados com dorzolamida/timolol reduziram em 0.24 (P<0.01), 0.32 (P<0.01), 0.49 (P<0.001) e 0.40mm (P<0.001); e dos olhos tratados com tafluprosta em 2.31, 2.55, 2.43 e 2.70mm (P<0.001). A dorzolamida/timol e a tafluprosta foram capazes de reduzir a PIO e o DP em caes saudaveis. Porem, efeito cumulativo do tratamento com dorzolamida/timolol foi observado, decorridos tres dias de tratamento. Por essa razao, a dorzolamida/timolol foi mais efetiva que a tafluprosta na reducao da PIO. Comparacoes entre os tratamentos demonstraram que a tafluprosta foi mais efetiva em reduzir o DP, durante toda a fase de tratamento. Palavras-chave: inibidores da anidrase carbonica; beta bloqueador; analogos da prostaglandina; glaucoma; caes
Prognostic role of miR-9 expression in various human malignant neoplasms: a meta-analysis

Emerging evidence has shown that aberrant microRNA expression has the potential to be used for predicting survival and treatment response of malignant neoplasms. In recent years, the role of miR-9 had been investigated in various types of cancers, and it was found that the results were inconsistent and inconclusive. Hence, in this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic value of miR-9 in various types of tumors. Eligible studies were identified through a systematic search in PubMed and EMBASE and then were assessed by further quality evaluation. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals for overall survival (OS) were calculated to investigate the association between miR-9 expression and cancer prognosis. The pooled results of eight published studies showed that elevated miR-9 was a predictor of poor survival of various carcinomas, with pooled HR of 3.04 (95% confidence interval: 1.96–4.73) for OS. Subgroup analysis on the basis of tumor type, sample size, and HR estimate also showed that high levels of miR-9 were also significantly correlated with OS. In addition, when the subgroup analyses were grouped by follow-up time, it was found that the elevated expression of miR-9 was associated with a lower long-term survival when the follow-up time was >60 months, but there was no correlation between the outcomes and those patients whose follow-up time was <60 months. Funnel plots and Egger’s tests revealed that there was no obvious publication bias risk in the meta-analysis. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that higher expression level of miR-9 significantly predicted worse OS in various carcinomas and that miR-9 may act as a novel biomarker in the prognosis of malignant neoplasms.